This list of prostitutes and courtesans includes famous persons who have engaged in prostitution and courtesan work.
Roman copy of the Aphrodite of Cnidus . Phryne was the model. Nell Gwyn Madame du Barry Famous nude painting of Emma Dupont by Jean-Léon Gérôme on his original canvas with scratches Laura Bell , the "Queen of London whoredom"
Theresa Berkeley , dominatrix
Jeanne Brécourt , born 1837, one of France's most notorious courtesans[1]
Annie Chapman , one of the "canonical five" victims of Jack the Ripper
Mary Jane Kelly , one of the "canonical five" victims of Jack the Ripper
Lizzie Lape , mid-Ohio madam, operator of multiple bordellos, 1880s-1900s
Mary Ann Nichols , one of the "canonical five" victims of Jack the Ripper
Shady Sadie (Josephine Marcus ), courtesan who had an affair with Wyatt Earp
Elizabeth Stride , one of the "canonical five" victims of Jack the Ripper
Martha Tabram , a possible victim of Jack the Ripper
Libby Thompson , "Squirrel Tooth Alice," madam of a brothel in Sweetwater, Texas
Julia Bulette , American prostitute in Virginia City , Nevada
Emma Dupont , French courtesan and artist's model
Sai Jinhua ,Chinese famous prostitute and brothel madamXaviera Hollander Elizabeth Adams , (1933 or 1934–July 8, 1995), also known as Madam Alex, Hollywood madam
Polly Adler , New York madam, 1920s to 1940s
Air Force Amy , a legal prostitute in Nevada, pornographic actress, and adult model, who starred in the HBO television documentary series Cathouse: The Series . MSNBC has called her "a living legend in the world of sex."
Josie Arlington , madam in Storyville , New Orleans
Caridad la Negra (María de la Caridad Norberta Pacheco Sánchez) Spanish prostitute and madam, early to mid-20th century
Sexy Cora , German former prostitute, pornographic actress and reality show participant
Kimberly Daniels , former sex worker and drug addict who became a prolific author, religious minister and member of the Florida House of Representatives; introduced successful legislation to put "In God We Trust " in Florida school classrooms
Anette Dawn , make-up artist, ceramist and professional sex worker
Zahia Dehar , Algerian-French fashion and lingerie designer and model
Suzy Favor-Hamilton , 3 time Olympian for Track and Field, and the subject of intense publicity when her activities as an escort became public.[2]
Heidi Fleiss , a.k.a. the "Hollywood Madam", ran an upscale prostitution ring based in Los Angeles during the 1990s
Mata Hari (born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle), Dutch spy
Gangubai Harjeevandas , a prostitute, an Indian social activist and madam of a brothel in the Kamathipura area of Mumbai during the 1960s
Xaviera Hollander , author of the memoir The Happy Hooker: My Own Story
La Macorina , Cuban courtesan, 1910s to 1930s
Carol Leigh , a.k.a. Scarlot Harlot, coined the term "sex worker"[3]
Molly Luft , German prostitute, brothel owner and television personality
Brooke Magnanti , blogger and scientist who wrote as Belle de Jour and was the inspiration for Billie Piper 's character in Secret Diary of a Call Girl
Domenica Niehoff , German prostitute, dominatrix, sex worker rights activist and television personality
Barbara Payton , American actress turned prostitute[4]
Charlotte Rose , an English sex worker, dominatrix, sexual trainer and political candidate
Liara Roux , American prostitute, sex worker rights activist and author in New York
Annie Sprinkle , American sex worker, porn star, and sex educator and writer
Margo St. James , activist and sex worker
Valérie Tasso , French author
Estella Marie Thompson , also known as Divine Brown, an American and former prostitute who gained public attention in 1995 when actor Hugh Grant was caught receiving oral sex from her in his car
Sheila Vogel-Coupe , at 85+ the oldest prostitute in the United Kingdom and, possibly, the world
Clara Ward, Princesse de Caraman-Chimay , daughter of a Michigan lumberman who spent most of her life in Europe
Lulu White , madam in Storyville, New OrleansVasantasena from the Sanskrit play Mṛcchakatika Angel/Sarah, Lucky, & Mai Ling, in Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
Bella Cohen, Florry, & Zoe, in Ulysses by James Joyce
Belle, Ah, Wilderness! by Eugene O'Neill
Belle Watling, Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Betsi, a female Whiphid, Star Wars: X-wing (book series) by Michael A. Stackpole .
