Fashion model Beverly Lee

Beverly Lee is to models of East Asian decent what Naomi Sims and Beverly Johnson are to black models or what Laura Alvarez is to Latina models.  By that, I mean that she opened doors in the modeling trade for women of her own ethnicity. She made it possible for East Asian (or Oriental, an archaic term) women to be seen as having modeling potential . . . and become top models themselves. 

The black-and-white picture above, which features Beverly Lee in a maillot and striking a stunning, glamorous pose by sitting on something as incredibly utilitarian as a bathroom sink, and the color photo below showing her modeling another maillot, ought to make it obvious why she was such a trail blazer in modeling.  Her beauty was too extraordinary to be denied. 

She modeled for Christian Dior, the Natori loungewear store, and Macy's, along other clients, and she was a top runway model in the 1970s.  Despite her breakthrough, though, her Asian background would sometimes be played up in a stereotypical manner. 

Nevertheless, the impression Beverly Lee left on modeling was as undeniable as her beauty.

She had a Web site devoted to advice for aspiring models, using her own career as an example, but it has since been retired.

Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi

Rinko Kikuchi is a recognizable presence to art house film fans in America as well as to moviegoers in her home country of Japan.

She appeared in several Japanese movies before receiving international attention as a deaf-mute girl in director Alejandro González Iñárritu's Babel in 2006, receiving an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She went on to appear in The Brothers Bloom, a Rachel Weisz-Adrien Brody caper in which she played a character that only knows . . . three words of English. :-O

As of this writing , Rinko Kikuchi's most recent film is Norwegian Wood, a coming-of-age movie set in late-'60s Japan.

Media personality Claudia Jordan

Claudia Jordan is a popular figure in contemporary "hip" culture.

A former Miss USA contestant and an occasional actress, she hosts her own program on Sirius XM satellite radio.

She gets her exotic looks from her black father and her Italian mother.

Actress Marg Helgenberger

After twelve years as investigation supervisor Catherine Willows on the TV series "CSI," Marg Helgenberger is leaving the show this month.

Marg Helgenberger has practically become an institution on American television. In addition to "CSI," she's also known for playing part-time prostitute K.C. Koloski on ABC's "China Beach," for which she won an Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.

The Nebraska-born actress is also getting the 2,458th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for 2012, recognizing her work in television.

Fun fact: She also played a minor character (named Suzanne) in the 1982 movie Tootsie.

Television actress Erin Gray

What defines feminine beauty isn't a case of black and white, and so it's time to visit a Gray area. :-D

Mention Erin Gray to anyone who remembers television in the early 1980s, and you're bound to get a smile like Ms. Gray's own. She left an indelible impression in two different shows, as Colonel Wilma Deering in the science fiction series "Buck Rogers In the 25th Century" and as Kate Summers, personal assistant to and romantic interest of an eccentric toy manufacturer, in the sitcom "Silver Spoons."

She also was a spokeswoman for the Bloomingdale's department store, appearing in several of its TV ads. She didn't so much deliver the store's tagline - "It's like no other store in the world" - as she purred it. :-)

Now a casting agent and still active somewhat as an actress, Erin Gray turned 62 in January 2012.

Model Lisa Forbes

Lisa Forbes is another model from the 1980s.

Between 1983 and 1987, she worked in Paris, first the affiliated with then Paris Planning Women agency, then with the Glamour agency.

She later modeled through Elite's Model Management and Runaway divisions in New York.

Amended Rules

There's no pictorial post today as a protest against the Internet anti-piracy bills being considered by the U.S. Congress, but I have amended my rules list governing who can appear on this blog.  Click on "Criteria, Rules and Standards" in the upper right hand corner of this blog for the new language. 

Model-turned-restauranteur Carolyn Effer

Carolyn Effer is another stylish fashion model from the 1980s.

Originally from Toronto, she modeled through both the Zoli and Wilhelmina agencies in New York. She co-founded the seafood/barbecue restaurant Live Bait in the city's Flatiron district in 1987. The restaurant is still in business today.

I don't know if she's still a co-owner, though.

Fun fact: Carolyn Effer is married to dance-pop producer John "Jellybean" Benitez, whose previous significant other was some single-named disco diva who pretty much used him on her way to the top. Carolyn Effer was clearly a step up from his earlier partner.

I'm sure Robin Wright and Annette Bening would agree. ;-)

TV newswoman Faith Daniels

Remember Faith Daniels? She was a popular presence on TV at the same time as Arsenio Hall. :-)

Faith Daniels was the news reader for NBC's "Today" show from 1990 to 1992 and also had her own afternoon news program, "A Closer Look," at about the same time. She also anchored the now-defunct "NBC News at Sunrise," and she appeared on "Dateline NBC" from 1993 to 1995.

