The writers’ strike is over. I’m overjoyed, I suppose. But the effects of the strike will be felt for months, if not years. And since it may take that long to really know who won, I’m going to reserve my judgment, and therefore my commentary, on the issue.

Instead, as my last days as your movie columnist slowly approach, this week I want to address a question that nearly everyone who recognizes me from my column asks me. “So, do you really prefer blondes?”

Generally, this is asked most fervently by brunettes who feel slighted by the column title. So to appease my dark-haired readers, I’m offering a list of my five favorite actresses of all time, none of whom were blonde.

5) Ingrid Bergman Possibly the only brunette to ever come out of Sweden, the three-time Oscar winner was very selective about choosing roles, which may be why she has a fearsomely impressive filmography — or it could just be her raw talent and charisma. I think Woody Guthrie said it best when he wrote, “Ingrid Bergman, you’re so perty / You’d make any mountain quiver / You’d make fire fly from the crater.” Bergman also gets extra credit for her marriage to legendary director Roberto Rossellini, which produced another beautiful brunette, Isabella Rossellini.

Favorite Film: Casablanca; for my money, it’s the best love story ever told.

4) Rita Hayworth Hayworth (real name: Margarita Cansino) was the embodiment of old Hollywood sex appeal. Though naturally a brunette, she was famous for her bright red hair (I guess it’s hard to tell in her black and white films). Despite the raw sexuality that earned her the nickname the “Love Goddess,” Hayworth had the sense to restrain herself to the first rule of show business: Always leave them wanting more. Legend has it the Margarita cocktail was named for her when she worked as a dancer in Tijuana.

Favorite Film: I’m tempted to cheat and say The Shawshank Redemption, but I’ll go with Gilda (which appears in Shawshank), her noir thriller that still gives me chills.

3) Bette Davis Davis never quite had the looks of her contemporaries, so she had to get by on raw talent, which is probably why her tombstone says, “She did it the hard way.” Davis was famous for her temper and her feuds with Joan Crawford but fought to be respected by Hollywood. I must confess that much of my affection for Davis comes from my grandfather, who always called her the best star to ever grace the screen.

Favorite Film: All About Eve; though basically playing herself (an aging actress trying to stay relevant), she proved that talent does not diminish with age.

2) Audrey Hepburn Look up “charm” in the dictionary, and you’ll see a picture of Audrey Hepburn. The Belgian-born ingenue lit up the screen with some of the most memorable performances of the studio era, including Princess Ann in Roman Holiday and Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Though she made fewer than 30 films, she will be forever remembered as one of the great stars of the age.

Favorite Film: My Fair Lady; many actresses have attempted Eliza Doolittle, and maybe Julie Andrews sang the part better, but no one ever matched Hepburn’s magic and grace.

1) Katharine Hepburn First Lady of Cinema; won four Best Actress Oscars in her time. I consider there to be no better actress in the history of American film. She ran circles around the best leading men of her time, including Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy and Henry Fonda. Her slick-talking, strong-minded screen persona lent itself to great comedies like Bringing Up Baby and moving dramas like On Golden Pond. There had never been an actress like Kate, there hasn’t been one since and there will probably never be again.

Favorite Film: Wow! How to choose? I’ll take The African Queen for pure grit and the interplay with Humphrey Bogart, but The Philadelphia Story is also phenomenal.

Patrick Thompson is a senior in the College and a former senior Guide editor. He can be reached at thompson@thehoya.com. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes appears every other Friday in The Guide.