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Discussion: Sexiest TV Actress



With summer nearly here, we at billiedoux.com are spending our time eating figs, drinking sangria, and being fanned with palm fronds by loving minions. Because we're high-minded folk, our lofty philosophical discussions promptly turned to sex appeal. Not just looks, not just a great body: that ineffable something that makes watching certain actors and actresses into an erotic experience.


We'd like you to join us. (Not with the fig-eating and toga-wearing, although that could be fun, too.) But we thought this might be a good time for a super-classy poll: Which TV actress is no-holds-barred, drive-you-crazy, you-want-to-cover-her-in-honey-and-lick-it-off sexy, no matter what your usual orientation might be?

We'll do a similar poll for sexiest men next week, of course. But in the meantime, chime in with a vote for your favorite sexy actress (and/or favorite sexy female character) below!

51 comments:

  1. Though technically not currently in a sci-fi show, her show is being covered by this site, so I figure she counts.

    In other words, Stana Katic. :D

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  2. Oh boy ! Oh my !

    Now, THAT'S a change of pace for this blog LOL

    First of all, Sangria YES ! Second of all, oh please, like sexy is all that matters ! Come on...There is beauty without necessarily being sexy.

    Lauren Graham, not (generally) considered sexy, but a very bright woman and superb actress. Big time. She 's my Queen of actresses whom I admire.

    Katee Sackhoff (2nd place), who manages to blow my mind at practically every character she plays. And yes, mega sexy for her way too short appearance on Nip/Tuck. OMG Cold shower, quick.

    Rebecca Romijn, yes there your sexiness at full throttle. And also intelligence, and charm and so on.

    I could go on, hey hey, this comment would be LONGER than a lot of blogs, and I have to go eat supper and wash the dishes.

    My final point is that yes, we have a LOT of beautiful actresses all over the World, and not only a lot of them are indeed sexy, but we shouldn't forget the other qualities in womanhood : intelligence,grace, softness and an ability to inspire.....

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  3. Hmm, this is a surprisingly difficult question! Maybe Emilia Clarke as Dany (can't spell her full name!) on Game of Thrones.

    I should probably add the my brother, who unlike me is usually attracted to women, would probably say Alison Brie on Community. And he might have a point.

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  4. This post was inspired by a discussion about the appeal of Katherine Moennig's character Shane on The L-Word. (Hence the photo.) So she's my vote. I remember being blown away by Lucy Lawless as Xena, too.

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  5. I almost did a picture of Lucy Lawless instead! :-)

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  6. Still doing the dishes FYI.

    Ans supper is slowly cooking.

    Could give you another of list of 20-30 names but hey, SOB I've got an empty stomach...

    Alison Brie .....top notch for her sense of humor !

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  7. Stana Katic doesn't do it for me, which is strange because she hits most of my bullet points.

    Gotta pick three - blond, brunette, and redhead.
    1) Yvonne Strahovski ("Chuck") - but oddly enough, *not* when the show is trying to beat me over the head about how sexy she is
    2) Caroline Dhavernas ("Wonderfalls")
    3) Karen Gillan ("Doctor Who")

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  8. Gillian Anderson. My first celeb crush and the source of my love of/unhealthy obsession with gingers.

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  9. Lena Headey, Natalie Dormer, Yvonne Strahovski, Jennifer Carpenter, Viva Bianca ("Spartacus"), Katie McGrath.

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  10. Stephanie Romanov

    Nina Dobrev!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  11. Katie McGrath (Morgana from Merlin), and Deborah Ann Woll (Jessica from True Blood)!

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  12. I think Nina Dobrev (vampire diaries) is gorgeous...
    Katie McGrath (Merlin)

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  13. Joelle Carter (Ava, Justified), no question. I have the biggest crush on her!

    Honorable mentions for Anna Silk (Bo, Lost Girl), Erica Cerra (Jo, Eureka), Gina Torres, and t.v.'s Karen Sisco, Carla Gugino (plus, you know, Threshold).

