Noir: Ladies leading noir films 2.
by road-traveled | created - 29 Apr 2016 | updated - 25 Nov 2017 | PublicList 7 of 7 noir films lists. Leading Lady in noir, #1 credit. International, multi-nation films, multi-nation actresses. UK leading noir ladies also.
1. Florence Marly
Actress | Krakatit
Highly alluring Czech-born actress Florence Marly, born on June 2, 1919, initially expressed intentions of being an opera singer. At the age of 18, however, she was discovered by the 33-year-old renowned French director Pierre Chenal while a student of art and literature at the Sorbonne. Chenal put...
Japan
Born in Obrnice, Czechoslovakia.
Tokyo File 212 (1951). '51. USA/Japan.
Filmed in Japan.
Chile-
2...El ídolo (1952). '52. Argentina /Chile. Filmed in Chile.
2. Xun Zhou
Actress | Li Mi De Cai Xiang
Zhou Xun is an internationally acclaimed Chinese actress and singer.
She caught international attention through her roles in Lou Ye's Suzhou River in 2000 and Dai Sijie's film adaption of the book of same name Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress in 2002. In 2003, she starred in the television ...
China
Suzhou he (2000). 2000.
Germany /China /France.
Suzhou River. Shanghai.
3. Alida Valli
Actress | The Third Man
Enigmatic, dark-haired foreign import Alida Valli was dubbed "The Next Garbo" but didn't live up to postwar expectations despite her cool, patrician beauty, remote allure and significant talent. Born in Pola, Italy (now Croatia), on May 3, 1921, the daughter of a Tridentine journalist and professor...
Italy
Italian actress.
Ophélia (1963). '63. Italy/France
2...Walk Softly, Stranger (1950). USA.
4. Susana Campos
Actress | El día que me quieras
After more than ten years playing bits and co-starring roles in movies, she attained stardom in Mario Soffici's Rosaura a las 10 (1958). Next she went to Spain, where she played leading roles in many films. Back in Argentina in the mid-sixties, since then she gave able performances in movies, ...
Argentina
Crimen de doble filo (1965). '65
Double Edged Crime.
5. Libertad Lamarque
Actress | Gran Casino
Libertad Lamarque was born November 24, 1908 in Rosario, Argentina, the youngest of ten children of Gaudencio Lamarque, an Uruguayan tinsmith who was worked as a contortionist in her youth, and Josefa Bouza, a Spanish immigrant. Since her childhood, Libertad Lamarque demonstrated a great talent for...
Argentina
1908-2002, 92. 73 acting credits, 1930-2002.
Puerta cerrada (1939). '39.
Closed Door.
6. Nadja Tiller
Actress | Das Mädchen Rosemarie
Austrian leading lady Nadja Tiller reached the height of her popularity during the 1950s and 60s. She was the daughter of stage actor and director Anton Tiller and his wife, the opera singer Erika Körner (1902-1979). It seemed that Nadja's career had been marked out for her early on: she was to ...
Austria
Austrian Actress. 125 acting credits, 1949-2009.
Stolen Identity (1953). '53. Austria.
Costume designer.
Du rififi chez les femmes (1959). '59.
Riff Raff Girls. France /Italy. Filmed in France.
The Rough and the Smooth (1959). 59. UK.
L'affaire Nina B. (1961). '61. France/West Germany.
The Nina B. Affair. Filmed in Germany.
An einem Freitag um halb zwölf (1961). '61. West Germany/France/Italy.
The World in My Pocket. Filmed in Berlin, Germany and Marseille, France.
Lulu (1962) '62. Austria. Filmed in Vienna.
La chambre ardente (1962). '62. France/Italy/West Germany
The Burning Court.
4... Du rififi à Paname (1966). '66.
The Upper Hand. France /West Germany /Italy. Filmed in: London, England. Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Paris, France. Tokyo, Japan.
3... Le désordre et la nuit (1958). '58. France.
The Night Affair.
10... Illusion in Moll (1952). '52. West Germany.
3... Banktresor 713 (1957). '57. West Germany.
7. Fernanda Torres
Actress | Terra Estrangeira
Fernanda Torres was born on September 15, 1965 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is an actress and writer, known for Terra Estrangeira (1995), Gêmeas (1999) and Normal People (2001). She has been married to Andrucha Waddington since 1997. They have two children. She was previously married to ...
Brazil.
Terra Estrangeira (1995). '96.
Foreign Land.
Brazil/Portugal.
