Loni Anderson

This former beauty queen from St. Paul, Minnesota, became a sex symbol playing Jennifer Marlowe, the superhumanly competent receptionist on WKRP in Cincinnati. With her pert nose, dimples, and bleached-blonde hair, she was often mistaken for a stereotypically dim blonde, but in reality she was the station’s most capable (and highest-paid) employee. She had the best lines, too: “I like older men better. They're so mature and kind, and they tire easily.” Anderson’s bucked the 1970’s trend of “Jiggle TV” with her portrayal of a smart, ambitious, eminently capable woman. After WKRP, Anderson settled into lighter roles: she was always beautiful, but it was the class and verve she brought to Jennifer Marlowe that made her an icon.