The 54 most iconic kisses of all time

Greta Zimmer and George Mendonsa had never met before their famous kiss, and they had no idea that they had been photographed until years later. But their kiss made the cover of Life Magazine to celebrate the end of World War II, has inspired countless copycats that visit Times Square, and has even been recreated as a giant statue in both Sarasota, Florida and San Diego, California, called "Unconditional Surrender."

That said, the picture isn't without its controversies. Some believe the kiss depicts sexual assault, as the two were perfect strangers. Further, Mendonsa was drunk and Zimmer allegedly had no idea he was there until he had his arms around her and began kissing her.

"I felt that he was very strong. He was just holding me tight. I'm not sure about the kiss," Zimmer said during her 2005 interview with the Veterans History Project. "It was just somebody celebrating. It wasn't a romantic event."

There are many things to love about 2004's "The Notebook," but the most enduring moment of the film is when ex-lovers Noah and Allie reunite amid a thunderstorm after years of being apart due to class differences and World War I. The whole movie up to that point had been building up to their reunion, so obviously it had to be epic — and it was.

Watch the scene here.

One of the reasons that "The Notebook" became so beloved was possibly due to the real-life love story of its stars Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. The chemistry between the two of them was palpable.

When the two won the 2005 MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss they decided to recreate said kiss ... and it was amazing.

The audience's reactions, plus everyone's obsession with the real-life romance, makes this one of the most widely remembered MTV Movie Awards moments ever.

Watch the moment here.

The entire world was watching when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared their very first kiss as husband and wife. Their romance was (and is) a real-life fairytale.

Watch the kiss here.

Will and Kate will always be many people's first royal romance. Not since Charles and Diana had the British royal family captivated the world's attention this way.

Their first post-wedding kiss on the balcony showed the world that fairy tales do exist ... and spawned a delightful meme based on the flower girl's unimpressed face in the bottom left.

Watch the kiss here.

The story of Ross and Rachel literally began in the pilot episode of "Friends," but went through many ups and downs, before the two finally got back together in the series finale.

Throughout all 10 seasons of the show, which is about a group of friends in New York City, the Ross and Rachel tension lingered in the background. But the defining moment of their relationship remains their first kiss in the doorway of their daily hangout spot Central Perk — after having a gigantic fight.

Audiences had been waiting for two years for these two "lobsters" (aka soulmates) to begin a relationship, and even though they didn't officially begin dating for a few more episodes, any "Friends" fan will still get butterflies from this moment.

Watch the scene here.

In 2021, two female musicians kissing doesn't seem like it would cause a ruckus, but in 2003, when Madonna and Spears locked lips (as well as Madonna and Christina Aquilera, though Brit's smooch was said to be steamier) the world "exploded," according to Spears' former manager Larry Rudolph.

Watch the performance here.

Beginning a long-running tradition of true love curing all, "Snow White" is the very first damsel in distress to be woken by her prince and one true love.

You can trace all the other iconic magical Disney Princess kisses  — "Tangled," "Sleeping Beauty," "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," to name a few — back to this one kiss that cured Snow White's apple poisoning.

Watch the scene here.

Linen and Daily were among the 77 same-sex couples to get married on May 17, 2004, when Massachusetts became the first state to legalize gay marriage.

It would be another nine years until gay marriage was legalized throughout America, but this day proved that the tide was turning in favor of marriage equality.

Much has been speculated about this kiss between then-presidential candidate Al Gore and his wife, Tipper. Many people believed it was staged in order to humanize Al (who was seen by many as a little stiff), while others believed it was a genuine expression of how much he loved his wife.

Though the Gores have split up since, ask anyone about the kiss — they'll most likely have an opinion.

Watch the kiss here.

When the Vancouver Canucks lost the 2011 Stanley Cup in game seven, it resulted in a riot on the streets of Vancouver.

Riot police stepped in, but a couple in the background seemed non-perturbed. Some believe the photo was staged, but the man in the photo, Scott Jones, told CBC that he "was just trying to calm [his girlfriend] down."

As of 2022, the couple are still together — married with a baby, in fact — and living in Australia.

Molly and Sam's real-world love story comes to an end when Sam is murdered, but Sam's spirit lives on, and he eventually finds a psychic (Oda Mae) to continue communicating with Molly.

