Actresses like Natalie Portman and Viola Davis may be Hollywood’s pride and joy in modern times, but in the 1980s, a different list of elite actresses reigned supreme. These gals had brains, looks, and tons of class. These women were powerful, gorgeous, and very talented actresses during a time when padded shoulders and big hair were the latest rage. Some left quite an impression in our minds and in our hearts. Others are no longer with us, but will never be forgotten. So check out this list of 1980s actress who were phenomenal and still are.Sissy appeared in films like “Missing,” “The River,” and “The Help.” In 2011, she got a star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2018, she appeared in a couple of episodes of “Castle Rock” and “Homecoming.” But we doubt we’ve seen the last of Sissy.
She went on to do other critically acclaimed projects like “Cookie” and “The Lost Boys.” She continued to act in films in the 90s’ like “The Associate,” She eventually became a recurring character in the hit series “Law and Order” and was the matriarch in the recently canceled sitcom “Life in Pieces.”
But was also in the movie classic, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?” Mia was memorable in that film. She continued to work in the 1990s in films like 1992’s “A Stranger Among Us” and 1994’s “Time Cop.” Sadly, she’s been MIA from film and television since 2013.
Fortunately, her career didn’t take a dive unlike her character in “Thelma and Louise.” She has since starred on TV shows like “Commander-in-Chief” and as Dr. Herman on “Grey’s Anatomy.” She’s also voiced the character Huntara in “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.”
She was also pretty popular for her role in “The Postman Always Rings Twice.” She’s won a Tony, an Oscar, and an Emmy for her amazing talent. Recently, she’s appeared on hit shows like “Feud,” “American Horror Story,” and is set to star in 2019’s show “The Politician.”
She gave an amazing performance in “The Color of Money” too. But she’s kept on acting since the 1980s. She’s played a recurring character on “Grimm.” She’s also appeared on the show “The Punisher,” and in the series “Blindspot.”
She’s famous for her “Halloween” role. But she was really taken seriously after 1983’s “Trading Places.” She went on to star in 1988’s “A Fish Called Wanda.” And appeared on the show “Scream Queens” not so long ago. She also reprised her “Halloween” role in the franchise’s 2018 sequel.
But when she became a mom in real life, Molly decided to cut down on her acting career. But she continued to work in minor roles here and there. Then she blessed us with her recurring appearance on the series “Riverdale” and will also be appearing in the “Tales of the City” revival series in 2019.
She proved to be a worthy actress in the terror flick, “Rosemary’s Baby.” She’s also an activist for charities like UNICEF and fights for children’s rights. The latter isn’t so surprising since she has 14 children, 10 of which are adopted.
But Sigourney also made herself popular in the 80s’ for films like “Ghostbusters.” But she’s no slacker. She’s appeared in films like “Exodus: Gods and Kings.” And is currently set to reprise her role as Dr. Grace Augustine in Avatars 2 through 5. So there’s plenty of Sigourney to see in the near future.
Of course, some people already knew Kelly for playing an Amish woman in the film “The Witness.” Although she’s done two TV movies in 2017 and 2018, her acting career has stalled. So now she uses her downtime to teach acting to other potential actors in North Carolina.
After playing Supergirl, Helen appeared on the 2015 TV show “Supergirl,” only this time, she played Supergirl’s adoptive mom. She also guest-starred on Smallville, the show that was based on the Superman series. But Helen kept flourishing and she continued landing role after role. She starred in “Ruthless People,” “The Secret of My Success,” “Lassie,” and “A Remarkable Life”.
She’s also famous for her role in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” She continued to act over the years and even became a recurring character in “Body of Proof.” She recently guest starred on “The Cool Kids,” and “Tacoma FD.” Before that, she was on “Odd Mom Out” from 2015 to 2017.
Kathleen went on to star in “Romancing the Stone” and “The Jewel of the Nile” which made her more famous. “Peggy Sue Got Married” was also a huge hit in 1986. And she was hilarious in the 1994 film “Serial Mom.” She’s recently appeared on the show “Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings.”
Her mermaid tail was designed and built by visual effects artist Robert Short, who came up with a tail that was fully functional. Daryl’s career skyrocketed thanks to the epic fantasy movie. Eventually, she performed in “Roxanne” and “Wall Street”. She continued making a name for herself in the 90s, eventually making a comeback in 2003 as Elle Driver in the movie “Kill Bill Volume 2”. From then on, Daryl has been active in raising awareness about veganism and living an eco-friendly life. Her entire house runs out of solar panels. She also runs an environmentally-friendly company called “Love Life Goods”.
Carrie went on to appear in a number of films and television shows. She guest-starred as herself in “The Big Bang Theory.” She was the voice of Angela in “Family Guy,” and also recurred in the Brit-com “Catastrophe.” She appeared as Leia one last time in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” before passing away.
She continued showing off her acting skills in films like “The Falcon” and the “Snowman.” You might remember her from the 1990s series “VR.5.” But despite a few minor roles, she hasn’t been in front of the camera since 2017. Instead she’s turned to producing.
She also furthered her career in the 1988 film “She’s Having a Baby.” Recently, Elizabeth was seen in Downton Abbey,” and the 2018 film “The Commuter.” She’s currently shooting the BBC series “War of the Worlds,” and we’re sure she’s going to McGovern that role.
