Hollywood Rivals

James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart had drastically different upbringings, but, once they entered the world of Hollywood, their paths aligned similarly. Though willing to stretch the boundaries with acting, these men secured their legendary tough guy acts throughout their extensive careers.

Joan Crawford and Bette Davis fought for the spotlight in Hollywood on and off-screen. Both women worked at the same studio for some time, and they eventually teamed up for a gothic horror film that would revitalize their fading careers. Although they didn't get along, they had both achieved the highest possible stardom in Hollywood, rightfully becoming immortals of the silver screen.

Alluring curves and sultry personas launched both Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe into the public eye, and the two became iconic sex symbols for generations to come. Monroe and Mansfield both posed nude in order to fund their Hollywood dreams, and will use their sex appeal in their climb to success. Though Monroe's career took off much earlier that Mansfield's, Jayne admired her rival and the two shared a mutual respect. While Mansfield struggled against Hollywood typecasting for more serious roles, Monroe likewise fought with her male counterparts to be taken more seriously on set. Sadly, both women suffered haunting childhoods that motivated them to seek adoration through fame, leading to high-pressure public lives marked by scandal, pill addiction, tragic ends.

Silver screen stars Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine cultivated a toxic off-screen animosity that was well-known throughout Hollywood. But their rivalry began very early on in life, as the two actresses were real-life sisters.

Leading men Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas both became renowned for their compelling on-screen presence and tough guy attitudes. As co-stars, the actors remained friendly, sharing a mutual dislike of certain directors and their typecasted parts. While they often played similar roles in their films, they developed very different off-screen reputations. Lancaster was known as a friendly and easy-going professional, but Douglas became infamous for his selfish and unscrupulous attitude. In time, the contrasts in their style and persona would come to define their Hollywood rivalry.

With tremendous talent and on-camera sex appeal, both Rita Hayworth and Betty Grable thrived as triple threat stars and pinups during World War II. Their rivalry would become immortalized by their wartime photographs, as both women decked the walls of army barracks as the most popular pin-ups.