It Seems Like Only “Yesterday”*

{FOF Woman of The Week} Helen Mirren

LEAVE A COMMENT 2014 March 7

FOF names Helen Mirren, 68, the Most Fabulous Woman Over 50!

We started with 64 incredible FOF women, from four categories—acting, singing, writing and the political arena—and asked all of you, over a period of weeks, to vote on your favorites. Helen Mirren and Tina Turner were the last two women standing. Although Tina made it to the end, Helen triumphed with over 75 percent of the final vote. So this week, we’re paying tribute to the Dame and Oscar-winning actress, who’s been blessing the world with her talents for nearly 50 years.

Helen began her acting career as a teenager in school productions and got her big break at age 20, when she was cast as Cleopatra in a production of Antony and Cleopatra at The Old Vic Theater in London. During the last 48 years, she’s brilliantly acted on stage, in the movies and on TV and has won 88 awards and 66 nominations. The only actress ever to play both Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Elizabeth II on screen, she took home awards for both roles.

Besides her acting, Helen is known for her impeccable style and was named one of the 50 best-dressed women over 50 in 2013 by the British newspaper, The Guardian. She’s also one of the models for Marks & Spencer’s Womanism campaign. Known to push style boundaries every now and again, Helen once dyed her hair pink after admiring pink tresses on a cast member of America’s Next Top Model.

Queen Elizabeth II, in 2013, named Helen Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, to recognize the actor’s contributions to the world of performing arts.

Married to American director, Taylor Hackford, since 1997, Helen lived with actor Liam Neeson in the 1980s. She’s never had children and once told an interviewer she doesn’t have “motherly instincts.”

Dame Helen, we all adore you.

[Read: {FOF Woman of The Week} Jan Brewer]

{FOF Woman of The Week} Geena Davis

LEAVE A COMMENT 2014 February 21

Few of us have a resumé that reads: “Oscar-winning actress, film producer, writer, former fashion model, and Olympic archery team semi-finalist.” Except if you’re Geena Davis. Modeling and acting since 1982, 58-year-old Geena has received countless awards for her work on screen and accomplished a great deal of impactful work off screen. Intensely interested in the subject of gender bias, she chairs The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and also works with other visionaries and activists to improve the lives of women around the world.

Speaking at a conference last week, Geena asked the audience: “What if unconscious gender bias is a much deeper problem than we’ve ever imagined?” She pointed out that the ratio of female to male characters in TV and film hasn’t changed since 1946, and that men hold for 81 percent of the roles on TV. She is intent on reversing these shocking statistics.

Next month, Geena will serve on the jury of the New York International Children’s Film Festival.

Married since 2001 to Reza Jarrahy, a plastic surgeon, Geena and her husband have three children. One of the shining examples of a woman who can channel her vast talents and passions into a range of relevant projects and compelling performances, Geena is FOF Woman of the Week!