Appearing in very first film at the age of 14, Anouk Aimée is an award winning French actress who has appeared in more than 70 films over the course of her long career. She’s well known for her striking good looks, and she was named as one of the hundred sexiest stars in film history in a 1995 poll done by Empire Magazine. In her youth, Anouk was known for playing femme fatale type roles, most famously in the 1966 film Un homme et une femme. In fact, that role earned her both a Golden Globe and a BAFTA as well as a nomination for an Academy Award! The actress also won a Cesar lifetime award in 2002, but she’s been seen on the big screen as recently as 2012 in the French film Mince alors!
Diana Rigg is an English actress best known for the role of Emma Peel in the TV series The Avengers, which she appeared in between 1965 to 1968. She’s also had an an extensive career in the theater, which included playing the title role in Medea in both London and New York. For this role, she won the 1994 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play! Other highlights of her career include winning an Emmy for her role in the 1997 film adaptation of Rebecca and appearing alongside her daughter Rachel Stirling in an episode of Doctor Who. Considered by many to be a sex symbol, Diana was made a CBE in 1988 and a Dame in 1994. Even if modern viewers are too young to recognize Diana from The Avengers, they’re sure to recognize her as Olenna Tyrell from Game of Thrones!
Melissa Gilbert began her acting career as a toddler in dozens of of television commercials and several guest appearances on different tv series. Her breakthrough role began in 1974 as Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie. During her time on the series, she also appeared in Diary of Anne Frank and The Miracle Worker. Gilbert continued her acting career in television films and also appeared on Dancing with the Stars in 2012. On August 10, 2015, Gilbert announced her campaign for Michigan’s 8th congressional district in the 2016 elections for the US House of Representatives. Gilbert was the presumptive nominee but dropped out of the race in May 2016 due to unknown health issues.
Mary Badham was an American actress best known for her childhood role as “Scout” Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. Badham has zero film experience before taking on this role, but amazingly, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Not only was it a remarkable feat considering her lack of formal training, but at this time, Badham, age 10, was the youngest actress to ever be nominated in this category. The young actress went on to star in several films and television series, including This Property Is Condemned, Doctor Kildare, and Let’s Kill Uncle. Mary officially retired from acting in 1966, but made a brief return to the big screen in 2005 with Our Very Own. These days, she is an art restorer and college testing administrator.
Born in Illinois, Nichelle Nichols is an American actress, singer and voice artist who began her career at the young age of 16. A talented singer, she sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before turning to acting. Her role on Star Trek as communications officer Lieutenant Nyota Uhura served to help break down cultural barriers, as she was an African American woman working as part of a cast made up almost exclusively of white men. Known for her intelligence as well as her acting ability, Nichelle broke barriers outside of the film world as well. She was invited to sit on the board of directors at NASA, where she helped to recruit trainees for their astronaut program! The actress is now in her 80s, but she’s still acting. In fact, she was introduced as a regular cast member on The Young and the Restless in 2016!
