The Best Actresses Who Played Cleopatra, Ranked
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Cleopatra (1963)
Elizabeth Taylor, a name synonymous with glamour and allure, was a British-American actress who etched her mark in the golden era of Hollywood. Born on February 27, 1932, in London to American parents, she moved to Los Angeles before the outbreak of World War II where her beauty attracted the attention of film studios. The young starlet's first taste of fame came with the film National Velvet in 1944, which catapulted the twelve-year-old into overnight stardom. Over the course of her six-decade-long career, Taylor appeared in more than 50 films, earning recognition for her talent as much as her striking violet eyes. Taylor's personal life often garnered as much attention as her professional one. She was married eight times, notably twice to actor Richard Burton, an affair that began scandalously on the set of Cleopatra in 1963. Her turbulent relationships, health issues, and battles with addiction were often publicized, yet she remained unapologetic about her choices. Despite her tumultuous personal journey, Taylor's acting prowess remained undiminished. She won two Academy Awards for Best Actress - for Butterfield 8 in 1960 and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 1966, cementing her place among Hollywood's greats. Beyond her acting career, Taylor was a vocal and dedicated philanthropist. After her close friend Rock Hudson died of AIDS in the mid-1980s, she became deeply involved in raising awareness about the disease. She co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) and established the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, both of which have made significant contributions to HIV/AIDS research, education, and patient care. Elizabeth Taylor passed away in 2011, leaving behind a legacy as a versatile actress, a passionate activist, and a woman who lived her life on her own terms.More Elizabeth Taylor
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Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
Vivien Leigh, a name synonymous with grace, beauty, and extraordinary talent, stands as one of the most notable figures in the world of cinema and theatre. Born in Darjeeling, India, on November 5th, 1913, she spent her early childhood years traveling between India, France, and England. Her affinity for acting was evident from a young age, and she pursued this passion with fervor, studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Leigh's career ascended to remarkable heights when she starred in the iconic role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind (1939). Her performance won her the Academy Award for Best Actress, cementing her position as one of Hollywood's brightest stars. Further demonstrating her versatility as an actress, Leigh embodied Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), a performance that fetched her another Oscar. However, it wasn't just the silver screen where Leigh shone; her performances in theatrical productions like Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra, and The School for Scandal also earned her critical acclaim. Beyond her professional achievements, Leigh's personal life was equally compelling. She was married twice, first to Herbert Leigh Holman, with whom she had a daughter, and later to Laurence Olivier, a union that made them the golden couple of their era. However, Leigh battled tuberculosis and bipolar disorder, conditions that often overshadowed her accomplishments. These struggles culminated in her untimely passing in 1967 at the age of 53. Despite the adversities, Vivien Leigh's enduring legacy remains, reflected in her memorable performances that continue to captivate audiences worldwide.More Vivien Leigh- #24 of 348 onThe Best Actresses In Film History
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Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002)
Monica Bellucci, a name synonymous with elegance and timeless beauty, is an Italian actress and fashion model recognized worldwide for her illustrious career. Born in the small Italian town of Città di Castello, Umbria in 1964, Bellucci initially pursued a path in law at the University of Perugia but shifted gears to modeling when she moved to Milan and signed with Elite Model Management. Bellucci's transition from modeling to acting was seamless. Her breakthrough role came from playing Lisa in The Apartment (1996), which earned her a nomination for the César Award for Best Supporting Actress. However, it was her roles as Persephone in Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions, Mary Magdalene in The Passion of the Christ, and Lucia Sciarra in James Bond film Spectre that truly cemented her status as an international star. In addition to being one of Italy's most famous actresses, Monica Bellucci has made significant contributions to global cinema and uses her platform for activism. She has been involved with various charitable organizations throughout her career while also using her voice within the industry to advocate against ageism and sexism. Despite all these achievements under her belt, she remains humble about it all - attributing much of success not just on talent alone but also dedication, persistence, and resilience - qualities that define this extraordinary woman.More Monica Bellucci- #42 of 439 onThe Most Beautiful Women In Hollywood
