50 Vintage Photos of Celebrities at the Beach

Always one to cause a splash, Marilyn Monroe is caught here enjoying a moment on the shore. It was around this time in 1955 that Monroe started her famous stoush with 20th Century-Fox over her low wage compared to other actors despite being one of their biggest stars.

Doesn’t seem like much has changed! Always one to cause a splash, Marilyn Monroe is caught here enjoying a moment on the shore. It was around this time in 1955 that Monroe started her famous stoush with 20th Century-Fox over her low wage compared to other actors despite being one of their biggest stars. Doesn’t seem like much has changed!

Has there been a more gossiped about pair than Elizabeth taylor and Richard Burton? The colleagues turned lovers married for the first time in 1964 and divorced in 1974, but reconciled soon after, and remarried in 1975 though this second romance only lasted a year.

 During their time as husband and wife they starred in 11 films together. Incredibly Burton was already Taylor's 5th husband. Here they are pictured relaxing between scenes on the set of The Sandpiper shot in 1965.

Lucille Ball is one of the original badass babes of the small screen. 

The fiery redhead produced her own iconic TV sitcoms that included I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy, and Life with Lucy, as well as comedy television specials aired under the title The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. Here she is before all her fame and fortune working as a model on a glamor shoot on a beach in 1943.

This candid scene of Shirley Maclaine and her friends watching Tony Randall is a reminder of how life was much simpler in 1958. 

Around this time Maclaine had just gained her first Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for the film Some Came Running and was well on her way to becoming a household name.

Rock Hudson looks every part the "heartthrob” as he poses here with Vera-Ellen and their pooch on a late summers day in 1955. 

The actor and model was sought after by both men and women as he played the leading man in a series of Hollywood hits throughout the golden age.

While Mildred Harris is most known for being the first wife of Charlie Chaplin she was also a talented actor herself performing in a series of silent films in the 1920s. 

Here is seen applying her own makeup on set in 1923. How times have changed!

Ramón Navarro was one of the first Mexican-American actors to make it big in Hollywood. The talented silent actor was desired by all that saw his films. 

Though sadly Novarro suffered a lot of personal and professional pressure due to his public homosexuality. He is seen at the beach in 1928 at the height of his fame.

Everyone’s favorite Scotsman, Sean Connery, take a moment from filming Dr. No in 1962 to practice gymnastics with co-star Ursula Andress.

The hardworking actor played leading roles from 1954 until his last part in 2003.

Raquel Torres faked a mexican accent when she first arrived in Hollywood to fit in with the stereotypes of the time. 

The move worked and she was able to secure several parts in films in the late 1920’s and early 1930s. This cute picture was snapped around the time the actress married her first husband Stephen Ames.

Despite not being a really recognizable name, Betty Grable was one of the highest grossing actors in the 1940s’s earning more than 3 million dollars throughout her career. 

In today’s cash - that's hell of a lot! Not only was she rich - she was good; she set the record for 12 consecutive years in the top 10 of box office stars.

Joan Crawford is one of the icons of Hollywood, here she is pictured soaking up the sun with her first of four husbands, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. 

Fame and success were highly valued by Crawford and this became even clearer when her daughter Christina Crawford published a tell-all memoir in 1978 that accused her mother of being emotionally and physically abusive. Despite the book becoming a bestseller, Joan Crawford remains one of Hollywood's most revered women.

Best known for her role as femme fatale Kitty Collins in Hitchcock's The Killers, Ava Gardner was a hardworking actress during the 1940s and ’50s. 

Famous for her wit she befriended many icons of the time include Howard Hughes and Ernest Hemingway. Here she takes some time to relax while shooting Pandora and the Flying Dutchman in 1951.

Marlene Dietrich never shied away from style or her beliefs. Despite being one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, her work off the screen was what cemented her reputation. 

During WWII Dietrich famously housed German and French exiles, providing financial support and even advocating their U.S. citizenship. After the war, her efforts were recognized with awards by The United States, France, Belgium, and Israel.

Did you know before Ronald Reagan was president he was a successful Hollywood star? 

He is his looking mighty comfortable with his co-stars in a publicity photo for The Girl From Jones Beach.

Bob Denver is seen posing here with his young family.

If you don't recognize his real name, his stage name will ring bells; Denver plays Gilligan from the long-running TV show Gilligan’s Island.

Shirley MacLaine models an on-trend swimsuit while standing on the rocks under a pier circa 1955. 

