FAMOUS PAGEANT WINNERS
Some of the most famous women in the world began their careers as winners of pageants. Some, like Vanessa Williams and Diane Sawyer, managed to win major titles such as Miss World, Miss Universe, America's Junior Miss, or Miss America. Other future superstars like Michelle Pfieffer, Sophia Loren, and Sharon Stone, had to settle for
local or state laurels. But whether or not their quests for the crown made them local - or international - titleholders, each woman listed below has gone on to achieve success, fame and fortune.
Oprah Winfrey
Before becoming an Emmy Award-winning television talk show host, Oprah Winfrey won the 1971 Miss Fire Prevention and Miss Black Tennessee titles. When asked what she would do with a million dollars, Winfrey
delighted the judges when she blurted out, "I'd be a spending fool!" She competed in the Miss Black America Pageant, but failed to make the finals.
Vanessa Williams
The first African-American woman ever to win the Miss America Pageant,
Williams won both the swimsuit and talent competitions at the national contest. Sadly, she was asked to resign when Penthouse
magazine published sexually-explicit photos she had posed for earlier. Despite initially appearing to be ruined by scandal,
she rebounded and achieved fame as a recording artist (The Right Stuff), film star (Under The Gun, Eraser), and
Broadway star (Kiss of the Spider Woman).
Jeri
Ryan
Sexy Jeri
Ryan, who starred as the sexy Borg character, "Seven of
Nine," in Star Trek: Voyager, competed as Miss Illinois
in the 1990 Miss America Pageant. There, resembling the 'Toon
character, Jessica Rabbit, she won the swimsuit competition and
placed as 4th runner-up.|
Halle
Berry
Berry, whose
pageant titles include Miss Teen All American, Miss Ohio-USA,
and first runner-up to Miss USA, won the coveted role of Queen
in the Alex Hailey mini-series,Queen, on the TV series
Knots Landing and Living Dolls, and starred in
the movies Jungle Fever and The Flintstones. She
made history as the first African-American woman to win the Academy
Award for Best Actress.
Diane
Sawyer
Chosen as
America's Junior Miss in 1962, Diane used her pageant scholarship
money to attend Wellesley College, worked as a weathergirl, then
press aide to Richard Nixon during his presidency and after his
Watergate resignation. In 1981 she was named co-anchor of the
CBS Morning News. Initially dismissed by some critics
as an unqualified beauty queen, Sawyer earned high marks and
was hired as a Sixty Minutes correspondent, co-anchor
of Day One, Turning Point, and, finally, ABC's PrimeTime
Live. Sawyer ranks as one of the highest paid newswomen in
television history.
Sharon
Stone
Screen queen
Sharon Stone, of Basic Instinct fame, honed her instincts
for performing in small town pageants where she won the titles
Saegertown's Spring Festival Queen and 1976 Miss Crawford County.
When a Miss Pennsylvania Pageant judge suggested she try modeling,
she contracted with the Eileen Ford Agency and her career was
launched. Stone eventually switched to acting, starring in Basic
Instinct, Sliver, and Intersection, and rapidly becoming
one of the highest paid actresses in film history.
Delta
Burke
One of the
best known "losers" at the Miss America Pageant, Delta
competed as Miss Florida in the 1974 contest. She failed to make
the top ten after performing her British dramatic recital
about soon-to-be-executed Queen Anne Boleyn, with a Southern
accent. Later, she trademarked the role of former beauty queen
as Suzanne Sugarbaker on the hit series, Designing Women,
and starred in Filthy Rich and Love and Curses
and All That Jazz. Delta's other pageant titles included
Miss Florida Flame, Miss Veteran's Day, Miss Orlando Action Princess,
and Miss All-American Girl.
Kathie
Lee Gifford
Before rising
to TV fame as star of Live with Regis and Kathie Lee,
Gifford represented Maryland in the America's Junior Miss Pageant.
She was quietly disqualified when she inadvertently broke the
rules by chatting with a man in public. Reeeeege?!
Cloris
Leachman
The renowned
actress competed as Miss Chicago in the 1946 Miss America Pageant
where she was named a semifinalist. Although she failed to win
that national title, she later won four Emmy awards and an Academy
Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film, The
Last Picture Show. Leachman's dozens of credits include The
Mary Tyler Moore Show, Texasville, Kiss Me Deadly, and Danielle
Steel's Fine Things.
Tiffani-Amber
Thiessen
Thiessen
parlayed her titles, Miss Junior America and winner of the 'Teen
Magazine Model Search, into a successful television career. The
actresses roles include Saved by the Bell and Valerie
Malone on Beverly Hills 90210 (She replaced Shannen Doherty).
