There are fashion icons, there are pop-culture legends, and then there is Elizabeth Hurley. Ever since she walked down the red carpet in that safety-pin Versace dress in 1994, Hurley has occupied a permanent, gilded seat in the upper echelon of celebrity royalty. Whether she’s acting as a global ambassador for breast cancer awareness, commanding the pages of high-fashion magazines, or stealing scenes on the silver screen, she has spent decades executing an absolute masterclass in timeless elegance and razor-sharp wit.
Following a year of whirlwind headlines—including her high-profile romance with country star Billy Ray Cyrus and marking three decades of iconic collaboration with Estée Lauder—Hurley continues to prove that age is merely a suggestion.
To honor her birthday today, we are shifting our focus to her acting career. Beyond the runway and the tabloids, Hurley has dropped some genuinely unforgettable, delightfully campy, and fiercely sharp performances into pop culture history. Here are the 10 greatest roles to binge today in her honor.
1. The Devil in Bedazzled (2000)
If you want to see Hurley at the absolute peak of her cinematic power, look no further than Harold Ramis’s fantasy-comedy remake. Playing Satan herself, Hurley didn’t just understand the assignment—she rewrote the textbook. Operating as a shape-shifting, contract-wielding temptress tormenting a clueless Brendan Fraser, she cycled through dozens of jaw-dropping wardrobe changes with an effortlessly wicked, playful charm. It is an infinitely rewatchable, scene-stealing performance that remains a cornerstone of Y2K cinema.
2. Vanessa Kensington in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
It takes an immense amount of comedic composure to play the straight-faced foil to Mike Myers’ chaotic, randy 1960s British spy, but Hurley pulled it off flawlessly. As the leather-clad, hyper-competent British secret agent Vanessa Kensington, she anchored the iconic spy spoof with an air of aristocratic superiority and brilliant physical comedy. The film exploded into a multi-million-dollar global phenomenon, permanently cementing her face into the foundation of 90s pop culture.
3. Queen Helena in The Royals (2015–2018)
When the E! Network decided to launch its first-ever scripted drama about a fictional, wildly dysfunctional British royal family, there was only one woman on Earth with the regal gravity to lead it. For four seasons, Hurley reigned supreme as Queen Helena Henstridge. Playing a fiercely manipulative, unapologetically powerful, and deeply protective matriarch navigating palace conspiracies and tabloids, the role allowed Hurley to fully lean into high-camp melodrama with absolute, delicious precision.
4. Diana Payne in Gossip Girl (2011–2012)
When the Upper East Side needed a fresh jolt of adult drama in its fifth season, Gossip Girl brought in Hurley to stir the pot. Playing Diana Payne, a wealthy, media-savvy, and highly secretive British media mogul who starts an illicit affair with a young Nate Archibald, Hurley brought a distinct air of mature predatoriness to the teen soap. Her effortless sophistication and sharp, calculated line delivery made her one of the most memorable adult antagonists in the show’s entire run.
5. Sabrina Ritchie in Passenger 57 (1992)
Long before she was a household name, a young Hurley made a bruising, high-impact splash in Hollywood by jumping headfirst into the action genre. In this Wesley Snipes airline thriller, she played Sabrina Ritchie, a cold-blooded, deep-cover terrorist disguised as an innocent flight attendant. Stripping away her traditional glamorous persona, Hurley delivered a genuinely sinister physical performance, proving early on that she possessed an underlying, calculating edge.
6. Sara Moore in Serving Sara (2002)
Teaming up with Friends alumnus Matthew Perry, Hurley took center stage in this frantic, cross-country romantic comedy. Playing a wealthy, betrayed wife trying to dodge divorce papers served by a stressed-out process server, Hurley weaponized her sharp-tongued wit and natural charm. The film is a breezy, nostalgic time capsule of early-2000s studio comedies, showcasing her capability as a leading lady in slapstick environments.
7. Morgan le Fay in Marvel’s Runaways (2019)
Marvel officially tapped into Hurley’s mystical allure for the third season of the Hulu comic-book series. Stepping into the supernatural role of Morgan le Fay, an immortal, immensely powerful sorceress from the Dark Dimension, Hurley looked entirely in her element. Draped in elaborate, gothic-chic capes and channeling a terrifying, ancient authority, she provided the teen heroes with a genuinely imposing, charismatic, and magical threat.
8. Sandra Stahl in Permanent Midnight (1998)
For audiences who assumed she could only operate in commercial comedies, David Veloz’s gritty independent biopic offered a stark reality check. Starring opposite Ben Stiller—who played real-life heroin-addicted comedy writer Jerry Stahl—Hurley delivered a remarkably grounded, dramatic performance as Sandra, a television executive who enters into a green-card marriage with Stahl. It remains a deeply underappreciated, raw look at her dramatic range.
9. Jill in EDtv (1999)
In Ron Howard’s prophetic, star-studded satire about the invasive nature of reality television, Hurley played Jill, a hyper-glamorous, calculating model brought into the narrative specifically to seduce Matthew McConaughey’s everyday protagonist for a bump in network television ratings. The performance was a brilliant, meta-textual nod to Hurley’s real-world status as a media magnet, allowing her to playfully satirize her own public image.
10. Lily in Strictly Confidential (2024)
Rounding out her most memorable chapters is a deeply personal project that marked a monumental full-circle milestone. Written and directed by her lookalike son, Damian Hurley, in his feature directorial debut, this sensual, twist-filled Caribbean thriller starred Elizabeth as Lily, a protective mother navigating a web of dark family secrets, betrayal, and seduction. The project highlighted not just her enduring screen presence, but her fierce devotion to supporting the next creative generation of her family.