Did you know Hollywood actor Warren Beatty is Maclaine’s brother!?

What a great shot of Candice Bergen triumphing over a cute pooch.

Most famous for her role as Tv’s Murphy Brown, Bergen is also an activist and speaks French fluently. The talented comedian and venquilitrist once lived in the house that where Sharon Tate was murdered.

Errol Flynn was born on the little known Australian Island of Tasmania but rose to fame to be one of Hollywood's most beloved stars. 

This picture captures him looking relaxed in a tropical setting.

War and Peace seems like an appropriate title for a man who had a career as an actor for 62 years, as well as serving in the U.S military during World War II and the Vietnam War. 

While James Stewart reads his colleague Valerie Varda looks determined to distract him.

Maggie Smith has been acting for over 60 years. Playing roles as diverse as prisoners to Harry Potter’s teacher. 

In 1990 the British Queen Elizabeth II made Smith a made a Dame for contributions to the performing arts. Here she is seen frolicking with her family in 1971.

Despite being recognized as one of the world's sexiest women, Raquel Welch never posed or was filmed naked even when appearing in Playboy. 

This pose once again proves you can keep the allure while covering up - even if it's just a hat and some well-placed limbs.

Sharon Tate’s name can’t be mentioned without thoughts of her tragic ending. 

The talented actress seen here with Tony Curtis was murdered by members of the Manson Family in 1969. She was at the prime of her life, just 26 years old and almost 9 months pregnant at the time of her death.

Seen here serving glamour in Cannes, Sophia Loren is one of the most iconic women from Hollywood’s golden age.

Famous for her effortless style and beauty, the Italian actress starred in more than 50 films during her long career.

Paul Newman is oblivious to the crowds that watch him on set during a scene. The handsome Hollywood actor was also a passionate car fanatic going on to win several national championships as a driver in Sports Car Club of America. 

But perhaps his legacy is best linked to his philanthropic work. Newmans formed ‘Newman's Own’ a condiment and snack company that donated all of its profits to charity.

Nicknamed the "The Love Goddess" by the press, Rita Hayworth appeared in more than 61 films over 37 years. 

She she is seen catching women of quiet time with a deck of cards at the beach

Ginger Rogers applies tanning lotion on a day out in the sun in 1936 well before any of use were thinking about the hole in the ozone layer. 

Despite being a talented film actor Ginger Rogers will always be best known for her work with Fred Astaire on stage, radio, and television, throughout the 20th century.

Bridget Bardot or B.B to her fans has worn many hats. 

She retired in the mid-1970s but maintains the title of one of the most enduring sex symbols of the 20th century. More recently she has gained fame as an animal activist.

The Beatles took some time off their ‘American Invasion’ tour in 1964 to chill out at a Florida Beach. 

Around this time, big hits, like “I want to hold your hand and ‘Eight days a week’ were dominating the charts.

A family that beach together stay together. 

Here the Jackson Five take some time out from making hits to relax at the beach circa 1970.

Bill Murray is captured fooling around during a Rolling Stone photoshoot in 1981. 

The talented actor would have just made the hugely popular comedy, Stripes. Murray had another appearance in the rock and roll magazine in 2014.

George Harrison looks every bit the devoted poet in this picture of the Beatle taken in Cannes, France in 1976. 

Harrison's wrote man to the Beatles most popular songs like While My Guitar Gently Weeps", and "Here Comes the Sun". He was also the founder of the superband ‘The Travelling Wilburys’ comprised of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.

Jane Fonda looks effortlessly cool as she smiles for the camera. Fonda is an actress but is obviously most remember for her exercise video ‘Jane Fonda's Workout’, released in 1982. 

The tape went on to be the highest-selling VHS of all time. Twenty-two more exercise tapes were released which collectively sold over seventeen million copies.

Elizabeth Taylor embodies beauty and style in this promotion shot for Suddenly, Last Summer in 1959. 

The gothic play was based on a play of the same name by Tennessee Williams.

Kirk Douglas is an icon of cinema. The handsome actor is 102 years old, one of the only actors to still be alive from the Hollywood Golden Age.

Here he is pictured with Brigitte Bardot's at the Cannes Film Festival in 1953.

Antoine "Fats" Domino Jr. is one of the earliest Rock and Roll musicians in America. 