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  14. Oh god, where do I even begin. My current crushes are from True Blood: Deborah Ann Woll (Jessica), and Kristin Bauer (Pam). Other current hotties include Emilia Clarke (Dany) from GoT, Viva Bianca (Illythia) and Ellen Hollman (Saxa) from Spartacus, Lauren Cohan (Maggie) from Walking Dead, and Alexandra Breckenridge (Moira) from American Horror Story.

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  15. Sarah Shahi on Fairly Legal is the hottest woman I've sen in a long time.

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  16. Honourable mention goes to Summer Glau, who can kick ass with the best of them; Grace Park for her understated beauty; and Evangeline Lilly who reminds me of the old movie stars like Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly.

    But, my number one goes to Erica Durance who ticks all the boxes -- gorgeous, smart and funny. She must be doing something right; she got to make out with Tom Welling and Justin Hartley.

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  17. kluu, Sarah Shahi's character on The L Word had a relationship with Katherine Moennig's character Shane. You might enjoy it. :-)

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  18. As a straight woman, my definition of sexy is "who would I do" or "who would I want to be?" Hands down, the sexiest to me is Pam from True Blood. While the actress is beautiful and a sweet gal, Pam herself is raw sexuality. She's badass, soft when she needs to be, and has the best one liners. And now I see that you asked for sexiest actress, not sexiest character. While I've only seen her in Torchwood, I think that Eve Myles is an extremely sexy woman. She has my vote, but there are so many others, of course.

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  19. Billie, I've always wondered what pulled people to Shane from the L-Word. I never connected to that show (even though I'm a lesbian in my early twenties), and I feel like that is mostly due to not finding Shane attractive and/or fun. What is it that you like about her?

    My top 5 in no particular order:

    - Evangeline Lilly (Lost)
    - Candice Accola (Vampire Diaries)
    - Nina Dobrev (Vampire Diaries)
    - Ashley Benson (Pretty Little Liars)
    - Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls)

    And special mention to Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) and Amy Acker (Angel), whose characters where so effing cool that they became even more attractive than they were before!

    (I like this idea, btw. Already thinking about my male list.)

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  20. I vote for Elizabeth Mitchell, Juliet from LOST. She has amazing breasts.

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  21. Interesting list. I guess for me, both Karen Gillan and Jenna-Louise Coleman as my obligatory Doctor who vote but also Emily Van Camp (Revenge), Claire Danes (Homeland), Lucy Griffiths and Deborah Ann Woll(True Blood) and Emilia Clarke (Game Of Thrones).

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  22. Stana for me (Always!)

    or possibly Amy Yip...At the Waterslide Park...(according to Mr A Harris)

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  23. Marie, I don't think I can explain why I find Katherine Moennig's Shane so attractive. I just do. Can you explain why you find the women on your list attractive? Can anyone explain why they find someone attractive? I'd never get involved with someone as fickle as Shane -- this isn't about picking a girlfriend -- but I understand why so many women jumped into bed with her.

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  24. Currently, Lana Parilla. What can I say, I like bad girls.
    Lauren Gram, especially in her Gilmore Girls days, I used to live to watch her running down the stair in those short shorts and for her sexy sashay tpwards the camera during the opening credits. Still wouldn't toss her out of bed.
    I also have a thing for sidekicks so Alyson Hannigan, Renee O'Connor and currently Czensie Solo

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  25. I've said a couple of times that Naya Rivera, especially in red, is enough to make a chap question his orientation. She really is something else.

    Tricia Helfer as the classic, platinum blonde Number 6 was staggeringly attractive.

    All of the female main cast of Firefly, each in their own way. Gina Torres in her slinky dress or telling Mal "she's tore up plenty but she'll fly true", Jewel Staite is adorable personified, Summer Glau with her supernatural grace and Morena Baccarin.

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  26. The "what draws you to this person?" question is a really interesting one. When making my choices, I just thought about which actresses/characters I responded most strongly to, sexually. But now looking over my choices, I see a common thread, both physically and psychologically. All my choices tend to be women who are curvy (but not overly so), but also play characters that are very powerful and who refuse to let anyone push them around (anymore), be it men or women. They exude confidence and power in many situations, but can also be emotionally vulnerable.