8. Renate Ewert
Actress | Mikosch, der Stolz der Kompanie
Born in Königsberg in 1935, Renate Ewert and her family had to leave their home and relocate to Hamburg during WWII. As she was determined to become an actress, she applied for the "Hamburger Kammerspiele" but was rejected. By doing synchronising jobs for foreign movies she finally got her first ...
Denmark
Der rote Kreis (1960)
The Red Circle. '60. Denmark /West Germany.
Filmed in Denmark.
9. Marie-Louise Fock
Actress | Tåg norrut
Marie-Louise Fock was born on May 20, 1920 in Turku, Finland. She was an actress, known for Tåg norrut (1952), Sellaisena kuin sinä minut halusit (1944) and Sådan du ville ha mig (1944). She died on February 26, 2016.
Finland
Sellaisena kuin sinä minut halusit (1944). '44
The Way You Wanted Me.
10. Wilhelmenia Fernandez
Soundtrack | Diva
Wilhelmenia Fernandez was born on January 5, 1949 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Diva (1981), Someone to Watch Over Me (1987) and La Bohème (1980). She was married to Ormon Fernandez and Andrew William Smith . She died on February 2, 2024 in Lexington, ...
France
Diva (1981). '81
11. Sophie Marceau
Actress | La boum
Sophie Marceau was born Sophie Danièle Sylvie Maupu in Paris, France, to Simone (Morisset), a shop assistant, and Benoît Maupu, a truck driver. She grew up far from the studio spotlights. When she was 14 she was living in the Paris suburb of Gentilly with her father. She learned from friends that ...
France
Anthony Zimmer (2005). '05.
Filmed in Balearic Islands, Spain
Alps-Maritimes, France
12. Michèle Morgan
Actress | La symphonie pastorale
A classic beauty, blonde French actress Michèle Morgan was one of her country's most popular leading ladies for over five decades. Born Simone Renee Roussel on Leap Year Day (February 29) in 1920, she ran away from home as a teenager and studied acting under René Simon, beginning her film career at...
France
Obsession (1954). '54. France/Italy
Retour de manivelle (1957). '57. There's Always a Price Tag. France/Italy.
Filmed in Alpes -Maritimes, France.
Landru (1963). '63. Bluebeard. France/Italy.
Filmed in France.
Les yeux cernés (1964). '64. Marked Eyes. France/Italy.
Filmed in Austria.
Constance aux enfers (1964). '64. Web of Fear.
France/Spain.
2... The Chase (1946). '46.
13. Madeleine Robinson
Actress | À double tour
Madeleine Robinson grew up in a struggling working class background but found her métier as an actress after attending the theater school run by Charles Dullin, six years that she considered the happiest of her life. The stage would stay her main love even though she would lend her striking ...
France
Une si jolie petite plage (1949). '49. France/Netherlands.
Such a Pretty Little Beach.
Filmed in France.
Le garçon sauvage (1951). '51. France.
Savage Triangle.
Minuit... Quai de Bercy (1953). '53. France.
Midnight...Quai de Bercy.
À double tour (1959). '59. France/Italy
Leda.
Filmed in France.
14. Dawn Addams
Actress | The Hour of 13
Dawn Addams was born in Felixstowe, East Suffolk, England, the daughter of Captain James Ramage Addams, an R.A.F. officer. Much of her childhood was spent in Calcutta, India, where her father was stationed, and she later attended schools in England and California. Though Dawn took her first screen ...
Germany
UK actress
Die 1000 Augen des Dr. Mabuse (1960). '60. France/Italy/West Germany.
The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse.
Filmed in Berlin.
15. Gina Falckenberg
Actress | Ein Unsichtbarer geht durch die Stadt
Gina Falckenberg was born on September 14, 1907 in Emmering, Fürstenfeldbruck, Bavaria, Germany. She was an actress and writer, known for Ein Unsichtbarer geht durch die Stadt (1933), Ab Mitternacht (1938) and Vento di primavera (1958). She was married to Giulio Del Torre. She died on February 12, ...
Germany
1907-1996, 88. 22 acting credits, 1932-1951.
Razzia in St. Pauli (1932). '32.
16. Brigitte Fossey
Actress | Jeux interdits
This lovely, docile, sensitive-appearing blonde French leading lady started impressively in films at age 6, making a most notable debut in René Clément's Forbidden Games (1952). She abandoned acting a few years later for schooling and a normal upbringing. After a brief career as an interpreter and ...
Germany
Die gläserne Zelle (1978)
The Glass Cell. '78. West Germany /Portugal.
Filmed in Germany.
17. Olga Tschechowa
Actress | Die Drei von der Tankstelle
Olga Chekhova (also Olga Tschechova in German), one of the most popular stars of the silent film era, remained a mysterious person throughout her life and was accused of being a Russian agent in Nazi Germany.
