Mariangela Melato

A forceful blonde actress who never crossed over to great success with American audiences, Mariangela Melato earned great praise and popularity in her native Italy for standout performances in a number of films. She made a name for herself in the '60s on the Italian stage before her feature debut in Pupi Avati's 1970 film "Thomas and the Bewitched." Other roles in films by notable directors immediately followed, including movies by Nino Manfredi, Elio Petri, and Vittorio De Sica. With the success of 1972's "The Seduction of Mimi," Melato began a substantial collaboration with filmmaker Lina Wertmüller and co-star Giancarlo Giannini that would include three more pictures, including "Swept Away," a dramatic comedy exploring class warfare (and the basis for a 2002 dud remake featuring Madonna). Melato's attempts to break through in America with the science fiction adventure "Flash Gordon" and the possibly more outlandish comedy about bottomless pants, "So Fine," were unsuccessful. Still, she continued to work regularly in Italy, including another feature with Wertmüller, the extravagantly titled "Summer Night, with Greek Profile, Almond Eyes and Scent of Basil." She slowed her output in the '90s, while continuing to perform on stage and in the occasional film.