Ava Gardner, 67

In 2021, the Daily Mail announced that the American actress Elizabeth McGovern was getting ready to portray the late Ava Gardner in the stage play “Ava: The Secret Conversations.” It’s yet another tribute to Ava Gardner, one of Hollywood’s most beloved celebrities. Before passing away in 1990, Gardner appeared in several classic films, including “The Killers,” “Mogambo,” and “The Night of the Iguana.”

A timeless symbol of beauty, Gardner fully embodied the charm of the classical American cinema period. Recurrently featured on magazine covers, Gardner was also famous for marrying the legendary crooner Frank Sinatra, her third and last husband.

Brenda Blethyn, 75

By just looking at these photos, one can tell that Brenda Blethyn has aged gracefully, a feat not everyone in show business can nail. Since 2011, she has portrayed DCI Vera Stanhope in the show Vera, and although she’s now in her mid-70s, fans shouldn’t expect to see her bid goodbye to the industry.

In the May 2021 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, Blethyn admitted she doesn’t feel 75 and doesn’t have plans to retire, something that she has learned from her mom and dad. As such, it is likely that she would be working until she can no longer.

Sophia Loren, 87

A bonafide living legend, the Italian actress Sophia Loren is the one-of-a-kind diva European cinema can’t live without. Still active, Loren appeared in the 2021 documentary “Morceaux de Cannes” and starred in the 2020 Italian flick “La vita davanti a sé.”

One of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood, Loren is a female symbol perhaps best known for “Two Women,” a classic film that earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress. Never afraid to go against the status quo, Loren is widely recognized for her independent personality, flawless sense of style, and generation-defining acting prowess.

Jane Russell, 89

In the summer of 2021, cinemas worldwide commemorated the 100th birthday of the late American actress Jane Russell by playing some of her best-known movies. A Hollywood female symbol of the ’40s and ’50s, Russell worked actively as an actress between 1940 and 1986. She left us in 2011, aged 89.

With a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Russell was at her best in titles such as “The Outlaw” and “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” A diva and beauty symbol, Russell made her final on-screen appearance in the 2014 documentary “The True Adventures of Raoul Walsh.”

Marilyn Monroe, 36

The expression ‘female symbol’ refers to beautiful, talented women who marked a generation. But would it even exist if it wasn’t for Marilyn Monroe? Arguably the most famous female celebrity in history, Monroe is known for her acting career, contributions to the troops during the Korean War, and her irresistible personality.

Paving the way for the progressive ’60s, Monroe passed away tragically at the age of 36. In 2021, the documentary “Royals: Keeping the Crown” revealed that Monaco’s Prince Rainier III initially thought of courting Monroe before meeting and falling in love with Grace Kelly.