Everything That Rises Must Converge

Famous birthdays today include: Jack Ruby (1911-1967); Howard Cosell (1918-1995); Flannery O'Conner (1925-1964); Gloria Steinem (1934-); Anita Bryant (1940-); Aretha Franklin (1942-); Sir Elton John (1947-); Nick Lowe (1949-); Sarah Jessica Parker (1965-). Happy birthday to the living and the dead!

Recent comments about Ava Gardner prompted a Detroit friend to ask me to name the most aesthetically beautiful women actors that came to mind. I mulled this over yesterday while doing other things, and here's my answer:

Salma Hayek
Faye Dunaway
Charlotte Rampling
Catherine Deneuve
Ava Gardner
Greta Garbo
Angelina Jolie
Jeanne Moreau
Nastassja Kinski
Diana Rigg
Natalie Wood
Cybill Shepherd
Emmanuelle Béart
Uma Thurman
Debbie Harry
Jennifer Connelly
Linda Fiorentino

Having done that, one might wonder what they have in common besides acting and beauty? As much as I enjoy the sheer aesthetics of seeing them on screen, they also share other attributes that I equally respect and enjoy: they are smart, cosmopolitan, sexy, independent, and extraordinary -- even heroic in a male-dominated world. At least half of them have a certain Catholic vibe. They all have "the eyes" and other unique facial features. Of this group, Salma Hayek is currently the person to applaud the most for her efforts to shake up the global film industry and subvert Hollywood myopia. But they are all lovely and provide additional reasons to live, certainly. Am I missing anybody here? There are plenty of other actors with cool personae, of course; I'm sure we'll get around to many of them in future. This group is confined by the criterion of the question. In any case, thanks for the idea . . . . .

au revoir for now . . . . .