Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) colorized from a 1953 photo

Taylor transitioned from child star to adult roles when she turned 18 in 1950, ushering a decade when she was considered the most beautiful woman in the world and a celebrated dramatic actress. Colorized her photo at a time when she made MGM's 1953 film, The Girl Who Had Everything, a remake of the 1931 film A Free Soul. She had recently married British actor Michael Wilding, and was pregnant with her first child and was receiving one of the highest salaries in the industry with a weekly $4,700.

Greta Garbo (1905 - 1990) colorized from a late 1930s photo

Came across a rather different looking Greta Garbo without the deep-set eyes and the artificial eyelashes that have become her signature copied by several a actresses during her time and after. 

Greta Garbo (1905 - 1990) colorized from a promo still for her 1929 silent film "Wild Orchids"

Colorized a photo of Greta Garbo by Ruth Harriet Louise for her 1929 silent film "Wild Orchids" directed by Sidney Franklin and co-starring Nils Asther.

Ava Gardner (1922 - 1990) colorized from a 1951 photo

Ava Gardner started as a model and was discovered by MGM, where she was groomed into a glamorous actress regarded as the Most Beautiful Animal in the world in the 50s. After taking bit roles she got a public notice on loan-out to Universal in The Killers (1946). MGM showed her gutsy persona in Mogambo (1953), against a more refined Grace Kelly and an equally earthy Clark Gable. Director George Cukor was so taken by Gardner that he cast the actress in her best and most complex MGM role in Bhowani Junction (1956), The Barefoot Contessa (1954), reflect her own rags-to-riches personal story. She was cast in some of her best parts during the '60s, notably in Seven Days in May and Night of the Iguana (both 1964), but with increasingly fewer roles for an aging beauty, she eventually retired in London, but not before appearing in supporting roles with Sophia Loren in Cassandra Crossing (1976) and with Elizabeth Taylor in the children's fantasy Bluebird (1976).   After apparing in a few TV serious and her last film Regina Roma (1982), Gardner suffered from emphysema through her in smoking habit and an unidentified autoimmune disorder. Two strokes in 1986 left her partially paralyzed and bedridden. Although Gardner could afford her medical expenses, Sinatra, her former husband, wanted to pay for her visit to a specialist in the United States, and she allowed him to make the arrangements for a medically staffed private plane. She suffered a bad fall a week before she died, and she lay on the floor, alone and unable to move until her housekeeper returned. Her last words (to her housekeeper) were reportedly "I'm so tired". She died on January 25, 1990, of pneumonia at the age of 67, at her London home, 34 Ennismore Gardens, where she had lived since 1968. She was buried in the Sunset Memorial Park, Smithfield, North Carolina, next to her siblings and their parents, Jonas (1878–1938) and Molly Gardner (1883–1943). The town of Smithfield now has an Ava Gardner Museum. She was married and divorced three times -- to Mickey Rooney, Frank Sinatra, and Artie Shaw.

Greta Garbo (1905 - 1990) taken ca 1936

Colorized a rare photo showing Greta in a hearty smile with some liberties on her dress. Her last 1939 Hollywood film "Two-Faced Woman" was a critical failure that devastated her to the point that she retired from Hollywood and returned to Sweden. However, she did entertain a comeback, having signed contracts with MGM to do films that never got off, presumably for her own second thoughts about returning to a career that she was disappointed with. Her absence was a welcome relief to several other Hollywood actresses who were after her crown as Queen of Hollywood who was the highest-paid actress during her reign. After the war, it became even more difficult for the aging actress to make a comeback, especially when the likes of Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, and other rising stars were making waves in the next decade of Hollywood's Golden Age (1930s - 1960s).

Greta Garbo (1905 - 1990)

Colorizing vintage shots of Hollywood legends is always a pleasure. There are just so few vintage photos of Philippine movie greats with good enough resolution to colorize. But not so with Hollywood greats. Even during the silent pictures of the 1920s and the first talkies of the 30s, screen legends like Myrna Loy, Lilian Gish, Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo, and Joan Crawford benefitted from excellent b&w photos, thanks to camera artists who were employed as glamour photographers by the studios. Here's one from a 1930 - 31 photo of Greta Garbo. This photo has been overused as a hairstyle sample in beauty salons and online hairstyle resources.

Greta Garbo (1905 - 1990) a Swedish-American film actress during the 1920s and 1930s. Garbo is ranked as fifth on the AFI list of the greatest female stars of classic Hollywood cinema. She became famous with her first feature film “Torrent” (1926), impressing the head of production Irving Thalberg who would shape Garbo’s distinctive image as an enigmatic, often tragic young woman who had lived many lifetimes and suffered in spite of, or perhaps because of, her incredible beauty.

Garbo would make just a handful of movies over a 15-year period, during the 20s and 30s,  regarded as among the shortest for any Hollywood actress but left a legacy that inspired younger actresses to reach or exceed her fame.  Greta Garbo’s impact on the industry and on audiences — was unparalleled while her potent magnetism and allure defy the ravages of time. Only Joan Crawford and Bette Davis would exceed her fame but they lasted far longer in the industry. At the height of her career, she retired and returned to Sweden, disgusted with the studio system, the glitz and blatant artificiality of tinsel town.

Audrey Hepburn (4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) in a mid 1950s photo

Colorized a promotional photo of film and fashion icon Audry Hepburn, a Belgian born British actress with a film, TV and stage career spanning from 1948 to 1993. Considered by some to be one of the most beautiful women of all time, and a fashion sense that has become iconic not just during her time but all time, as well. 

Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993), colorized photo, ca, 1954-56

Audrey Hepburn (1929 - 1993)

Colorized a promotional photo of the doe-eyed, swan-neck Hollywood icon of beauty and fashion, the late Audrey Hepburn, taken by Bud Fraker for her film Sabrina.

Princes Grace Kelly of Monaco (1929 - 1982)

Colorized and stylized a vintage photo of Grace Kelly, an American actress of the 50s who became Princess Grace of Monaco in 1956. 

Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco (1929 - 1982)

Colorized a portrait of Grace Kelly from a photo taken presumably when she became Princess of Monaco. In April 1956, Kelly married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and became Her Serene Highness the Princess of Monaco. The original had been used as a cover for her biography in "Grace Kelly, The American Princess" and as a poster in subsequent TV and movie productions of that book.

Bette Davis, ca 1936, colorized by Alex Y. Lim