Claudia Cardinale

Though the international film market was glutted with sultry European actresses during the 1960s, few could boast the depth and range of talent as Claudia Cardinale. Blessed with an extraordinary face and figure, Cardinale began her career as lovely window dressing in films like "Big Deal on Madonna Street" (1958). But she soon proved to the cinematic community that her screen abilities were far greater than her photogenic nature, as evidenced by nuanced turns in "Girl with a Suitcase" (1961), Federico Fellini's "8 ½" (1963) and Luchino Visconti's "The Leopard." By the mid-1960s, she rivaled such fellow international stars as Sophia Loren and Catherine Denueve in worldwide popularity, but after starring in Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" (1969), she retreated to European features, where she continued to hone her craft in films like Werner Herzog's "Fitzcarraldo" (1982). Fondly remembered by movie fans the world over for her equally dazzling looks and talent, Cardinale remained the definition of a true movie star for over five decades.