Jeanne Moreau

One of the greatest actresses in cinema history; also singer, director, and screenwriter -- via the Guardian. She started on stage, rapidly conquering it and earning a stellar reputation. It took her a few years to gain leading parts in films, but once she did . . . A list of her great work must include Elevator to the Gallows, The Lovers, Jules et Jim, Chimes at Midnight, The Bride Wore Black, Mr. Klein, Until the End of the World, and many more. She was the muse  of the French New Wave, and worked with directors such as Malle, Truffaut, Becker, Vadim, Demy, Godard, Welles, Bunuel, and many others. She is so resolutely present onscreen -- intellectually tough, but full of feeling as well and great at delineating complex characters. My favorite film of hers? The Bride Wore Black. My favorite film appearance of hers? In Paul Mazurky's Alex in Wonderland, a film about filmmaking, the protagonist (Donald Sutherland) dreams that she walks with him down Sunset Boulevard, singing, while a massacre takes place all round them.