Sex Kittens
It's no secret that older actresses are far less employable than their male peers—but many keep their careers alive through branding. See pictures, from Jaclyn Smith to Cher.
Everett Collection
Cher may be the star of a new film, Burlesque, but when it comes to infomercials, she's a veteran. In the early 1990s, Cher became the spokesperson for Hollywood hairstylist Lori Davis, selling Lori Davis Hair Products on TVs across America. Cher's involvement led to reported sales earnings of more than $150 million.
Everett Collection
Jaclyn Smith will be remembered as an actress—but the Charlie's Angels star has also been a designer for 25 years. The Jaclyn Smith Collection has done so well for Kmart that they expanded her empire to include the Jaclyn Smith Home Collection in 2008. Smith has also collaborated with L.A. hair stylist Jos e Eber to release a wig line and has her own skincare line.
Everett Collection; M. Phillips / WireImage
What does love got to do with it? In 2007, Academy Award nominated actress Angela Bassett touched on the answer to that question and others like it when she co-wrote the autobiography, Friends: A Love Story, with her husband, actor Courtney B. Vance. Bassett has also been known to earn a living as an events speaker for the Simmons Leadership Conference and the Urban League gala, and in 2005 she was named a new spokeswoman for Olay.
Everett Collection; © RD / Leon / Retna Ltd.
Since 1995, Sharon Stone has been a volunteer and supporter of AmfAR. During her first three years with the organization, she served as chairman of their Campaign for AIDS Research. And in 2000, Stone teamed up with Louis Vuitton to design a line of AmfAR vanity cases, generating nearly $3 million for the foundation. Stone also recently appeared at the Singapore Sun Festival.
Everett Collection; Kevin Lam / Landov
Most famously known as television's first Catwoman in the 1966-67 seasons of the Batman series, Julie Newmar is also quite the entrepreneur. She has three patents under her belt, has invested in real estate for more than 20 years, has a rose, a lily, and an orchid named after her, and is about to release her first book, The Conscious Catwoman Explains Life on Earth, in 2011.
Everett Collection; © RD / Dodson / Retna Ltd.
Unlike many new actor/reality star-turn-authors, Joan Rivers has been writing bestselling books since the '80s. One of the most recent additions to her collection of nonfiction books, Murder at the Academy Awards: A Red-Carpet Murder Mystery, is the first in a series of fiction books she plans to write with mystery author Jerrilyn Farmer. In addition to her print success, she's also launched the Joan Rivers Classics Collection—lines of jewelry, clothing, and cosmetics on QVC.
Everett Collection; Charles Sykes / AP Photo
Lauren Bacall's sultry voice sent audiences into a trance, when she sexed-up the steps of a whistle in To Have and Have Not. But, when that same voice showed up on the commercials for the discount home chain Tuesday Morning, audiences must have been in shock. She has since retired as the store's spokesperson, being replaced by Morgan Fairchild in 2007. However, Bacall was on to bigger and better things, like the announcement of the launch of her fine jewelry Signature collection with Weinman Bros. jewelry.
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