Hollywood's Amazing Women Of Film And TV

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As part of BlogHer's focus on Women's History Month, this post is about amazing women in the history of film and television: women who inspired in front of the camera and women who crashed the Hollywood old boy network behind it.

When I sat down and thought about the women I might want to write about, I was overwhelmed with names. Like my fellow Contributing Editor Maria Niles and her post on Women Who Rocked American History, I felt the only way to do the subject justice was with a list. The list I came up with was as long as my arm.

By the time I'd whittled that down to something manageable, I'd immersed myself in the remarkable careers of a group of twenty-seven talented and pioneering women.

They're listed alphabetically and in two categories, movies and television.

Women Of Television

Lucille Ball: Actress, Comedienne, TV Executive.

Though she started out as a Goldwyn Girl and then a serious actress in B movies, Lucille Ball will always be remembered as the star of the classic TV comedy, "I Love Lucy." A comic giant, she was the first woman to own a film studio, Desilu, and with her husband Desi Arnaz, created the three camera sitcom technique that is considered a standard today.

As a kid, I watched the "I Love Lucy" shows over and over so often, my grandmother would beg me to turn to something else just to give her a break.

Gail Berman: TV Executive.

Gail Berman was one of the guiding forces behind one of my favorite TV shows, "Buffy The Vampire Slayer," but that's not the only reason she's on this list. Berman began her career as a producer on Broadway and eventually made her way to Hollywood. Once there she broke into television, eventually becoming executive producer of "Buffy" and its spinoff "Angel." In 2001 she was promoted to President of the Fox Television Network. During her tenure she developed such hits as "24," "House," and "American Idol," consequently presiding over Fox's most successful era since its inception

By 2005 she was President of Paramount Pictures and named one of Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women.

Carol Burnett: Actress, Comedienne.

This multi-talented comedienne was of course the star of "The Carol Burnett Show," but she came from humble beginnings. The daughter of alcoholic and absent parents Burnett and her little sister were raised by their grandmother. One of my favorite stories about her is one she told in a recent PBS American Masters. How when she first arrived in New York, trying to break into theater, she lived with a group of about ten women who all chipped in to buy one nice dress. They took turns wearing the dress when any of them had an audition.

"The Carol Burnett Show" was a wonderful achievement of talent and timing. Talent, because it was the perfect showcase for Burnett and timing because of the synergy of her co-stars, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Tim Conway and Lyle Waggoner. "The Carol Burnett Show" ran for eleven successful years.

Diahann Carroll: Actress, Singer.

Born and raised in New York City, Diahann Carroll's first film role was opposite Dorothy Dandridge in the film "Carmen Jones." In 1968 Carroll became the first black woman to star in her own television series in a role that wasn't that of a servant. She played a widowed nurse with a young son and the show was called "Julia." Though the show was a hit, it reportedly ended after three years when Carroll requested out of her contract. She had grown tired of the criticism, much of it from blacks, that the show didn't reflect the anger of many black people in the ghetto. On the other hand, the show was lauded by Ebony magazine for depicting black people who were not solely defined by race.

Carroll's most recent TV appearance was as Dr. Preston Burke's mother on "Grey's Anatomy."

Marcy Carsey: TV Executive.

Co-owner of Carsey-Werner Productions, Marcy Carsey was one of the guiding forces behind two of television's most successful shows, "The Cosby Show" and "Roseanne." In the early 70's she was a programming executive at ABC, helping to develop such shows as