Ever since the rise of Hollywood in the 1920's, an era best remembered for its risqué speakeasies and drunken hysteria, the cinema industry has continued to project an allure that has never failed to cause individuals of all stripes an various walks of life to fantasize about lining up outside of a studio in the hopes of winning a part, however big or small, on the big screen. From the bliss of Golden Age to the 21st century, stars have risen, and fallen. Nevertheless, whether they have crashed and burned, or continue to radiate while suspended in the sky, actors appearing before the camera across many generations have never failed to make an impact. From winning the Oscar to altering the nature of the film industry altogether, it is the many hands far more numerous than the ones that mark the Hollywood Walk of Fame which have reached beyond time and space to help raise the Cinematic Arts to the zenith of visual entertainment.

Whether its the femme fatale, the damsel in distress, or the girl who's naivety is only matched by her desire for independence, Tinseltown owes much of its glamour to the women who have wowed audiences with personas that have proved to be as striking as their appearances. Thus, when it comes to lavishing praise towards our admired motion picture auteurs, the courtesy of 'ladies first', most certainly applies:

10. Marilyn Monroe

The top-billed actress for a decade before her untimely death at the tender age of 36, the stardom of Marilyn Monroe is the perfect example of one gone to soon. That said, she didn't go quietly. To this day, she remains one of the most iconic figures in modern pop culture.

Remembered for the naiveté, artificiality, and sexual promiscuity that were trademarks of almost all her onscreen personalities, Monroe is responsible for pioneering the stereotype of vanity and intellectual dullness that currently pertains to the portrayal of female characters with blonde hair. Yet, it is this very image that has led many to praise her as one of the greatest 'sex symbols' of Golden Age Hollywood. Too scholars and critics, her work is deemed one of the most accurate reflections of attitudes towards sexuality during the 1950's.

9. Cate Blanchett

All roads have only lead to Eldorado for Cate Blanchett since she graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1992. Receiving her first Oscar nomination for her work as Queen Elizabeth I in "Elizabeth" in 1998, Blanchett was nominated again eight years later for her efforts in the sequel "Elizabeth: The Golden Age". This effectively made her one of six actors, and the only actress, to receive Oscar attention for the same role in two films.

Fashioning a decorated career that includes two Academy Awards from her portrayals of Katharine Hepburn in "Aviator" and Jasmine Francis in "Blue Jasmine", this makes Blanchett just the third actress behind Meryl Streep and Jessica Lange to win in the category for Best Actress after winning for Best Supporting Actress.

8. Glenn Close

A six-time Oscar nominee, Glen Close, along with Deborah Kerr and Thelma Ritter, shares the distinction of being the most nominated actress without having ever won. Nonetheless, within the highest circles of Hollywood, she is heavily praised by her colleagues for her extraordinarily versatile, subtle, but immersive acting style. In fact, Closes's work is revered so much that prominent film critics and scholars such as Cari Beauchamp have placed her talents in league with the likes of Katharine Hepburn and Meryl Streep -- a level of merit reserved only for the very finest in the business of entertainment.

Although her work is trademarked by a certain intimate vulnerability and tenderness, Close is better known for her villainous roles. TV buffs will undoubtedly remember her portrayal of the ruthless lawyer Patty Hewes in FX's "Damages", a startling performance that won Close a Golden Globe in 2008. However, the Connecticut native is forever idolized for her depiction of the psychopathic Alexandra Forest in "Fatal Attraction". A character that places 7nth on the AFI's list of "100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains".

7. Audrey Hepburn

As graceful as she was ethereal, Audrey Hepburn never failed to captivate audiences with her cinematic aura that was a subtle balance between talent and beauty. Remembered and praised for her roles in "Roman Holiday", "Breakfast at Tiffany's", and "Sabrina", where she starred alongside the likes of Gregory Peck, Humphrey Bogart, and William Holden, her characters often exhibited a lighthearted naivety that eloquently waltzed with a wistful desire to be independent.

Capturing an Oscar for "Roman Holiday" along with getting nominated on four separate occasions, Hepburn is also idolized for being a style icon. Unlike her Golden Age counterparts Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe -- both of whose images were sexualized to appeal to men -- Hepburn came to serve as an alternative take. A personification of feminine ideals as they appealed to women.

6. Vivien Leigh

Like Audrey Hepburn and many female actresses of her time, Vivien Leigh was primarily lauded by audiences and critics for her rapturous beauty. A praise she often felt hindered her ability to be taken seriously as an actress. Dedicating her entire career to taking on different roles in several genres of film to break this prejudice, Leigh's drive to prove herself that she was more than eye candy won her the respect of many prominent directors and actors that included Sir Laurence Olivier -- whom she later married.

Primarily a stage actor, Leigh starred in her first film in 1935, and four years later, rose to global renown for her work as Scarlett O'Harra in the cinematic adaption of Margaret Mitchell's controversial, but beloved "Gone With the Wind". Her efforts garnered Leigh her first Oscar, and 12 years later, she took home the hardware again for her depiction of Blanche DuBois in "A Streetcar Named Desire". Slotted at 16nth on the AFI's list of "100 Years... 100 Stars", to say that Leigh has successfully undercut the prejudices associated against women working in Hollywood would qualify as a dramatic understatement.