Not only did she play a convincing villain, but acting and performing seemingly runs in the family. Her father and grandfather had both been honored with an Oscar, and in 1986, she received an Oscar herself for Best Supporting Actress in “Prizzi’s Horror”. She starred in the 1991 movie, “The Addams Family,” “The Royal Tenenbaums,” and “John Wick.” But she’s got a knack for more than acting. She’s very outspoken against animal cruelty. She even penned a heartbreaking letter where she urges city council members to put a ban on fur sales in New York City.
Linda Hamilton played the iconic role of Sarah Connor, the mother of the future savior of the world, John Connor in the “Terminator” franchise. But Linda kept herself busy. She also starred in the 1980s TV show “Beauty and the Beast”. Clearly, she couldn’t let go of the incredible Terminator saga, though, because in 2009 she lent her voice on the “Terminator Salvation”. Linda isn’t retiring anytime soon, as she made a few appearances on the show “Weeds” and now she’s back and better than ever and reprising her role as Sarah Connor in “Terminator: Dark Fate”.
But America’s sweetheart didn’t sit on her laurels after her iconic role. Lea, along with Tom Cruise, starred in the movie “All the Right Moves” right after Tom’s career skyrocketed thanks to “Risky Business”. In the 90s, Lea also appeared in the series “Caroline in the City” and she continued making her way on the small screen. She even directed and starred in a series of TV movies that were released on the Hallmark Channel.
Not only was she hilarious as Ellen, but she also proved she’s a jack of all trades when she played the renown Pasty Cline in the 80s in the box office hit, “The Coal Miner’s Daughter”. As time went on, Beverly continued landing roles. She played a defense attorney on “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” in the 2000s. At the age of 49, she had twins with none other than Al Pacino, and she doesn’t regret her decision one bit. As far as her career goes, she landed a recurring role in the show Entourage from 2005 to 2011.
Cindy also released “Time after Time,” “True Colors,” and “Dancing with a Stranger”. Her daring and irreverent fashion choices put her on the map. Soon enough, everyone wanted to be like Cindy. But she’s just as opinionated as she is bold, as Cindy is an outspoken LGBT rights activist. Her debut solo album scored her a Grammy Award, with her second one topping the charts as soon as it got released. She’s released a whopping 10 studio albums, with the latest one called “Detour”.
She’s been nominated for an Academy Award 3 times in a row, with the first nomination taking place in 1982 for the movie, “The World According to Garp”. In 1983, Glenn got nominated as Best Supporting Actress for her role as Sarah Cooper in “The Big Chill.” And in 1984, she was nominated for the movie “The Natural”. Glenn’s career never stopped blossoming, as she’s still one of the most in-demand actresses in Tinseltown. The actress, along with Mila Kunis, are both set to star in a new drama called “Four Good Days” that deals with substance abuse and interpersonal relationships.
She starred as Sandy on the hit movie, “Grease” but if you look at photos of Olivia on the red carpet from recent years, you wouldn’t be able to tell a difference. She’s as ravishing as always, but Olivia didn’t settle for an acting career only. In 1981 she released the album Physical which was a total success. In the late 80s, she became a mom, so unsurprisingly, she took some time off to focus on her daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi. Eventually, she released a single along with her daughter Chloe in 2015.
Her illustrious career has left her with an Academy Award, 3 Golden Globes, 4 BAFTA awards, a Tony Award, and as if that wasn’t impressive enough, she also got 4 Primetime Emmy Awards. Her role as detective Jane Tennison in the British series “Prime Suspect” skyrocketed her career. Even since then, she brought to life Elizabeth I, and Elizabeth II. Helen is set to play Russian empress, Catherine the Great in the HBO series by the same name which is set to air sometime in 2019. We can’t wait!
After her smashing success, she signed a record deal in 1987, when she was only 19 years old. Her debut album, “Kylie” was released in 1988 and it brought hit songs like “The Locomotion,” and “I Should Be So Lucky”. Ever since then, Kylie’s worked on a whopping 14 studio albums. But it was her 2001 song, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” that made international rounds, making her a household name in almost every country in the world. In 2005, she battled breast cancer and despite her grim diagnoses, she’s healthier than ever. Now, Kylie along with Bono will appear in a 2019 documentary about Australian singer Michael Hutchence whose life ended abruptly after dealing with alcohol and drugs.
She’s gone on to act on more movies than we can count. She appeared in the 1984 movie, “Once Upon a Time in America,” and 1986’s “Labyrinth” alongside David Bowie, who played Jareth the Goblin King. One of the most memorable roles include her performance of Alicia Nash in “A Beautiful Mind” with none other than Russel Crowe. Her role earned her a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award. Now, her schedule is packed as she’s filming “Top Gun: Maverick” with Tom Cruise. The movie is set to be released sometime in 2020.
Even since then, she appeared in “Oxford Blues,” “St. Elmo’s Fire,” “Bad Boys,” and “The Interrogation”. During the 80s and 90s, Ally faced her demons and battled her addiction problems, but luckily, she got a grip on it and now, thanks to poetry and staying in a rehab center. She published “Yesterday I Saw the Sun,” a collection of poems she wrote which helped her come to terms with her pain and past trauma. On writing the book, she told Baltimore Sun, “I wrote poems simply as expressions for myself, so I could remember everything. It was therapy.” Since then, Ally made a few cameos on the show “Psych” and even appeared on “X-Men: Apocalypse.”
