I’ll admit it, I’ve been an ageist. Falling into the typical Hollywood stereotype of obsessing over youth. We started with a list of the Top 10 Young Actresses in Hollywood. It was followed up by a Top 10 Up and Coming Actresses post. And recently, we profiled a dozen TV Actresses Destined for Greater Things. But I don’t want to ignore older actresses. In a youth obsessed industry, those that can maintain long careers should be applauded for their talent.

Of course, actresses that have talent get rewarded for it. In addition to making good money appearing in movies or television shows, they earn Academy Award nominations along with peer and critical respect. What might be more impressive is if those actresses maintain their allure as they age. With that idea in mind, we are profiling 40 Sexiest Actresses Over the age of 40. The only requirement to be eligible is that you’ve passed your fortieth birthday.  Note that we’re trying to profile real actresses, and not models or singers who acted once or twice. Most of these ladies are actresses first and foremost, or at least transitioned over to acting full time. And oh yeah, did I mention that they were sexy? So with apologies to screen icons such as Catherine Deneuve and Sofia Loren, here are our Top 40:

40. Heather Locklear, 47

Maybe Locklear deserves to be higher on this list. She certainly epitomizes sexiness for an older woman. I can’t pinpoint an exact reason why she’s this far down, but it’s possible that this terrible mugshot is clouding my judgment. I don’t know. At the very least she deserves a spot on this list, so she can kick us off as a consolation prize. In her career, Locklear had a highly successful long-term collaboration with Aaron Spelling.  Spelling cast her in the role of Sammy Jo Dean in Dynasty, in the cop show T.J. Hooker with William Shatner, and as the scheming vixen Amanda Woodward on Melrose Place among other roles. That’s where she made her name. In non-Spelling related work, Locklear was immediately cast on Spin City after Melrose ended.

39. Téa Leoni, 42

Her first name, pronounced “Tay-uh”, means goddess in Italian, and her sensationally long legs and sexy midriff help prove it. Leoni did a fair bit of athletic modeling before she hit it big as an actress, where her biggest successes are in Bad Boys, Deep Impact, Jurassic Park III, Spanglish with Adam Sandler, and The Family Man alongside Nicolas Cage. She also landed the lead role on the short-lived television sitcom The Naked Truth. Married to David Duchovny, in late August Duchovny checked himself into rehab for a sex addiction. This would be followed up with a statement that Duchovny and Leoni had separated. I can see the problem, I’d be okay being a sex addict with Ms. Leoni.  She’s an enabler.

38. Patricia Arquette, 40

From the Arquette acting family, her siblings include actors Rosanna and David. Patricia got her start in Pretty Smart, and gained attention for her starring role in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. Her career took off after starring in the Quentin Tarantino penned True Romance (where she tasted like a peach) and she went on to star in such films as Ed Wood, Lost Highway, Stigmata, and Martin Scorsese’s Bringing Out The Dead. Combining natural seductiveness with innocent charm, Arquette has broad appeal and can currently be seen in the NBC drama Medium, for which she won an Emmy Award in 2005.

37. Courtney Cox, 44

Speaking of Arquettes (Cox is married to David Arquette), Cox first came to prominence in the Bruce Springsteen music video “Dancing in the Dark“. She followed that up with several film and TV parts, for example 80s television fans may recognize her as the girlfriend of Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties. Right before being cast in her most famous role as Monica Geller in Friends, she appeared with Jim Carrey in the film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. She’s sexy because of her spunkiness and dark good looks, and did you see her in The Longest Yard? During her time on Friends, Cox most notably appeared in the highly successful and high-profile Scream trilogy as the determined and driven reporter Gale Weathers.

36. Juliette Binoche, 44

Binoche’s early films, many dealing with the reoccurring theme of contemporary young women exploring their lives and sexuality, saw her become firmly established as a French star of some renown. She would later become well known worldwide for her roles in popular, award-winning films such as The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Chocolat, as well as internationally successful art-house films including Three Colors: Blue and Caché. In addition to international acclaim, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The English Patient, becoming the second French actress to win an Oscar. She’s not just sexy, elle est très sexy, and her beauty has been appropriately described as “otherworldly”.

35. Kelly Hu, 40

The Hawaiian with sizzling good looks and a brown belt in karate started her career in Japan and Italy, but made her acting debut with a guest starring role as Mike Seaver’s Hawaiian love interest on the sitcom Growing Pains. She would later win the title of Miss Hawaii USA, becoming the first former Miss Teen USA to win a Miss USA state title.  She ended up finishing fourth in the Miss USA pageant. Besides a series of TV roles, Hu garnered attention for her roles in the The Scorpion King and X2: X-Men United. She also does voice work and was recently seen on the short lived comedy In Case of Emergency.  Hu combines her exotic good looks with athleticism to win your eye, she even ran a marathon less than two years ago.

34. Michelle Pfeiffer, 50

Maybe not at her peak looks-wise, but Pfeiffer has managed to age gracefully over the years and is now Hollywood royalty. She rose to stardom for her role as the cocaine-addicted trophy wife Elvira Hancock in Scarface, a commercial hit with a subsequent large cult following. Not just a pretty face, Pfeiffer has also accumulated three Academy Award nominations. She became a cinema icon, however, with her portrayal of Catwoman/Selina Kyle in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns. Recently she took a few years off, but returned to the screen with villainous roles in two major summer blockbusters, as Velma von Tussle in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Hairspray, and as ancient witch Lamia in fantasy adventure Stardust.  Even if you think Pfeiffer is slipping, check out those last two movies to see that she still brings it.

33. Lucy Lawless, 40

Maybe it’s just the memory of her in that leather barbarian Xena outfit, or maybe because she has a cult following in the lesbian community, but Lawless deserves a spot on this list. She made her mark playing the villainous warrior Xena on a episode of Hercules. Because she had previously appeared on the show as a different character, producers dyed her naturally ash blonde hair to black. The character was so popular that a spin-off series was created for her. On September 4, 1995, Xena: Warrior Princess was born and Lawless became an international celebrity. In true Janet Jackson fashion, Lawless even accidentally exposed a breast as she concluded a performance of the US national anthem in 1997. Lawless can currently be seen in her recurring role on the television series Battlestar Galactica.

32. Kristin Davis, 43

The true sex appeal behind Sex and the City, Davis made her breakthrough with the role of Brooke Armstrong Campbell on Melrose Place. Shortly thereafter, Davis was cast as Charlotte York in Sex and the City, a role she played from 1998-2004 and reprised for the recent movie adaptation. Her films include The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D and the Walt Disney film The Shaggy Dog.  Davis can blend the rare qualities of looking innocent and cute, while wrapping it all up in a smoking body.  I mean really, which of the Sex and the City co-stars would you take over her?

31. Jennifer Tilly, 50

Not known for her acting skills, Tilly was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as a hopelessly bad actress in Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway. Of course, she is better known by men for her role in Bound, which revolves around a lesbian relationship her character has with Gina Gershon. That movie will get the juices flowing. In addition to acting, Tilly has provided voice-over work for the Child’s Play series of movies, Family Guy, and the occasional animated movie such as Monsters, Inc. It’s amazing to think she’s hit fifty, she certainly doesn’t look it. Tilly’s also an accomplished poker player, winning close to half a million dollars. Competing against her in poker isn’t really fair though, as Tilly already starts every hand with a nice pair

Continue reading for the top 30……

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