Which Wench, Who Has Played A Female Pirate, Is Your Favorite, Matey?

by dgranger | created - 06 Jul 2017 | updated - 23 Aug 2017 | Public

(In my best pirate imitation) Aye, which one of these lovely young wenches, who have played black hearted female pirates in movies, games and TV, has caught ya' fancy now? Ye may talk scuttlebutt about the topic here. But mind thy tongue now, you bilage rats! Just because these lasses could sail, set a course, pillage, loot, cut and rip with the best of 'em, does not give you leave to talk ill of them in front of me. Whoever does it, I'll clap him in irons and feed him to the sharks! (For the history buffs, an * fallows the roles of real historical female pirates.) The poll is at [link]http://www.imdb.com/poll/eJigHnDzIIQ/[/link]

1. Maureen O'Hara

Actress | The Quiet Man

In America, the early performing arts accomplishments of young Maureen FitzSimons (who we know as Maureen O'Hara) would definitely have put her in the child prodigy category. However, for a child of Irish heritage surrounded by gifted parents and family, these were very natural traits. Maureen made...

Played Prudence 'Spitfire' Stevens in Against All Flags (1952)

2. Jill St. John

Actress | Diamonds Are Forever

An incredible piece of 1960s eye candy, Jill St. John absolutely smoldered on the big screen, a trendy presence in lightweight comedy, spirited adventure and spy intrigue who appeared alongside some of Hollywood's most handsome male specimens. Although she was seldom called upon to do much more ...

As Mistress Jessica Stephens in The King's Pirate (1967)

3. Jean Peters

Actress | Pickup on South Street

Green-eyed beauty Jean Elizabeth Peters flashed across the screen as a bright star during her relatively brief tenure in Hollywood. After just seven years under contract to 20th Century-Fox (1947-54), she joined in the reclusive lifestyle of her eccentric billionaire husband, Howard Hughes, and all...

Played Captain Anne Providence (also known as Anne Bonny)* in Anne of the Indies (1951)

4. Clara Paget

Actress | Furious 6

Clara Paget was born on September 12, 1988 in London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Furious 6 (2013), Black Sails (2014) and One Day (2011). She has been married to Oscar Tuttiett since July 17, 2021.

Played Anne Bonny* in Black Sails (2014)

5. Nena

Soundtrack | Watchmen

The woman the world knows simply as NENA was born in the small German town of Hagen in 1960 as Gabriele Susanne Kerner. But "Nena" was not simply a stage name she would assume later on. The wunderkind of the German new wave scene got the name at the age of three while on vacation with her family in...

The voice of Anne Bonny* in Die Abrafaxe - Unter schwarzer Flagge (2001). She is the singer who is famous for singing "99 Luftballons", ("99 Red Balloons").

6. Lorna Bennett

Actress | Torchwood

Lorna Bennett was born on June 25, 1977 in Hong Kong. She is an actress, known for Torchwood (2006), The Convert (2008) and Doctors (2000).

Played Anne Bonny* in Pirates (1998)

7. Binnie Barnes

Actress | The Time of Their Lives

British-born actress who appeared in both British and American films, but who found her greatest success in Hollywood second leads. After a variety of jobs, including nurse, chorus girl and milkmaid, Barnes entered vaudeville. She appeared in more than a score of short comedies with comedian ...

Played Anne Bonny* in The Spanish Main (1945)

8. Keira Knightley

Actress | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Keira Christina Knightley was born March 26, 1985 in the South West Greater London suburb of Richmond. She is the daughter of actor Will Knightley and actress turned playwright Sharman Macdonald. An older brother, Caleb Knightley, was born in 1979. Her father is English, while her Scottish-born ...

Played Elizabeth Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007). Sorry, Swann is not a pirate in the first one.

9. Zoe Saldana

Actress | Avatar

Zoe Saldana was born on June 19, 1978 in Passaic, New Jersey, to Asalia Nazario and Aridio Saldaña. Her father was Dominican and her mother is Puerto Rican. She was raised in Queens, New York. When she was 10 years old, she and her family moved to the Dominican Republic, where they would live for ...

Played Anamaria in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

10. Takayo Fischer

Actress | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Takayo Fischer was born on November 25, 1932 in Hardwick, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Moneyball (2011) and The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). She has been married to Sy Fischer since November 29, 1980. They have three children.

Played Mistress Ching* in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007). Real name: Shi Xianggu. She is also known as Madame Ching or Ching Shih, and Cheng I Sao. Yup, the blind lady pirate lord was a real historical figure. She was the most powerful and successful pirate in history!

11. Penélope Cruz

Actress | Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Known outside her native country as the "Spanish enchantress," Penélope Cruz Sánchez was born in Madrid to Eduardo Cruz, a retailer, and Encarna Sánchez, a hairdresser. As a toddler, she was already a compulsive performer, re-enacting TV commercials for her family's amusement, but she decided to ...

Played Angelica Teach in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011).

12. Geena Davis

Actress | Thelma & Louise

As a child, Geena dreamed of being an actress. While in high school, she felt left out and had low self-esteem because, at 6 feet, she was the tallest girl in school. After high school graduation, Geena entered New England College in New Hampshire and then transferred the next year to Boston ...

Played Morgan in Cutthroat Island (1995)

13. Cara Roberts

Actress | Black Sails

Cara Roberts is known for Black Sails (2014), Durban Poison (2013) and Musiek vir die Agtergrond (2013).

Played Mary Read* (Also known as Mark Read **) in XXXVIII. (2017). ** Mary Read often disguised herself as a man which was a habit her mother forced her to learn as her mother used her to extort money from rich English noble father by claiming he had sired an bastard son with claims to the his estate.

14. Lisa Gastoni

Actress | Svegliati e uccidi

Diminutive Irish-Italian Lisa Gastoni began her acting career in Britain after her family settled there in 1948. Though she had initially wanted to be an architect, she changed her mind and became a model and then an actress, making her debut screen appearance in 1954. She appeared mostly in ...

Played Mary Read* in Le avventure di Mary Read (1961) (1961), (in English,"The Adventures Of Mary Read" or "Queen of the Seas").

15. Helen Atkinson Wood

Flushed Away

Helen Atkinson Wood was born on March 14, 1955 in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Flushed Away (2006), KYTV (1989) and The Young Ones (1982).

Played Connie Blackheart in Tales from the Poop Deck (1992) (1992) and Mary Read* in Episode #1.5 (1992) (1992).

16. Sara Mair-Thomas

Actress | Orlando

Sara Mair-Thomas was born on November 15, 1959 in Tonbridge, Kent, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Orlando (1992), Pirates (1994) and The Pleasure Principle (1991).

Played Mary Read* in Women Pirates (1995)

17. Anna Mae Thomas

Actress | Turks

Anna Mae Thomas was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is known for Turks (1999).

Played Anne Bonny* in Women Pirates (1995) (1995)

18. Kimberly Adair

Actress | Highclimber

Kimberly Adair was born on August 16, 1978 in Dallas, Texas, USA. She was an actress, known for Highclimber (2011), Spanners (2013) and Criminal Minds (2005). She died on October 13, 2020 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Played Mary Read* in True Caribbean Pirates (2006) (2006)