The survey of 1,600 film-goers by Yahoo! Entertainment revealed that starlets from the golden age of Hollywood can still outshine some of today’s talent. Garland, whose films include The Wizard Of Oz, Meet Me In St Louis and A Star Is Born, was second. And Shirley Temple, child star of the 1930s, was fifth.

Scarlett Johansson was voted into third place. The 21-year-old is currently sizzling on screen in Forties thriller The Black Dahlia. Natalie Portman and Lindsay Lohan also appeared on the list, along with Brooke Shields and Mia Farrow.

Yahoo! Entertainment spokeswoman Jayne Cherrington said: "A starlet is an actress who people instantly think of as being young, vivacious, stylish, popular and - most of all - talented.

"There are a fair few starlets jostling for space at the moment, but Keira is the one who embodies all of these attributes. Scarlett may be the talk of Tinseltown but it’s Keira’s class that leads the pack.

"It’s interesting to see Judy Garland fare so well. People still remember and love her as that fresh-faced girl from The Wizard Of Oz, clicking her heels together and wishing for home."

Keira Knightley was embarrassed that Jack Nicholson didn’t hit on her - Aug 14, 2020
The ’Pirates of the Caribbean’ actress revealed she was really star-struck meeting the ’One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ actor but felt rejected when he didn’t make a move. She told In Style magazine: "I was speechless sitting next to Jack Nicholson at the Oscars. I can’t remember what he said to me. Everyone asked if he tried to hit on me, but he didn’t. It’s actually kind of embarrassing that he didn’t."

The 21-year-old star also confessed she felt relieved when Reese Witherspoon was announced as best actress on Oscar night and not her.

She added: "My first thought was thank God I don’t have to make a speech! We all knew who it was going to be. I just giggled - it was so weird, laughing was the only option.
"My friend wanted me to do an ’I’ve been robbed!’ thing and I was so tempted because nobody ever does that. I think it would have been hilarious."

Keira has donated her Oscar dress - April 11, 2020
Keira Knightley has donated her Oscar dress to charity. The British beauty - who was nominated for an Academy Award for ’Pride and Prejudice’ - has given the merlot-coloured Vera Wang gown to Oxfam to help raise money for relief work in Africa. The frock - which was custom-made for Keira - will be auctioned on eBay later this month.

The 21-year-old said in a statement: "This is such an amazing dress and I am really pleased to be able to donate it to Oxfam. "I have seen the TV reports on the horrendous drought in East Africa and I know how desperate things have become, so I am happy to be able to do something to help." Designer Wang said she’s thrilled her creation will help raise funds for a good cause. She is quoted on the USA Today website as saying: "Keira represents the essence of youth, intelligence and beauty. "She is a young woman with a conscience."