The former blue-collar worker from Ohio with the prominently jutting ears became the 'King of Hollywood', a title based on his being the leading male box office attraction throughout the 1930s. The dashing, mustachioed image of Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind" (1939) remains indelibly associated with the name Clark Gable, but before his "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" made screen history, Gable (with the aid of his MGM publicist Howard Strickland) had already established a distinctive screen persona as the virile, lovable rogue whose gruff facade only thinly masked a natural charm and goodness.
To look upon the face of Claire Danes is to discover an exquisitely expressive canvas for all the emotional colorings of life. This remarkably self-possessed young performer brought startling authenticity as well as intelligence and complexity to her starring role in the landmark high school/family drama "My So-Called Life" (ABC, 1994-95). Danes' often heartrending portrayal of a fifteen-year-old coping with the rigors of adolescence contributed to the cult series' avalanche of kudos and won a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy nod for its rising star. The low-rated, short-lived program counted Steven Spielberg and Winona Ryder among its followers.
A stunning, sexy star with an enviable array of dance moves who has built an increasingly high-profile career primarily on her considerable erotic appeal while maintaining a nice-girl-next-door persona, Carmen Electra effectively transformed herself from pop star protégé and Playboy model into a pop culture phenomenon.
Over the last two decades, this charismatic Austrian bodybuilder has become one of the world's leading box-office attractions, married into one of America's foremost families and built a thriving business and real estate empire.
A waifish blonde, Anne Heche (pronounced 'haytch') was still relatively unknown when she made headlines in April 1997 disclosing her relationship with comedienne Ellen DeGeneres. Almost immediately, there was speculation and questions about whether the actress' decision to reveal her lesbianism would adversely affect her career, particularly as Heche had been cast as Harrison Ford's love interest in "Six Days/Seven Nights" (1998). Reportedly, the marketing campaign for the film was altered to play up the adventure aspect of the film instead of the romance, but it was for naught: not only did Heche's bid for movie stardom fizzle quickly, her much-discussed relationship with Degeneres also collapsed in 2001 and she suffered a highly public 2000 meltdown in which she was found wandering in a dazed state concerned about aliens. Neverthless, she managed to collect herself and reclaim her acting career, as well as become and wife and mother away from the set.
The fact that redheaded stunner Angie Everhart, who set the pages of Sports Illustrated on fire in addition to numerous revealing print and film appearances, was commonly mistaken for a boy in her youth may come as more than a shock to some given that her name became synonymous with sex appeal in the mid-'90s.
