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Hottest women over 50: for adults only

If you’ve been around AfterEllen.com at all the past few weeks, you know that we’re holding our collective breath in anticipation of the 2008 AfterEllen.com Hot 100 list, due Monday. Security is tight: Sarah has been spotted with a briefcase chained to her wrist. (I hear she likes chains, though, so it might be unrelated.) Rumor has it that Leisha Hailey has been dethroned as No. 1, so I honestly have no idea what to expect.

I do know, however, that we will not have enough women over 50 on our list. Of course, I think that mature women should rule the world (or at least the country *cough* Hillary *cough*). I was delighted to see the EW.com list of “33 Hotties Over Age 50” because it gives me an opportunity to give beautiful women of a certain age their due. (The EW.com list includes men, too, if you’re interested, which I am not. I’m also ignoring the term “GILF” because the only “G” I can think of is “grandparent” and that’s just wrong.)

The list started on a high note – literally. No. 1 is everybody’s favorite president, Mary McDonnell (56). Battlestar Galactica may be going away, but President Roslin will be in my heart forever. Sigh.

Jessica Lange was hot at 27 when we first saw her in King Kong. She sizzled at 45 as a slightly unstable siren in Blue Sky. And the hot flashes she still gives us at 58 have nothing to do with menopause.

Does anyone remember The Seduction of Joe Tynan? Why should you? It was a decent but unremarkable film. What is remarkable, though, is that I went to see the movie and stayed for the next two showings. Then I went back and saw it again. I just couldn’t get a certain actress out of my head. I didn’t know why at the time. Now I do. And Meryl Streep is still in my head. I hope she never leaves.

Sophia Loren is 73. Sure, she’s had a few nips and tucks, but sexiness like hers transcends appearance. An Italian restaurant in Dallas has a Sophia Loren room with pictures of her lining the walls. I have no idea if the food is any good, but I keep going back – for the spice.

Dame Helen Mirren describes herself as “being famous for being cool about not being gorgeous.” Not thinking she’s gorgeous is doubtless one reason she is. I am forever amazed that Mirren can move from assassin to queen to madam and have our adoration at every turn. But what can I say? She had me at … oh, hell, she’s always had me.

Ask the general population about Susan Sarandon’s hottest roles and they’ll cite Bull Durham or White Palace. Ask AfterEllen.com and we’ll shiver a bit thinking of The Hunger or get a little wistful about what we didn’t see in Thelma & Louise. But we all agree on one thing: Sarandon is living proof that smart and sexy are not mutually exclusive.

I must commend the folks of EW.com for including the epitome of hotness, Tina Turner. At 68, Turner can out-sing, out-dance and out-smoke women a third of her age. I don’t know how she does it, but I hope she keeps doing it for a very long time. Please add Dallas to your tour, Tina. I need to see those legs in person.

The list goes on to include Angela Bassett, Lena Olin, Iman, Isabella Rossellini, Candace Bergen and others. But where are Sela Ward, Dana Delaney, Glen Close and Sigourney Weaver? And how could Latina ladies have been overlooked – what about Sonia Braga or Gloria Estefan or Rita Moreno?

But that’s enough from me. Take a look at the list and tell us what you think. Who’s your favorite over-50 hottie? What mature beauties would make EW’s list better? Any predictions on which of them might make our Hot 100?

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  • cowgal's picture

    Susan Sarandon

     

    I hope Susan Sarandon!!!!!!

    OMG I've had a crush on her since I was little!!!

    Phoenix's picture

    *skulk*

    Personally, I will consider no list of attractive women complete unless it has Nichelle Nichols in the number one slot. How she still looks that good I do not know.

    (Of course, I could pay more attention and actually nominate her some year....)

    --

    No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always boom tomorrow.
    --Susan Ivanova tells it like it is

    broadstairs's picture

    Meryl Streep

    Hope Meryl is in the list.
    sam's picture

    my favorites

    Irina Derevko and Pres. Roslin--I mean, Lena Olin and Mary McDonnell.
    sam's picture

    oh and hey

    Michelle Pfeiffer turned 50 this year.
    Lil Drummer Girl's picture

    Nice call Sam on Michelle Pfeiffer.....