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Due notti con Cleopatra (1954)
Sophia Loren, an Italian film actress and singer, was born as Sofia Villani Scicolone on September 20, 1934, in Rome. Her journey from poverty-stricken beginnings to becoming a globally recognized star is nothing short of a cinematic saga. Loren's career, spanning over seven decades, has been marked by her remarkable versatility and acting prowess that have earned her numerous accolades, including an Academy Award for Best Actress - a first for any actor in a non-English language film. Loren's life story was marked by adversity from the outset. Born to an unwed mother, she spent her early years in war-torn Italy, living in impoverished conditions. However, her striking beauty and raw talent led her to win a beauty pageant at the age of 14, marking the start of her modeling career. After several uncredited roles in Italian films, Loren caught the attention of renowned film producer Carlo Ponti, who later became her husband. Under his guidance, Loren transitioned into acting, making her credited film debut in 1951 with Quo Vadis. Throughout her career, Loren has delivered unforgettable performances in both comedic and dramatic roles, showcasing her wide-ranging talents. Some of her most notable works include Two Women (1960), which won her the Academy Award, Marriage Italian Style (1964), and Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963). Beyond her acting accomplishments, Loren is also known for her singing abilities, having recorded numerous albums and singles. Sophia Loren's resilience, talent, and timeless beauty have cemented her status as one of cinema's greatest icons.More Sophia Loren- Dig Deeper...The 100+ Most Famous Virgo Celebrities Of All Time
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Cleopatra (1999)
Leonor Varela Palma (Spanish pronunciation: [leoˈnoɾ βaˈɾela]; born December 29, 1972) is a Chilean actress and model. She played the title role in the 1999 television film Cleopatra, and vampire princess Nyssa Damaskinos in the 2002 film Blade II. - Photo: user uploaded image6237 VOTES
Cleopatra (1934)
Claudette Colbert ( kohl-BAIR; born Émilie Claudette Chauchoin; September 13, 1903 – July 30, 1996) was an American stage and film actress. Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the late 1920s and progressed to motion pictures with the advent of Talking pictures. Initially associated with Paramount Pictures, she gradually shifted to working as a freelance actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in It Happened One Night (1934), and received two other Academy Award nominations. Other notable films include Cleopatra (1934) and The Palm Beach Story (1942). With her round face, big eyes, charming, aristocratic manner, and flair for light comedy, as well as emotional drama, Colbert was known for a versatility that led to her becoming one of the industry's best-paid stars of the 1930s and 1940s and, in 1938 and 1942, the highest-paid star. During her career, Colbert starred in more than 60 movies. Among her frequent co-stars were Fred MacMurray in seven films (1935−49), and Fredric March in four films (1930−33). By the early 1950s, Colbert had basically retired from the screen in favor of television and stage work, and she earned a Tony Award nomination for The Marriage-Go-Round in 1959. Her career tapered off during the early 1960s, but in the late 1970s she experienced a career resurgence in theater, earning a Sarah Siddons Award for her Chicago theater work in 1980. For her television work in The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (1987), she won a Golden Globe Award and received an Emmy Award nomination. In 1999, the American Film Institute posthumously voted Colbert the 12th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema.More Claudette Colbert- #123 of 348 onThe Best Actresses In Film History
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Cleopatra (1917)
Theda Bara ( THEE-də BARR-ə; born Theodosia Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) was an American silent film and stage actress.Bara was one of the most popular actresses of the silent era, and one of cinema's earliest sex symbols. Her femme fatale roles earned her the nickname The Vamp (short for "vampire"), later fueling the rising popularity in "vamp" roles that encapsulated exoticism and sexual domination. Bara made more than 40 films between 1914 and 1926, but most were lost in the 1937 Fox vault fire. After her marriage to Charles Brabin in 1921, she made two more feature films and then retired from acting in 1926, having never appeared in a sound film. - Photo: user uploaded image8170 VOTES
The Story of Mankind (1957)
Virginia Mayo (born Virginia Clara Jones; November 30, 1920 – January 17, 2005) was an American actress and dancer. She was in a series of comedy films with Danny Kaye and was Warner Brothers' biggest box-office money-maker in the late 1940s. She also co-starred in the 1946 Oscar-winning movie The Best Years of Our Lives. - Photo: user uploaded image9153 VOTES
Pascale Petit
A Queen for Caesar (1962)
Pascale Petit is an actress. - Photo: user uploaded image10161 VOTES
Antony and Cleopatra (1908)
