Can You Recognize The Actresses In These '80s Movies?
by Olivia Anderson
Castle Rock Entertainment, Nelson Entertainment
Many of the actresses we know and love today got their big break in the '80s. This era was filled with big hair, interesting fashion statements and some of the most beloved movies of all time. Can you remember the names of all these actresses? Take this quiz and find out!
1: Steel Magnolias is chock-full of funny scenes and ends in full on melodrama. Which actress played Shelby in this film?
TriStar Pictures, Rastar Films
Julia Roberts is an A list leading actress in Hollywood. After her iconic role in Pretty Women, she became one of the most recognizable actresses in the world.
2: Desperately Seeking Susan is a comedy-drama that depicts interactions between house wife Roberta and bohemian drifter Susan. Which actress played Susan in this movie?
Orion Pictures
Madonna reached stardom as singer and songwriter. She started her career as an actress in the 1980's.
3: The Color Purple is based on the novel by Alice Walker. The story focuses on the lives of black women in 1930's Georgia. Which actress played Celie in this film?
Amblin Entertainment, The Guber-Peters Company, Warner Bros.
Whoopi Goldberg is a american actress and comedian who has received numerous awards over the years. Her recognition started in the 1980's with films like The Color Purple and Deep South.
4: Working Girl, is a romantic comedy that features a working class girl in Wall Street who tirelessly works to reach an executive position. Which actress played Tess McGill in this film?
Twentieth Century Fox
Melanie Griffith reached success in the mid 1980’s. She earned an Academy Award nomination for Working Girl film and won a Golden Globe for this film.
5: When Harry Met Sally is a romantic comedy that raises the question; are men and women capable of friendship? Which actress played Sally Albright in this film?
Castle Rock Entertainment, Nelson Entertainment
Meg Ryan is an actress and producer that established her acting career in the 1980's. She has been world wide recognized as a successful romantic comedy actress.
6: Moonstruck is a romantic comedy story about widow Loretta that falls in love with her fiance's brother. Which actress played Loretta Castorini in this film?
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Star Partners
Cher started her career as a singer in the 1960's. Her acting career started in the 1980’s. Cher earned an Academy Award for best actress for Moonstruck film.
7: Sophie's Choice is a drama about Polish immigrant Sophie and her emotionally unstable lover Nathan. Which actress played Iris Gaines in this film?
Incorporated Television Company (ITC), Keith Barish Productions
Meryl Streep is recognized as the best actress of her generation. She has been nominated 21 times for an Academy Award For Best Actress and won 8 of those times.
8: The Natural is a sports film based on a novel about Roy Hobbs, baseball player with natural talent. Which actress played Alana Maxwell in this film?
TriStar Pictures, Delphi II Productions
Kim Basinger started her career as a fashion model in New York in the early 1970's. She moved to Los Angeles in the mid 1970’s and started her acting career there. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe for film, The Natural.
9: Gorillas in the Mist is based on the true story of Dian Fossey during her work in the Rwanda jungle and her life amongst gorillas. Which actress played Dian Fossey in this film?
Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., The Guber-Peters Company
Sigourney Weaver is well known for the science fiction film Alien. She is the only person to get 2 Golden Globe in the same year for films Gorillas in the Mist and Working Girl.
10: Terror Train, features a group of students that have been terrorized in a moving train during a costume party on New Year’s Eve. Which actress played Alana Maxwell in this film?
Astral Bellevue Pathé, Triple T Productions
Jamie Lee Curtis appeared in a series of horror films in the 1980s. She also played one of the most successful and highest grossing horror films at the time, Halloween.
11: Lucas is a romantic comedy drama about the high school student Lucas, an intelligent boy who has feelings for a new older student, Maggie. Which actress played Rina in this film?
Twentieth Century Fox
Winona Ryder gained attention playing Rina in the film Lucas. She was also in Star Trek and Stranger Things.
12: King Solomon’s Mines is an action adventure film about Professor Huston’s expedition to find King Solomon’s mines. On his way the professor gets captured and his daughter Jesse Huston hires Allan Quatermain to help rescue her father. Which actress played Jesse in this film?
Sharon Stone started her acting career in the comedy drama Stardust Memories. She is also a producer and former fashion model.
13: Sixteen Candles is a comedy about Samantha Baker who thought her sixteenth birthday would bring a lot of changes to her life. The drama started when her parents forgot her birthday. Which actress played Samantha in this film?
Universal Pictures, Channel Productions
Molly Ringwald's first independent film Tempest, brought her a Golden Globe nomination. She successfully played in 3 John Hughes films, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Pretty in Pink.
14: The Accused is a drama about the persecution of a gang who raped a young waitress. Which actress played Sarah in this film?
Jodie Foster won an Academy Award for best actress for her performance in the film The Accused. Three years later she earned her second Academy Award for The Silence of the Lamb.
15: Romancing the Stone, a romantic comedy adventure film about novelist Joan who had to go to Columbia to meet her sister’s kidnapers. Who plays Joan in this movie?
Twentieth Century Fox, El Corazon Producciones S.A., Nina Saxon Film Design
Kathleen Turner is an American actress who became famous from the movie Body Heat in 1981. She won 2 Golden Globe Awards and has been nominated for an Academy Award.