    Interestingly, some characters/actresses that would seem to fit the mold don't draw the same response from me. For instance, Claudia Black would seem to be my type, based on her physical and character attributes, but I wouldn't put her on my list. I actually considered her when pondering the issue, but I just don't respond to her that way, even though I would certainly put Aeryn Sun near the top of my favorite characters list. I think that character has a far greater emotional pull on me, rather than sexual appeal.

    Really fascinating topic. (See? We can try to make this an intellectual discussion, even though we're basically objectifying people.)

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  27. Surely someone will list Jennifer Garner/Sydney Bristow? No? Okay. Then I must.

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  28. Agreed about Katherine Moening. She is hot. Ditto Sarah Shahi.
    Nina Dobrev. Sarah Michelle Gellar. Amy Acker. Katee Sackhoff. Eliza Duskhu. Karen Gillan. Gina Torres.
    Anna

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  29. I think Amber Heard, Danneel Ackles (Jensen is a lucky guy), Angel Coulby, Mia Kirshner, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Phoebe Tonkin and Dianna Agron also tick the box for me.

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  30. Huh. Am I the only person who doesn't actually like sex appeal? I'm honestly not attracted to sexy actresses or characters at all. I mean I am attracted to women, just not to sexy ones. Sex appeal completely turns me off, and the 'sexier' a person is the less attracted to them I am. I guess I'm just not a very sexual person. Which makes this a completely useless comment, but I've posted it anyway.

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  31. Jess -- I like what you have to say about "what draws you." I was having lunch today with another straight woman, two straight men and a gay man. The subject of the site came up and so I mentioned that this article had posted last night and asked for their opinions.

    For the straight men, the answers were more obviously sexual than for the women or the gay man. To be fair, I'm sure my answers next week will be much less cerebral than this week...

    For the other three of us, because we are not naturally attracted to women, we looked for traits other than pure sexuality. So, for instance, although Tricia Helfer is gorgeous in an obvious way, she does nothing for me because I loathe the character of Number 6 (hey, Billie, I just realised -- a Prisoner reference?).

    Not being really very girly myself, I am not naturally drawn to women who wear the perfect clothes or the perfect make-up. The common trait that I think applies to all the women I find appealing is that they can take care of themselves and do it while maintaining their sense of being a woman. If they can do it with humour, so much the better.

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  32. Alice, I don't think it's that weird! Then again, I can't stand people with charisma. :-)

    I can't explain why I would choose Katherine Moennig, either. And it gets even more complicated if I mention #2 on my list: Christina Hendricks from Mad Men and Firefly. Physically, they are complete opposites, although I guess both Shane and Joan are tortured by their own inappropriate love choices. But something about them is just lusty.

    I like Amy Ennis's distinction between "Who would I do?" vs. "Who would I want to be?" I'd love to "be" Kristen Bell, Eve Myles, etc. etc.. But in the "Who would I do?" are characters I wouldn't want to be.

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  33. Alice, that's not a useless comment at all. It's fantastic comment if we want to delve into the why of the choices and not just the choices themselves. You're comment was a great exploration of what appeals to you, and I appreciated the contribution to the discussion.

    And, Chris, thanks for including your expanded thoughts, too. I particularly liked your observations on the straight men having more "obviously sexual" answers than the women or the gay man. I was wondering how gender or orientation might influence the choices of "who's hot" or "who's most appealing." Any of our guy contributors want to chime in on the aspects that influenced your choices? Is it purely physical, or is there a non-physical element to what appeals?

    I'm also really curious about the influencing factors for gay men choosing sexy men. And, I suppose, gay women choosing sexy women. Is the focus on the more physical aspects a male thing, or an orientation thing? Because I've been pondering my sexy men list, and I see a similar physical/psychological trend in my selections for the men. That is, there is a distinct pattern in the type of actor/character types that most appeal to me, and it is is a combination of appearance and character traits. But what I find appealing in men isn't necessarily the same as what I find appealing in women.

    (I'm bound and determined to make this an intellectual discussion, not just a list of sexy favorites. :) )

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  34. ChrisB -- yes, the writers acknowledged that Tricia Helfer's Six in Battlestar Galactica was a tribute to The Prisoner.

