Actresses From California

An American actress, film producer, and businesswoman, Jennifer Aniston began her acting career pretty early but gained stardom with her portrayal of Rachel Green in the popular television sitcom Friends. Her film career demonstrated her wide range and impressed both critics and audience. The star of The Good Girl and Bruce Almighty also went ahead to launch her own perfume.

A fashion icon, acclaimed actress, influential humanitarian and Special Envoy for the UNHCR, Angelina Jolie is a highly noted celebrity in Hollywood. She has been hailed for her philanthropic efforts around the globe and praised for her power packed performances. Mother of six, of whom three are adopted, Angelina Jolie is a role model for the women of this generation.

A legendary American actress, model, comedienne and singer, Marilyn Monroe emerged as a major sex symbol in Hollywood in the 1950s. Amongst the most successful actresses of her time, she also won critical acclaim for her acting in movies like Some Like It Hot. Her personal and professional life, though from the beginning, were marked by hardships, struggles and controversies.

Carrie Fisher was an American actress best known for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars films. Some of her other films notable film wereShampoo, Soapdish, The Blues Brothers, When Harry Met Sally and The Women. She had issues with bipolar disorder and drug addiction and spoke publicly about it. She died after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest while on a transatlantic flight.

Michelle Pfeiffer is one of those rare Hollywood actresses who delivers Oscar-worthy performances every time she faces a camera. In her nearly half-a-century long career, there’s hardly a genre Pfeiffer hasn’t explored and conquered. Showering us with charm and unmatched talent in comedies, dramas, romance, and thrillers, this Golden Globe winner is one of the best actresses of this era.

Kate Hudson carved out a nice niche for herself in Hollywood after appearing in a string of romantic comedies. She’s had many box office successes like Almost Famous, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Alex and Emma, You, Me and Dupree, Great Barrier Reef and Bride Wars. She has also had some failures and duds along the way.

After making her film debut in the horror film, Halloween, James Lee Curtis went on to establish herself as a scream queen, appearing in a number of horror films. Curtis is also an author, having released several children's books, including books that have made The New York Times' best-seller list. She is also a well-known philanthropist.

A former actress best known for her appearances in comedy films, Cameron Diaz is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a New York Film Critics Award. She began modeling as a teenager and was soon flooded with acting offers. Over the years, she became a successful actress and has since retired from acting. She is known for her environmental activism.

Best known for her dressing style and idiosyncratic personality, Diane Keaton is one of the earliest actresses to take precautionary action to avoid being typecast in the entertainment industry. Widely regarded as one of the greatest actresses of the 1970s, Diane is also one of the most respected and celebrated actresses of all time.

An acclaimed American actress, Sally Field has won prestigious awards, such as Academy Awards and Emmy Awards. Apart from being a popular actress, Sally Field has also played an important role as an activist, advocating for gay rights and women's rights. She has been part of the board of directors of an international women's NGO called Vital Voices Global Partnership.

American actress Helen Hunt garnered recognition when she acted in the television series, St Elsewhere, in the 1980s and Mad About You in the 1990s. She has starred in several acclaimed and successful Hollywood films like Twister, What Women Want, Cast Away and The Sessions. She won a Best Actress Oscar for the 1997 film As Good as it Gets.

Elizabeth Olsen gained worldwide recognition for her performance as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch in films, such as Avengers: Endgame. Starting out as a child actress, she received singing and ballet lessons when she was a child. A New York University Tisch School of the Arts alumna, Elizabeth Olsen went on to establish herself as a successful actress.

Actress and singer Zendaya is best known for her role in the Disney Channel sitcom, Shake It Up. She began her career as a model and is trained in different forms of dance. As a singer, she has released one studio album and several singles. She identifies as a feminist and has shown support for the 'Black Lives Matter' movement.

