Born and raised in Germany, Margit Carstensen began studying acting right out of high school. She quickly began to make a name for herself in the world of German theater, and in 1969 she met renowned German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The two first worked together in a televised play called The Coffee ShopThe Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, Martha, and Satan’s Brew. Margit is now in her late 70s and hasn’t acted in several years but her most recent appearance was in the 2013 German drama Finsterworld.
A French actress with more than 100 productions under her belt, Isabelle Huppert is known for her talent in both film and television. She’s been nominated for 15 Cesar awards over the course of her career - more than any other actress in history! She got her start in French cinema, appearing in films like Aloise, The Piano Teacher, and Story of Women. She also appeared in a number of English-language films in the later part of her career, most notably Heaven’s Gate, I Heart Huckabees, and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby. Isabelle has also turned to the theater in recent years, and she made her New York stage debut in a 2005 production of 4.48 Psychosis. She’ll also be appearing in a number of films scheduled to come out in 2017, so it doesn’t look like she’s going to retire anytime soon!
Loretta Swit’s Polish parents didn’t like the idea of her pursuing a career in the entertainment industry, but the headstrong actress went for it anyways and became a great success! She started acting when she was only 7 years old, and she appeared in a number of films and Broadway shows before landing the role of Maj. Margaret Houlihan in M*A*S*H. Loretta won two Emmys for the role, so it’s no surprise that this is the character she’s best known as today. She went on to appear in a number of films up until the 1990s, including Race with the Devil, Beer, and A Killer Among Friends, but she doesn’t appear on the silver screen too often these days. She’s too busy running her own jewelry line, promoting animal rights, and painting!
Best known for her role as the titular character in the 1976 adaption of Stephen King’s Carrie, Sissy Spacek is one of the most beloved American actresses of the 1970s. She earned an Academy Award nomination for Carrie, and won the award in 1980 for playing country music singer Loretta Lynn in the film Coal Miner’s Daughter. She also earned a Grammy nomination for the song of the same name on the film’s soundtrack, and she received Academy Award nominations for 1982’s Missing, 1984’s The River, and 1986’s Crimes of the Heart. Sissy still acts to this day, and recently appeared in the television series Bloodline. Despite having a well-publicized career that spans almost 50 years, she’s done remarkably well at maintaining a private personal life. It probably helps that she spends much of her time on her 300-acre farm in Virginia!
Born in England in 1944, Jacqueline Bisset became an international movie star in the 1960s because of her undeniably stunning beauty. Her first roles were intended to show off her good looks rather than her acting talent, but she’s become well-respected for her acting abilities over in time. In fact, she was the recipient of the highest French honor L’gion d’honneur in 2010. Her first Golden Globe nomination came in 1968 for her performance in The Sweetest Ride. She went on to be nominated for four more Golden Globes over the course of her career, finally winning one in 2013 for the BBC miniseries Dancing on the Edge. Some of her more notable works over the years include films such as The Detective, Airport, Murder on the Orient Express, and The Deep, and she’s still acting today.