Candy, in Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction by Luke Davies
Candy, in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
Chandramukhi , in Devdas by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
Eccentrica Gallumbits , "The Triple-Breasted Whore of Eroticon Six" in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Elisabeth Rouset, in "Boule de Suif ", a short story by Guy de Maupassant
Fanny Hill, in Fanny Hill by John Cleland
Fantine , in Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
Marguerite Gautier, from Alexandre Dumas, fils ' work La Dame aux camélias , inspired by real life 19th-century courtesan Marie Duplessis ,
Jenny Smith, in Kurt Weill 's Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny and The Threepenny Opera
Juliette, in the Marquis de Sade 's Juliette
Kamala, in Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
Lady Sally, in Callahan's Lady by Spider Robinson
Lozana, Portrait of Lozana by Francisco Delicado
Lulu, in Frank Wedekind 's plays and Alban Berg 's opera of the same name
Mamie Stover, The Revolt of Mamie Stover by William Bradford Huie
Manon Lescaut
Mistress Overdone, manager of a bordello in Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
Moll Flanders , The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
Molly Malone , Irish urban legend
Mother Goose, in Stravinsky 's The Rake's Progress
Nana, Nana , by Émile Zola
Nancy , Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Odette, in Marcel Proust 's Un amour de Swann
Phedre no Delauny of Jacqueline Carey 's Kushiel novels
Pie 'Oh' Pah, from Imajica by Clive Barker
Romulus, central character in The Romanian: Story of an Obsession by Bruce Benderson
Mrs. Rosie Palm, brothel owner and president of the Guild of "Seamstresses" in various Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett
Satine, in Moulin Rouge! by Baz Luhrmann , a story based on the Paris nightclub of the same name
Séverine Serizy, in the 1928 novel Belle de Jour and the 1967 film based on it
Sonya Marmeladova , Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Suzie Wong, from The World of Suzie Wong by Richard Mason
Talanta, La Talanta by Pietro Aretino
Thúy Kiều, The Tale of Kieu by Nguyễn Du
Tra La La, Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby
Tristessa, Tristessa by Jack Kerouac
Vasantsenaa, a Nagarvadhu , or wealthy courtesan, in Śudraka 's Sanskrit play Mṛcchakatika
Violetta, main character from the opera La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi , is also inspired by Alexandre Dumas' La Dame aux camélias . "La Traviata" means "the reprobate".
Yumi Komagata, in Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Zaza, in Zaza by Pierre Berton and Charles Simon [fr ]
Du Shiniang ,a courtesan or high class prostitute,in "Du Shiniang Sinks the Treasure Box in Anger" by China's Ming Dynasty Feng Menglong Film, television, and musical theater[ edit ] Belle the Sleeping Car , train in Starlight Express by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Christine/Chelsea, central character in The Girlfriend Experience
Inara Serra , Firefly by Joss Whedon
Ai Nu (Lily Ho [fr ] ) in Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (1972) by Chor Yuen (Hong Kong) (Mandarin) (Action, Drama)
Bree Daniels (Jane Fonda ) in Klute (1971) by Alan J. Pakula (USA) (English) (Crime, Mystery, Thriller)
Cabiria (Giulietta Masina ) in Nights of Cabiria (1957) by Federico Fellini (Italy, France) (Italian) (Drama)
Chandramukhi (Vyjayanthimala and Madhuri Dixit ) in Devdas (1955) by Bimal Roy and Devdas (2002) by Sanjay Leela Bhansali respectively (India) (Hindi, Urdu, Bengali) (Drama, Musical, Romance); from novella by Saratchandra Chatterjee