While the graphics may be cheesy, the movie — a rare combination of romance and suspense — was an unexpected hit that won multiple Academy Awards. 

Watch the scene here.

This kiss has been parodied and imitated so many times — even within the franchise itself — it'd be impossible not to include it on this list. Never mind that Tobey Maguire said he couldn't breathe because he had water pouring up his nose — it's still swoon-worthy.

It's always fun to see the nerdy guy (Peter) get the girl of his dreams, even if Mary Jane didn't know it was Peter at the time.

Watch the scene here.

Mention Luke and Laura to anyone who was watching TV in the '80s and their eyes will glaze over as they remember the glory days of daytime soaps.

"General Hospital" was supposed to be about the goings-on at a hospital in the fictional town of Port Charles, but in true soap opera fashion, it focused mostly on relationship drama.

Luke and Laura's 1981 TV wedding was watched by 30 million people, making it to date the most-watched daytime soap episode ever.

Watch the scene here.

Has there ever been a more heart-eyes inducing speech than Harry's to Sally on New Year's Eve? "I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible," he said, kissing her.

Swoon.

Watch the scene here.

Love interests Troy and Gabriella don't kiss at all in the first "High School Musical." While they get close, they are always interrupted.

The second movie is much of the same, until the very last scene when the teen power couple finally gets to lock lips under the sprinklers. This classic story of the jock and the nerd falling in love (while singing) will live on as one of the Disney Channel's greatest films.

Watch the scene here.

Brody, who at 29 remains the youngest actor to ever win an Academy Award for best actor, was so overcome by his win for his role in "The Pianist" that he kissed presenter Halle Berry.

In 2017, Berry talked about the kiss on "Watch What Happens Live," where she told host Andy Cohen: "'What the f--- is happening right now?' That was what was going through my mind."

Thankfully, according to Berry, there are no hard feelings. "And because I was there the year before and I know the feeling of being out of your body, I just f---ing went with it," she continued.

Watch the kiss here.

"I'm flying, Jack!"

Once Jack took Rose to his "king of the world" spot at the front of the ill-fated Titanic, you knew a serious kiss was coming. These two star-crossed lovers cemented their spot in movie history with this sunset smooch.

Watch the scene here.

While it's not their first kiss — the two had been a couple before their time in Litchfield prison — it's the first time Piper allows herself to give in to her feelings for her ex-girlfriend Alex.

The two had a complicated history — Alex is the reason Piper was arrested — but clearly they still had a lot of love for each other. The fact that it takes place in Litchfield's chapel is just icing on the cake.

Watch the scene here.

Devon Sawa was a late-'90s heartthrob for a reason — when he (as Casper) asks Kat "Can I keep you?" during their dance, pre-teen girls all over the world fell in love. The whole movie had been building up the friendship between Casper, the titular friendly ghost, and Kat, an alive human.

Their sweet kiss proved that not all first kisses are awkward (even if one of you is a temporarily reanimated ghost).

Watch the scene here.

There's no shortage of steamy moments from Netflix's Regency-era smash hit "Bridgerton," but we picked the one that started it all — the first kiss between Daphne Bridgerton and Simon, the Duke of Hastings ... potentially because it's the only one that's safe for work.

But the chemistry between actors Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor was on full display during this scene, and if you weren't hooked already, this episode four kiss surely sealed the deal.

Watch the scene here.

The season three finale of "Dawson's Creek" was focused mostly on the show's main love triangle of Pacey, Joey, and Dawson. But the show didn't forget about the recently out-of-the-closet Jack McPhee, who got to have his very first kiss with Ethan, a college student.

Sadly, Ethan was revealed to have a boyfriend, but it set Jack on the path to being his true self.

This kiss is iconic not because of its quality (though it's a perfectly fine kiss), but because of the barriers it broke for the LGBT+ community: It was the first "passionate" kiss between two men on prime-time TV.

Watch the scene here.

The events of the Dunkirk evacuation were recently brought back into the public eye with Christopher Nolan's World War II epic "Dunkirk."

But before that, the most enduring image from the ordeal was this photo of a British soldier returning home and being greeted by his girlfriend, who was too relieved to wait for him to exit the train.

