The 1960s were unlike any decade before or after. They presented a rich, vibrant, and burgeoning counterculture that pushed the established norms into a new direction that was unafraid to experiment with taboo-breaking themes like sex, violence, and other cultural norms that the film industry had shied away from dabbling in years prior. And also the hottest heartthrobs.
The entertainment industry became increasingly comfortable with embracing dramatic and provocative themes as the cultural movements of the day pushed on. It was a time of cultural revolution and immense societal change. No stone would be left unturned.
There was a rich new era of Hollywood that was blossoming out of the cultural revolution that was taking the world by storm. New and once heavily frowned upon subject material was being explored by cinema for the first time. This is readily apparent by taking a look at films like 1969s Easy Rider which dealt with drug use in a way that audiences had never seen before and Roger Vadim’s Barbarella in 1968 which by all accounts embraced it’s sexually explicit nature in a way that no one had expected – but many couldn’t resist but be hypnotized by.
More Than A Sex Symbol
Actresses such as Jane Fonda would become more than just sex symbols but would transcend the screen and represent much larger societal changes that were at play. The world was in a state of flux and audiences everywhere finally had something to celebrate.
Not only was this a period that produced award-winning actresses who were receiving all the accolades that they deserved from their respective works on television and in film, but teenagers were also the recipients of something pretty eye-opening. This was the birth of a brave new era of sexually open, intellectually stimulating, and wildly talented heartthrobs.
Let’s take a look at some of the hottest – and most esteemed – actresses of this era and how they helped change the world of show business forever.
Stick around for the whole video to see who we think was the hottest heartthrob of all time. You’re not going to want to miss who we think takes the cake in the bombshell department and deserves all that praise.
Facts Verse Presents: Top 10 Hottest Heartthrobs from Your Teen Years
But first, before we take the plunge into these steamy hot waters – and we know you’re as eager as we are to reminiscence about these beautiful ladies – take a second to hit the like button and subscribe to our channel. Tap the bell icon to turn on notifications so you never have to miss another one of our provocative videos. If you like this video, then this is only the tip of the iceberg of what we have to offer.
Tina Louise
This Stepford Wives star got her start in the 50s with her breakthrough role in God’s Little Acre in 1958 which landed her with a Golden Globe for ‘New Star of the Year’
She went on to have a prolific career in TV shows and Hollywood movies. You might remember her in films like ‘The Trap’ and ‘The Hangman’.
Or maybe ‘For Those Who Think Young’ or ‘Day of the Outlaw’ might jog your memory banks.
Oh yeah, how could we forget what she was up to from 1964 to 1967 when she played the bombshell, Ginger Grant, in CBS’s Gilligan’s Island. She definitely gave Mary Ann a run for her money or maybe it was the other way around, but either way, she definitely captivated many teenage boys daydreams in those years.
Later on, she would appear in films like ‘The Wrecking Crew’ and ‘The Happy Ending’. But we all know that she will always be Ginger.
How could our list get off to a better start than talking about Tina Louise?
Well, we could always talk about a certain witchy housewife that we all know and love.
Hey by the way, before we move on, did you ever get around to hitting the like button and subscribing to our channel?
Elizabeth Montgomery
Oh yeah, you all know her as Samantha Stephens on ABC’s Bewitched but she was so much more than just the spooky domestic lead on a sitcom.
First of all, she was the daughter of famed Robert Montgomery and got her career off to a good start in the 50s on her father’s show ‘Robert Montgomery Presents’. She then went on to do Broadway even receiving a Theater World Award in 56 for her work on the production ‘Late Love’.
It was then that she landed her iconic role on Bewitched for which she was awarded 5 Prime-time Emmy Award nominations and 4 Golden Globe nominations.
Even after Bewitched, she went on to work on many TV and Film roles such as A Case of Rape in 1974 and The Legend of Lizzie Borden in 1975. Both of those parts earned her 2 extra Emmy Award nominations thus serving as a testament of her versatility as an actress.
Jane Fonda
You might remember that Henry Fonda was her father. Her career really took off in 1960 when she made her first film debut in Tall Story alongside Anthony Perkins. She would also dabble in Broadway even earning herself a Tony award nomination for There Was A Little Girl.
She would go on to attempt to balance theater and film but it seemed she was always destined for the silver screen.
In 1962 she would star in The Chapman Report but it was 1968’s Barbarella that would solidify her status as a sex symbol.
