I specify actresses in the thread titles because it tends to be easier for men to be perceived as attractive as they go through middle age.
I am going to define young as 30 and under.
I decline to define hot except to mean “in the eye of the beholder.” I mean, I think Natalie Portman is the most beautiful woman alive today, but I know others who think she is, at best, average.
Natalie Portman, incidentally, is my pick. I recently heard a reviewer on NPR comment that her beauty actually makes it harder for her to be taken seriously despite her great talent, and I’d say that’s true. Should she opt to stay in the business, I think she’ll be active and acclaimed well into her 60s, if not longer.
… was born on 5 October 1975, according to Wikipedia. By standard arithmetic that makes her 34 years old, which, in most countries, is thought to be greater than 30.
ETA: She is a goddess, though, even with the extra T.
I suspect that Anne Hathaway will stick around. I don’t get the sense that she’ll get married and quit acting, and she’s portrayed as a serious actress already, so she doesn’t need to break into it before she hits 30.
She’s 24 and is, I have no doubt, about ready to receive her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress (for An Education). She won’t win, but it won’t be her last nomination. It’ll get her name better-known and I’m assuming she’ll be the next Kate Winslet with many more nominations in her future.
Anna Paquin. Young? Born in '82, so she just barely qualifies for the 30 year old cutoff.
Successful? Already has one Oscar. Lead actress in (arguably) HBO’s premiere series right now. Mainstream success with the X-Men series, Almost Famous, She’s All That, etc.
Hot? The sight of her in True Blood is enough to make a man weep.
And damn Kate Winslet for being a little too old, because she owns this thread.
Cite from me too. Kate has never seemed like the type, and even if she were, she’s too young to even be thinking about it. Do you have any Before and After pictures?