Top 10 Movie Prostitutes

Our first entry is the reason you don’t get blackout intoxicated in Las Vegas. A result of the main group’s drinking binge and eventual memory loss, Jade is a Las Vegas hooker who marries dentist Stu Price over the course of the night of Doug’s bachelor party. Played by actress Heather Graham, Jade is not what we’ve come to think is a typical hooker, as she is very understanding of the mistake and even helps the gang figure out what happened the night before. Graham also brings some of the funniest yet awkward scenes to the entire film, courtesy of our favorite Vegas hooker.

#9: Séverine Serizy “Belle de Jour” (1967)

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Let’s see what France has to offer in the way of prostitutes. In “Belle de Jour,” audiences watch as Séverine changes from a housewife who’s bored with her husband since he can’t play out her extreme sexual fantasies to an employee of a fancy French brothel where she can express all of her pent-up angst. French actress Catherine Deneuve gives viewers a chilling performance as a woman trying to balance her tame married life with an exciting secret affair along with working as a sex worker. This drama certainly brings quite a bit of European flair to the mix and became director Luis Buñuel's most well-known surrealistic flick.

In this dark black and white adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel, it seems the most common occupation for women is prostitution. One of these many ladies of the night is Gail, portrayed by a smoking hot Rosario Dawson, who is the leader of a gang of prostitutes. She is threatening, kick-ass, and downright sexy. Gail is perfect for this world and will thrive in it. We could have given this spot to Jaime King’s Goldie and Wendy, but we went for the more obvious bad ass choice.

For our next entry, we jump into the bohemian Montmarte Quarter of Paris. Audiences follow dejected writer Christian, played by Ewan McGregor, as he meets the titular cabaret’s lead actress Satine, in an amazing performance from the talented Nicole Kidman. She envelops the culture of the time period so well it’s as if she actually lived during the early 1900s - and for all we know, maybe Kidman can time travel. In the role of this courtesan and singing cabaret dancer, even the viewers eventually fall for Satine.

Let’s move on to an expert femme fatale. In this film about cops who investigate corruption within the force as well as Hollywood celebrity, Kim Basinger portrays prostitute Lynn Bracken with an uncanny resemblance to real-life actress Veronica Lake. She also happens to be involved in a murder case. Basinger shows viewers Hollywood’s underbelly and double deals her way to stay out of trouble. She makes it clear that you don’t want to mess with this vixen, because otherwise you might end up six feet under.

True romance knows no bounds, unless it is directed by Quentin Tarantino. In this twisted romantic crime story, actress Patricia Arquette plays a call girl who falls in love with Clarence Worley, portrayed by Christian Slater. In a world filled with the standard prostitute tropes such as stolen drugs, physical abuse, murder, and trailing gangsters, Arquette stands out by taking all of her experiences in stride and giving an admirable performance. We feel for you, Alabama, we really do.

If we learned anything during high school, it was that every teenage boy would love to hire a prostitute at least once. In “Risky Business,” Tom Cruise’s Joel Goodson hires Rebecca De Mornay’s Lana for a good time. Over the course of the film, Lana inadvertently ruins Joel’s life but ultimately manages to pick up the pieces - barely. De Mornay’s portrayal of the prostitute with a heart of gold is spot on, and has us rooting for her to help Joel until the film’s end. She’s definitely the ride or die kind of chick.

Time to revisit a seedier and darker Las Vegas. This time around we follow prostitute Sera, played by actress Elizabeth Shue, who develops a curious romantic relationship with failed screenwriter Ben Sanderson after her pimp dies. Unlike our previous Las Vegas entry, which takes a more comedic approach to the Las Vegas street walking life, this movie sheds light on a different kind of character: Sera is passionate, beautiful, edgy, and decides to give in to the drunken Nicolas Cage. She is accepting, loves the drama, and so do we.

From the dirty streets of Sin City, we come to the grittiness that is New York. Our protagonist Travis Bickle meets Iris, a 12-year old child prostitute, one night while she tries to escape her pimp via Travis’ cab. The taxi driver then makes it his mission to save young Iris from her chosen path. Played by a young Jodie Foster, Iris really makes the audience realize how tragic it is on the streets. Foster is vulnerable and naïve, yet far from innocent - but we love her for it. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. - Ophelia “Trading Places” (1983) - Violet “Pretty Baby” (1978) - Julian Kaye “American Gigolo” (1980) - Linda Ash “Mighty Aphrodite” (1995) - Luenell “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” (2006)

We have reached the film that has since become a standard for all modern romantic comedies. In “Pretty Woman,” Vivian Ward is a Hollywood prostitute, played expertly by Julia Roberts, who is hired as an escort by businessman Edward Lewis, played by Richard Gere. As Vivian, Roberts is witty, yet enjoyable, and her chemistry with Gere is the result of perfect casting. Sometimes we even forget that she is an escort. This performance launched Julia Roberts to super stardom and enabled her to leave a mark as our favorite prostitute. Do you agree with our list? What is your favorite prostitute in film? For more seductive top tens published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.