Born into a family with a rich legacy in the entertainment industry, actress Blake Lively was exposed to acting as a young child. Even though she was not interested in acting as a teenager, she developed a passion for the same after winning a Teen Choice Award for one of her early TV shows.

Actress, singer, and songwriter Hailee Steinfeld first gained fame as Mattie Ross in the drama western film True Grit. Some of her family members are in the entertainment field and they introduced her to acting when she was a child. She also has a keen interest in music and has released two extended plays and 17 singles.

Zooey Deschanel is an American actress known for her deadpan roles in successful comedy films, such as The Good Girl, Elf, Failure to Launch, Yes Man and 500 Days of Summer. She also acted in the popular sitcom New Girl. She is also a singer and songwriter and plays keyboards, percussion, banjo, and ukulele. Zooey is a co-founder of the female-focused website, HelloGiggles.

Actress Jessica Alba is is known as a successful businesswoman. She acted in films like Honey, Fantastic Four, Valentine’s Day, Little Fockers and the Sin City franchise and while she was appreciated in some, she often received flak for her acting from critics. She hit the jackpot when she founded the company 'Honest', which sells baby care products and household goods.

Popular Hollywood actress and filmmaker, Kristen Stewart garnered worldwide fame for her portrayal of Bella Swan in the massively successful Twilight film series. However, Stewart’s rendezvous with fame and success began at a much younger age when she debuted in the movie, The Thirteenth, Year and later worked in the movie. Panic Room. Her later notable work include Clouds of Sils Maria.

Hollywood actress Vanessa Hudgens’s breakout roles were Disney Channel’s film High School Musical and Netflix’s The Princess Switch, both in 2006. She subsequently went on to act in a range of films cutting across various genres. She courted controversy in 2007 when her nude photos from her phone were leaked on the internet, for which she apologised to her fans.

Bryce Dallas Howard is an American actress and filmmaker, who attained fame after starring in the psychological thriller, The Village. Some of her other notable films are Lady in the Water, As You Like, Spiderman 3, Terminator Salvation, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. She is the daughter of famous and celebrated director and producer, Ron Howard.

After starting her film career at the age of three, Shirley Temple went on to become Hollywood's highest-grossing child actress from 1935 to 1938. She is the epitome of popular child stars who lose their charm as they grow up. Despite failing as an adult actress, she is ranked 18th in the greatest female screen legends of Classic Hollywood list.

An actress, writer, singer, and comedian, Lisa Kudrow gained international fame for portraying the iconic character Phoebe Buffay in one of the most popular American sitcoms of all time - Friends. She is also one of the highest-grossing film actresses as her movies have grossed more than $2 billion worldwide.

A talented actress who felt deeply about social issues, Naya Rivera was known for playing roles that reflected her standing on issues like racism and queer representation. She openly championed for LGBT+ rights, immigrants' rights, and women's rights. The brilliant young woman met a tragic end when she drowned in a lake in 2020.

Known for playing emotionally grueling roles, Jessica Chastain often chooses to act in films with feminist themes. A feminist who voices her opinion on gender and racial equality, Jessica started the Time's Up initiative with 300 women in Hollywood. She also supports charities that promote mental health and was named in Time magazine's 100 most influential people list in 2012.

A woman of many talents, Sasha Grey is an American actress, author, musician, and former pornographic actress. Grey's journey from the pornographic industry to the mainstream film industry has been quite inspirational. Also a well-known DJ, Grey is credited with co-founding the now-defunct industrial music band aTelecine. An openly bisexual star, she serves as an inspiration to the LGBT community.

American actress, Laura Dern, gained international recognition with the 1993 film Jurassic Park. A Perfect World, Citizen Ruth, Little Fockers, Wild and Star Wars: The Last Jedi are some of her notable films. She has also starred in acclaimed television series like Enlightened and Big Little Lies. She won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2020 for the film Marriage Story.

