Here's a look at what movie stars and actresses from the 1970s were doing then, and what they're up to now. Some have continued working, while others have retired. The one thing we know about all of these people is that they changed the face of television and cinema for all future generations.
You'll recognize many of these female stars of the 70s, such as Jane Fonda, who still acts in hits like Grace and Frankie, decades after she first found fame. Goldie Hawn, Carrie Fisher, and Jodie Foster are also popular 70s female actresses.
During the '70s, many actresses graced the screen. Some continued to act throughout their lives, while others bowed out of the spotlight. So how are these '70s screen sirens doing now? Check out our before and after list of the most famous actresses of the '70s below.
Then: Goldie Hawn had made a name for herself as the it-girl on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In in the '60s. By the 1970s, she was appearing in films like Butterflies Are Free and Shampoo. By 1979, she was in box office flops like Lovers & Liars. She recovered in the '80s.
Now: Hawn saw major successes throughout the '80s and '90s, but she took a hiatus throughout the 2000s. She appeared in Amy Schumer’s Snatched in 2017, SPF-18 in 2017, and The Christmas Chronicles and the Christmas Chronicles: Part Two in 2018-2020.
Then: Olivia Newton-John had achieved early success as a singer. With chart-topping tracks like "Please Mr. Please" and "Come On Over." These hits got her cast in 1978's Grease, where she became a full-fledged phenomenon.
Now: Newton-John returned to her roots as an Australian singer. She extensively toured in Asia. From 2014-2016, she had a residency in the Donny & Marie Showroom at the Flamingo Las Vegas, called Summer Nights. She was inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame in 2015, and was bestowed Australia's highest honour, the Companion of the Order of Australia in 2019. Her last project before her death in August 2022, was a duet she recorded with her daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, called “Window in the Wall.”
Then: Carrie Fisher made her debut in the 1975 comedy Shampoo, two years before launching into stardom as Princess Leia in Star Wars. She was also in many made-for-TV movies throughout the '70s.
Now: In later years, Fisher moved her acting work more towards comedy, starring in Hannah and Her Sisters and When Harry Met Sally..., and appearing on shows like Catastrophe and The Big Bang Theory, and voicingPeter Griffin's boss on Family Guy. She returned to the stage with her one-woman show: Wishful Drinking, and went on to reprise her role as Leia in Star Wars sequels like Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, before she passed away in 2016.
Then: In the late '60s, Raquel Welch launched her career as an actress. In 1970, she teamed up with Tom Jones for a TV special called Raquel! It cost millions to produce and was filmed all over the world. It cemented her as an international sex symbol.
Now: Welch She continued to act through the 2000s, appearing in CSI: Miami, TV movie House of Versace, and How to Be a Latin Lover. She last appeared on Date My Dad in 2017. She also worked with MAC cosmetics on a line of beauty products.
Then: In the '70s, Jodie Foster was a child actress. She appeared in TV series like Paper Moon and The Partridge Family. Her critically acclaimed role in Taxi Driver set her on the path towards becoming a serious actor.
Now: Foster continued to act, and in 2013, she was given the Cecil B. Demille award at the Golden Globes. She also turned her attention to work behind the camera, directing films like Money Monster and The Beaver, as well as episodes of series like Black Mirror and Orange Is the New Black.
Then: Faye Dunaway came into full stride during the 1970s, with roles in critically-acclaimed films like Chinatown and The Towering Inferno. She successfully played a wide-range of characters throughout her career.
Now: Dunaway continues to act, but in smaller made-for-TV movies like Lifetime's Midnight Bayou and Hallmark Channel's A Family Thanksgiving.