Chiyo Sakamoto (Ziyi Zhang ) in Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) by Rob Marshall (USA) (English, Japanese) (Drama, Romance); from novel by Arthur Golden
Claire Reine / Garance (Arletty ) in Children of Paradise (1945) by Marcel Carné (France) (French) (Drama, Romance)
Constance Miller (Julie Christie ) in McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) by Robert Altman (USA) (English) (Drama, Western); from novel by Edmund Naughton
Doris (Barbra Streisand ) in The Owl and the Pussycat (1970) by Herbert Ross (USA) (English) (Comedy, Romance); from play by Bill Manhoff
Eréndira (Claudia Ohana ) in Eréndira (1983) by Ruy Guerra (France, Mexico, West Germany) (Portuguese, Spanish) (Drama); from novel by Gabriel García Márquez
Fanny Hill (Letícia Román ) in Fanny Hill (1964) by Russ Meyer (USA, West Germany) (English, German) (Comedy); from novel by John Cleland
Fleur (Anita Mui ) in Rouge (1988) by Stanley Kwan (Hong Kong) (Cantonese) (Drama, Fantasy, Music, Mystery, Romance); from novel by Lilian Lee
Gigi (Leslie Caron ) in Gigi (1958) by Vincente Minnelli (USA) (English, French) (); from novella by Colette
Gloria Wandrous (Elizabeth Taylor ) in BUtterfield 8 (1960) by Daniel Mann (USA) (English) (Drama); from novel by John O'Hara
Hattie (Susan Sarandon ) in Pretty Baby (1978) by Louis Malle (USA) (English) (Drama)
Ilya (Melina Mercouri ) in Never on Sunday (1960) by Jules Dassin (Greece, USA) (English, Greek, Russian) (Comedy, Drama, Romance)
Iris (Jodie Foster ) in Taxi Driver (1976) by Martin Scorsese (USA) (English, Spanish) (Crime, Drama)
Irma La Douce (Shirley MacLaine ) in Irma la Douce (1963) by Billy Wilder (USA) (English) (Comedy, Romance); from play by Alexandre Breffort
Isabelle (Marine Vacth ) in Young & Beautiful (2013) by François Ozon (France) (French, German) (Drama, Romance)
Juxian (Gong Li ), prostitute at an upscale brothel before marrying Duan Xiaolou in the book and film Farewell My Concubine
Jade Ink (Ni Ni ), prostitute in a brothel on the Qinhuai River in Nanjing, in the 2011 Chinese film The Flowers of War , directed by Zhang Yimou , adapted from the novel 13 Flowers of Nanjing (published in English as The Flowers of War ) by Geling Yan
Jade Ink (Song Jia ), in the 2014 Chinese TV drama Si Shi Jiu Ri Ji , directed by Zhang Li , also adapted from the novel by Geling Yan
Liz (Theresa Russell ) in Whore (1991) by Ken Russell (USA) (USA, UK) (Drama); from play by David Hines
Lorena Wood (Diane Lane ) in Lonesome Dove (1989) by Simon Wincer (USA) (English) (Adventure, Drama, Western); from novel by Larry McMurtry
Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger ) in L.A. Confidential (1997) by Curtis Hanson (USA) (English) (Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller); from novel by James Ellroy
Marguerite Gautier (Greta Garbo ) in Camille (1936) by George Cukor (USA) (English) (Drama, Romance); from novel & play by Alexandre Dumas
Maya (Indira Varma ) in Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1997) by Mira Nair (USA, India, UK, Japan, Germany) (English, Italian) (Crime, Drama, History, Romance)
Nana (Catherine Hessling ) in Nana (1926) by Jean Renoir (France) (French) (Drama, Romance); from novel by Émile Zola
Ophelia (Jamie Lee Curtis ) in the comedy film Trading Places (1983)
Otsuya (Ayako Wakao ) in Irezumi (1966) by Yasuzō Masumura (Japan) (Japanese) (Drama); from novel by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
Sahibjaan (Meena Kumari ) in Pakeezah (1972) by Kamal Amrohi (India) (Urdu) (Musical, Romance, Drama)
Satine (Nicole Kidman ) in Moulin Rouge! (2001) by Baz Luhrmann (Australia, USA) (English, French, Spanish) (Drama, Musical, Romance)
Satsu Sakamoto (Samantha Futerman ), sister of Chiyo, who was not allowed to join the Geisha house and ended up in a brothel, instead. From the book and movie Memoirs of a Geisha .