The daughter of Howard Deutch and Lea Thompson, Zoey Deutch is one of the most successful Hollywood actresses under the age of 30. Apart from acting and appearing on the cover pages of famous magazines, Zoey also participates in fundraising campaigns for charity. She was the star attraction at the 2017 and 2018 Women's March. 

An American actress and singer, Miranda Cosgrove started out as a child actress. In 2010, she became the second-highest-paid child star, having earned $180,000 per episode for the TV series iCarly. Also a philanthropist, Miranda Cosgrove supports St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and is a spokesperson for an organization called Light the Night Walk which raises awareness for blood cancer.

Christina Applegate is known for doing a host of comic roles in films like Just Visiting, The Sweetest Thing and A View from the Top. But critical acclaim came her way from television series like Jesse, Friends and Samantha Who and the Netflix show Dead to Me. She is a breast cancer survivor and helps raise funds and awareness towards cancer.

Ashley Judd is a popular American actress who is vocal about topics, such as sexual assault. As a three-time rape survivor—as claimed by her—Ashley serves as an inspiration to rape survivors around the world. Known for her humanitarian work, Ashley has worked on gender equality for over a decade. She is also famous for her political activities.

An American actress and model, Lizzy Caplan is credited with popularizing sexologist Virginia E. Johnson by portraying the latter in the period drama television series Masters of Sex, for which she received critical acclaim and several nominations for prestigious awards, such as the Primetime Emmy Award.

American actress, Keri Russell, is best known for playing the titular character in teen drama Felicity and a KGB agent in thriller series The Americans. The Golden Globe Award winning actress made her debut as a teenager and later transitioned into playing more mature roles in films, television and stage. Her notable films include Mission: Impossible III, Waitress and Bedtime Stories.

Tracee Ellis Ross is an actress and TV host best known for her performance in TV series like Girlfriends and Black-ish. One of the few actresses to sport a distinguishable curly hairstyle, Tracee owns a hair-care line called Pattern Beauty, which is exclusively meant for curly hair.

The daughter of popular American actors, Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, Willow Smith has established herself as a singer-songwriter and rapper. Mentored by rapper Jay-Z, Smith became the youngest artist to be signed to the former's label Roc Nation in 2010. In 2019, she came out as bisexual and expressed her desire to be in a polyamorous relationship.

Known for her Academy Award-nominated performance in The Hateful Eight, Jennifer Jason Leigh had started her career at age 9. Fans also loved her in Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle and Margot at the Wedding. She was also seen as Sally Bowles in Sam Mendes’s Broadway production Cabaret.

Katharine Ross is an American actress who became a prominent Hollywood personality in the late-1960s and early-1970s. She is known for her performance in popular films, such as The Graduate and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Much of her acting career was overshadowed by her highly publicized personal life and five marriages to popular personalities.

From working as a scrub technician to becoming a popular model and actress, Minka Kelly has had quite an incredible journey so far. Though she initially wanted to become a surgeon's assistant, she decided against it after landing minor roles in short films and TV series. Apart from modeling and acting, Minka also enjoys baking and cooking.

Actress Elizabeth Montgomery had a flourishing acting career that spanned five decades. Throughout her career, she touched the lives of many with her charitable work and political activism. Such was her popularity that after she succumbed to cancer, a bronze statue of her famous character Samantha Stephens from the TV series Bewitched was erected in Massachusetts.

An American actress, singer, songwriter, filmmaker, writer, and YouTuber, Jennette McCurdy is truly an inspiration to several young girls and women; despite suffering from conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder, anorexia, and bulimia, McCurdy has managed to establish herself as a successful entertainer. As a writer, she has contributed immensely to publications like The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Seventeen.

Rebecca Romijn is an American actress whose skills and beautiful body were tailor-made for the role of Mystique, whom she portrayed in the X-Men film series. Renowned for her beauty, Rebecca Romijn started her career as a model, featuring on the cover of magazines like Glamour and Sports Illustrated. She has also been featured in advertising campaigns for popular brands.