The 25 Hottest British Actresses of All Time

If there's one thing appealing about Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, out this weekend, it's the fact that you'll be introduced to your new celebrity crush, Gemma Arterton, who plays an ass-kicking, weapon-toting, sex-appeal-oozing version of the little girl from the fairytale. However, Arterton is just one of a multitude of women from Great Britain who've proven to us that the next place to find our fantasy woman is across the pond.

So if you're tired of the Scarlett Johanssons and the Megan Foxes of the world, get familiar with The 25 Hottest British Actresses of All Time.

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25. Lysette Anthony

Lysette Anthony is a well-known TV star in Britain; the photographer David Bailey even called Anthony "the face of the 80s" when she was just 16. In addition to appearing in movies alongside Colin Firth, John Travolta, and Hugh Grant, her credits include Agatha Christie's Poirot, Oliver Twist, and Three Up, Two Down.

24. Juno Temple

We covered Juno Temple's latest film,Jack and Diane, about lesbians and werewolves, a few months ago. Now we're bringing her back to remind you just how attractive and talented the fearless 23-year-old really is. Temple, who's currently at the Sundance Film Festival promoting three new movies, is known her penchant for risqué roles, including as Matthew McConaughey's teenage lover in Killer Joe and a prostitute in The Dark Knight Rises.

23. Rosamund Pike

Rosamund Pike's glowing skin and smile encapsulate our concept of an English rose. While this beautfiul actress isn't a major star, she has had consistent roles in well-known movies, such as Pride and Prejudice, An Education, Die Another Day and Wrath of the Titans. Pike previously called off an engagement to Joe Wright, who directed Pride and Prejudice.

22. Anna Friel

The award-winning actress has starred in the famous British series Land Girls, the film noir London Boulevard, and the American TV show Pushing Daisies. But her filmography aside, Anna Friel's biggest claim to fame was that she was one half of the first lesbian kiss to ever air on British television in the drama series Brookside.

21. Jenny Agutter

Jenny Agutter has a had a steady television career since she broke into the industry in the 1960s, her latest role being Sister Julienne in the currently airing BBC drama Call the Midwife. Building off her small screen success, Agutter also starred in films such as Logan's Run, Equus, and An American Werewolf in Paris.

20. Keira Knightley

Need to proof of how successful Keira Knightley is? In 2007, she was the only non-American on Forbes' list of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood. And not only is Knightley hot, she is also cinematically dexterous. The star has appeared in nearly every film genre you can think of, be it dystopian science fiction (Never Let Me Go), historical action (King Arthur), or film noir (London Boulevard).

19. Thandie Newton

Thandie (pronounced TAN-DEE) Newton is as graceful as they come, and it's no wonder—she began her career as a dancer. It was only due to a back injury that Newton began auditioning for films, but she soon had a role opposite Brad Pitt in Interview With a Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles. After that, she continued her rise up, landing a role in Crash, which won her a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Newton has also appeared on a very different kind of stage. In 2011, she gave a TED Talk about her multi-cultural background (her mother is from Zimbabwe) and how she had to accept her "otherness" in order to embrace herself.

18. Emily Blunt

Blunt's acting career began on the stage in London, before continuing on to the big screen. She won a Golden Globe in 2005 for her role in the BBC series Gideon's Daughter, and made her debut in America in The Devil Wears Prada, opposite Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep. Next up, she brought Queen Victoria's sexy back in her portrayal of the royal in The Young Victoria, and showed off her comedic chops in The Five-Year Engagement with Jason Segel.

Surprisingly, Blunt struggled with stuttering during her childhood; in fact, she is now on the Board of Directors at the American Institute for Stuttering. Stutter or not, we have to be blunt: This woman is seriously gorgeous.

17. Emma Watson

Long gone are the days of nerdy Hermione Granger. The 22-year-old has set up a very successful post-Harry Potter career for herself with turns in critically acclaimed films such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower and My Week With Marilyn and highly anticipated flicks such as Darren Aronofsky’s Noah, Guillermo del Toro’s Beauty and the Beast, and Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring. We see a magical future for this one.

16. Emilia Clarke

While you may not instantly recognize Emilia Clarke from her photo, stop for a second and picture her with pale blonde hair. Seeing it? The gorgeous actress plays Daenerys Targaryen in HBO's Game of Thrones. With her fierce attitude and highly revealing outfits, Clarke's dragon-wielding character is the stuff fanboy fantasies are made of.

A departure from her claim-to-fame character, Clarke, who's reportedly dating Family Guy creator, Seth MacFarlane, is about to join her beau stateside as she's slated to play Holly Golightly in a Broadway production of Breakfast at Tiffany's.

15. Sienna Miller

Sienna Miller's ex-husband, Jude Law, is a confounding man. Why, when you have a woman as beautiful as Miller, would you sleep with the nanny? Yes, the nanny is a tempting fantasy paradigm, but who needs anyone else when Miller sleeps next to him? Perhaps she was just too hot and Law was overwrought. We will never know.

What we do know is that Miller, who starred in G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra and Factory Girl, is not just sexy, but also outspoken. The model/actress/designer is also the Global Ambassador for the International Medical Corps and was a major participant in the News International phone hacking inquiry. Clearly, Miller has got the looks and the spunk, leaving us as baffled over Law's wandering eye as ever.

14. Jacqueline Bisset

Jacqueline Bisset, born to a half French mother and English father, had her first speaking role at age 22 in the 1966 Cul-de-sac, directed by Roman Polanski. During her heyday, Bisset was so hot that her scene in The Deep, in which she swam through a pool wearing only a white tee and a bikini bottom, helped make the movie a box office success. The producer, Peter Guber, would joke that the "t-shirt made me a rich man." And to add to her hotness credentials, Bisset is Angelina Jolie's godmother. Talk about a good-looking family.

