The 1960s and 1970s portrayed some of the most iconic superstar actors and actresses in romantic roles. This era provided breakthroughs for Italian and French movies with some of the most popular film sex icons in history. The 1960s and ’70s also opened major opportunities for African Americans on the big screen.
Some of the best onscreen stylish romantic couples of the 1960’s and 1970’s are compiled below.
Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard in “Breakfast At Tiffany’s””.
Audrey Hepburn plays the New York City adorable playgirl Holly Golighty in the movie of Truman Capote’s best-selling novel. Peppard is the struggling writer living in the apartment building.
Film details: Breakfast at Tiffany’s, 1961, U.S., director Blake Edwards, cast: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard.
Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams in “Mahogany”.
Diana Ross acted and designed the wardrobe for the black Hollywood glamour camp classic. She played a fashion design student who makes it big in Rome.
Film details: Mahogany, 1975, U.S., directed by Berry Gordy.
Katharine Ross and Dustin Hoffman in “The Graduate”.
A 1960’s cult favorite with Simon & Garfunkel hit songs. The movie is about the sexual exploits and follies of a recent college graduate.
Film details: The Graduate, 1967, U.S., director: Mike Nichols, cast: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross.
Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw in “Love Story”.
The ultimate tear jerker tragic love story.
Film details Love Story, 1970, U.S., director Arthur Hille, cast: Ali MacGraw, Ryan O’Neal, John Marley, Ray Milland.
Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg in “Breathless”.
Iconic hip and cool adventure of a wannabe gangster in Paris with an American girlfriend.
Film details: Breathless, 1960, France, director Jean-Luc Goddard, cast: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg.
Mia Farrow and Robert Redford in “The Great Gatsby”.
Farrow and Redford became cult icons in the excellent film version of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel of high society in the Roaring Twenties.
Film details: The Great Gatsby, 1974, U.S., director Jack Clayton, cast Mia Farrow, Robert Redford, Sam Waterston, Bruce Dern, Karen Black.
Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in “Chinatown”.
Classic film noir with high fashion starring two icons Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. A murder mystery thriller involving LA corrupt real estate developers in the 1930s.
Film details: Chinatown, 1974, U.S., director Roman Polanski, cast Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston.
Barbara McNair and Sidney Poitier in “They Call Me Mr. Tibbs”.
A sequel to the In The Heat of the Night crime mystery film. A San Francisco police detective investigates the murder of a high priced call girl.
Film details: They Call Me Mr. Tibbs, 1970, U.S., director Gordon Douglas, cast Sidney Poitier, Barbara McNair, Martin Landau, Ed Asner.
Steve McQueen and Fay Dunaway in “The Thomas Crowne Affair”.
A wonderful fashionable and sexy cat and mouse game around an art heist.
Film details: The Thomas Crowne Affair, 1968, U.S., director Norman Jenison, cast Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, Paul Burke, Jack Weston.
Jean Sorel and Catharine Deneuve in “Belle de Jour”.
Catherine Deneuve’s iconic role in the French erotic thriller that set fashion trends. She plays a bored housewife who becomes a high-end prostitute during the day and runs into trouble with criminals.
Details: Belle de Jour, 1967, France, director Luis Bunuel. Cast Catharine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, Michel Piccoli.
Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in “Cleopatra”.
The iconic romantic couple in real life electrify the big screen. Egyptian queen Cleopatra plays Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony to keep Rome at bay which leads to tragedy.
Film details: Cleopatra, 1963, U.S., director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy McDowall, Martin Landau.
Omar Sharif and Julie Christie in “Doctor Zhivago”.
Star crossed lovers caught in the turmoil of the Russian Revolution during World War I. Based on the novel by Boris Pasternak.
Film details: Doctor Zhivago, 1965, Britain, director: David Lean, cast Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Rod Steiger, Tom Courtney, Alec Guiness.
Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren in” Marriage Italian Style”
A complicated romantic comedy with leading Italian sex icons.
Film details: Marriage Italian Style, 1964, Italy, director Vittorio De Sica, cast Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Aldo Puglisi, Tecta Scarano, Marilu Tolo.
Frank Sinatra and Janet Leigh in “The Manchurian Candidate”.
A film noir spy thriller about brainwashed assassins.
Film details: The Manchurian Candidate, 1962, U.S., director John Frankenheimer, cast Frank Sinatra, Janet Leigh, Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury.
Alain Delon and Natalie Delon in “Le Samourai”.
Married in real life, Alain and Natalie Delon star in the film noir classic about a hired assassin on the run from both the police and the French crime syndicate.
Film details: Le Samourai, 1967, France, director Jean-Pierre Melville, cast Alain Delon, Natalie Delon, Francois Perier, Cathy Rosier.
Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman in “From the Terrace”.
An ambitious business executive climbs to the top in Wall Street at the expense of his marriage and his mistress. Newman and Woodward were married in real life.
Film details: From the Terrace, 1960, U.S., director Mark Robson, cast Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Myrna Loy.
Marcello Mastroianni and Brigitte Bardot in “A Very Private Affair”.
Sex icons team up. An actress tries to escape the paparazzi by hiding away with her new found lover.
Film details: A Very Private Affair, 1962, France, director Louis Malle, cast Brigitte Bardot, Marcello Mastroianni, Nicholas Batelle.
Shirley MacLaine and Michal Caine in “Gambit”.
A romantic heist movie.
Film details: Gambit, 1966, U.S., director Ronald Neame, cast Michael Caine, Shirley MacLaine.
Alain Delon and Catharine Denueve in “Unflic” (The Cop).
Europe’s top two sex icons team up. A police officer and a bank robber unknowingly share the same girlfriend.
Film details: The Cop (Unflic), 1972, France, Italy, director Jean-Pierre Melville. Cast Alain Delon, Catherine Deneuve, Richard Crenna.
Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery in “Marnie”.
An Alfred Hitchcock sexual psychological thriller.
Film details: Marnie, 1964, U.S., director Alfred Hitchcock, cast Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery.
Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in “Charade”
Style icons Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn teamed up in this 1963 crime thriller. Hepburn is pursued by several men who want a fortune her murdered husband had stolen.
Film details: Charade, 1963, director Stanley Donan, cast Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn, George Kennedy.
