30 Fascinating Photos of Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles in the 1980s

Susanna Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) was arguably the ultimate “girl with a guitar” icon of the 1980s. She co-founded the all-female rock band the Bangles in Los Angeles in 1981 alongside sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson. Originally part of the “Paisley Underground” scene, the band transitioned from garage rock to mainstream pop-rock success through three multi-platinum albums.

The band achieved massive success with the album Different Light, featuring the Prince-penned hit “Manic Monday” (No. 2) and the global chart-topper “Walk Like an Egyptian.” In the “Walk Like an Egyptian” music video, Hoffs’ side-to-side eye movement became an iconic 1980s visual; she later revealed it was a subconscious habit she used to combat stage fright.

In 1988, she co-wrote and sang the power ballad “Eternal Flame,” which reached No. 1 in nine countries. Despite their success, internal tensions regarding the media's focus on Hoffs as the “lead singer” led to the band's dissolution at the end of the decade.

Hoffs was celebrated for a singing style that blended “pep, coy sweetness, and an occasional plaintive resonance.” As a guitarist, she favored 1960s-inspired “jangly” sounds, helping to revive the pop-rock aesthetic of that era. Beyond her music, she was a major 1980s fashion icon, known for her tousled hair and chic, laid-back wardrobe.

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Piper Laurie: From Hollywood Starlet to Dramatic Powerhouse

Piper Laurie (1932–2023) was an American actress whose career spanned over seven decades, marked by her remarkable transition from a “red-headed starlet” to one of the most respected dramatic performers of her generation.

Initially cast by Universal Studios in decorative “ingenue” roles during the 1950s, most notably opposite Tony Curtis, Laurie famously grew frustrated with the lack of depth in her scripts and walked away from Hollywood to study acting in New York. This bold move paid off when she returned to the screen to deliver a searing, Oscar-nominated performance as Sarah Packard in The Hustler (1961). To younger generations, she is perhaps best known for her chilling portrayal of the fanatical mother, Margaret White, in the horror classic Carrie (1976), and for her captivating, Golden Globe-winning role as the villainous Catherine Martell in the cult TV series Twin Peaks.

Piper Laurie’s legacy is defined by her immense range, her fierce independence, and her ability to bring a haunting intensity to every character she portrayed. Take a look at these beautiful photos to see portraits of a young Piper Laurie.

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The 1957 AC Ace-Bristol Roadster: A Masterpiece of British Engineering

The 1957 AC Ace-Bristol Roadster is widely regarded as one of the most elegant and spirited British sports cars of the post-war era.

Introduced by AC Cars, the “Ace” model achieved legendary status when it was upgraded with the high-performance Bristol straight-six engine. This 2.0-liter powerplant, based on a pre-war BMW design, transformed the lightweight aluminum-bodied roadster into a formidable competitor on both the road and the racetrack, including the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.

With its sophisticated four-wheel independent suspension and timeless barchetta styling, the Ace-Bristol offered a level of agility and balance that was rare for its time. Beyond its own merits, the car holds a special place in automotive history as the primary blueprint for the iconic Shelby Cobra, after Carroll Shelby famously mated this very chassis with an American V8 engine.

Today, an original 1957 Bristol-powered Ace is a prized jewel for collectors, celebrated for its pure driving experience and graceful curves.

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22 Childhood Photos of Jim Carrey in the 1960s and Early 1970s

Born on January 17, 1962, Jim Carrey’s childhood during the 1960s was primarily spent in a lower-middle-class environment in Ontario, Canada, before the severe financial hardships that defined his teenage years began.

He was the youngest of four children born to Percy and Kathleen Carrey in Newmarket, Ontario. His father, Percy, was a classically trained saxophonist who took a “safe” job as an accountant to support the family, while his mother, Kathleen, was a homemaker.

Even as a young child in the 1960s, Carrey displayed an obsessive need to entertain. He famously wore his tap shoes to bed just in case his parents needed cheering up in the middle of the night. At age eight, he began making faces before a mirror and discovered a talent for doing impressions. At age ten, Carrey wrote a letter to Carol Burnett of the Carol Burnett Show pointing out that he was already a master of impressions and should be considered for a role on the show; he was overjoyed when he received a form letter reply.

