Famous Television Actresses a to z

Hayden Panettiere is the young American actress who became famous for her role as the cheerleader on the television show Heroes.

Academy Award-winning actress Anna Paquin has appeared in such films as The Piano and X-Men, and the television drama True Blood.

Sarah Jessica Parker is an award-winning TV and film actress whose starring role in the series Sex and the City catapulted her to stardom.

Pearl Bailey was a Tony Award-winning singer and actress known for her roles in works like Carmen Jones, House of Flowers, Hello, Dolly! and Porgy and Bess.

American actress Cassandra Peterson became famous in the 1980s for her television role as the vampy Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

Michelle Pfeiffer is an American actress known for her film roles in Scarface, The Fabulous Baker Boys and Batman Returns.

Michelle Phillips performed with 1960s folk group The Mamas and the Papas. After the group disbanded, Philips became known for her work as a television actress.

Jada Pinkett Smith is an American actress, is married to Will Smith, and is the mother of Jaden and Willow Smith.

Dana Plato was a child actress on the television show Diff'rent Strokes. She fell into drug addiction and died of an overdose in 1999.

Suzanne Pleshette was an Emmy Award-nominated actress known for roles in films like The Geisha Boy and The Birds, as well as the television series The Bob Newhart Show.

Amy Poehler is an actress and comedian famous for her work on Saturday Night Live and Parks and Recreation.

Paulina Porizkova is a Czechoslovakian model and actress best known for being the first woman from Eastern Europe to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Actress Laura Prepon played Donna opposite Topher Grace, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, on That 70's Show.

Priscilla Presley is an American businesswoman and actress, best known for marrying Elvis Presley, with whom she had daughter Lisa Marie Presley.

Jean Vander Ply was an American actress on radio, television and film. He is best known as the voice of Wilma Flintstone from the cartoon The Flintstones.

Gilda Radner was an award-winning actress and comedian known for her work on Saturday Night Live. She was married to fellow comedian Gene Wilder.

Actress Donna Reed charmed audiences in the film It's a Wonderful Life and on television's The Donna Reed Show.

Della Reese is a singer and actress known for her gospel talents and for her role on TV's Touched by an Angel.

Dana Reeve was an actress and the wife of actor Christopher Reeve. She established and chaired the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center.

American film and television actress Tara Reid has appeared in such hit movies as The Big Lebowski and American Pie.

British actress of stage and screen Natasha Richardson won a Tony Award for her work in the Broadway show Cabaret before dying in a tragic skiing accident.

Molly Ringwald is an American actress known for the series of teen films she did with directer John Hughes in the 1980s, including Sixteen Candles.

Doris Roberts played the role of meddling mother Marie Barone on the hit television comedy Everybody Loves Raymond.

Emma Roberts, best known for being the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and niece of actress Julia Roberts, has established her own career in television and film.

Ginger Rogers was a prolific Oscar-winning actress, singer and dancer who was revered for her cinematic footwork with Fred Astaire.

A stage, film and TV actress, Esther Rolle is best remembered as Florida Evans -- a character she played on two comedy series, Maude and Good Times.

Actress Marion Ross became one of America's favorite television moms in the 1970s for playing "Mrs. C" on the sitcom Happy Days.

Mercedes Ruehl is an actress of Cuban and Irish descent. She won a Tony Award for Lost in Yonkers and an Oscar for The Fisher King.

Debra Jo Rupp is an actress who played Kitty on the TV sitcom That '70s Show, which ran from 1998 to 2006.

Actress Keri Russell starred on the TV drama Felicity as the title character, a young college student who decides to follow her crush to New York City.

A film and TV actress Mia Sara is best known for her role as Sloan Peterson, the girlfriend of Ferris Bueller in John Hughes's 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Cristina Saralegui hosts the talk show The Cristina Show for the Univision Network. It has been on the air since 1989 and has won 11 Emmys.

Supermodel Claudia Schiffer starred in a campaign for Guess jeans, and appeared on the covers of more than 500 magazines, including Vogue and Rolling Stone.

Comedian and writer Amy Sedaris is known for her outrageous stage and television characters. She is the younger sister of writer David Sedaris.

Actress Kyra Sedgwick's career took a new turn when she was cast as the lead in the TNT crime drama The Closer, which premiered in 2005.

Actress Chloë Sevigny was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in the film Boys Don't Cry, and later played a polygamist on the HBO drama series Big Love.

Amanda Seyfried is an American actress best known for her roles in Mean Girls and Mamma Mia! She is considered one of Hollywood’s up-and-coming actresses.

Brooke Shields is an actress known for her early movie roles and TV series such as Suddenly Susan.

