Generally, when you see a mention of Betsy von Furstenberg on the internet it refers to her as a countess. Other sources, with a more authoritative tone, call her a baroness. But inherited status is pure silliness anyway, so we’ll just call her what she is—a German actress who appeared in movies and on Broadway. Here you see her in Santa Monica, California, in two summery photos by Joseph Jasgur in the year 1950.

These two shots by famed Italian photographer Angelo Frontoni show dancer and actress Gloria Paul, who was born in London but was of Italian extraction and spent most of her career in Italy. She worked steadily beginning in 1961, and appeared in such films as The Intelligence Men, For a Few Dollars Less, and Darling Lili. In 1996 she was the victim of an accident in which a water tank in her home fell through the roof of her shower and broke her back. After time in a wheelchair she eventually regained the ability to walk, but her dancing career was over.

This rare and amazing shot shows French actress Geneviève Grad, who is rare and amazing herself. She made many films, including the spy thriller OSS 117 prend des vacances, but is well known for the Gendarme de Saint-Tropez series, in which she appeared from 1964 to 1968. This image was made in 1963. 

Above, Lizabeth Scott is smoking in more ways than one in this promo image shot for her 1948 film noir Pitfall. She was born Emma Matzo, if you can believe that, which makes her real name maybe the second worst in Hollywood history. But her career has to rank as one of the best in the sense that unlike most actresses she began with starring roles, debuting in 1945’s You Came Along, and later appearing in such classics as The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, Dead Reckoning and I Walk Alone. She last acted in 1972’s Pulp with Michael Caine, and today, aged 90, is retired and living in Southern California. 

This sultry shot of American actress Pam Grier was made while she was filming the 1973 blaxploitation classic Coffy. It’s an image you see around the internet a bit, but Grier doesn’t have many quality promo photos out there, so we’re sharing it because, well, her presence only makes things better. Interestingly, it isn’t just Grier who doesn’t have many promo shots, but a lot of blaxploitation actresses. We’re thinking Tanya Boyd, Jeanne Bell, Tamara Dobson, Marki Bey, and other examples of pure hotness. We can only assume the shoestring production budgets in blaxploitation didn’t provide for much in the way of promotional materials. Truly a shame. 

Usually we take pains to post rare femme fatale images, if not shots that have never appeared on the internet before, but sometimes you gotta make exceptions, especially when there’s very little chance of improving on existing photos. Such is the case with the above images of American model and actress Joi Lansing in a skirted bikini. She posed in this suit a few times, and never have polka dots looked so good. In the 1950s there were the Monroes and Mansfields, but people who say actresses were more curvaceous are only half right. Curves were an ideal, but for every Monroe and Mansfield there were women like Linda Darnell and Joi Lansing who had what would today be considered ideal physiques. These shots are actually later Lansing, made for her role in the 1965 comedy Marriage on the Rocks, when she was thirty-seven years old.

This great shot of Faye Dunaway in a bagel-like hat was made in 1968 when she was filming her hit movie The Thomas Crown Affair with Steve McQueen. Really nothing more can be said about this rare image except behold her beauty and watch the movie. Also, we have another rare Dunaway image here. 

Above, an image of Japanese actress Miki Sugimoto, who appeared in such movies as Zeroka no onna: Akai wappa, aka Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs and Sukeban gerira, aka Girl Boss Guerilla, seen here doing, um, we don’t know. She’s sort of making the sign of the horns with her right hand, though, and that was traditionally meant to ward off bad luck. Didn’t work, clearly, since she lost her clothes somewhere. Circa 1973. 

These two eye-catching shots feature American actress Barbara Nichols, née Barbara Marie Nickerauer, who did the usual round of pin-up modeling and beauty contests before earning a running part in the Broadway musical Pal Joey. She later appeared in the film version along with Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak and other notables, and during her show business career became known for playing strippers. Pretty easy to see why. We have no date for these photos, but if we had to guess we’d say 1955 or 1956.