She was born Olga Konstantinovna von Knipper on April 26, 1897, in Aleksandropol, ...
Germany
1897-1980, 82. 138 acting credits, 1917-1974.
Panik in Chicago (1931). '31.
18. Ildikó Bánsági
Actress | Szenvedély
Ildikó Bánsági was born on October 19, 1947 in Budapest, Hungary. She is an actress, known for Passion (1998), Fekete gyémántok (1977) and Confidence (1980).
Hungary
98 acting credits, 1966-2012.
Szenvedély (1998). '98
Szenvedely. Passion. The Postman Always Rings Twice.
19. Sadhana Shivdasani
Actress | Woh Kaun Thi?
Sadhana was born on September 2, 1941 and was named after her father's favorite actress Sadhona Bose. Her father and actor Hari Shivdasani were brothers, and Hari's daughter is actress Babita Kapoor. Sadhana was an only child and her parents made her the center of their lives; in fact, her mother ...
India
Woh Kaun Thi? (1964). '64
20. Shyama
Actress | Sharada
Shyama was born on June 7, 1935 in Lahore, Punjab, British India. She was an actress, known for Sharada (1957), Khazanchi (1958) and Aar-Paar (1954). She was married to Fali Mistry. She died on November 14, 2017 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
India
Aar-Paar (1954). '54
21. Annabella Incontrera
Actress | Eneide
Annabella Incontrera was born on June 11, 1943 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. She was an actress, known for Eneide (1971), The Assassination Bureau (1969) and The Ambushers (1967). She was married to Guglielmo Biraghi. She died on September 19, 2004 in Rome, Italy.
Italy
40 acting credits, 1959-1980.
L'inferno addosso (1959). '59
Love Now, Pay Later.
22. Belinda Lee
Actress | La lunga notte del '43
Green-eyed blonde bombshell Belinda Lee was born in Devon, England to florist Stella Mary Graham and hotel owner Robert Esmond Lee on June 15, 1935. Nicknamed "Billie," she was an incredible beauty while still a teen attending the Rookesbury Park Prep School in Hampshire and St. Margaret's boarding...
Italy
The Secret Place (1957). '57. UK
Il sicario (1961). '61. Blood Feud. Italy.
23. Stefania Sandrelli
Actress | Il conformista
She was born in Viareggio (Tuscany, Italy) on June 5th, 1946. She won a beauty contest when she was just 15 years old, which led to her first role in "Il federale" together with the great Italian actor Ugo Tognazzi. She was then cast by Germi for the Italian comedy "Divorzio all'Italiana", working ...
Italy
127 acting credits, 1961-present.
Il diavolo nel cervello (1972). '72. Italy/France.
Filmed in Italy.
24. Märta Torén
Actress | Rogues' Regiment
From an early age her dream was to become an actress. Her first application for acting studies at The Royal Dramatic Theater in 1944 was unsuccessful. After additional dramatic coaching she was finally accepted in 1947. But screenwriter Edwin Blum arranged a screen test for RKO which eventually led...
Italy
Born in Sweden.
Deported (1950)
Deported. '50. USA.
Filmed in Siena, Tuscany, Italy.
25. Hizuru Takachiho
Actress | Haitoku no mesu
Hizuru Takachiho was born on October 10, 1932 in Kobe, Japan. She is an actress, known for Haitoku no mesu (1961), Zero Focus (1961) and Mitsu-kubi-tou (1956).
Japan
Rokudenashi (1960). '60
Good for Nothing.
26. Atsuko Tanaka
Actress | Kôkaku kidôtai
Atsuko Tanaka was born on November 14, 1962 in Gunma, Japan. She is an actress, known for Ghost in the Shell (1995), Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) and Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008).
Japan
Kôkaku kidôtai (1995). '95.
Ghost in the Shell.
27. Sofía Álvarez
Actress | La barca de oro
Sofía Álvarez was born on May 23, 1913 in Bogota, Colombia. She was an actress, known for The Golden Barge (1947), You're Missing the Point (1940) and La reina de la opereta (1946). She died on April 30, 1985 in Mexico City, Mexico.
Mexico
Born in Bogota, Columbia.
Ángeles de arrabal (1949). '49
Mexico.
28. Rosa Carmina
Actress | La diosa de Tahití
Rosa Carmina was born on November 19, 1929 in Havana, Cuba. She is an actress, known for La diosa de Tahití (1953), Gángsters contra charros (1948) and Sandra, la mujer de fuego (1954). She was previously married to Juan Orol.
