1956 was quite a year: Ike was re-elected to his second term (with
Richard Nixon as his Vice President), Grace Kelly married Prince
Rainier, IBM invented the hard disk, Elvis swiveled that wobbly pelvis
on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time, Charlton Heston killed ‘em
as Moses in The Ten Commandments,
and Yankee right-hander Don Larsen tossed the only perfect game in
World Series history. The space race was heating up, Korea was a memory
and Vietnam was somewhere beyond the horizon. And, for some reason, a
whole lotta beautiful women were born.
Maybe it was the nuclear testing, maybe it was fluoride in the water,
but whatever the reason, here are half a dozen of the many women born
during that year who continue to put the “well” in the phrase “aging
well.” So as to not show favorites, let’s look at them in birth order
From Mrs. Fly to Madame President: Geena Davis (January 21)
Whether she’s driving off a cliff in Thelma and Louise or wielding a knife like a mad chef in The Long Kiss Goodnight,
Virginia Elizabeth “Geena” Davis brings a massive talent to the silver
screen and in her occasional forays into the small screen (“Commander in
Chief”). She’s not just a pretty face, either: Davis is a member of
Mensa, a talented musician, and made the semifinals while trying out for
the 2000 Olympics women’s archery team. She’s also worked with the
Women’s Sports Foundation and served as chair of the California
Commission on the Status of Women.
Davis’ career began in 1982 when the model (at an even six feet tall, what else did you expect?) was cast for a part inTootsie. She received a 1988 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (The Accidental Tourist), was nominated for Best Actress (Thelma & Louise, 1991) and received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress (A League of Their Own,
1992). Her work on “Commander in Chief” won her a Golden Globe for Best
Actress and a SAG nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female
Actor in a Drama Series.
Fiery Redhead of the Year: Dana Delany (March 13)
Credit: Greg Hernandez / wikimedia commons
Dana in 2010
Dana Welles Delany is a native of Stamford Connecticut. The Delany
family business is plumbing products, one of which is the Delany Flush
Valve. Dana went another direction, however.
Delany is active for a number of causes, including Planned Parenthood,
the Schleroderma Foundation, arts advocacy and gay and lesbian issues.
According to public biographies, she has never been married.
They Call her Everyone's Favorite Girl Next Door: Sela Ward (July 11)
Credit: Sela Ward-Sherman
Sela in 2010
She’s also appeared in films, most notably the 1983 Burt Reynolds vehicle, The Man Who Loved Women and a cameo role in Runaway Bride.
Like Davis, she’s no slouch in the brains department: Ward is a member
of Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society. She’s been married to a
venture capitalist since 1992; the couple has two children.
Jason Bourne's Frenemy: Joan Allen (August 20)
Credit: Sarah Krulwich / New York Times
Joan Allen on Broadway in "Impressionism"
Allen is the mother of a teenage daughter.
Still a Femme Fatale After All these Years: Kim Cattrall (August 21)
Credit: ikrichter / wikimedia commons
Kim at 30 in Big Trouble in Little China
Though probably best known for her role as the lascivious Samantha Jones
in the HBO series “Sex and the City” (and the films based on the
series), Kim Cattrall’s career was launched by her appearances in
several 1980s movies including Porky’s, Porky’s 2, and Police Academy.
She kept busy throughout the 1990s both on television and in the
movies. Kim received a Golden Globe for “Sex and the City” in 2003 and
shared a 2010 Razzie with her co-stars for Worst Actress, “awarded” for Sex and the City 2. Can’t win ‘em all. 
Cattrall, who holds dual British-Canadian citizenship, has been married
three times but is presently unattached. She has no children. Perhaps
playing on her Samantha Jones persona, Kim has published two books on
feminine sexuality, 2002’s Satisfaction: The Art of the Female Orgasm (with her then-husband, Mark Levinson) and 2005’s Sexual Intelligence.
She's Out of this World! Mae Jemison (October 17)
Credit: NASA
Dr. Mae Jemison's official NASA photograph (1992).
The quintessential combination of brains and beauty, Mae Jemison’s
acting career pales alongside her other accomplishments. A native of
Decatur, Alabama, Jemison grew up in Chicago where her mother was an
elementary school teacher. Jemison grew up fascinated by both science
and the arts; especially dancing. But it was science that took her
farthest: the early entrant to Stanford University (a sixteen-year-old
freshman) picked up a chemical engineering degree before going on to an
MD from Cornell at the age of 25 (while still dancing at the Alvin Ailey
School).
Jemison took her medical degree to the Peace Corps for three years
before applying to NASA’s astronaut program. She was accepted in 1987
and became the first African-American woman in space in September, 1992,
on the Shuttle Endeavour’s flight STS-47. She resigned from NASA in
1993.
After her NASA career, Jemison appeared as herself in several films and
also appeared on an episode of “Star Trek the Next Generation.” Jemison
started a biotech firm in 1999. In her public life, she continues to
advocate for science education and for improving healthcare in the
developing world.[2]
There's More...
Television news correspondent Paula Zahn (February 24)
Actress and celebrity spouse Rita Wilson (October 26; married to Tom Hanks)
Atress and celebrity widow Lisa Niemi (May 26; widow of Patrick Swayze)
Child star Maureen McCormick (aka Marcia Brady; August 5)
Actress Mimi Rogers (January 27)
Actress Stephanie Zimbalist (October 8)