Known for his energetic style Fats had 35 records in the U.S. Billboard Top 40, and five of his pre-1955 records sold more than a million copies, being certified gold. The piano player and singer looks right at home in this pic taken in France in 1955.

Better known as a singer Frank Sinatra was also a determined Hollywood actor. 

Here he is seen looking pensive during a break in the filming of None But the Brave. Famous for always looking sharp, Sinatra was known everywhere as "Ol' Blue Eyes".

Audrey Hepburn's face is forever linked with classic beauty and an independent sense of style

Both of those characteristics are seen in this candid image of Hepburn, shot on the set of Audrey Two for the Road in 1966.

It is not every day you get to taste the secret recipe of a famous star. 

But Paul Newman's food and snack company Newman's Own, allows you to do just that. Even better, profits for the sale of products go to supporting charity. He isn’t just a pretty face!

Elvis Presley was one of the few big pop stars to successfully cross both the world of music and Hollywood. 

Presley starred in a series of films that heavily featured his music. His most iconic being Blue Hawaii released in 1961.

Arnold Schwarzenegger who went on to become the Governor of California is seen here posing with the cast from Folies Bergère at Cannes Film Festival in 1977. 

The Austrian born bodybuilder was at the height of his physical power.

Marilyn Monroe established a style that is still legendary across the world. 

Her face adorns everything from mobile phone cases to huge murals. The star of the screen also had a dark side though and battled with depression and addiction for much of her life.

Mick Jagger can’t be described as traditionally handsome but this photo taken on a beach in Australian beach in 1965 during a Rolling Stones tour really captures his charisma. 

Unbelievable the British artist is still on tour with his band.

One of Australia’s most famous exports, the rock and roll band AC/DC is seen here looking slightly uncomfortable in Ipanema, Brazil, during a 1985 tour.

The five friends look like they may have been overindulging the night before.

Marlon Brando was a devout method actor which can be seen here in the scene for Bedtime Story in 1964. 

As well as talented actor Brando is remembered for his work as a an activist for many causes, notably the civil rights movement and various Native American movements.

Don't let this 1962 photo fool you, its rumored that only one of the Beach Boys could actually surf! 

The band captured the ears of people across generations with their saccharine sweet music that actually contained some pretty spicy lyrics for the time.

Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. entered into peoples home every evening as the anchor for the CBS Evening News for 19 years.

Known during his reign as "the most trusted man in America". This gorgeous photo shows him a moment after being pushed into the sea in 1971.

JFK, Ethel Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy, and Robert Kennedy are shown here squinting into the sun in happier times.

One of the most tragic families in America, the name Kennedy will forever be associated with American politics.

Even celebrities need housemates as this picture that captures Randolph Scott and Cary Grant playing around at their shared beach house in 1935 shows.

The two leading men were close friends and housemates for many years.

Hope they are wearing sunscreen! Brian Jones and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones at Double Bay soak up the sun in Sydney, Australia, in 1965. 

The Rolling Stones toured Australia multiple times and continue to head to the land down under as part of their busy tour schedule.

Clint Eastwood looking forever pensive in 1967. 

While closely associated with the heyday of Westerns Eastwood is a well-respected film producer and director too. His latest directorial roles include the award-winning ‘American Sniper’ and Million Dollar Baby’.

If there is one word that sums up the 1990’s it has to be ‘Baywatch’. 

The stars of the show here pose without their iconic red swimming shorts. Its leading actors Pamela Anderson and David Hasselhoff have become true icons of the small screen following their appearance on the long running show.

Being a celebrity in 1965 meant you never really had to worry about paparazzi and you definitely didn’t think about Twitter. 

This wonderful photo of Sean Connery and Maryse Mitsouko shows just how laid back filming was in the 1960’s.

Both Cary Grant and Grace Kelly shot to fame after their terrific performances in the 1955 classic To Catch a Thief. 

The two stars had an electric energy on stage that captivated audiences.

Even when at the beach the new-wave group the B-52s maintained their eccentricity. 

No wedding is complete without a thunderous karaoke version of Love Shack.

Is Roger Moore the most iconic 007? Look for no further evidence than Moore shooting a scene of For Your Eyes Only in 1980. 

Always handsome always with a joke Moor shot seven James Bond feature films from 1973 to 1985, beginning with Live and Let Die.


Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio look relaxed here but they shared a stormy relationship that resulted in a marriage which lasted for a whole nine months. 

The marriage might not have lasted but they ended up being close friend s and huge supporters of each other later in their lives.