Although exclusively associated with NBC, she actually began her career on national television when she joined CBS News as the anchor of the CBS Morning News in the spring of 1985. She was one of the youngest news anchors in American television history, having started at the age of 27. She had previously worked in stations in Wheeling, West Virginia and Peoria, Illinois.

Alas, Faith Daniels left broadcast journalism in the mid-nineties, and today she is a strong supporter of the National Council for Adoption.

Television actress Kaley Cuoco

Kaley Cuoco is another young actress making waves on American television.

Having played Bridget in the early-2000s sitcom "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" (which had its title shortened to "8 Simple Rules" because the original title was ironically too complicated), and having played Billie Jenkins on the supernatural drama series "Charmed," she was already well known when she was cast in "The Big Bang Theory," a sitcom that has been on CBS since 2007.

On "The Big Bang Theory," Kaley Cuoco plays Penny, a beautiful and socially savvy waitress who aspires to be an actress.  Penny befriends and interacts with her two nerdy neighbors who work at the California Institute of Technology.  It's a classic beauty-and-the-geeks setup.

Kaely Cuoco hosts the 2012 People's Choice Awards tonight.  No word yet on whether this will be a permanent gig for her.  The host for the past several years has been . . . some obnoxious Jersey chick whose name escapes me at the moment. 

Actress Sandra Bullock

Sandra Bullock seemingly catapulted to fame overnight in the mid-nineties with high-profile roles in two movies, 1994's action thriller Speed and the 1995 comedy While You Were Sleeping. In fact, she had been toiling in minor roles in minor films for seven years or so by that time.

Since then, she has appeared in movies as diverse as the lightweight comedy Miss Congeniality and the ensemble drama Crash. She became one of the most ubiquitous actresses in the 2000s, easily becoming one of America's sweethearts. :-)

A lightweight comedy and a serious drama made her even more visible in 2009, when she starred in The Proposal (a comedy that also featured a scene-stealing performance from Betty White) and the docudrama The Blind Side, about black Baltimore Ravens football star Michael Oher. Sandra Bullock played Leigh Anne Touhy, the white interior decorator who became Oher's legal guardian. The former movie got Bullock a Teen Choice award for Best Romantic Comedy Actress; the latter got her a more prestigious award . . . the Best Actress Oscar.

For such a big star, Sandra Bullock is refreshingly modest. There's nothing about her that says, "Look at me, I'm Sandra B." ;-) She doesn't go around making a point of how lovely and talented she is.

That's why I'm here. :-D

Carol Alt In Pinstripes

I couldn't resist adding one more shot of Carol Alt . . . for now.

Here she is in a pinstripe blazer, which only goes to show that she looks great in just about anything.

Oh, Carol! :-)

Two Faces of Carol Alt

And they're both gorgeous. :-)

The color picture above is a closeup of Carol Alt at her most glamorous, with a broad smile that can light up a room. The picture below is a Francesco Scavullo black-and-white shot of her without makeup.

Her smile here is no less captivating, and she seems to be asking, with her expression, "What do you think of the real me?"

I think I've made my answer clear by including this wonderful photo on my blog. :-)

Fashion model Carol Alt

No blog focusing on beautiful women would be complete without including Carol Alt, and I feature her today with great enthusiasm. :-)

Carol Alt, as the leading brunette model of the 1980s, was one of those women whom other women wanted to emulate and men wanted to date. This was made clear by the magazine covers of the magazines she graced; in addition to appearing on Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Mademoiselle, she also appeared on the cover of the 1981 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue (as seen below).

The Queens-born model also appeared in numerous ad campaigns and was a runway model for Ralph Lauren. Eventually she tried her hand at acting, and while she hasn't been a big Hollywood presence, she found a very receptive audience in Italy, acting in several movies and TV shows there and learning to speak fluent Italian in the process.

More recently, she's become an expert in raw foods and has written guides to eating raw. She's also written two novels inspired by her original line of work, "This Year's Model" and "Model, Incorporated."

Fun fact: An avid hockey fan, Carol Alt was married to New York Rangers star Ron Greschner for twelve years (1984 to 1996).

The Beauty of Retrospect, Special Post: Kathy Davis, 1975

Hold on, everyone, I have last-minute entry for my latest collection of retrospective pictures. I am happy once again to feature the lovely Kathy Davis - in septuplicate! :-)

That's right, an ad featuring seven images of Kathy Davis, in which she promoted Psssssst, a Clairol-produced "instant spray shampoo" to be used between hair washings for clean hair every day of the week . . . and your life, as the ad copy says.  This ad appeared in women's magazines in 1975.

I don't know if this product is still around, but Kathy Davis, still an event planner and blog writer in Los Angeles, certainly is. :-)

Happy new year, everyone.  I'll be back soon with another round of new subjects . . . starting with my 529th woman on this blog.