A Look at Hollywood's Defining Sex Symbols by Decade

This feature looks at performers who became emblematic sex symbols across different decades. It highlights Clark Gable in the 1930s and Rita Hayworth in the 1940s, pointing to major film roles that shaped their images. Other names mentioned include Farrah Fawcett, Raquel Welch, and Marilyn Monroe.

Clark Gable defined the 1930s as a leading man in It Happened One Night and Gone with the Wind, opposite Vivien Leigh. Later he shifted to weary, disillusioned roles, including Run Silent, Run Deep with Burt Lancaster and The Misfits as cowboy Gay Langland beside Marilyn Monroe.

Rita Hayworth embodied 1940s pin-up appeal and ranked among WWII servicemen's favorite pin-ups. She danced with Fred Astaire in You'll Never Get Rich and You Were Never Lovelier, and with Gene Kelly in Cover Girl. Her Gilda glove-removal scene became iconic. Her final film was 1972's The Wrath of God; she retired at 54 and died in 1987 after Alzheimer's complications.