The '70s was an extremely notable decade in American history.
It felt like just about everything was changing.
Some felt like these changes were for the better, while others saw them as a bad thing,
but regardless of what side of the fence you were on, it was clear that big things were
happening.
One of the most significant cultural changes that happened in this era was in television
programming and cinema.
American was finally starting to loosen up and let their hair down so to speak.
Of course, this just didn't happen overnight, but the 1970s marked a distinct change in
the kind of programming that was being delivered to the masses over the airwaves.
Soon enough, sexy, beautiful, and meticulously selected women began appearing on primetime
TV – some of whom were a bit more provocative than others.
Meanwhile, at the box office, films featuring powerful female leads became the norm.
In the early days of TV and film, women were depicted as submissive, well-behaved housewives
and mothers whose place was at home.
Traditional gender roles were drilled into the audience and it was reiterated time and
time again that a woman was never to overstep her boundaries or, god forbid, show any skin.
But then, the '70s came around, and all of that changed!
Finally women were being shown as strong, independent individuals who embraced their
sexuality while not being afraid to get their hands dirty.
No longer were they delegated to the kitchen.
Instead, we saw them out in the workplace or even taking down bad guys every bit as
well as their male counterparts.
American actresses played a crucial role in ushering in this new era of cinema and television.
And boy, did they look good doing it!
Join Facts Verse as we take a look back at the hottest women of the 1970s that we can't
take our eyes off of!
Suzanne Somers
This beautiful actress made her acting debut in the late 1960s and early 1970s with small
parts in films such as American Graffiti.
On television, Somers made guest appearances on numerous shows and landed roles in series
like The Rockford Files and The Six Million Dollar Man.
In the film Magnum Force, Somers played a topless pool girl, but she wasn't credited
for that role.
In 1977, Somers was selected to play the ditzy blonde Chrissy on Three's Company.
The role ended up being her big breakthrough, and soon enough, she was a household name.
Victoria Principal
This star got her start in movies in the early 70s, appearing in films alongside high-profile
actors.
She scored her big break when she was chosen to play Pamela Ewing on the hit primetime
soap Dallas.
Later in the decade, Principal went on to produce and star in several made-for-TV films.
Adrienne Barbeau
In 1968, Adrienne made her Broadway debut in the classic musical play Fiddler on the
Roof.
Several years later, in 1972, she scored the role of Betty Rizzon in the original Broadway
production of the musical Grease.
That performance landed her a Tony Award nod for Best Supporting or Featured Actress in
a musical.
One of her biggest roles in the 70s was playing Carol Traynor in the sitcom Maude which aired
on CBS between 1972 and 1978.
The role turned her into a bonafide star and opened up many doors that eventually led her
to appear in shows like Eight is Enough, The Love Boat, and Quincy M.E.
In the late 70s, her image was used to make one of the highest-selling posters of the
decade.
That photo of her wearing a right purple lingerie outfit can also be seen on the cover of her
2006 autobiography, There Are Worse Things I Could Do.
In the 80s, she became a scream queen when she appeared in films like Creepshow, The
Fog, and Swamp Thing.
Jaclyn Smith
Best known for her role as Kelly Garret, one of Charlie's Angels, Smith was the only original
angel to remain on the hit series for its entire run.
Besides being quite beautiful, Smith was also an intelligent and smart businesswoman.
In the 80s, Smith appeared in films like Nightkill, Deja Vu, and Nightmare in Daylight.
To this day, Smith is still active in the entertainment industry.
Most recently, she appeared in an episode of the sports drama series All American, which
aired on The CW in 2021.
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Chelsea Brown
From 1968 to 1973, Brown was a regular on the classic sketch comedy show Rowan and Martin's
Laugh-in.
She was one of the first black women, along with Diahann Carroll, to have a regular role
on a network television show.
After leaving the series, she kept herself busy by making appearances on programs like
Police Story, Matt Lincoln, and Ironside.
Eventually, Brown got married to an Australian actor by the name of Vic Rooney and she proceeded
to move to Australia where she continued to work in film, TV, and stage productions while
also recording several musical albums.
She died of pneumonia on March 28, 2017.
Charo
This Latina actress, comedian, singer, and flamenco guitarist was first discovered by
a bandleader named Xavier Cugat.
Not long after the two met, they got married in Vegas on the 1st of August, 1966.