    Damn, Michelle Pfeiffer at 50.....Wow, she is still a hottie, especially in the catwoman suit...Ok, let me get my mind out of the gutter.....Now I have the "Cool Rider" song stuck in my head.......lol ;-)
    blue miles's picture

    seriously....

    how is michelle not on the list???? she was my first crush:)  

     

    And remember that, in a world of ordinary mortals, you are a Wonder Woman!

    Lil Drummer Girl's picture

    sorry for the double post

    sorry for the double post
    Teejay's picture

    Dame Diana Rigg

    For me Diana Rigg will always be the epitome of sex appeal. From the Avengers and her skin tight leather, to classic elegance (and being the best actor by a mile) in OHMSS to every appearance she has made on the stage since up to All About My Mother last year. She oozes sex appeal, style and intelligence.
    kallisti's picture

    Oh, Mrs Peel...

    God, yes. Hers were the best years of The Avengers and I love reading her interviews. I would really love to see her onstage as well.

    "Mrs Peel, we're needed" still makes me go all fuzzy.

    Off-topic for this thread, Patrick Macnee was and is wonderful too. I feel a sudden need for my Avengers fix...

    Na's picture

    ^ Yes!!

    Like you said.

    I have to add one that I don't see mentionned yet: Angelica Houston.

    I'm off to watch Small Game For Big Hunters now, just to hear her say "K for Kathy, A for Apple, L for... Love" while spelling a name... Hmmm... or maybe A Touch Of Brimstone for all the reasons anyone who's seen it knows.

    notshane's picture

    Charlotte Rampling

    is top of my list. She's sizzling hot. Always was and still is.
    shygurl99's picture

    Helen Mirren

    Was on my list I think. I can barely even remember what my ten were cause I kept changing my mind while filling it out but I think she made it. She is so beautiful inside and outside

    yellow duck's picture

    Catherine Deneuve

    How could they forget french beauty Catherine Deneuve.

    I love her for kissing actrice Fanny Ardant in '8 femmes'

    Iheartbeer's picture

    Totally agree

    leaving Catherine Deneuve off this list is a joke. She made my top 10.
    Ingennuendo's picture

    Catherine Deneuve

    I also can't believe they left out Catherine Deneuve. Then again, this list includes mainly Americans.  The world is full of beautiful women and is not restricted to Hollywood. Ooh Catherine Deneuve indeed. As beautiful as she was when she was younger (yeah, yeah I know "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg", "Belle de Jour" etc.), to me at least, she has become more beautiful as she aged. Growing up knowing who she was of course, it's not until "Indochine" that I fell in love with her.

    Here are a few more French actresses: Fanny Ardent, Isabelle Huppert (yes 8 Femmes was a treat for me!!), Isabelle Adjani, Catherine Frot (have you seen "La Tourneuse de Pages"? And also hilarious in "le Diner de Cons"... which if I can change the subject for a second, has anyone seen "la doublure/the valet"?? In there Francois Pignon's dad says he got invited to a dinner to talk about his hobby! hehehe! I thought it was the funniest reference ever!), and I would probably have to include Jeanne Moreau..  for her VOICE!! Her voice alone could make my list. ;)  Kristin Scott Thomas should also join the list shortly... in a year or two! She played in one of my favourite movies ever (Le Confessional), and I could listen to her speak French all day. 

    OceanZen76's picture

    I 4th That!

    Enough Said!
    karumammi's picture

    Of course i remember The

    Of course i remember The Seduction of Joe Tynan and for the same reasons you do: Meryl Streep is hot and has always been hot. Not to mention a fabulous actress!
    HedeHarlow's picture

    Michelle Pfeiffer

    Michelle Pfeiffer should definately be on the list, she is one of the most gorgeus women ever..
    marcia marcia marcia's picture

      Susan Sarandon, Helen

     

    Susan Sarandon, Helen Mirren, Sela Ward, Gloria Estefan, Catherine Deneuve... sounds like my idea of perfect company... I don't think there are many young pretenders to their thrones!

    Badgersprite's picture

    My hottest woman over 50?

