Lizabeth Scott

An alluring blonde with a husky, come-hither voice, Lizabeth Scott was a leading lady of film noir during the genre's peak years in the late 1940s and early 1950s, but scandal drove her from the public eye after only a few years on screen. Promoted by Paramount as a femme fatale in the Lauren Bacall or Veronica Lake mold, her career never matched theirs in regard to role or project, but she proved herself to be a capable scene-stealer and eye-pleasing presence in thrillers like "The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers" (1947), "The Racket" (1951) and "Dark City" (1950). Tabloid allegations left her star tarnished in the mid-1950s, and she vanished from the screen for the next half-century, save for an appearance in 1972's "Pulp." Though largely forgotten by the general public, her steamy presence made her a favorite among armchair detectives and other fans of classic film noir. Her death on January 31, 2015 at the age of 92 was mourned by fans of the style around the world.