From disco to rollerskates to your beloved pet rock, there are many fads from the 1970s that have failed to remain popular in the present day. One thing that has withstood the test of time? The amazing women. The '70s was an awesome era for women in pop culture and many are still remembered for their careers. Here are some of our favorites and what they look like now!
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt began a career in folk music with hits like "You're No Good" and proved her versatility in many other genres. The ten-time Grammy Award winner was a prolific collaborator as well, most notably with Aaron Neville in "Don't Know Much." By the '70s, Rondstadt was rock and pop's most successful solo female act and became the highest-paid woman in rock.
In 2013, Ronstadt revealed that she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which sadly has left her unable to sing.
Linda Gray
Everyone remembers Linda Gray as Sue Ellen Ewing on Dallas, for which she earned two Golden Globe nominations. Following the success of Dallas, Ronstadt starred opposite Sylvester Stallone in 1991's Oscar and had the lead role in Fox's Models Inc.
Aside from television, Gray made her way into the theatre, starring in the West End production of The Graduate in 2001. Today, Gray continues to act, joining the cast of Hand of God in 2017.
Kim Basinger
Kim Basinger started out with a successful modeling career in New York City throughout the '70s but in 1976, she quit the runway and moved to Los Angeles to become an actress. She starred in a number of made-for-television movies before gaining international stardom as Bond girl Domino Petachi in 1983's Never Say Never Again.
Today, Basinger continues to act and is a fervent supporter of animal rights. She most recently starred in 2017's Fifty Shades Darker.
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand started with a successful recording career in the '60s and by the end of that decade, made a name for herself as an actress when she won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for 1968's Funny Girl. As a result, Streisand was a prominent actress throughout the '70s, starring in films like The Way We Were and A Star Is Born.
These days, Streisand is somewhat of a recluse but did appear at the 2019 Academy Awards to introduce one of her favorite movies of 2018, BlacKkKlansman.
Ann-Margret
Swedish-American actress Ann-Margret rose to prominence for her roles in Bye Bye Birdie and Viva Las Vegas in the '60s. Those iconic roles helped solidify her place on the big screen throughout the '70s. She went on to win Golden Globes for Carnal Knowledge and Tommy.
Over the years, Ann-Margret has maintained a steady acting career, guest starring in a number of television shows. She most recently starred in Netflix's The Kominsky Method and has a recurring role on Syfy's Happy!
Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King famously won the "Battle of the Sexes" at age 29 when she defeated 55-year-old Bobby Riggs in 1973. It's no surprise she was the former World No. 1 pro tennis player, having won 39 Grand Slam titles over the course of her career.
She broke barriers in 1981 when she was the first prominent female athlete to come out as gay. In 1987, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.
Linda Evans
Linda Evans got her start in the '60s as Audra Barkley on The Big Valley but if that doesn't ring a bell, then you might remember her best as Krystle Carrington from Dynasty. Evans played the secretary-turned-wife of oil tycoon Blake Carrington, who was played by Evans's co-star John Forsythe.
After leaving Dynasty, Evans semi-retired from acting and chose to focus on fitness issues. In addition to setting up a small chain of fitness centers, she later became known for selling Rejuvenique face masks. Later in her life, she was diagnosed with idiopathic edema, which turned her onto alternative healing.
Alison Arngrim
Alison Arngrim started acting at the age of 12 and is best remembered for her role as Nellie Oleson on Little House on the Prairie. For seven years Arngrim played one of the most hated characters on television, but she made light of it in her stand-up routines as an adult.
In 2010, she penned an autobiography about growing up in the role and how she learned to love being hated. Today she does charity work, raising awareness about AIDS and child abuse.
Maureen McCormick
Maureen McCormick is known throughout America as Marcia Brady on the hit sitcom The Brady Bunch, which ran from 1969 to 1974. Following the run of The Brady Bunch, McCormick reprised the role for television specials, but also went on to make guest appearances in other shows like Happy Days and Love Boat.
McCormick's career was hurt by her dive into drug addiction but recovered after getting married. In recent years, she was a contestant on a number of celebrity reality shows.
Teri Garr
Growing up in a show-business family, Teri Garr's breakthrough role came in 1974 with her role as Inga in Young Frankenstein. From there, Garr was cast in a number of high-profile roles including one in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
She continued to act throughout the '80s and '90s, towards the end of which she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She has not appeared in anything since 2007 as she continues to battle her disease.
Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson started out as a model before she began an acting career that spanned over 60 years. Tyson rose to fame for her role as Rebecca Morgan in 1972's Sounder. She later went on to win two Emmys for 1974's The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Tyson also made a name for herself on stage with a career on Broadway.
In more recent years, she had roles in 2011's The Help and in ABC's How to Get Away With Murder. Sadly, she passed away on January 28, 2021, at the age of 96.
Susan Anton
Susan Anton gained fame in the '70s for singing in Muriel Cigar commercials and also appearing on The Merv Griffin Show. In 1978, she had her own summertime variety series, Mel and Susan Together, with country singer Mel Tillis.
In later years she appeared on Broadway and was the host of the Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular at the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas, where she lives. Today, she lives a quieter life with her family.
Charlene Tilton
Charlene Tilton is best remembered for her role as Lucy Ewing on Dallas. Tilton was only 4'11" and due to the saucy nature of her character, earned a nickname in Hollywood as the "poisonous dwarf." A talented singer as well, Tilton released a song in 1984 called "C'est La Vie," which became a hit in Europe.
Since then she's appeared in a number of commercials, television shows, and movies. These days she is an advocate for autism awareness.
Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Mandrell's "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed" became the country singer's first number-one hit in 1978 and it wasn't long before she became one of country music's most successful female vocalists of the time. In the '80s she transitioned to TV with NBC's Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters before she survived a serious car wreck in 1984.
Mandrell performed her last concert at the Grand Ole Opry in 1997, just before retiring. Today, Mandrell is in her 70s and continues to enjoy life with her family.
Paula Prentiss
Paula Prentiss came onto the scene in the '60s with Where the Boys Are and What's New, Pussycat? From there, she went on to have lead roles in films like Born to Win and The Stepford Wives. She then appeared on Broadway in The Norman Conquests.
Later in her career, she made guest appearances and had cameo roles on television, but otherwise maintained a low profile. The last film she was in was 2016's I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House.
Loretta Swit
Loretta Swit was known in her heydey as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on the hit series M*A*S*H. Swit was so talented in the role that she earned two Primetime Emmy Awards in the early '80s. Aside from M*A*S*H, Swit was in shows such as Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and Hawaii Five-O.
Most recently in 2015, Swit narrated the documentary, Never the Same: The Prisoner of War Experience. She is also an avid fan of needlepoint and Ms. Pac-Man.
Barbara Eden
Everyone remembers Barbara Eden as 2,000-year-old Jeannie from I Dream of Jeannie, which ran from 1965 to 1970. Despite being a comedic actress, she starred in dramas during the '70s including The Stranger Within and A Howling in the Woods opposite her "Jeannie" co-star Larry Hagman.
In 2011, she published her memoir Jeannie Out of the Bottle and in 2013, she appeared alongside Bill Clinton, Elton John, and Fergie at the 21st Life Ball in Vienna.
Audrey Landers
Known for her role as Afton Cooper in the popular television series Dallas, Audrey Landers has had quite the Hollywood career after moving to Los Angeles, California, when she turned 24.
Aside from her numerous television roles on shows such as Chorus Line, One Life to Live, and The Dukes of Hazzard, Landers is also an accomplished singer, having released 11 albums throughout her career.
Cheryl Tiegs
Cheryl Tiegs rose to fame as a cover girl. Working as a model, she appeared on the cover of top fashion magazines including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, and Seventeen. She graced the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue multiple times, and showed her range by appearing on the cover of TIME, too. Tiegs' 1978 "Pink Bikini" poster was widely popular, becoming iconic in 70s pop culture.
Her signature fashion line with Sears reached nearly $1 billion in sales, and was the department store's first partnership with a supermodel. She's stayed active in charity work and the entertainment industry, too, appearing on Celebrity Apprentice, True Beauty, The Today Show, Access Hollywood, Extra, and more.
Claudia Cardinale
Italian actress Claudia Cardinale was a bombshell, showing her skills on the screen during the 1960s and 1970s. Some of her most well-known films include Girl with the Suitcase, A Girl in Australia, and Once Upon a Time in the West.
During a 2014 interview, Cardinale shared one of her secrets to success, saying, "If you want to practice this craft, you have to have inner strength. Otherwise, you'll lose your idea of who you are. Every film I make entails becoming a different woman. And in front of a camera, no less! But when I'm finished, I'm me again."