    My hottest woman over 50? Has to be Debbie Harry. *swoon*
    Melissa Hsu's picture

    Candice Bergen

    always been gorgeous.  Jane Fonda, Susan Lucci....... I'm sure I can think of more.

    EmmaCariad's picture

    After Ellen..came me!!

    After Ellen..came me!!

    Mary MacDonnell...Ahhhh!!! Meryl Streep...Mmmmm!!! Susan Sarandon...Ooooo!!!

    Oh, um, sorry, okay, I'm back now! Lets not forget our name sake, people, who turned 50 on my birthday this year - or should that be I turned 32 on her birthday..??? Either way... ELLEN DEGENERES!!!!! Funny! Cool! Classy! And wow can that body dance!!

     

     

     

    BAM FOREVER..

    Bossasuz's picture

    Free To Be....You and Me

    Marlo Thomas became my heart throb on "That Girl" and I started to think there was hope for me when I heard her album "Free To Be...You and Me".  Warm, wacky and caring...she's still got it !

    I still can't take my eyes off of Annie Lennox when she performs - she's absolutely magnetic.

    And how about Christine Baranski.  Glamorous.  Gorgeous.  Fabulous.

    I turn 50 next year and I'm lovin' it !!!

     

    Leibug's picture

    Nifty Fifty....

     

    So many in this sexy category:

    My two all time favs: Madonna and Jodie Foster.

    And not to be forgotten:

    Ellen DeGeneres, Sigourney Weaver, Isabella Rossellini, Ann Curry (my fav news lady from the Today show), Angela Bassett, Dana Delaney, Joan Jett, Helen Hunt, Jennifer Tilly, and Sharon Stone.

    BetweenThaLines's picture

    Jodie is not 50:p And

    Jodie is not 50:p And neither is Helen Hunt. The rest I don't know.

    Anyway, there are plenty of people that need to be on the list! Meryl Streep, definitely!!! Helen Mirren, duh. Susan, yeah! And Sela, Glenn, Lena, Gloria, Iman, Angela and Mary can be all on the list if it were up to me!

    I'm sorry to say that I think Jessica Lange looks scary since she has done things to her face... Should not be on the list:s

    http://www.youtube.com/BetweenThaLines

    Leibug's picture

    OOPS!

     

    Sorry...*sniggers*...there goes my over active imagination and wishful thinking again...guess I was just determined to sneak them in! ;-)

    CoastalGal's picture

    Ann Curry!!

    Thank god I'm not the only one who thinks America's favorite half-Asian lady is also a smoking cougar! I'll be her cub anytime! I was amazed to find out she was a day over 40 (she's nearly 52).

    And yes, sorry to skeeve everyone out- GILF is grandmother I'd like to.... ahem. The idea being that MiLFs (come on, you all know what those are right?) are kind of 30's and 40's driving minivans and what not and GILFs are probably mid-50+. There's a whole porn category devoted to it. I personally perfer to call those more mature ladies "cougars"- a name befitting their sexiness.

    saved's picture

    For Serious!

    Helen Mirren has my vote!
    tellofilms 's picture

    Laura Roslin forever!

    This is such an awesome list of women- so powerful and sexy. All accomplished in their own right - I don't know that any could play the president as well as Mary McDonnell. The layers she portrayes are awesome- and she can totally hang with the boys on BSG.

    http://www.tellofilms.com/index.php?option=com_seyret&Itemid=42&task=vid...

    Check out and upload your great lesbian videos on www.tellofilms.com

    Rabbit317's picture

    Two Words

    Holland Taylor. She's 65, for crying out loud!

     

    Even Jill Bennett would bottom for her. :p 

     

    You must be the change you want to see in the world.

    -- Mahatma Gandhi

    Pirategrrrl's picture

    Holland Taylor!

     

    GREAT call!

    Like most EW lists, this one sucked. What about Goldie Hawn?! What about Diane Keaton? What about Jane Lynch?

    Bloody rubbish magazine.

     

    Speak what we feel not what we ought to say...

    Veritas's picture

    Sigourney Weaver rocks!! My

    Sigourney Weaver rocks!! My number one of all times. She's gorgeous.

     

    And how could I forget Kate Capshaw?

    BijouxIce's picture

    Ah Sigourney!