Mexico
Born in Havana, Cuba.
Gángsters contra charros (1948). '48
29. Sara Montiel
Actress | La violetera
Sara Montiel was born in the village of Campo de Criptana, province of Ciudad Real, in the region of Castille-La Mancha, Spain. Her parents were Isidoro Abad, a peasant, and Maria Vicenta Fernández, a door-to-door beautician. The future star was christened Maria Antonia Alejandra Abad Fernández. ...
Mexico
Born in Campo de Criptana, Ciudad Real, Castille-La Mancha, Spain.
Donde el círculo termina (1956). '56
Circle of Death. Mexico.
30. Consuelo Moreno
Actress | Mujeres sin alma
Consuelo Moreno was born in 1906 in Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico. She was an actress, known for Soulless Women (1934), Eterna mártir (1937) and Right and Duty (1938). She was married to Juan Orol. She died on November 21, 1947 in Mexico, Distrito Federal, Mexico.
Mexico
Mujeres sin alma (1934). '34
Soulless Woman. Mexico.
31. María Antonieta Pons
Actress | Teatro del crimen
María Antonieta Pons was born on June 11, 1922 in Havana, Cuba. She was an actress, known for Teatro del crimen (1957), La vida íntima de Marco Antonio y Cleopatra (1947) and Embrujo antillano (1946). She was married to Ramón Pereda and Juan Orol. She died on August 20, 2004 in Mexico City, ...
Mexico
Born in Havana, Cuba.
Los misterios del Hampa (1945). '45
Mexico.
32. Maria Mathiesen
Actress | Insomnia
Maria Mathiesen was born in 1978 in Tromsø, Norway. She is an actress, known for Insomnia (1997).
Norway
Insomnia (1997). '97
33. Nadezhda Markina
Actress | Elena
Nadezhda Markina was born on January 29, 1959 in Dmitrievka, Nikiforovskiy rayon, Tambovskaya oblast, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. She is an actress, known for Elena (2011), Sophia (2016) and Vstretimsya vchera (2024).
Russia
1959 -. 20 acting credits, 1985 -present.
Elena (2011).
2011.
34. Jeon Do-yeon
Actress | Hanyo
Jeon Do-yeon spent five years starring in television dramas before achieving instant star status with her film debut opposite Han Seok-gyu in The Contact. She has since gone on to take a wide variety of roles, from her performance as a schoolgirl in Harmonium in My Memory to that of a wife having ...
South Korea.
Hanyo (2010). 2011.
The Housemaid.
35. Kim Hye-ja
Actress | Madeo
Kim Hye Ja is a South Korean actress. Best known for playing the archetypal Korean mother, Kim Hye Ja has established herself as an iconic actor in the Korean entertainment industry. Kim made her acting debut at age 29 while studying at Ewha Woman's University. In the 1981 movie 'Late Autumn', she ...
South Korea
Madeo (2009). 2009
Mother.
36. Beverly Garland
Actress | The Alligator People
Born in Santa Cruz, California, Beverly Garland studied dramatics under Anita Arliss, the sister of renowned stage and screen star George Arliss. She acted in a little theater in Glendale then in Phoenix after her family relocated to Arizona. Garland also worked in radio and appeared scantily-clad ...
USA
193 acting credits, 1950-2004.
Decoy (1957). '57.
4...D.O.A. (1949). '50.
10+...The Glass Web (1953). '53.
2... New Orleans Uncensored (1955). '55.
3... Sudden Danger (1955). '55.
10+... The Desperate Hours (1955). '55.
2... The Steel Jungle (1956). '56.
2... Chicago Confidential (1957). '57.
37. Jane Barrett
Actress | The Avengers
Jane Barrett was born on May 7, 1922 in Highgate, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Avengers (1961), BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950) and Eureka Stockade (1949). She was married to Hans Heinrich Helweg and Derek Glynne. She died on July 20, 1969 in Torbay, Devon, England, UK.
UK
Change Partners (1965). '65.
2... Bond of Fear (1956). 56
38. Judy Campbell
Actress | Emma
Judy Campbell was born on May 31, 1916 in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England, UK. She was an actress and writer, known for Emma (1948), The Strangler (1941) and Saloon Bar (1940). She was married to David Birkin. She died on June 6, 2004 in London, England, UK.
UK
UK actress
East of Piccadilly (1941). '41. UK
39. Jeannie Carson
Actress | As Long as They're Happy
The daughter of show business parents, John Shufflebottom and Lily Peat, Carson was born as Jean Shufflebottom in Pudsey, Yorkshire. In her early British films, she performed under the name Jean Carson, but later changed her given name to "Jeannie" to avoid confusion with the similarly named ...