Jaclyn Smith
One of the three original angels, actress Jaclyn Smith is most recognized for her role as Kelly Garrett in Charlie's Angels. She was also the only angel to appear on the hit television series throughout its 1976-1981 run. After Charlie's Angels, Garrett continued acting, mostly in TV Films and miniseries.
Outside of acting, Garrett launched a women's fashion collection at Kmart and expanded it to bedding and bath, too. The 70s star has been married four times, including to actor Dennis Cole and filmmaker Tony Richmond. She is also a breast cancer survivor.
Samantha Fox
English singer and actress Samantha Fox has acted in the theater since she was a child, but when she reached her teens, she became famous as a pin-up model. Fox appeared topless on Page 3 of The Sun, which is perhaps what she is best known for during the '80s in the U.K.
Most recently, she participated in Celebrity Big Brother 18 and has been known for her civil partnership with Myra Stratton.
Bo Derek
Bo Derek infamously ran off to Germany with actor-director John Derek, who was 30 years her senior, when she was 16. They married when she was 19 and at that point she underwent her Hollywood makeover, adopting her name and bleach-blonde hair.
She is best known for her role in 1979's 10 but also starred in Tarzan, the Ape Man, and Bolero. In the 2000s, she made appearances in films for which she received Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Supporting Actress.
Loni Anderson
Loni Anderson won three Golden Globe Awards for her role as Jennifer Marlowe on CBS's WKRP in Cincinnati, which ran from 1978 to 1982. She went on to star in 1983's Stroker Ace alongside Burt Reynolds, to whom she was married for five years.
Though her acting career isn't as prominent today as it once was, she was seen on the MeTV television network in 2018 promoting WKRP in Cincinnati.
Kate Jackson
Kate Jackson rose to prominence as Sabrina Duncan on Charlie's Angels but left the show during its third season in 1979. Afterward, she was also known for her role as Amanda King on Scarecrow and Mrs. King.
Over the years, she has starred in a number of made-for-television movies, but most recently appeared on Criminal Minds in 2008. She is expected to release a memoir, which after repeatedly being delayed, is set to debut in 2020.
Jaclyn Smith
Jaclyn Smith is known for her role as Kelly Garret in the 1976 television series Charlies Angels. She is also the only one of the original female leads that stayed on throughout the entire show., even making a brief cameo appearance in the 2003 film Charlies Angels: Full Throttle.
Charlies Angles propelled Smith straight to stardom, and she continued to be featured in numerous television films and miniseries over the next 20 years. Not a bad career!
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn is an American actress, producer, and singer who rose to fame on the NBC comedy show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. She went on to win the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Cactus Flower.
Hawn has been in multiple films throughout her long career but took a 15-year break from the industry after the movie The Banger Sisters. She made a brief comeback in 2017 in Snatched.
Pam Grier
Pam Grier came into the spotlight in the 1970s for her starring roles in multiple women in prison and blaxploitation films, such as The Big Bird Cage, Coffy, Foxy Brown, and Sheba, Baby. She received a Satellite Award and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in Quentin Tarantino's crime film Foxy Brown.
Tarantino has even said that he believed Grier might have been cinema’s first female action star. Not a bad legacy to leave behind!
Cybill Shepherd
Although some people primarily know Cybill Shepherd as an actress, with acting credits in titles like Moonlighting, Taxi Driver, and The L Word, she was first a model -- and a very successful one at that.
When she was 18, Cybill won the title "Model of the Year," leading to fashion modeling jobs through high school and beyond. In fact, it was her photo on a 1970 Glamour magazine that got her started in acting. Director Peter Bogdanovich saw Cybill's face and proclaimed that she would be the star of his film The Last Picture Show. Today, she's won three Golden Globes!
Christine Lund
Christine Lund was a popular 1970s news anchor in Los Angeles for KABC-TV. She had the 6:00 pm and 11:00 pm newscasts and always garnered high ratings for her shows. In 1986, Lund decided to leave the station for four years in order to raise her family .
Thankfully for the listeners, she returned to the station a few years later on the 11:30 am and 4:30 pm slots, and stayed on the air until 1998.
Jean Smart
Jean Smart got her start as a theater performer, getting her big break on Broadway in 1981 as Marlene Dietrich in the biographical play Piaf. A few years later, Smart was cast in the leading role of Charlene Frazier Stillfield in the CBS sitcom Designing Women.
Smart has stayed very active in the film industry throughout the years, starring in the 2017-2019 popular sci-fi tv series, Legion, and the 2018 movie, A Simple Favor.