Jamie Lynn-Sigler is an American actress best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos.

Jaclyn Smith is a model and actress who starred in all five seasons of Charlie’s Angels. She has also launched her own collections for K-Mart.

Actress Leelee Sobieski's debut film was the Disney comedy Jungle to Jungle. Shortly after, she landed her breakthrough role in Deep Impact.

Brett Somers was a TV actress and personality perhaps best known for her appearances on Match Game, the top game show during much of the 1970s.

Suzanne Somers is an American actress known for her role in the TV sitcom Three’s Company as well as for promoting health and fitness books and equipment.

Mira Sorvino is an Academy Award-winning actress who starred in Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite.

Jamie Lynn Spears is the younger sister of pop singer Britney Spears, best known for her starring role in the Nickelodeon show Zoey 101. She made headlines in 2007 when she announced she was pregnant with her first child at just 16 years old.

Tori Spelling is an actress who has appeared on TV and in films, notably on the TV show Beverly Hills 90210.

After years of scene-stealing small acting roles, Octavia Spencer rose to fame with her award-winning performance in 2011's The Help.

Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress who had a 60-year career in film and TV. Usually playing strong-willed women, Stanwyck defined the femme fatale.

Jean Stapleton was an American actress best known for her award-winning role as Edith Bunker in the hit TV series All in the Family.

In 2008, actress Kristen Stewart landed the role of Bella Swan in the saga Twilight and the movies made her an instant star.

Hilary Swank is an American actress who has won Academy Awards for her starring roles in the films Million Dollar Baby and Boys Don't Cry.

Amber Tamblyn is an actress known for roles in the films Joan of Arcadia and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and on the series General Hospital. She is married to actor/comedian David Cross.

Jessica Tandy was an English-born U.S. actress well known for her role in Broadway's Foxfire and her Oscar-winning performance in the film Driving Miss Daisy.

Model and actress Sharon Tate is best remembered for her tragic and untimely death at the hands of serial killer Charles Manson.

Charlize Theron is a South African-born actress, best known for her roles in such films as North Country and Monster, for which she won an Academy Award.

Actress Tiffani Thiessen caught her big break when she landed a starring role on the TV sitcom Saved By the Bell. She's also known for her work on Beverly Hills, 90210 and White Collar.

Actress Marlo Thomas starred on the 1970s television hits That Girl and Free to Be...You and Me. She is married to Phil Donahue.

Lily Tomlin is an actress and comedian known for roles on TV shows such as Laugh-In and films such as Nashville.

Toni Braxton is an R&B singer-songwriter and actress best known for the hits "Un-Break My Heart," "You Mean the World to Me" and "Breathe Again."

Shannon Tweed is an actress, a former Playboy Playmate of the Year and is married to KISS rocker, Gene Simmons.

Cicely Tyson is an award-winning film, television and stage actress. She is known for choosing quality roles that send positive messages to women of color.

Carrie Underwood was the winner of American Idol's fourth season and went on to win multiple Grammy and Academy of Country Music Awards.

Vivian Vance was an actress chiefly known as Ethel Murtz on the 1950s TV sitcom I Love Lucy.

Actress Nancy Walker appeared in films and on stage before playing Ida Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rosie in the Bounty paper towel commercials.

Lesley Ann Warren is an actress known for her roles on TV shows such as Desperate Housewives and in films such as Cat Ballou, Victor Victoria and Pure Country.

Kerry Washington has appeared in such films as Ray, She Hate Me, The Last King of Scotland and Django Unchained (2013). She also stars on the TV series Scandal.

Mia Wasikowska is an Australian actress best known for her role on the HBO drama In Treatment.

British actress and model Rachel Weisz is best known for her performances in The Mummy, Stealing Beauty and The Constant Gardener.

Actress Raquel Welch was launched as a cinematic sex symbol in One Million Years BC (1966) and continues to be regarded as one of the world's great beauties.

Rutina Wesley is an African-American actress known for her role as Tara Thornton on the HBO vampire series True Blood.

Actress Lisa Whelchel co-starred in the popular 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life.

Betty White is a comedic actress who has been in show business, from TV to film, since the 1950s, most notably on The Golden Girls.

Michelle Williams first came to stardom as a star of teen drama Dawson's Creek. She rose to critical acclaim with films such as Blue Valentine and Brokeback Mountain.

Emmy-award winning actress Jane Wyatt is best known for her role as housewife and mother Margaret Anderson on the CBS television sitcom Father Knows Best.

Sean Young is an American actress best known for her roles in the films Blade Runner (1982) and No Way Out (1987).