Paula
Zahn
After competing
in numerous pageants and making the finals of the 1973 Miss Teenage
America Pageant, Zahn entered television journalism, wracking
up credits on The Health Show, ABC's World News This Morning,
and CBS This Morning with Harry Smith.
Raquel
Welch
Once considered
one of the world's sexiest women, movie queen Raquel Welch only
placed second in the Miss Southern California Pageant.
Her film credits include the memorable role of prehistoric babe
in One Million B.C.
Imelda
Marcos
Before reigning
as First Lady of the Philippines by the side of Ferdinand Marcos,
Imelda Romualdez reigned as Miss Manilla 1953.
Susan
Anton
Anton nearly
won the Miss America title at age 18, when she competed as Miss
California. After winning the talent competition singing
Happy Days Are Here Again, she placed as second runner-up.
Anton then contracted as the Muriel Cigar Girl, and eventually
starred in Mel & Susan Together, Presenting Susan
Anton, Cliffhangers, Baywatch, and in the movies Spring
Fever, Cannonball Run II, and Goldengirl with James
Coburn.
Mary
Frann
The late
Frann, who starred as Joanna Loudon on the hit sitcom, Newhart,
won the 1961 America's Junior Miss title.
Marla
Maples
Before becoming
the second Mrs. Donald Trump, Marla was named Miss Photogenic
and placed fourth in Georgia's Miss Teen Pageant.
Deborah
Norville
Norville,
the Inside Edition anchor who was embroiled in controversy
when she replaced Jane Pauley on Today, was Georgia's
Junior Miss in the 1976 America's Junior Miss Pageant.
Vera
Miles
She won the
1948 Miss America swimsuit competition, but placed only third
to a marimba-playing Minnesota farm girl (BeBe Shopp), who
won the crown. Still, Miles went on to enjoy a successful acting
career, appearing on Marcus Welby and Kojak, and
in the Alfred Hitchcock films, Psycho (1960) and The
Wrong Man (1957) with Henry Fonda.
Loni
Anderson
Before the
busty blond dazzled fans on WKRP Cincinnati and married
Bert Reynolds, Loni was a busty brunette Miss Roseville in the
Miss Minnesota Pageant.
Phyllis
George
Phyllis,
who won the 1971 Miss America title as Miss Texas, was the only
winner to drop her crown on live television. She went on
to become the first successful female sports anchor (NFL Today)
and starred on Candid Camera, People, and CBS's The
Morning News. She later served as First Lady of Kentucky
with (now ex-) husband, John Y. Brown.
Ali
McGraw
McGraw, who
achieved overnight fame playing the dying lover in the film,
Love Story, was a contestant in a "prettiest waitress"
pageant in 1957.
Mary
Hart
Famed for
her insured legs and perennial perkiness, the anchor of Entertainment
Tonight competed as Mary Johanna Harum, Miss South Dakota,
in the 1970 Miss America Pageant. She made the top ten, but lost
to Phyllis George. Hart later co-hosted PM Magazine
and co-hosted with Regis Philbin before moving on to E.T.
fame.
Bobbie
Eakes
Eakes, who
competed as Miss Georgia in the 1982 Miss America Pageant, won
the role of Macy on The Bold and the Beautiful.
Michelle
Yeoh
Americans
know her as Pierce Brosnan's sidekick, Chinese secret agent Wai
Lin, in the James Bond flick, Tomorrow Never Dies. But
the former Miss Malaysia (1983) is known throughout Asia as a
kung-fu queen who has starred in nine movies including the mega-hit,
Police Story III: Supercop. And, yes, she performs her
own dangerous stunts.
Lindsay
Bloom
Bloom, the
4th runner-up at Miss International, achieved fame playing sexy
blonds on TV sitcoms: Daisy on The Dukes of Hazards,
Ray Krebb's girlfriend on Dallas, and Vega$. Later,
she dyed her trademark blond tresses brunette to play Stacy Keach's
sidekick, Velda, on Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer.
Jayne
Kennedy
The former
NFL Today co-host broke racial barriers when she competed
as Miss Ohio in the 1970 Miss USA Pageant.
Nancy
Stafford
After winning
the Miss Florida title in 1976, Stafford won roles on The
Doctors and St. Elsewhere, and as Andy Griffith's
junior law partner, Michelle Thomas, on the series, Matlock.
Anita
Bryant
Miss Oklahoma
1959 and second runner-up to Miss America 1959 (Mary Ann Mobley),
Anita achieved fame as the quintessential patriotic performer
and spokesperson for the Florida orange juice industry. She later
became embroiled in scandal after taking a public stand against
gay rights.
Mary
Ann Mobley
Mobley, Miss
Mississippi 1958, won the 1959 Miss America title after she switched
from a prim aria to a mock strip tease in the talent competition.
She later appeared in two Elvis Presley movies, and co-hosted
the Miss America Pageant with husband Gary Collins.