5. Greta Garbo

Born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, Greta Garbo caught the eye of Louis B. Meyer, one of the founders of MGM, who brought her over to Hollywood at the tender age of 25. Taking the film industry by storm, Garbo rose to international acclaim a year later for her work in "Torrent". Receiving Oscar nominations for her roles in "Anna Christie", "Romance, and "Camille" -- the latter of which is dubbed her finest performance to date, Garbo became so popular in the 1930's that she was able to dictate the terms of her contracts and the type of roles she wanted to take.

Although Garbo experienced a brief strain in her career, becoming one of few stars to be dubbed "Box Office Poison", she rebounded in 1939 for her depiction of Nina Ivanova Yakushova in "Ninotchka". A film that garnered Garbo her fourth and final Academy Award nomination. At one point the highest paid actress under contract with MGM, Garbo is praised for the unparalleled naturalism she exhibited within the subtlety of her technique. Which set her eons apart from actors and actresses in the studio era.

4. Bette Davis

Beginning her acting career in Broadway, Bette Davis moved to Hollywood in 1930 to start working in movies. Experiencing limited success at first, Davis left Universal Studios in 1932 to join Warner Brothers. There, under the direction of Alfred E. Green and William Wyler, Davis's career took off after her work in "Dangerous" and "Jezebel" were met with widespread acclaim, garnering her two Academy Awards.

Rising to become one of cinema's most celebrated women in the 1940's, Davis established her reputation for her forceful and intensive approach to acting. Combative and confrontational, she often clashed with directors and studio executives. However, this did very little to hinder Davis's success as she would go on to receive 10 Oscar nominations throughout her career, a figure only surpassed by Meryl Streep, Katharine Hepburn and Jack Nicholson. As she later stated in an interview in 1988, Davis is best remembered as one of the few actresses who built her career without the convenience of beauty -- relying solely on her talent.

3. Ingrid Bergman

Like her Swedish counterpart, Ingrid Bergman began her acting career working on Swedish films before jumping into Hollywood after American audiences became introduced to her through the English remake of the film "Intermezzo". Although Bergman remains an icon for her work in the romantic tour de force that was "Casablanca", where she starred alongside Humphrey Bogart, she is praised for her performances in "Gaslight", "Anastasia" and "Murder on the Orient Express". Efforts that translated into three Academy Awards -- a figure that is only matched by Meryl Streep, and surpassed by Katharine Hepburn.

Bringing a sense of nordic freshness and vitality, combined with her flawless beauty and intelligence, Bergman is hailed as the very ideal of American Womanhood. Much of her personal and film documents are currently held at Wesleyan University -- a school known to have generated its fair share of prominent filmmakers.

2. Meryl Streep

In an industry that glamourizes and obsesses over youth, Meryl Streep demonstrates with flawless perfection that age is just an issue of mind over matter. Over a career that has spanned four decades, the Yale alumnus has acted in more than 70 films and shows no signs of slowing down.

Like Glenn Close, Streep is praised for her versatility and unparalleled adeptness to seamlessly transform into the plethora of different characters she has played. From the cold and calculating Miranda Priestly in "The Devil Wears Prada", and the willful Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady", to more light hearted roles in "Mama Mia" and "Florence Foster Jenkins", there isn't a role Streep is incapable of doing.

Nominated for the Oscars a grand total of 20 times, the native of Summit, New Jersey has won three times. Tied with Ingrid Bergman, Streep is just a single win away from standing in a deadlock with Katharine Hepburn -- who leads all actresses with four Academy Award wins. Could this be the year? Who knows? Along with age, time has never acted as a hindrance for Streep.

1. Katharine Hepburn

Last but certainly far from the least, we've talked about her so much in this article that there was no question she was going to appear at the top of this list. Born to wealthy progressive parents in Hartford, Connecticut, Katharine Hepburn did not become drawn to acting until she began college at Bryn Mawr at the behest of her mother. Although she struggled with the scholastic challenges of the school, Hepburn thrived in the theatre. Graduating in 1928, Hepburn began acting in Broadway where her positive reviews helped garner her attention from Hollywood.

In just her third cinematic role for "Morning Glory" in 1933, Hepburn was an immediate success. On the receiving end of rapturous acclaim, the Hartford native also won her first Academy Award for Best Actress. And to prove it wasn't beginner's luck, Hepburn would go on to win three more times for "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", "The Lion in the Winter" and "The Golden Pond". With a total of four Oscars, Hepburn currently holds the record of most Academy Awards won by any actress to work in Hollywood. Throughout her illustrious career, she has been nominated 12 times.

Outspoken, assertive, athletic, and wearing trousers long before they became fashionable for women to wear, Hepburn's unconventional approach to her lifestyle and acting has lead critics and audiences of all stripes to dub her as the very epitome of the modern woman.