MEOW! She sure looked great in that film despite the kitschy campy tone of the film, she was the standout lead that grabbed the audience by the collar right out of the gate and relentlessly spun us all for a wild ride that took us across the universe —- in all the right ways.
She would move on from that role to earn an Academy Award for 1971’s thriller flick Klute. You might also remember her from such acclaimed films as Coming Home and The China Syndrome.
Fonda was capable of being a sex kitten with lots of screen appeal as well as fully embodying serious roles that would show her commitment to cinema as an art form. It was this cross of sexuality and intellectuality that makes her a standout heartthrob of the era.
Mia Farrow
Besides making out hearts go thump thump thump, she was a standout star in the hit television soap opera Peyton Place as the character Allison Mackenzie.
She went on to have a relatively short-lived marriage with Frank Sinatra.
But did you know that she also played Rosemary in Roman Polanski’s 1968 horror classic Rosemary’s Baby? For that role, she landed a BAFTA award and a Golden Globe for Best Actress.
Following up on those impressive roles, she went on to do films like The Great Gatsby in 1974 and Death on the Nile in 1978.
Julie Christie
Another highly celebrated actress that gets our blood pumping – and boy does she – had her first breakthrough part in ‘Billy Liar’ in 1963. She followed that role up with the 1965 film ‘Darling’ for which she was awarded The Academy Award for Best Actress. Also that year she starred as Lara in ‘Doctor Zhivago” and a year later she was in ‘Fahrenheit 451’.
She is best known however as being an icon of the ‘Swinging London’ era of the 1960s. Who knows, her poster might still be on someone’s wall because she never ceased to be smoking hot.
Anita Ekberg
She may have gotten her start in the 50s doing modeling gigs, but she finally made her way into the entertainment industry in 1955 with the short-running adaptation of ‘Casablanca’ for television followed up by ‘Private Secretary’ in the same year.
She landed several small guest roles to round out the decade including one alongside Dean Martin in 1955’s ‘Blood Alley’ but it was her work in the 1960s ‘La Dolce Vita’ that made her a superstar. Then, she played the part of Sylvia Rank. She was every man’s dream but nothing they could ever obtain — doesn’t that make her so much more desirable?
Ursula Andress
Remember the object of James Bond’s desire in Dr. No? You know, Honey Ryder, the shell diver that looked so flippin’ amazing in that little two-piece? She came glistening out of the water in the Caribbean Sea wearing that super sexy white bikini with that knife hanging off her hip, and the rest was history. We we’re hooked.
She was absolutely the quintessential Bond girl – and the very first Bond girl actually. No other love interest … or lust interest has quite had the same iconically captivating presence as Ursula.
In fact, her bikini sold in 2001 for nearly $60,000 at auction. That’s one heck of a bikini if you ask us.
Claudia Cardinale
Not only was she the busty, voluptuous female star of the European film scene in the 60s but she was also the recipient of the title of ‘Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia’ in 1957. She ended up getting an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy for that one.
Franco Cristaldi was her mentor for quite a few years before they finally wed. She then made her big debut in film with her role in 1958s ‘Goha’. She subsequently became one of the most talked-about Italian actresses starring in films like ‘Rocco and His Brothers’ in 1960 and Federico Fellini’s avant-garde masterpiece ‘8 1⁄2’ in 1963.
Oh yeah, then she starred in what probably was her biggest international success in ‘The Pink Panther’ alongside David Niven. We can’t forget that one. Who could ever forget Claudia?
She rounded out the decade with several major credits in films like ‘The Professionals’ in 1966 and ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ in 1968.
Our Pick Of the Hottest Heartthrob Of Our Teenage Years
Okay, we can’t help ourselves. Maybe it was that orgasmatron machine in Barbarella or something but we can’t help but fall head over heels for Jane Fonda. Maybe it’s her quick wit or the fact that she has been an activist for decades standing up for what she believes in, but Jane Fonda takes the title for Facts Verse’s Hottest Heartthrob.
We could go on and on mentioning bombshells like Raquel Welch and Catherine Deneuve, but now it’s time for us to hear from you! Who was your favorite teenage heartthrob? Was a poster of Jane Fonda hanging up on your wall in your younger years or were you more of an Ursula Andress fan? Let us know in the comments section who your favorite teenage heartthrob was. Maybe there was someone that we missed! Feel free to let us know who your favorite lady of the screen was.
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