Carrey spent his early years in the borough of Scarborough, Ontario, part of Metropolitan Toronto, where he attended Blessed Trinity Catholic Elementary School in North York. His family later moved to Burlington, Ontario, where they would spend eight years; Jim attended Aldershot High School while there.

Some time later, his family became homeless and lived together in a Volkswagen van while teenage Jim and his brother spent months living in a tent in Charles Daley Park on the Lake Ontario shore in Lincoln, Ontario. The family struggled financially, however, their situation started improving once his father found employment in the accounting department at the Titan Wheels tire factory in Scarborough.

Furthermore, in return for living in the house across the street from the factory, the family—primarily teenage sons Jim and John—would work as janitors and security guards at the tire factory, doing eight-hour shifts from 6 pm into the next morning. Moving back to Scarborough, teenage Jim started attending Agincourt Collegiate Institute before dropping out of school on his sixteenth birthday. He began to perform comedy in downtown Toronto while continuing to work at the factory.

In a 2007 Hamilton Spectator interview, Carrey said, “If my career in show business hadn’t panned out I would probably be working today in Hamilton, Ontario, at the Dofasco steel mill.” As a young man, he could see the steel mills across the Burlington Bay and often thought that was “where the great jobs were.”

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Ann Todd: The “Pocket Venus” of British Cinema

Ann Todd (1909–1993) was a distinguished English actress and producer who rose to international stardom during the golden age of British film.

Often referred to by the press as the “Pocket Venus” due to her petite stature and ethereal blonde beauty, Todd was far more than just a screen siren, she was a performer of immense psychological depth. She became a household name following her captivating performance in the 1945 psychological thriller The Seventh Veil, where she played a traumatized concert pianist. This role not only made her the highest-paid female star in Britain at the time but also caught the attention of Hollywood.

Throughout her career, Todd collaborated with legendary directors like Alfred Hitchcock in The Paradine Case and David Lean (to whom she was briefly married) in films such as The Passionate Friends. Her legacy is defined by her ability to portray complex, often troubled women with a sophisticated blend of icy reserve and intense emotional vulnerability.

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Françoise Hardy Photographed by Steve Schapiro in Venice, Italy in September 1966

In September 1966, the legendary American photojournalist Steve Schapiro captured a series of iconic, candid portraits of the French singer and style icon Françoise Hardy in Venice, Italy. At the time, Hardy was in Venice for the film festival, specifically to promote the film Grand Prix, directed by John Frankenheimer, in which she starred alongside Yves Montand. At just 22 years old, she was at the height of her “yé-yé” fame, embodying the effortless “French Girl” aesthetic that fascinated international photographers like Schapiro.

Unlike the highly staged studio portraits common at the time, Schapiro (known for his work on The Godfather and with David Bowie) used a photojournalistic approach. He captured Hardy as a real person navigating a tourist city, sometimes looking pensive, other times seemingly unaware of the camera.

These images helped solidify Hardy’s image as an intellectual and somewhat reluctant star. In her memoirs, Hardy often mentioned her discomfort with the “celebrity” machine; Schapiro’s photos are often cited as the ones that best captured that quiet, slightly detached essence of her personality during her most famous year.

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Eartha Kitt With Kittens Photographed by Gordon Parks for LIFE Magazine, 1952

In June 1952, legendary photographer Gordon Parks captured a series of intimate and stylish portraits of Eartha Kitt for LIFE magazine. This photo essay was shot while Kitt was performing at the Blue Angel nightclub in New York City, just as her career was exploding into superstardom.

Years after these photos were taken, she would go on to play the most iconic feline role of her career as Catwoman in the 1960s Batman television series, becoming the first Black woman to take on the role. Orson Welles once called her the “most exciting woman in the world,” and the media frequently described her as “cat-like” due to her elegance, independence, and sharp wit.

Gordon Parks, the first Black staff photographer for LIFE, was known for his ability to capture both the grit of social issues and the glamour of high fashion. Beyond the kittens, he photographed Kitt riding her bicycle through the streets of New York, rehearsing at the Blue Angel, and in quiet, reflective moments at home.

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