Delta Burke
Delta Burke is an American actress who started her public-eye career as Miss Florida, appearing on the ABC-TV show Bozo The Clown as part of winning the pageant. Her best-known role came a few years later, in 1986, when Linda Bloodworth-Thomason created Designing Women.
Burke was cast as Suzanne Sugarbaker on the sitcom, for which she was nominated for two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She was the only female cast member to be nominated.
Annie Potts
Annie Potts first came on the scene in the 1978 film, Corvette Summer, receiving a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Vanessa. She then went on to win the Genie Award for her role in Heartaches, and star in multiple blockbuster hits, such as Ghostbusters and Pretty in Pink.
Nowadays, Potts is best known for her voice acting skills in the family favorite, Toy Story. If you're not familiar, she plays Woody’s love interest, Bo Peep.
Ali McGraw
Ali McGraw was a force to be reckoned with in the 1970s. She first gained the public's attention with her role in the film Goodbye, Columbus, in which she won the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer. McGraw went on to become an international star, after her performance in Love Story, for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.
Since 1994, Ali has been living in Tesuque, New Mexico, after evacuating Malibu during a wildfire.
Connie Chung
Connie Chung is a well-known American journalist, having been an anchor and reporter for the U.S. television networks NBC, CBS, NBC, and MSNBC. She is known for her famous interviewee's, including Claus von Bulow and U.S. Representative Gary Condit, both of whom Chung interviewed after the Chandra Levy disappearance.
She also had the pleasure to interview basketball star Magic Johnson after he went public that he was HIV-positive.
Tawny Little
Tawny Little is best known for winning Miss New York in 1975 and Miss America in 1976. After her pageantry days, Little became a reporter and news anchor for KABC-TV, co-hosting shows such as "AM Los Angeles," “Eye on LA,” “Hollywood Close-up,” and “The Love Report.”
After leaving KABC, she become an anchor with KCAL-TV and then later with UPN/13 Nightly News. Little is not longer on the air, but she did make a few film debuts, such as her role in Rocky II.
Linda Lusardi
Linda Lusardi is an English actress, television presenter, and former glamour model. She came into the spotlight in 1976, at the age of 18, when she began appearing as a "Page 3 Girl" in The Sun. The models on page 3 were known to pose topless. A poll taken in 2005 voted Lusardi as the best Page 3 Girl ever.
In 2011, Lusardi participated in the series Celebrity Masterchef, making it as far as the final five.
Debbie Harry
Debbie Harry is an American singer and actress best known for her lead vocals in the new wave band Blondie. Her songs with the band hit the number one spot in US and UK charts throughout the late 70s and early 80s.
The song "Rapture" is considered to be the first rap song to grace the US charts at number one. After the band broke up, Harry also found success as a solo artist throughout the 90s.
Joyce DeWitt
American actress Joyce DeWitt is best known for her role as Janet Wood on the ABC sitcom Three's Company, a job she obtained after being cast in the shows second pilot episode.
DeWitt appeared in many films and television shows throughout her career, but she returned to her roots as a stage actor in 2009. Her latest play took place in 2018, where she played the role of Mother Superior in the production of Nunsense.
Mariette Hartley
American Emmy Award-winning actress and founder of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Mariette Hartley began her career in an uncredited cameo in From Hell To Texas. The good news is that it could only go up from there.
In the '70s she was featured in numerous films and television roles, including her appearance in the TV movie The Last Hurrah, the political drama that earned Hartley her first Emmy Award nomination. Since 2018, she has had a reoccurring role on the Fox show, 9-1-1.
Jerry Hall
The American model Jerry Hall was discovered in the mid-'70s while sunbathing in Saint Tropez. By 1977, she was the face of magazine covers around the world. Her six-foot-tall frame and long blonde hair helped establish her as one of the most recognizable models of the decade.
Jerry might be almost as well-known for her famous relationships as for her modeling career. She's been romantically involved with Bryan Ferry, Mick Jagger, and Rupert Murdoch.
Beverly Johnson
Beverly Johnson has been a supermodel for more than half a century now and isn't planning to slow down anytime soon. The gorgeous and multi-talented American actress, singer, and businesswoman has been in the limelight since her first Vogue cover in August 1974.
In 2008, The New York Times named her one of the 20th century's most influential people in fashion thanks to her dedication to breaking down barriers in the industry.