    Half Moon Street, with her and Michael Caine, is one of those little-known gems.  As an impoverished academic suspected of espionage she was absolutely brilliant.  She also made a limited wardrobe (a single blazer jacket and a few other varying items to go under it) completely rock - that jacket was like an additional character in the film.

    Let's also not forget Amy Irving, the first Mrs. Spielberg. She has always had a sweet, melancholy vulnerability that just makes me want to get all butch and protective.

    "Never explain, never complain." - Katherine Hepburn

    G.G.'s picture

    Missing

    WHERE is Vanessa Redgrave??? :(

    Oooooh, I love a bit of cake. Oooooh, cake. Oooooh, cake. Cake. Cake. Cake. Cake. I'm just one of these people. I come home and I need a piece of cake. [Marjorie Dawes]

    Melissa Hsu's picture

    Vanessa Redgrave

    Vanessa Redgrave-I could watch that woman for hours on a screen. She demands attention in such a seemingly humble way and that is incredibly awesome and attractive. And her voice sounds like its filled with such compassion, I love it. Aside from that...Michelle Pfeiffer in Stardust specifically is incredibly attractive! My jaw literally dropped everytime I watched it and I had to stop doing that when I saw it because my girlfriend was next to me. And yes...more proof that Jill Bennett is a smart woman is that she clearly adores Holland Taylor. She's superb. If Rita Wilson is in her 50's then she makes the list. Elizabeth Perkins almost makes the list. She's in her late 40's. It must be said she is awesome in Weeds and its attractive as hell to say the least.
    ley86's picture

    Ahh! Too hard to choose!!

    Gloria Estefan HAS to make it in the list at some point!! Come on!!!!!

    Holland Taylor...Jill Bennett has the right idea there!!! lol

    Faithnz's picture

    The list also had Jane

    The list also had Jane Seymour - who has such a timeless classic, Raquel Welch - still looking good, and Ellen Barkin who rocks.
    Hannah's picture

    Chita

    Chita Rivera.  I'd kill for her legs, and I'm 50 years younger than she is.   Anyway, she's still performing and her amazing body can still dance something fierce.

    I have to second Holland Taylor.  yow!

    And Helen Mirren is just perfection.  I adore her.

    Lauwer's picture

    UHM

    Gloria Estefan??have you seen her recently?she's is effing far from a hottie in my humble opinion...and I totally second Ellen Barkin. Who doesn't remember that scene with Peta Wilson..
    ebrittingham's picture

    Ellen Barkin

    i was just thinking that!  i recently re-watched MERCY and keep asking myself why don't i own that movie?

     but...i will be renting Le Femme Nikita from netflix so i can watch the whole series in one weekend marathon!

     

     

    Through_the_Rye's picture

    I LOVED this list! I prefer

    I LOVED this list! I prefer older women myself....

     

    But where was Deneuve?

    Jenn's picture

    My Top 10

    In no particular order:

    Jane Seymour, Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon, Lena Olin, Charlotte Rampling, Helen Mirren, Holland Taylor, Jane Lynch, Sela Ward, and Michelle Pfeiffer.

     Ooh, and what's a GILF?

    OceanZen76's picture

    UC Santa Cruz?

    Totally off subject, but is that the UC Santa Cruz banana slug in your pic?
    sam's picture

    not quite 50 yet, but

    Jamie Lee Curtis will turn 50 later this year.
    OneShySistah's picture

    YES!  She totally needs to

    YES!  She totally needs to be on this list!
    Emily's picture

    Latinas

    EW did include one Latina in the list - Raquel Welch is half Bolivian... Still, I agree with you, they could have included a few more to round out the list.
    the linster's picture

    Cool

    I had no idea Raquel was Latina, but sure enough, her birth name was Jo Raquel Tejada. Thanks for letting us in on that tidbit.
    scoops's picture

    Cate Capshaw

    Cate Capshaw belongs on the top 100 list as well. Very Sexy
    Em's picture

    Mary McDonnell nearly tops

    Mary McDonnell nearly tops my HOTTEST WOMEN EVER list. She's amazing. =]

    You can't shake hands with a clenched fist.
    [Indira Ghandi]