    Everyone, I am really enjoying this discussion. It's definitely more than about looks.

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  35. I've been trying to think about why I chose my choices - why I went for those particular women. It's not sexual attraction but the best I can do is 'presence' and that's really poorly defined and can be pretty contradictory.

    Take Tricia Helfer versus Summer Glau/Morena Baccarin: Helfer is statuesque (she towers over James Callis who she had the most screentime with) and dominates scenes she's in: that's her presence. Baccarin and Glau have presence because of their grace and subtlety, their lack of physical stature belies the way they draw attention.

    Equally contradictory is Torres and Staite: Gina Torres as Zoe has a very solid, stoic presence: she's someone who says little but when she speaks people listen. Staite's portrayal of Kaylee is the exact opposite: her attractiveness comes from how talkative she is and how almost everything she says is warm, sweet and kind. It's hard not to be smitten with her.

    Next week I won't be anything like as cerebral.

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  37. OMG 38 comments !!!! Wow.

    Are we having a world record here ???

    Here's # 39 :

    I am gigantically appalled at Hollywood for pushing gorgeous actresses to be way, and I insist, way too thin to do some roles.

    SOB ! Feminine curves are a thing of Beauty. Hello ?! Jennifer Connelly was so beautiful in the 90's (ditto for Lauren Graham) but now, OMG, this thinness does NOT look healthy. And, for example(s), have a look at Kate Winslet and Christina Ricci, back then and today...

    ARRGGHHHHH

    On the other hand, congratulation to USA Channel for showing us a PREGNANT Mary McCormack (yes, add her and the others mentioned to the list of course). After the birth of her child, she didn't loose yet her added weight, and you know what ??!! She STILL looked amazing.

    To whom it may concern : shame on you guys. SHAME"


    ps My previous list up there is VERY incomplete...

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  38. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  39. I feel like sexiness is something that has to just exude from somebody, through their confidence and their 'spark', you know? It's why sort of 'overt hotness'-types like Megan Fox/Kate Upton are bland, bland, bland to me.

    Though she's not strictly TV, Mila Kunis is absolutely the finest woman around right now. She's ridiculous looking, of course, but she's funny and adorable and quick with the banter, and seems to have lead an interesting life. You could really imagine just hanging out with her, and being mesmerized by what a knockout she is. God, she's perfect. But that's like the total package. If she were just a pretty face, then she wouldn't be half as gorgeous.

    Oh, and Alexandra Breckenridge on American Horror Story. It was raw sexuality (and sort of porny), but in this confident, "owning it" sort of way.

    Sexual confidence is ridiculously attractive, when it comes from the girl herself, and not because it's what she feels she 'needs' to do. Just that sexual ownership of yourself, not the vaguely depressing "if I do this, boys will like me" sexuality of, I don't know, Katy Perry or whoever. That to me is the sexiest thing ever, when it's naturally in your 'being', with or without you being there. Heh.

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  40. Oh, wow! It seemed such an easy question while I was reading the thread, but then I actually had to think... by then the number of posts hit 41!

    Kate Beckinsale and Michelle Borth

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  41. All of the actresses people have already chosen went through my mind too.

    But, now that I think about it, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy was hot as hell. I recently rewatched the show on Netflix and had forgotten how damn sexy she was, as well as badass.

    So yeah, Buffy

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  42. Holy frak this is a long thread! :D

    My top actresses, in no particular order:
    -Kristin Kreuk (Sole reason for watching smallville)
    -Kristen Bell
    -Lauren Graham
    -Nina Dobrev
    -Candice Accola
    -Jen Garner
    -Summer Glau
    -Chyler Leigh
    -Elizabeth Mitchell
    -Tina Fey

    Lauren Graham and Ms Mitchell just ooze grace.

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  43. Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow was vulnerable and cute off-duty, sultry and smoldering on-duty.

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  44. Lena Headey and Natalie Dormer for sure! ... Maybe I have a thing for queens?

    Oh, and my first ever girl-crush Stephanie Romanov... Oh, Lilah, how I miss you.

