© Getty Images

Eva Longoria -

Before she became an actress, Eva Longoria was a beauty queen in her home state of Texas. Longoria became Miss Corpus Christi in 1998 when she was 23 years old.

© Getty Images 

Eva Longoria -

She later entered the Miss Texas pageant, and like many stars, leveraged the visibility to move into acting. She was signed by an agent in Los Angeles within a year.

© Getty Images 

Lynda Carter -

Gal Gadot isn't the only Wonder Woman to rock the pageant scene! The original Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter, also made her name in beauty contests.

© Getty Images 

Lynda Carter -

Carter won Miss World USA in 1972, and went on to represent her country in the Miss World pageant. She didn't win the title, but she did become one of the most famous superheroes in TV history. Not bad!

© Getty Images 

Michelle Pfeiffer -

Michelle Pfeiffer has been an icon for decades, starring in her first big hit in the 1983 classic 'Scarface.' Years earlier, when she was just 19 years old, she became Miss Orange County.

© Getty Images

Michelle Pfeiffer -

In the pageant, she noted that she wanted to become an actress, and her talents were oil painting and softball. As Pfeiffer said, "we all gotta start somewhere."

© Getty Images 

Halle Berry -

Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry got her start on the pageant circuit. She competed in many contests throughout the 1980s, and won the title of Miss Ohio in 1986.

© Getty Images

Halle Berry -

Berry went on to score highly in the Miss USA and Miss World competitions too! She was the first Black representative to enter the Miss World competition on behalf of the US.

© Getty Images 

Priyanka Chopra -

Priyanka Chopra is absolutely everywhere these days, particularly since her marriage to Nick Jonas. She even made it onto Vogue's 2021 list of The World’s Biggest Stars.

© Getty Images

Priyanka Chopra -

Rewind some 20 years, and Chopra was making headlines in the pageant world. She was crowned Miss India in the year 2000, and went on to snag the Miss World crown the same year. Chopra says the recognition she received for these wins helped her acting career take off.

© Getty Images 

Selena Gomez -

Texas-native Selena Gomez shared a photo on social media of herself competing in a beauty pageant when she was literally an infant. It was some serious 'Toddlers & Tiaras' madness.

© Getty Images

Gal Gadot -

Gal Gadot really is a Renaissance woman. She is now best known as the current Wonder Woman, but the actress has also served in the Israeli army.

© NL Beeld

Gal Gadot -

After leaving the army, Gadot was invited to compete in the Miss Israel pageant, and was shocked to win! She ended up competing for Miss World too, but didn't take home the crown.

© Getty Images 

Matthew McConaughey -

In early 2021, Matthew McConaughey shared a childhood photo of himself in a cowboy hat clinging onto a trophy. The trophy reads "Little Mr Texas runner-up '77." Poor Matthew!

© Getty Images

Hilary Duff -

Hilary Duff is another star who shared a throwback photo of herself competing in a children's beauty pageant. Baby Duff had a full face of makeup, clip-on earrings, and a serious '80s bouffant. She added the caption "there are so many things wrong with this."

© Getty Images 

Vanessa Williams -

Actress Vanessa Williams was one of the most famous Miss America winners in history, but a lot of people know nothing about the whole debacle.

© Getty Images

Vanessa Williams -

Williams was crowned Miss America in 1984, making her the first Black winner in history. Unfortunately, it ended in "scandal" when some rather risqué photos of Williams were released, and she was forced to give back her crown.

© Getty Images 

Chelsea Handler -

Although she is gorgeous, the bawdy Chelsea Handler does not seem like the beauty pageant type! Despite expectations, Handler did compete in the Miss Teen America contest back in the '80s.

© Getty Images

Sophia Loren -

Sophia Loren is in her eighties and is still considered one of the most iconic beauties of all time. So it's perhaps not surprising that she competed in the Miss Italy competition at the age of 15, and walked away with the Miss Elegance title.

© Getty Images 

Diane Sawyer -

These days Diane Sawyer is one of the best-known journalists in the world. She's conducted history-making TV interviews with everyone from Charles Manson to Britney Spears.

© Getty Images 

Diane Sawyer -

Back in 1963, Sawyer was in her final year of high school. She represented her home state of Kentucky in the Junior Miss scholarship pageant and won!

© Getty Images 

Olivia Culpo -

Influencer Olivia Culpo is a regular in fashion magazines and was named Maxim's sexiest woman in the world in 2019.

© NL Beeld

Olivia Culpo -

Culpo started out as a pageant queen, sweeping up every crown she set her sights on. She was first named Miss Rhode Island, then went on to win Miss USA, and finally became Miss Universe in 2012.

© Getty Images 

Michelle Yeoh -

Michelle Yeoh is best known for her roles in 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' and 'Crazy Rich Asians.' The Malaysian actress started out in Hong Kong action films of the '90s, but prior to that she was playing a very different role in the pageant scene.

© Getty Images 

Michelle Yeoh -

Yeoh was the winner of the Miss Malaysia competition in 1983, and went on to enter Miss World. This got her a part in a commercial alongside Jackie Chan, which kicked off her acting career.

© Getty Images 

Oprah Winfrey -

These days Oprah Winfrey is a self-made billionaire and one of the most influential TV personalities in the world. But she first came into the public eye at the age of 17, when she won the the Miss Black Tennessee pageant.

© Getty Images

Oprah Winfrey -

The pageant was the same as any other, but was organized specifically for African-American women. From there, Oprah was offered a spot as a newscaster at a radio station.

© Getty Images 

Ali Landry -

Actress Ali Landry is known for her appearances in teen movies and shows from the '90s. Landry started out in pageants in her teens and became Miss Louisiana Teen USA.

© Getty Images 

Ali Landry -

Landry went on to become Miss USA in 1996, and made it into the top six at Miss Universe. The attention got her a gig as the Doritos Girl in the 1998 Super Bowl commercial, and she's picked up acting roles ever since.

Sources: (People) (Good Housekeeping) (The Things) 

© Getty Images