"Moonlight," the 2016 best picture winner, tells the story of Chiron, a gay Black man, at three points in his life: as a kid, a teen, and an adult. The central part of Chiron's story is this encounter he has with his friend Kevin, his first kiss ever. It's tender and sweet, and lovingly shot by cinematographer James Laxton.

Sure, "Moonlight" may be an Oscar-winner but this scene also won the 2017 MTV Moive Award for best kiss — up to you to decide which is more prestigious. "This represents more than a kiss. This is for those who feel like the others, the misfits; this represents us," said Ashton Sanders (teen Chiron).

After a heartbreaking 20 years apart, Claire finally travels back in time to reunite with her long-lost love Jamie in the 1780s — and they reunite with a beautiful kiss.

Fans of the show had to wait an excruciating 15 months — they don't call it "Droughtlander" for nothing — to see how the two would make their way back to each other. And that's nothing compared to book readers, who waited 24 years to see this moment come to life after "Voyager" was first published in 1993.

Watch the scene here.

Even though the actors found it awkward, and not every fan was happy about the changes from the book to the movie, the kiss between Ron and Hermione in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" after years of dancing around their true feelings for each other is just ... important. One of the greatest love stories of the 21st century, these two!

Watch the scene here.

The scandalous affair between soldier Warden and Karen, the wife of his captain, in the 1953 classic "From Here to Eternity" spawned this risqué roll in the waves — an oft-parodied kiss throughout pop culture.

While the kiss seems relatively tame nowadays, in the '50s it was downright scandalous — the movie in general, about three soldiers on a Hawaii naval base right before Pearl Harbor, sent many tongues wagging when it was released, and featured many a censored scene.

Watch the scene here.

This is just a super steamy kiss. In a movie with no shortage of sex, lies, and scheming, the most oft-referenced moment is this less-than-romantic scene between Kathryn and Cecile, when Kathryn helps Cecile practice "first base" (she's really trying to manipulate Cecile and ruin her life).

Though the two are on-screen enemies, Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar have proven to be great friends off-camera, and they frequently recreate this kiss.

Watch the scene here.

Luke and Lorelai had one of the best first kisses on TV. After seemingly ignoring their very clear feelings for each other for four long seasons, Luke realizes that "he can see her face" (aka that he's in love with Lorelai), asks her on a date, and finally kisses her at the end of the fourth season finale.

The dissolution of their relationship later on is still a sore subject for "Gilmore Girls" fans, but for one moment, these two were perfect. However, Luke/Lorelai detractors also point to this kiss as the moment the show stopped being about the quirky town of Star's Hollow, and started becoming a typical WB melodrama.

Watch the scene here.

Bogey and Bacall, as they were known, are the one of the most iconic Hollywood couples of all time, and it started right here on the set of the 1944 film "To Have and Have Not." You can take your pick of famous moments, whether you prefer Bogart asking her why she kissed him and her response of "I've been wondering whether I'd like it," or the famous question, "You know how to whistle, don't you Steve?"

Bogart and Bacall fell in love during the shooting of this movie, got married and had two kids, and collaborated on three more movies.

Watch the scene here.

Any '90s kid will tell you that "My Girl" is probably one of the most heartbreaking movies they've ever seen. However, before tragedy strikes, it's a sweet story about two best friends navigating their pre-teen years.

Their first kiss, initiated by Vada, is really more of a peck than anything, but it becomes much more significant as the climax of the movie occurs.

Watch the scene here.

Fans were completely sold on the star-crossed love story of Desmond and Penny after season four episode "The Constant," which is frequently cited as an all-time great episode. It was all about their relationship and how important they were to each other, and it was a rare episode that didn't focus on what was going on on the island with the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815.

However, fans were forced to wait until the end of the season to actually see Desmond and Penny reunite after Penny's boat rescues Desmond and other survivors. Their kiss had so much love and history behind it — it's hard to watch without either tearing up or getting the chills.

Watch the scene here.

No one had a bigger year than Lil Nas X in 2021, who released a smash album and proved he was definitely no one-hit wonder. He also gave the devil a lap dance, became one of the internet's boyfriends, almost got sued by Nike for selling sneakers with a drop of blood in them, and smooched one of his back-up dancers at the BET Awards.