Seol-ji (Kim Ok-bin ) in The Accidental Gangster and the Mistaken Courtesan (2008) by Yeo Kyun-dong (South Korea) (Korean) (Action, Adventure, Comedy)
Séverine Serizy (Catherine Deneuve ) in Belle de Jour (1967) by Luis Buñuel (France, Italy) (French, Spanish) (Drama); from novel by Joseph Kessel
Suzie Wong (Nancy Kwan ) in The World of Suzie Wong (1960) by Richard Quine (UK, USA) (English, Cantonese) (Drama, Romance); from novel by Richard Mason
Tereza Batista (Patrícia França ) in Tereza Batista: Home from the Wars (1992) by Paulo Afonso Grisolli (Brazil) (Portuguese) (Drama); from novel by Jorge Amado
Umrao Jaan (Rekha ) in Umrao Jaan (1981) by Muzaffar Ali (India) (Urdu, Hindi) (Drama, Romance); from novel by Mirza Haadi Ruswa
Umrao Jaan (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ) in Umrao Jaan (2006) by J.P. Dutta (India) (Urdu, Hindi) (Drama, Romance); from novel by Mirza Haadi Ruswa
Veronica Franco (Catherine McCormack ) in Dangerous Beauty (1998) by Marshall Herskovitz (USA) (English) (Biography, Drama, Romance); from biography by Margaret Rosenthal
Violet (Brooke Shields ) in Pretty Baby (1978) by Louis Malle (USA) (English) (Drama)
Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts ) in Pretty Woman (1990) by Garry Marshall (USA) (English) (Comedy, Romance)
Zoe (Julie Delpy ) in Killing Zoe (1993) by Roger Avary (France, USA) (English, French) (Crime, Thriller)
Huang Cuifeng (Michelle Reis ), a Sing-song girl by Flowers of Shanghai (China),from novel The Sing-song Girls of Shanghai by Han Bangqing
Blanche Simmons (Louise Jameson), Dorothy Bennett (Veronica Roberts) and Maggie Thorpe (Lizzie Mickery) in Tenko are all to some degree prostitutes. Maggie is intended to be a replacement for Blanche as by the 3rd series of Tenko, Blanche dies offscreen as a result of beri-beri. Symbolic or allegorical prostitutes [ edit ] Agatha - English prostitute, mother of Mother Shipton
Basileia (Ancient Greece) - in Pandemos, this goddess was mainly a goddess for prostitutes or courtesans[5]
Bebhinn (Celts of the British Isles) - the goddess of pleasure
Gomer , a prostitute whom God commanded Hosea to marry in the biblical Book of Hosea
Mary Magdalene was supposed to have been a prostitute by those who identified her with the sinful woman in Luke 7:36–50 , an identification now generally abandoned[6]
Naamah (Hebrews) - an angel of prostitution, one of the succubus mates of the demon Samael in Zoharistic Qabalah
Rahab , Biblical prostitute who assisted the Hebrews in capturing Jericho (Joshua 2:1–7 )
Shamhat (Sumer/Babylon)[7]
Xochiquetzal (Aztecs) - the goddess of prostitutes, pregnant women, & dancing
Alexandra Dé Broussehan (Irish Celts) - a woman turned spirit of prostitution, caused a war between the Callahan and Lawlor Clans, and often associated with Korrigan whose worship involved sacred prostitution[8]
^ Commire, Anne , ed. (2002). "Jeanne Brécourt". Women in World History : A biographical encyclopedia .
^ Suzy Favor Hamilton
^ Welcome to the World of Scarlot Harlot , her own web site, accessed 28 August 2006; Carol Leigh, Unrepentant Whore: Collected Works Of Scarlot Harlot , Last Gasp, 2004.
^ O'Dowd, John. "Hollywood Bad Girl Barbara Payton" .
^ McNeill, Maggie (23 December 2010). "Whore Goddesses" . The Honest Courtesan . Retrieved 31 March 2018 .
^ Filteau, Jerry "Scholars seek to correct Christian tradition on Mary Magdalene," Catholic News Service May 1, 2006. [1]
^ Ditmore, Melissa Hope (ed), Encyclopedia of Prostitution and Sex Work, Volume 1 , Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006, pp.34-5.
^ Charles Squire Celtic Myth and Legend
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