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  45. I find the following actresses sexy not just on the physical side but mainly on how they bring their character on the screen. My top TV actresses:

    1. Gillian Anderson - the intelligent doctor who followed her heart and joined the FBI instead of a promising career in medicine. I believe that Scully's character started the girl power movement. :)

    2. Jennifer Garner - this spy re-defined the phrase "compartmentalizing" by being better under pressure as she describes herself to Vaughn during a Rome assignment.

    3. Nina Dobrev - how can anyone be not sexy if 2 sexy Salvatore brothers are fighting because of you?

    4. Katherine Meonnig - Shane's bad girl or should I just say naughty girl image in The L Word made her memorable. This is the girl you either hate or love depending on which side of the relationship you are when your girl sees her.

    5. Anna Torv - Anna made Olivia both tough and vulnerable on screen. Her brilliant portrayal of the two Olivias brought out her good acting skills and brought in 2 of the best characters in Fringe.

    6. Angie Harmon & 7. Sasha Alexander - Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles have never been so good especially when they share screen time and banters. Both of them are sexy in totally different ways. The thing they share is their love for their work and each other.

    8. Beth Riesgraf - I don't know why, but this eccentric thief really is a nag at my senses that riles me to include her in this list. But, I really love this actress on her portrayal of Parker. I never find watching Leverage boring because of her.

    9. Joanne Kelly - I find Myka very sexy especially when she's wearing her reading glasses. :)

    10. Maggie Q - whew! who wouldn't find Nikita sexy whether in BDUs or workout clothes? Anyone???

    11. Emily VanCamp - this multi-tasking girl really rocks! Who wouldn't find her sexy? The way she carries herself says it all. A toughness and vulnerability that's really double infinity.

    12. Paige Turco - I love Zoe. She's smoking hot especially when she sees Reese. She smolders then. I wonder when they are going to get to it? tee-hee

    There. Those are my fave sexy actresses in TV.

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  46. Wow, this is a popular post!

    Top of my list at the moment would be Anna Silk in Lost Girl, Morena Baccarin in Firefly and Meghan Ory in Once Upon a Time.

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  47. Other than Maggie Q, I would say Anna Torv, Summer Glau, Evangeline Lilly.

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  48. First off, for clarification, I am a red-blooded hetero male. While I love a woman with charm, humor, confidence etc., there are also women who can have me drooling like an idiot with their raw physical appeal. :)

    Anna Silk & Meghan Ory - These two are definitely in that second category. They are absolutely stunning, from head to to and every delicious curve in between.

    Amy Acker, Jaime Ray Newman, Elizabeth Mitchell, Elizabeth Harnois - These are the women I've seen in various shows over the years, and who never fail to elevate the material they work with. These are the kind of women that can increase my motivation for watching a show simply by their presence in it. Jaime especially, I have a thing for redheads and she's just freaking adorable.

    Then there's probably my top two, one of whom has already been mentioned several times, and one I feel is vastly underappreciated.

    Cassidy Freeman - She's pretty enough as a blonde, but omg when she showed up on Smallville as a redhead, my heart skipped a beat. Statuesque with an amazing body and those incredible piercing eyes, she blew me away. It's a shame the Smallville writers did such a poor job with her character, or I think Cassidy would've gotten more love from the fans.

    And my #1, hands down - Tricia Helfer. Oddly enough, her classic BSG look, with the platinum blonde hair and pale skin is probably my least favorite of her looks. She looks MUCH hotter with more natural coloring, especially when she gets to let her natural charm shine through. Obviously, her body is ridiculously hot, long legs and just the right amount of curves. And her face is flawless. And that voice, God it's just DRIPPING with sex appeal. But beyond her physical appeal, her acting talent makes her even more attractive. She can certainly be the sexy force of nature, no question. But she's also pretty good with lighter material, and can even tug at your heartstrings quite effectively(watch her episode of Supernatural and don't tear up a little, I DARE you). And of course, there's her genuine love of animals(she's got SEVERAL cats at home and regularly works with animal rescue orgs). So to me, she's as close to the total package as they get on tv these days :)

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  49. Reminded by Panda's reviews, I'd have to say that Maria from Roswell would be my nomination!

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