Cugat was very eager to show off his new bride's talent, so he regularly featured her in his
stage shows in New York and Las Vegas.
From 1965 to 1967, Charo made four appearances alongside her husband on The Ed Sullivan Show.
This led to her gaining national attention, and by the early 70s, she was headlining Vegas
shows.
When she wasn't busy with her prosperous musical career, Charo appeared on television shows
like Chico and The Man and The Love Boat.
She starred in a pilot for a series called Charo and the Sergeant in 1976, but the show
didn't end up getting picked up.
Even so, the taped episodes were still broadcast to the American troops overseas.
In 1978, Charo divorced Cugat and got remarried to Kjell Rasten.
She then relocated to Hawaii, where she lived for several years before returning to California
in 2015.
While she's mostly retired, Charo still occasionally makes television appearances.
Most recently, she guest-starred on a 2020 episode of Rupaul's Drag Race.
Gretchen Corbett
Gretchen got her star appearing in a short-lived police drama series called NYPD in 1968.
In the early 1970s, she was cast in the Jon Voight comedy click Out Of It.
Not long after appearing in that big-screen film, Corbett felt a calling back to the small
screen when she was cast in the television film Let's Scare Jessica to Death.
She then signed a contract with Universal and soon found herself cast in the pilot for
Kojack.
This appearance led her to be cast in several more hit television shows like Hawaii Five-O,
Columbo, and Ironside.
She experienced a meteoric rise to fame, however, when she was cast as Lawyer Beth Davenport
on the classic procedural The Rockford Files.
After four years, she left the show due to a contractual dispute.
That didn't put a stop to her acting career, however, as she continued to make appearances
in numerous shows over the years.
Most recently, she has shown up on the comedy series Portlandia.
Lori Anderson
This drop-dead gorgeous star was best known for her role as Jennifer Marlow on WKRP in
Cincinnati.
She was dazzling, sexy, charismatic, and unarguably beautiful.
But beyond that, she was one heck of an actress who shined in just about every role she took
on.
Marlow had her boss Mr. Carlson eating out of her hand, but who could blame him?
Andrson was one of the most distinguished and noteworthy sex symbols of her day.
She oozed with confidence and sex appeal just as bombshells like Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn
Monroe had years priors.
Yvonne Craig
Yvonne was famous for her portrayal of Batgirl on the iconic 1960s Batman television series.
In her role in that program, she was a heavy-hitting crime-fighter who wouldn't take any lip from
anyone.
While she joined forces with the Dynamic Duo, she could have easily conquered evil on her
own.
More than just a pretty face, after Batman wrapped up, Craig continued to appear in guest-starring
roles on popular television shows like It Takes a Thief, Love American Style, Kojak,
The Mode Squad, and Emergency.
Elizabeth Montgomery
Elizabeth wasn't what audiences expected when they thought of a witch.
She was effortlessly witty, impeccably charismatic, and downright breathtaking in nearly every
way.
On television, she played Samantha Stephens on Bewitched between 1964 to 1972.
Although she typically dressed pretty modestly for the role, there was no hiding her 'perfect
10' figure.
Sally Field
Field began her acting career, appearing in series like Gidget, The Flying Nun, and The
Girl with Something Extra.
Even though she sometimes played on TV, Field wasn't much of a nun!
She did everything in her power to shed her 'good girl' image and went on to appear alongside
Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit.
Ever since then, Field has continued to appear in films and television shows.
Some of her most notable roles include turns in flicks like Mrs. Doubtfire, Forest Gump,
and Steel Magnolias.
In 2012, she played Aunt May in The Amazing Spider-Man.
She reprised this role in the 2014 sequel.
Marilu Henner
This sexy vixen is best known for her role as the taxi driver Elaine Nardo on Taxi.
In a male-dominated world, Nardo held her own.
She was pretty, witty, and not afraid to put her rough-around-the-edges co-workers in her
place.
Henner later co-starred in films like Hammett, The Man Who Loved Women, Rustlers Rhapsody,
and LA Story.
From 1990 to 1994, she had a starring role on the CBS sitcom Evening Shade.
So what do you think?
Which 1970s actress do you think was the sexiest?
And can you think of any other beautiful women who were prominent in that decade that we
failed to mention?
Let us know in the comments section down below.
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