The 10 Hottest Celebrity Mermaids

Image via Complex Original

When it comes to Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (which hits theaters today), our focus isn't on stars Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz; it's all about the mermaids. With gorgeous French actress Astrid Berges Frisbey and supermodel Gemma Ward heading the group, the blockbuster sequel's mythical sea creatures are great distractions from all of the inanity taking place elsewhere.

What's not bankable about an alluring woman who's wet all day and isn't opposed to falling in love with seamen? Pun intended? You decide. But back to the mermaids. Before you're dive into the Disney franchise's fourth installment this weekend, give your flippers a rise by checking out the 10 Hottest Celebrity Mermaids.

10. BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD

Film/TV Show: The Lady In The Water (2006)

In M. Night Shyamalan's critically panned fantasy film, Howard plays a sea nymph discovered in the pool of an apartment complex. The fact that the word "nymph" is only one letter short of making her character sound like a chick in an underwater porno was the movie's only amusing quality.

9. SARA PAXTON

Film/TV Show: Aquamarine (2006)

Aquamarine tells the story of two tween BFFs who are so devastated about moving away from each other that one of them wishes for a miracle to keep them together. Said miracles comes in the form of a mermaid looking for true love. We can't say that's what we (or anyone who doesn't eat rainbows and sunshine for breakfast) would've wished for, but we would do anything to have a bikini-wearing Paxton wash up in our pool.

8. SUSAN WARD

Film/TV Show: N/A

For whatever reason, the Make It Or Break It actress dressed up as a mermaid for this 1990s photoshoot. Out of context, this is really strange. So we'll give it the context of her fulfilling some sort of fantasy, i.e. ours.

7. DIANE WEBBER

Film/TV Show: Mermaids Of Tiburon (1962)

In this obscure fantasy flick, Webber plays a Mermaid Queen who gathers a team of sea creatures to help a seaman find sunken treasure within their great abyss. Yep, that one wrote itself.

6. LINDA LAWSON

Film/TV Show: Night Tide (1961)

There's a difference between getting into character and total schizophrenia. Lawson's character Mora was a woman merely dressed as a mermaid who started to believe she was one after hearing voices from the ocean and her boss's incessant encouragement. She finally figures out the sad truth when she drowns during her attempt to swim the deep sea oxygen-tank less. Come to think of it, mermaids throughout history have never been credited with possessing much common sense.

5. GLYNIS JOHNS

Film/TV Show: Miranda (1948)

Johns plays the titular character who keeps a married man as a prisoner in her underwater cave until he agrees to show her around London. It sounds ridiculous, but Miranda was successful enough to warrant a sequel. It just goes to show you that mermaid movie plots don't matter if you have a hot lead actress to keep the film afloat.

4. MARLIECE ANDRADA

Film/TV Show: Baywatch (1996)

The former Playboy playmate played a mermaid in an episode of David Hasselhoff's T&A-fest during its seventh season. This seemingly left-field plot line only works on a show that depends entirely on hot women to keep it on the air.

3. ASTRID BERGES FRISBEY, JORGELINA AIRALDI, BREA BERRETT, SANYA HUGHES, DAPHNE JOY, ANTOINETTE NIKPRELAJ, AND GEMMA WARD

Film/TV Show: Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
In this new sure-to-be box office smash, we're introduced to a whole school of mermaids, most notably Astrid Berges Frisbey and Gemma Ward. Using their tears as keys to unlocking the powers of the Fountain of Youth, this time around Sparrow's entire adventure is all about chasing tail rather than uncovering booty. Or at least it should be.

2. DARRYL HANNAH

Film/TV Show: Splash (1984)

Because of Splash, we expect all mermaids to be naively comfortable with walking around naked. Also because of Splash, part of us always believes that any confused-looking woman we see walking around NYC isn't crazy or homeless, but possibly a lost mermaid. Maybe we're the crazy ones, huh?

1. ARIEL

Film/TV Show: The Little Mermaid (1989)

Let's be honest, we weren't the only ones who wanted to stroke Ariel's fiery red hair with our dinglehopper. What's a dinglehopper? That's what she calls a comb which is actually a fork. OK, so she might not be the brightest pearl in the ocean, but she does redeem her appeal with that clam shell bra.