Nurith NupurAngela Bassett
How many actresses can boast of being a Yale graduate? Angela Bassett sure can! With a brain rivaling with her talent, the 59-year-old is a dynamic actress. Born in the Harlem neighborhood, the actress always nursed a desire for acting since childhood. She was, for the most part, an excellent student in the academic field and was part of several school clubs, until college. Her aim in acting was to break away from the stereotypical roles assigned to black actors in movies and establish a new identity for fellow dark-skinned actors. She is best known for playing a variety of hard-hitting and emotional roles. Her performances pack a powerful punch with regards to the exuberance and captivating manner she portrays her characters in. Bassett refused to fall into the hole of playing roles for the sake of vanity, which proved to be her strong suit. Apart from pursuing acting, she is also a consistent presence in political campaigns and an active ambassador in UNICEF for the United States.
Tilda Swinton
Is there any other androgynous beauty such as Tilda Swinton? We think not! Hailing from one of the only three families which can trace back their land ownership and ancestry all the way back to before the Norman Conquest, the actress comes from a rich familial background. When in school, she boasted of being classmates and friends with the late Princess Diana. She had her first taste for her craft when she was in college at Cambridge University. She had always expressed in the interest in the androgynous style, from which she draws her current fashion inspiration. Her unique and avant-garde style made her muse to many fashion designers. The 57-year-old is usually seen sporting minimal to no makeup in adherence to her androgynous style.
Goldie Hawn
Blonde and vivacious, Goldie Hawn made a splash on the silver screen with her comedic chops which left audiences and critics wowed alike. Initially starting out as a dancer, she had even dropped out of college to pursue and teach ballet. When her dancing dreams came to an end, she moved to California to pursue a career in acting. What no one could have anticipated was how wildly successful the vivacious blonde would go on to become in Hollywood. However, the “It” girl of the 60s had always been conscious of her looks and body. As is the case with aging, the actress came to the realization over time the true secret of being happy – “The only thing that will make you happy is being happy with who you are, and not who people think you are.”
Catherine Keener
The Oscar-nominated actress actually started out as a casting director in Hollywood! She once relayed her keenness to foray into acting to her one of her superiors, and she soon found herself with a minor acting role in a movie. The struggle was all too real for the aspiring actress, as she was often deemed too plain and unattractive to play lead roles. The criticisms hit hard on Keener, she was even discouraged enough to stop pursuing the craft at the time. The actress was mature enough to let go of it, and insists, “Well, for one thing, I like being a supporting actress. I like to come and go in the film. The interesting characters are very few if you want to be the lead, and they depend on you being beautiful. Since I’m not interested in those parts, the pressure’s off, in a way. I’m not cast for my physicality. I find that playing so many characters in so many films is a way to be in the moment.” She has since found her niche in playing characters in independent and mainstream ventures alike.
Meryl Streep
If you don’t know of Meryl Streep, get out of here! A true actress, she is almost a chameleon when it comes to her versatility in roles. She began her career on on stage and progressed to films in the 1970s. It is not enough to wax eloquent about the highly decorated actress! With the most number of nominations awarded for any actress ever, she can perhaps be considered a darling of critics and audiences alike. Her extreme versatility of roles in a vast array of movies makes her actress to be reckoned with. She brings her own brand of charisma role she plays, yet the multi-faceted actress insists that she “didn’t have any confidence in my beauty when I was young.” No matter what she thinks, the audiences and critics both continue to be wowed by her performances.
Ann Curry
An active journalist and news anchor, Ann Curry has had an illustrious career so far. From being the first female news reporter at KTVL Oregon to scoring exclusive interviews with aloof and controversial figures, Curry has proven to be a competent journalist time and again. Her efforts in the journalistic field have even earned her several awards too. In addition to her brains, the former Dateline NBC anchor also has looks to match! Her father is American with French, Irish and Scottish blood in the mix, her mother is Japanese. It has led her to be included in People’s “Most Beautiful People” list in 2010. But being a true journalist at heart, she said, “People are so obsessed with my hair, and I want them to care as much about what’s happening in Darfur.”