His clapback was potentially even better. When someone complained to him on Twitter about their kids seeing it, the rapper told them to stop letting their kids watch BET and "put on 'Cocomelon.'"

Watch the performance here.

Whether Buffy should have ended up with Spike or Angel in "BTVS" is still a sore subject for many, 18 years after the last episode aired.

The vampire slayer was in love with two vampires! Objectively though, Buffy's first kiss with Spike at the end of the show's phenomenal musical episode is much more epic than her first kiss with Angel.

The music swells, and the two finally act on their long-simmering sexual tension ... starting  down the road of what would ultimately become a wholly dysfunctional relationship.

Watch the scene here.

You might not think that the line "Let's just suck it up and French a little" would lead to one of the most romantic first kisses in recent sitcom history, but "New Girl" was never predictable. The show, about a group of friends living together in an LA loft, proved it could be funny and sexy with this scene.

After a season and a half of unspoken attraction to Jess, Nick finally acts on his feelings by grabbing her, spinning her around, and laying one on her in season two episode "Cooler." While their relationship has been divisive among fans, we can all agree their first kiss was breathtaking.

Watch the scene here.

After a romantic summer spent together, cowboys Jack and Ennis separate for four years, going on to marry and have kids.

But when they reunite with an intense up-against-the-wall kiss, it's clear their feelings are just as strong as they were that summer.

The movie helped open the dialogue for same-sex marriage and ushered in a new era of queer cinema.

Watch the scene here.

Even though "Frasier" was ostensibly about the goings-on of pretentious radio host Frasier, the love story between his brother and their father's caretaker is one of the most memorable storylines.

Fans of the Daphne/Niles relationship had to wait a full seven seasons for the couple to act on their connection — and even though Niles had been in love with Daphne for years, she's still the one who gets up the courage to kiss him. "Frasier" fans everywhere cheered — even if Niles was married, and Daphne was engaged.

Watch the scene here.

If you've ever heard the term "shipping," which is "the act of one wanting/supporting two individuals involved in a romantic relationship" according to Urban Dictionary, you have Mulder and Scully to thank — these two were the original "ship."

There was no actual romantic action between these two until season seven episode "Millennium," in which the two agents kiss on New Year's Eve.

Even though it's just a "friendly" kiss, it still caused shipper hearts everywhere to explode. In a show mainly focused on the heavy material of government conspiracies, aliens, and other supernatural occurrences, the relationship of Mulder and Scully was a welcome distraction.

Watch the scene here.

It only took two seasons of pining for Jim to admit his feelings to Pam, but to fans it felt like much longer. Their sweet kiss, which takes place right after Jim tells Pam that he loves her, ignited many shippers' hearts — which were broken when Pam revealed that she was still planning on marrying her fiancé, Roy, anyway.

"The Office" was a cringeworthy comedy about people in the workplace, but it was never more heartwarming than when it focused on Jim and Pam.

Watch the scene here.

Sam and Diane, one of the pillars of the will-they-won't-they trope, had an almost violent energy — seconds before they kiss they both tell each other they've fantasized about punching each other.

What makes this kiss iconic? It kicks off 10 more seasons of their relationship drama — most kisses cannot claim that. Even though Long left "Cheers" (both the bar and the show) in season five, her memory lingered. Plus, her special appearance in the series finale proved why Sam and Diane were so compelling in the first place.

Watch the scene here.

"The West Wing" is a political drama about the day-to-day at the White House, but fans clamored over the Josh and Donna relationship for seven seasons thanks to their whip-smart banter. It wasn't until there were only a few hours left in the show that fans got to see the tension between these two pay off.

Watch the scene here.

Arwen and Aragorn face a number of trials and tribulations in their relationship, mostly stemming from the fact that Aragorn is a human and Arwen is an elf, and that her father disapproves.

But by the end of the saga, Arwen's father gives them his blessing, and the two reunite for good at Aragorn's coronation — and Arwen officially gives up her immortality to be with him.

Watch the scene here.

"The Amazing Spider-Man" co-stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone fell in love while filming, and they remained a pretty private couple (they broke up in 2015, after dating for four years).

Fans and "SNL" viewers were delighted when the two teamed up for a skit in which they pretended not to know how to kiss like normal people. It was hilarious, gross, and proved that the two actors don't take themselves too seriously.