UK
Born in Yorkshire, England.
Seven Keys (1961). '61. UK
40. Patricia Driscoll
Actress | The Adventures of Robin Hood
Patricia Driscoll was born on December 17, 1927 in London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955), Danger Man (1960) and The Other Man (1956). She was married to Duncan Lamont. She died on January 2, 2020.
UK
Born in Cork, Ireland.
The Child and the Killer (1959). '59. UK
41. Ruth Dunning
Actress | The Grove Family
Ruth Dunning was born on May 17, 1909 in Prestatyn, Flintshire, Wales, UK. She was an actress, known for The Grove Family (1954), Young and Willing (1954) and It's a Great Day! (1955). She was married to Jack Allen. She died on February 27, 1983 in London, England, UK.
UK
Born in Denbighshire, Wales, UK
And Women Shall Weep (1960). '60. UK
42. Adrienne Scott
Actress | It Could Be You
Adrienne Scott was born on June 23, 1933 in Lambeth, London, England, UK. She was an actress and producer, known for It Could Be You (1957), The Missing Scientists (1955) and Rock You Sinners (1958). She was married to Gordon Benson. She died on September 6, 2013 in Esher, Surrey, England, UK.
UK
They Never Learn (1956). 'UK
43. Janine Gray
Actress | The Avengers
Blonde Janine Gray was born Janine Catherine Glass in Bombay, India, the daughter of an oil company engineer. Her family moved back to England when she was five. By the age of 13, Janine took drama classes and did her first screen acting gigs in TV commercials three years later. She spent several ...
UK
Born in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.
Panic (1963). '63. UK.
44. Beverly Michaels
Actress | Wicked Woman
Beverly Michaels was born on December 28, 1928 in New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Wicked Woman (1953), East Side, West Side (1949) and Blonde Bait (1956). She was married to Russell Rouse and Voldemar Vetluguin. She died on June 9, 2007 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
UK
Women Without Men (1956). '56. UK/USA.
Filmed in UK.
45. Janet Munro
Actress | Darby O'Gill and the Little People
As Disney's lively lass Katie O'Gill, she was the freshness of spring. She could inspire you to dance a jig through a field of flowers. Her entrancing green eyes and catchy spirit had that kind of life-affirming effect. Cute, spunky, almond-eyed British actress Janet Munro was deemed to be an ...
UK
Bitter Harvest (1963). '63
46. Nancy Price
Actress | The Speckled Band
Nancy Price was born on February 3, 1880 in Kinver, Worcestershire, England, UK. She was an actress and director, known for The Speckled Band (1931), The Stars Look Down (1940) and Down Our Street (1932). She was married to Charles Maude. She died on March 31, 1970 in Worthing, Sussex, England, UK.
UK
1.... The Three Weird Sisters (1948). '48.
6... Dead Man's Shoes (1940). '40
12... Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945). '45
7.... Carnival (1946). '46
47. Janette Scott
Actress | No Highway in the Sky
Janette Scott was born on December 14, 1938 in Morecambe, Lancashire, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for No Highway in the Sky (1951), The Day of the Triffids (1963) and Crack in the World (1965). She has been married to William John Rademaekers since April 7, 1981. She was ...
UK
Paranoiac (1963). '63. UK
48. Barbara Shelley
Actress | Quatermass and the Pit
The sexy Barbara Shelley was born Barbara Kowin on February 13, 1932 in London, England. With her beautiful looks and stature, she worked as a model during her salad days. Her film career began in Italy in the mid-1950s in such tempting fare as Luna nova (1955) and Nero's Mistress (1956), but when ...
UK
Cat Girl (1957). '57
49. Virginia McKenna
Actress | Born Free
Talented flaxen-blonde British star combined her deep loves for acting and for wildlife throughout most her adult life. Born in London, England on June 7, 1931, her family possessed a sturdy theatrical background. Mother Anne was a jazz pianist, composer and cabaret performer while father Terry, an...
Sweden
Two Living, One Dead (1961). '61. Sweden /UK.
Filmed in Stockholm.
50. Maria Schell
Actress | Superman
Maria Schell studied in a religious institution in Colmar (Haut-Rhin, France). She received a dramatic training in Zurich, Switzerland. To pay her studies, she was a secretary there. Besides being a film star; Maria appeared in plays in Zurich, Basel, in Vienna (Josefstad Theater), Berlin, Munich (...
West Germany
Born in Vienna, Austria.
Die Ratten (1955). '55. West Germany
The Mark (1961). '61. UK.
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