by John Hoty

Created on: August 01, 2007

To list the sexiest actresses in movie history is a daunting task that asks as many questions as it aspires to answer. For instance, are we citing actresses for the steamy roles they've ingrained into our impressionably primal minds, or are we looking simply to rate the off-screen sexuality that seems to permeate so effortlessly from their walk of fame sauntering? Let's answer both questions by presenting 2 lists.

Sexiest Characters portrayed by an Actress

1.) Kim Basinger - 9 1/2 Weeks ~ Inhibited, unaffected, and totally guarded... until Mickey Rourke shows up. If you have ever seen or heard Basinger interviewed in person, she is very shy and protected - making this performance all the more potent. She's a 10.
2.) Sharon Stone - Basic Instinct ~ Stone exhibited every ounce of sexuality (and skin) that most actresses feared ever demonstrating on screen. The leg-crossing scene is just one prime example of Stone's natural sex appeal that made her performance all the more indelible.
3.) Kathleen Turner - Body Heat ~ Those eyes, that voice, and all the naked sweating. Who wouldn't have killed for her?
4.) Diane Lane - Unfaithful ~ as this oft-forgotten actress pushed 40, she dared to bare all - emotionally and physically - in Adrian Lyne's controvesial film about a married woman's fling with a sexy younger man. So convincing was she as the ideal suburban housewife/mom that when Lane's character finally gave in to throws up passion, we knew her tour-de-force was just beginning. Oscar-nominatd for this ballsy performance, Lane proved that she was not only a great actress but one helluva sexy leading lady. Wow.
5.) Angelina Jolie - Gia ~ "Rounding" out the list is an encore from Jolie, baring all - literally - in this early exhibition of her fearless acting talents (won the Emmy and the Golden Globe) and flawless body. Though the film is a complete downer, several of Jolie's nude scenes and lesbian lip locks are anything but. Bravo!

Sexiest Actresses, Off-Screen

1.) Halle Berry - a peerless mulatto beauty with a body that curves like a celebrity autograph.
2.) Scarlett Johansson - still a youngster (22 as this is being written), Miss Scarlett has the raspy voice, big boobs and ivory skin that entices long after the credits roll.
3.) Angelina Jolie - a staple on any Sexiest list, Jolie has all the contours and features of a jungle cat and the added sex appeal of a gold phallus named Oscar.
4.) Eva Mendes - this latin sizzler is a tall, dark and sensual siren who oozes sex apeal and has eyes that already know you... and all your perverted thoughts.
5.) Jessica Biel - already crowned Sexiest Woman Alive by Esquire Magazine in 2007, Biel is a sassy, curvy vixen whose popular rear end has more of a promising career than her acting talents. Wait, she can act?!

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