Florence Lawrence (born Florence Annie Bridgwood; January 2, 1886 – December 28, 1938) was a Canadian-American stage performer and film actress. She is often referred to as the "first movie star," and was the first film actor to be named publicly. At the height of her fame in the 1910s, she was known as the "Biograph Girl" for work as one of the leading ladies in silent films from the Biograph Company. She appeared in almost 300 films for various motion picture companies throughout her career.More Florence Lawrence- #77 of 189 onFamous People Buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
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Totò e Cleopatra (1963)
Magali Noëlle Guiffray (27 June 1931 – 23 June 2015), better known as Magali Noël, was a French actress and singer. - Photo: user uploaded image12153 VOTES
Serpent of the Nile (1953)
Rhonda Fleming (August 10, 1923 – October 14, 2020) was an American film/television actress and singer. She acted in more than 40 films, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, and became renowned as one of the most glamorous actresses of her day, nicknamed the "Queen of Technicolor" because she photographed so well in that medium.More Rhonda Fleming- #1159 of 1,285 onThe Most Beautiful Women Of All Time
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Legions of the Nile (1959)
Linda Cristal (Spanish: [kɾisˈtal]; born Marta Victoria Moya Peggo Burges, February 23, 1934) is an Argentine-American actress. She appeared in a number of Western films during the 1950s, before winning a Golden Globe Award for her performance in the 1958 comedy film The Perfect Furlough. From 1967 to 1971, Cristal starred as Victoria Cannon in the NBC series The High Chaparral. For her performance she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in 1970, and received two Emmy Award nominations. - Photo: user uploaded image14131 VOTES
Jeanne d'Alcy
Cléopâtre (1899)
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Carry On Cleo (1963)
Amanda Barrie (born 14 September 1935) is an English actress. She appeared in two of the Carry On films, and one episode of the BBC comedy series Are You Being Served? before being cast as Alma Sedgewick in Coronation Street, which she played on and off for 20 years. She has since enjoyed a varied stage and TV career. - Photo: user uploaded image16121 VOTES
Giulio Cesare (2006)
Danielle de Niese is an Australian-American lyric soprano. After success as a young child in singing competitions in Australia, she moved to the United States where she developed an operatic career. From 2005 she came to widespread public attention with her performances as Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare at Glyndebourne, England. - Photo: user uploaded image17135 VOTES
Antony and Cleopatra (1972)
Hildegarde Neil (born 29 July 1939), also credited as Hildegard Neil, is an English actress. - Photo: user uploaded image18123 VOTES
Helen Gardner
Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt (1912)
Helen Louise Gardner (September 2, 1884 – November 20, 1968) was an American stage and film actress, screenwriter, producer, editor and costume designer. - Photo: user uploaded image19124 VOTES
Asterix and Cleopatra
Micheline Dax was a French film and stage actress. The Paris-born actress was born Micheline Josette Renée Etevenon. She died on 27 April 2014, aged 90, near Paris. - Photo: Metaweb (FB)20134 VOTES
Highway to Hell (1992)
Stiller and Meara (Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara) were a husband-and-wife comedy duo that was popular primarily in the 1960s and 1970s. They made frequent appearances on television variety shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show. Stiller and Meara were among the earliest graduates of the Second City improvisational comedy troupe to become famous. When variety shows became scarce in the late 1970s, they had a syndicated short program, only five minutes long, which ran on the NBC affiliate in the Washington, D.C. market immediately after Saturday Night Live. They also did comical radio ads. During the mid-1970s Stiller and Meara made a couple of appearances together on the sitcom Rhoda. (Meara was a semi-regular during that show's third season, and Stiller appeared twice, playing her character's ex-husband.) Anne Meara played Veronica Rooney, a cook on Archie Bunker's Place from 1979–82. She often made wisecracks and gave Archie a hard time. She insisted that Archie also hire her openly gay nephew Fred as a waiter to help him pay for law school. She was an alcoholic and privately pined to reconcile with her ex-husband, Carmine (who appeared in a few episodes, played by Stiller), but knew it wasn't going to happen. Meara appeared sporadically throughout the show's third season and left the show before the fourth and final year. Stiller and Meara's career declined, however, as variety series gradually disappeared. The duo's own 1986 TV sitcom, The Stiller and Meara Show, in which Stiller played the deputy mayor of New York City and Meara portrayed his wife, a TV commercial actress, was unsuccessful. Stiller had better luck with his next series, playing George Costanza's father in Seinfeld. In 1999 and from 2003 to 2007, Stiller and Meara reunited on several episodes of The King of Queens, on which Stiller played the supporting role of Arthur Spooner. Comedians and actors Amy Stiller and Ben Stiller are their real-life children. Prior to Meara's death in 2015, the duo were starring in a web series from Red Hour Digital, in which they discussed current topics.More Amy Stiller- Dig Deeper...Law & Order Cast List
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