A representation or portrayal of a person, thing, or an event by one or more comparable and representative characters is termed as acting. The roots of acting are traceable to the earliest stages in the development of human history. The Greeks treated acting as rhetoric, and in many cultures acting has a religious importance. For example, ‘Ramlila’ or ‘Dussehra’ are important Hindu festivals to celebrate the victory of good over evil, which are performed by actors representing the relevant characters. Halloween in the West and many Chinese festivals reflect the old traditions of acting.

1.  Elizabeth Taylor DBE

Elizabeth Taylor was born to Francis and Sara Taylor, in Heathwood, 8 Wildwood Road, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, England on February 27, 1932 and died at Los Angles, California, U.S.A. on March 23, 2011 at the age of 79. The most distinguishing features of her personality are her eyes, marriages, diseases, and her love to help those in need. Her eyes were deep blue with a violet reflection and double eyelashes. She was married eight times and commenting on her marriages said, ‘I was taught by my parents that if you fall in love, if you want to have a love affair, you get married. I guess I am very old fashioned.’ More than 70 times she was hospitalized and had undergone 20 major operations, quite a few of them making headline news on account of their seriousness. Appearing on the Larry King Live program on May 30, 2006, she refuted the rumors that she was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. She helped to raise more than $270 million for the cause of HIV and AIDS. Elizabeth Taylor was honored with the Jean Herscholt Humanitarian Academy Award in recognition of her efforts to fight AIDS. She was honored with the Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). She won an Academy Award twice; the first in 1960 and the second in 1966.

2. Sophia Loren (OMRI)

Sophia Loren was born to Romilda Villani and Riccardo Scicolone in Clinica Regina Margherita, Pozzuoli, Italy on September 20, 1934. Her birth name was Sofia Villain Scicolone. She was also known as Sofia Lazzaro and Sofia Scicolone. In 1958 she signed a five picture contact with Paramount Pictures and emerged as a star of international fame. She received $1 million for appearing in the Fall of the Roman Empire. As the World Film Favorite Female, she received four Golden Globe Awards during 1964-1977. She was declared ‘one of the World Cinema’s Treasures’ in 1991 and was honored with an Academy Honorary Award. In 1995 she got the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award. She was also honored with the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (OMRI). The American Film Institute ranked her at #21 of the 25 American female screen legends of all time. In 2009, Sophia Loren was inducted into the Italian American Hall of Fame. The Guiness Book of World Records documented her as ‘Italy’s Most Awarded Actress.’

3. Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda was born to Henry Fonda and Frances Ford Seymour Brokaw in New York City, New York, U.S.A. on December 21, 1937. Her birth name was Lady Jayne Seymour Fonda. She was named after the third wife of King Henry VIII to whom she was a distant relative from her maternal side. She received her early education at the Emma Willard School in Troy, New York followed by her education at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie. Her career as a film actress has extended over half a century. She won two Academy Awards and many other movie awards. She was an activist against the Vietnamese War. She is a well-known feminist. She published her autobiography in 2005. She was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in December, 2008. In December, 2009 she was awarded the New York Women’s Agenda lifetime achievement award.

4. Jessica Tandy

Jessica Tandy was born to Jessie Helen and Harry Tandy in Hackney, London, England on June 7, 1909 and died at the age of 85 in Easton, Connecticut, U.S.A. on September 11, 1984. She was the youngest of the three siblings. She was educated at Dame Alice Owens’ School in Islington. She played a role in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. She won an Emmy Award for performing in Foxfire launched in 1987. Her role as a stubborn, southern Jewish matron in Driving Miss Daisy was brilliant and won her an Oscar Award in 1989. Her love for acting continued to the end of her life. She played her last role at the age of 84 in Camilla launched in 1989.

5.  Marlee Bethany Matlin

Marlee Bethany Matlin was born to Libby and Donald Matlin in Morton Grove, Illinois, U.S.A. on August 24, 1965. Just at the age of 18 months she was totally deaf in her right ear and 80 per cent deaf in her left ear. She was educated at John Hersey High School, Arlington Heights and later at Harper College. In 1987 she received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters Degree from Gallaudet University. Matlin was presented in 1987 an Oscar in the Academy Awards for Best Actor. After introducing herself in ASL, she pronounced loudly ‘The names of the Nominees, and the winner, Michael Douglas.’

6. Katharine Hepburn

Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born to Katherine Martha Houghton and Thomas Norval Hepburn in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A. on May 12, 1907 and died at Ferwick, Old Saybrook, Connecticut, U.S.A. on June 29, 2003 at the age of 96. She studied at Oxford School and Bryn Mawr College but did not like her tenure there. When she was young, she used to behave like a boy and liked to be called Jimmy.  She had short hair and wore pants before their being in fashion. She was resolute and confident. She received four Academy Awards and won four Oscars which are more than any other actress ever won. She remained active throughout her life. Katharine Hepburn is documented in the Encyclopedia Britannica in the list of ‘300 Women Who Changed the World.’ In 2003, East 49th Street in New York City was named after her as ‘Katharine Hepburn Place.’ In her 80s she said, ‘I have no fear of death. Must be wonderful like a long sleep.’

7. Luise Rainer

Luise Rainer was born in Düsseldorf, Germany on January 12, 1910 and is over 102 years old now. With the exception of George Burns, she is the only actress over 100 years of age. She is the first woman who won two Academy Awards, and she is also the first woman to win them consecutively. Rainer commenting on her career said, ‘I became an actress only because I had quickly to find some vent for the emotion that inside of me went around and around, never stopping.’

8. Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett was born to June (nee Gamble) and Robert DeWitt Blanchett in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on May 14, 1969. She was nominated twice for the same role (Queen Elizabeth) in 1998 and 2007, and she is the only actress in this respect. She was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 5, 2008.

9.  Jane Wyman

Jane Wyman was born to Manning Jefferies Mayfield and Hope Christian in St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S.A. and died at the age of 90 in Rancho Mirage, California, U.S.A. on September 10, 2007. She was the only non-speaking actress in the post silent era to win an Academy Award. Wyman was the ex-wife of the U.S. President Ronald Regan.  After the death of Regan on June 5, 2004, she said, ‘America has lost a great President and a great, kind, and gentle man.’

10. Mary Louise Streep

Mary Louise Streep was born to Mary Wolf and Harry William Streep in Summit, New Jersey, U.S.A. on June 22, 1949. During the period from 1984 to 1990, she won six People’s Choice Awards and was nominated as World Favorite in 1990. In The Iron Lady, she played Margaret Thatcher excellently and won The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama. She also won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

Conclusion:

As seen above, some actresses have left deep impressions on the pages of history, and their review is quite enlightening. No one has perhaps expressed the sentiments about acting better than Shakespeare, who concluded that:
‘All the World’s a stage
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.’