Watch the sketch here.

The spaghetti kiss between these two pups has become one of Disney's signature moments — you can pretend it doesn't cross your mind whenever you eat spaghetti, but we all know the truth.

Watch the scene here.

This 1968 interracial kiss was groundbreaking at the time.

Though the kiss itself isn't romantic — in typical "Star Trek" fashion, the Enterprise's crew is taken hostage by aliens — it still represents a huge shift in the TV landscape, and the episode, "Plato's Stepchildren," will be remembered forever.

Watch the scene.

Yes, Rhett and Scarlett eventually kiss in the Civil War epic, but their almost-kiss is even more emotional. It's when Rhett tells Scarlett, "You should be kissed, and often. And by someone who knows how." That line permanently cemented Rhett Butler as a heartthrob.

While the story centers on the romance between Rhett and Scarlett, it also touches on the hardships that war brings, like kissing the one you love goodbye as he goes off to fight.

Watch the scene here.

The kiss between Jude and Connor in a season two episode of "The Fosters," a show about a blended family of foster, adopted, and biological kids, has been established as the youngest same-sex kiss on TV. The actors playing Jude and Connor were 15 and 16, and playing 13 year olds.

The kiss is short but meaningful. A 2013 Pew Research Center survey found that 12 is the median age in which kids start feeling like they may not be straight, which just means that "The Fosters" helped TV reflect real life.

Watch the scene here.

Classic Christmas film "Love Actually" is filled with great kisses because it tells the stories of multiple London residents, so you can take your pick. But the first kiss between David, the prime minister, and Natalie, a former staff member, wins for its pure adorableness.

The two, after being separated due to a misunderstanding, finally reunite at a primary school Christmas pageant, and try to slyly kiss backstage, but they are almost immediately discovered. 

Watch the scene here.

When George Bailey realizes he may have to shut down his business, he contemplates suicide, but an angel comes to his rescue by showing him how much good he has done in life through various flashbacks.

Anchoring the tale is the sweet love story between Bailey and his ever-supportive wife Mary. This sweet kiss comes as a result of the two using their honeymoon fund to cover the costs of Bailey's failing business, confirming that all they really need to be happy is each other.

When a rom-com has a name like "Never Been Kissed," you know there's a big kiss coming. Luckily, "Never Been Kissed" doesn't disappoint.

After coming clean about being an adult journalist who went undercover as a high school student for a story, Josie dejectedly gives up on her crush, English teacher Sam. But, of course, he shows up in front of the whole town and they have a show-stopping kiss in the middle of the baseball field.

Watch the scene here.

"The Fault in Our Stars" is only a few years old, so calling it a classic might be a bit premature, but it's definitely going to become one.

The love story between these two terminally ill teenagers reaches peak romance when they finally kiss upon reaching the top floor of the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam.

While the kiss was controversial, with many people claiming it was inappropriate, the museum issued a statement of support for the scene as it was written in the book, saying, "In the book it is a moving and sensitively handled scene."

Watch the scene here.

This story of strangers in a strange land finally finding human connection was nominated for multiple Academy Awards.

While the story of Bob, an aging movie star, and Charlotte, a recent college graduate, both of whom are staying in a hotel in Japan, isn't exactly a traditional love story, it does end with a single kiss — solidifying that these two people had a real relationship and cared for each other greatly.

Watch the scene here.

After 65 episodes and an entire movie of unrequited love, Lizzie, on a school trip to Rome with her friends, finally wises up and kisses Gordo, who's been in love with her the entire time — after she gets to live out her pop star dreams and performs in front of thousands of adoring fans. 

All 2000s kids are still mad they never got more "Lizzie McGuire" episodes, to learn what happened to their favorite couple.

Watch the scene here.

The Kurt/Blaine relationship, affectionately known as "Klaine," was an important plotline throughout "Glee" — it's easy to forget that for a significant chunk of season two, Kurt's love for Blaine was unrequited.

But after becoming visibly moved by Kurt's musical (duh) tribute to their school's mascot, Blaine admits to Kurt that he reciprocates Kurt's feelings, and the two kiss. The glee clubs at McKinley High and Dalton Academy had many different romantic relationships, but Kurt and Blaine played an important part throughout the show's next four seasons.

Watch the scene here.