Audrey Totter

Although largely forgotten by the general public, Audrey Totter lived on in the hearts of film noir fans for her vivid performances and striking screen presence in some of that sub-genre's most notable efforts. Lovely, but also possessing a degree of intensity in her gaze that seemed to have largely precluded her from standard-issue girl-next-door characters, Totter found her niche in darker fare. In productions like "Lady in the Lake" (1946), "The Unsuspected" (1947), "Alias Nick Beal" (1949), and "Tension" (1949), Totter portrayed a series of ambitious and duplicitous femme fatales out to take what they want through whatever means necessary. When that type of picture went out of style in the early 1950s, Totter mostly found herself relegated to supporting parts and television assignments. While she never received the breakout role that would have made her a top flight star, few actresses were so inextricably associated with the film noir thriller and even fewer could so effectively command the screen using Totter's potent combination of beauty and cunning. She died, aged 95, in December 2013.