13. Gemma Arterton

This beauty, who broke out as Strawberry Fields in Quantum of Solace, isn't quite as uber-famous as some of the other women on this list, but she is nonetheless undeniably striking.

Want to know a fun fact about the Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters star that makes her just a tiny bit less intimidating? She was born with six fingers, just like a tiny dinosaur.

12. Naomie Harris

After breaking out internationally with Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, Naomie Harris nabbed the coveted role as Eve Moneypenny in Skyfall. Following that success, Harris will play Winnie Mandela, Nelson Mandela's wife in the upcoming biopic, Long Walk to Freedom. As long as she keeps her momentum going, Harris will be a familiar name to American audiences pretty soon.

11. Kate Winslet

The naked scene in Titanic first introduced the world to the undeniable hotness of Kate Winslet, and the graceful star hasn't lost steam since. Besides being the youngest person ever to have six Academy Awards, Winslet has won a slew of other awards, including the Honorary Cesar Award. Which makes sense, considering her filmography includes critically acclaimed movies such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Revolutionary Road, and The Reader.

Though she has had public battles with the media over her body, we think any sane person can agree on one thing: Winslet is totally hot, in the classiest sense of the word.

10. Rachel Weisz

Rachel Weisz is likely best known for her role in The Constant Gardener, which won her an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. The stunning actress made her start at the University of Cambridge, where she co-founded an improv group. Her career went only up from there, with roles in movies like The Mummy, About a Boy, and Constantine. This year, you'll find her in the role of the naughty witch Evanora in Oz the Great and Powerful. Weisz is married to lucky man Daniel Craig and has two kids with the director Darren Aronofsky.

9. Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn is another star on this list who needs no introduction, but we will give her one anyway. The always elegant, gorgeous actress starred in classics such as Breakfast at Tiffany's, My Fair Lady, and Roman Holiday. She is ranked as the third greatest female screen legend in American cinema and is in the International Best Dressed Hall of Fame. If you're ever in doubt of her talent, know this: She won an Academy Award, an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Tony. Who the hell else can boast the same?

Hepburn was also a major humanitarian. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992 for her accomplishments as the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Those are some major credits.

8. Elizabeth Hurley

Though for a long time Elizabeth Hurley was known primarily as Hugh Grant’s girlfriend (and then Hugh Grant’s ex-girlfriend), the luscious actress has a storied career of her own. She has been an Estee Lauder spokesmodel for the last 18 years and has starred in films such as Bedazzled and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Additionally, she has her own beachwear line and a Breast Cancer Awareness lipstick in her name. Hugh Grant, what have you done besides rom-coms?

7. Catherine Zeta-Jones

This Welsh beauty knew what she wanted from a very young age. As a child, Zeta-Jones performed at different events, and by high school, she decided acting was too strong a calling to resist, leading her to drop out. Her breakout role was opposite her husband, Michael Douglas, in Traffic, for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination.

She continued to surge to the top with Chicago, in which she played the sexy, dangerous Velma Kelly. The part earned her an Academy Award, a BAFTA, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

6. Ingrid Pitt

Here's something you won't see anywhere else on this list: Ingrid Pitt was the survivor of a concentration camp. Born in Poland, Pitt was imprisoned along with her family by the Nazis during World War II. Much later, Pitt moved to Hollywood to try to make a career for herself in film. She quickly became a horror film cult figure with movies like The Vampire Lovers and Countess Dracula. Later, she founded her own theatrical touring company and wrote more than 10 books.

5. Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren was a sex symbol for a long time, showing off her appeal in movies like Age of Consent and Excalibur. Throughout the years, she's aged gracefully and retained her force in the acting world with movies such as The Queen, Hitchcock, and RED.

And don’t think the actual Queen hasn’t noticed. In 2003, Mirren was made a Dame for her work in the performing arts. Besides that glorious title, Mirren has an Academy Award, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, two Cannes Film Festival Awards and four Emmys. Those must require a very large mantle.

4. Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour was always beautiful, but what’s crazy is how great she looks even at her current age of 63. After gaining notoriety as a Bond girl, Seymour went on to win an Emmy, two Golden Globes, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and her own starring role in the U.S. TV drama, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.

3. Julie Christie

Born on a tea plantation in India and moved to England later in her childhood, Julie Christie became a major pop icon of the Swingin' Sixties in London. She was a stunning woman, as well as talented—just take note of her Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild Award. Some of her major films include Doctor Zhivago, Fahrenheit 451, and Heaven Can Wait (directed by Warren Beatty, whom she had dated).

2. Elizabeth Taylor

It's hard to say enough about Elizabeth Taylor. We would refer you to the latest film chronicling her life, Liz and Dick, but we heard it sucks. So, here is a quick summary instead. Besides being a bona fide legend from Hollywood's Golden Age (she pretty much symbolizes that whole time period), Taylor got married pretty often—eight times to be exact. Her most famous husband, Richard Burton, was also her co-star in 11 different films, including Cleopatra, where their romance began, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

Before becoming known for her strange best friendship with Michael Jackson later in life, Taylor won two Academy Awards and made eradicating AIDS her mission.

1. Kate Beckinsale

If there's anyone on this list who is our version of a triple threat, it's Kate Beckinsale. This woman is not only a sex symbol, but also a graduate of Oxford and an ass-kicking machine (as evidenced by her many action flicks). Even hotter? She majored in French and Russian literature, which are the two sexiest languages we could imagine a woman speaking. As for her film career, Beckinsale's break-out movie was Pearl Harbor, which she followed up with roles in The Aviator and the Underworld franchise.