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Answers: Mine would be;
1.Angie Dickinson,from "Policewoman".My neighbor has this on DVD.It rocks!This woman was sexy,badass,and one damn good actress.
2.Barbara Eden,from"I Dream of Genie".This has to be the sexiest woman who has ever lived.
3.Jennifer Love Hewitt,"Ghost Whisperer".this woman is unbelievably beautiful and,in my opinion,one of the most underrated actresses ever.

Please list your favorites,and state your reasons why you like them.

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Loretta Young, she played all kinds of characters on her weekly television show. Each week a story about a completely different kind of person. She was wonderful to watch. This was way back in the 50's.

Doris Day, also a great actress and very much underestimated. She did great comedy. However, she was equally dynamic as a serious actress. My favorite was an old movie she did with James Cagney called " Love me or Leave me" In it she played a dime a dance, dance hall girl.

Elizabeth Montgomery who played "Samantha" on Bewitched. In my opinion, her best work was in made for TV movies. In particular she played the part of a backwoods woman in the1820's. The name of the movie was "The Awakening Land". She was wonderful!

The younger people reading this may not know who these women are, but the older ones will agree I am sure!

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Kiera Knightly
rachel mcadams
cameron diaz

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Dorothy Dandridge- (a great beauty who died before her time) nominated for Oscar in Carmen Jones, and opened the door for all the Black actresses of today, she was one of the first Black sex symbols too.

Shelly Winters- she always seemed to become the character she was playing, like she lost herself and the character took over to tell you HER OWN story.

And I can't choose between Betty Davis and Joan Crawford. Both commanded your attention and held it and I love "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" because they were both in it. But they did great work separately Joan Crawford in "Mildred Pierce" and Betty Davis in "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte".

Edit* I just remembered Lana Turner is also one of my favorites, if you get the chance see her in the original "The Postman Always Rings Twice".

EDIT: I just realized you were asking for TELEVISION actresses in that case, sorry :)

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Jeez, there are so many great actresses that this is really, really hard.

1. Mary McDonnell from Battlestar Galactica. She is amazing and can do so much with just a simple look or a world-weary sigh.
2. Katee Sackhoff from both Battlestar Galactica and Bionic Woman. I love her as Starbuck in BSG, but it is the fact that she is such a dominating presence on Bionic Woman, outshining everyone else that I have to put her on my list.
3. Alberta Watson from La Femme Nikita. She could strike fear into the heart of anyone with just a word or even a look.

Honorable mention to Lena Olin from Alias (pretty much the only redeeming feature of that show) and Kate Walsh of Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice (who managed to take a role of an unfeeling b**** who we were supposed to hate and turn the character into a complex, feeling woman that we could care about).


ETA: This is television actresses, right? Because it seems like the first two respondents listed movie actresses, and my movie actress list would obviously be quite different from the list I gave here.

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1. Kristen Bell for her awesome work in the not deflunked CW Veronica Mars. she was great in portraying a sassy, street smart enpowering woman facing the coruption in Neptune
2. Allison Mack is one of my favourites playing Chloe Sullivan in Smallville. I love it how she can let her own personaity that you see in interviews seep through to her character
3.Jennifer Garner from her ALIAS fame. another strong empowering character and because she kicks *** and has a soft side at the same time

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LOL don't worry about misspelling television; most people can read typonese. Three favorite television actresses hmmm.

The first who came to my mind immediately was Elizabeth Montgomery. She was very down to earth and performed comedy and drama very well. She was great in Bewitched, and I enjoyed every television movie she was in. The first I remember was her playing Lizzie Borden.

My second choice is Melissa Gilbert. We watched her grow up on Little House on the Prairie. But I found her awesome when she performed in The Miracle Worker remake. I really enjoy every movie she's in.

Although she began in movies, my third choice is Lucille Ball. She was a great innovator and a queen of comedy.

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Comedy:
Mary Tyler Moore: The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore show (funny, fashion-forward, heart-warming, the first women's libber, in my opinion)

Lucille Ball: I Love Lucy (the mother of the sitcom)

Loretta Swit: M*A*S*H*(Who wouldn't love Margaret Houlihan? Very diverse performances)


Drama:

Kyra Sedgwick: The Closer (uniquely beautiful, great actress, true to her art)

Mariska Hargitay: Law and Order SVU (she's mesmerizing on this show, beautiful, mysterious, vulnerable, tough)

Glenn Close: Damages (what a chilling performance she's given in this wonderful new show)

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Jane Seymour--Medicine Woman--beautiful woman, great actress

Lucille Ball--for someone who really didn't start out in comedy, she sure set a high standard- ever see any of her movies for the 30's? Yeah 30's!

Michael Lerned-- the Mom on the Walton's---Very intriguing, very handsome woman, not the classical beauty but very very handsome woman.

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All 3 of my favorites have been mentioned already, but not in the same response. The best ever--Lucille Ball.
The most versatile--Elizabeth Montgomery
The most talented (you really believe that she is someone else--not just her playing someone)--Melissa Gilbert

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