Nicknamed the “Ice Queens” of cinema, these ladies were not taken seriously as actresses in the beginning of their careers due to their looks. But the more films they acted in, the more audiences and critics realized their talent.
Catherine Deneuve
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“A woman has to be intelligent, have charm, a sense of humor, and be kind. It's the same qualities I require from a man.”
Catherine Deneuve is a notable French actress who was so popular she became a favorite of many popular directors. She was most known for her aloof and sexual characters. She became a huge icon in French pop culture and also famous internationally for her Chanel ads.
1) Catherine’s parents were both stage actors
2) Catherine’s sister, Françoise Dorléac, perished in a car accident
3) In 1957, she had her first film debut in “Les Collégiennes”
4) Her image was used for “Marianne”, the national symbol of the French Republic
5) In 1971, Catherine was among 343 women who risked prosecution for signing the “Manifesto of the 343”, also called the “the 343 sluts”. The document stated, “I declare that I am one of them. I declare that I have had an abortion.” back when abortions were illegal in France. The point was to change laws to allow abortion to be legal.
6) She was Yves Saint Laurent’s muse and he designed costumes for some of her films including “Belle de Jour” and “The Hunger”
7) She was married to photographer David Bailey, but since the divorce feels that marriage is unnecessary
8) Said she was once in a relationship where she felt like a trapped trophy wife
9) She worked in both art house and box office hit films
10) 1964’s “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” is considered to be the film that catapulted her into stardom
Rekha
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“ Bombay was like a jungle, and I had walked in unarmed. It was one of the most frightening phases of my life... I was totally ignorant of the ways of this new world. Guys did try and take advantage of my vulnerability. I did feel, "What am I doing? I should be in school, having an ice-cream, fun with my friends, why am I even forced to work, deprived of normal things that a child should be doing at my age?" Every single day I cried, because I had to eat what I didn't like, wear crazy clothes with sequins and stuff poking into my body. Costume, jewelry would give me an absolute terrible allergy. Hair spray wouldn't go off for days even despite all my washing. I was pushed, literally dragged from one studio to another. A terrible thing to do to a 13-year-old child.”
Rekha became a huge Bollywood star through her determination and extreme makeover. She cultivated herself into a glamorous and mysterious image in the industry’s history. Even though her personal life had a lot of controversy, she never backed away from taking risks on screen.
1) Rekha’s parents were both famous actors
2) Rekha’s parents weren’t married when she born and her father denied his paternity which haunted Rekha through the years. Her father later tried to reconcile, but Rekha ignored him.
3) As a child actress she was told she was too dark, overweight, and unkempt
4) In 1966, her first film debut was in “Rangula Ratnam”
5) She was rumored to be the mistress of Amitabh Bachchan. Because of that she is a “persona non grata” to the older members of the Bachchan family. They’ve taken to not acknowledging her in public.
6) She won a national award for the film “Umrao Jaan”
7) She allegedly had a sultry relationship with Vinod Khanna, but it ended because his mother didn’t approve
8) Rekha was considered to be Bollywood’s first superstar during a time when women were just love interests of male heroes.
9) She follows her own style of life she calls “Rekha-ism”. Which she remains as private as possible and not to announce every little thing to the media or post on twitter.
10) She was only married once to businessman Mukesh Aggarwal. After many attempts, he was able to commit suicide and Rekha was blamed for his death because of her rumored affair with Amitabh. She never married again after her husband’s death.
Both these women worked hard for their place in the film industry and have made such an impact they became part of the "classics".
SOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCE
Catherine Deneuve
“A woman has to be intelligent, have charm, a sense of humor, and be kind. It's the same qualities I require from a man.”
Catherine Deneuve is a notable French actress who was so popular she became a favorite of many popular directors. She was most known for her aloof and sexual characters. She became a huge icon in French pop culture and also famous internationally for her Chanel ads.
1) Catherine’s parents were both stage actors
2) Catherine’s sister, Françoise Dorléac, perished in a car accident
3) In 1957, she had her first film debut in “Les Collégiennes”
4) Her image was used for “Marianne”, the national symbol of the French Republic
5) In 1971, Catherine was among 343 women who risked prosecution for signing the “Manifesto of the 343”, also called the “the 343 sluts”. The document stated, “I declare that I am one of them. I declare that I have had an abortion.” back when abortions were illegal in France. The point was to change laws to allow abortion to be legal.
6) She was Yves Saint Laurent’s muse and he designed costumes for some of her films including “Belle de Jour” and “The Hunger”
7) She was married to photographer David Bailey, but since the divorce feels that marriage is unnecessary
8) Said she was once in a relationship where she felt like a trapped trophy wife
9) She worked in both art house and box office hit films
10) 1964’s “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” is considered to be the film that catapulted her into stardom
Rekha
“ Bombay was like a jungle, and I had walked in unarmed. It was one of the most frightening phases of my life... I was totally ignorant of the ways of this new world. Guys did try and take advantage of my vulnerability. I did feel, "What am I doing? I should be in school, having an ice-cream, fun with my friends, why am I even forced to work, deprived of normal things that a child should be doing at my age?" Every single day I cried, because I had to eat what I didn't like, wear crazy clothes with sequins and stuff poking into my body. Costume, jewelry would give me an absolute terrible allergy. Hair spray wouldn't go off for days even despite all my washing. I was pushed, literally dragged from one studio to another. A terrible thing to do to a 13-year-old child.”
Rekha became a huge Bollywood star through her determination and extreme makeover. She cultivated herself into a glamorous and mysterious image in the industry’s history. Even though her personal life had a lot of controversy, she never backed away from taking risks on screen.
1) Rekha’s parents were both famous actors
2) Rekha’s parents weren’t married when she born and her father denied his paternity which haunted Rekha through the years. Her father later tried to reconcile, but Rekha ignored him.
3) As a child actress she was told she was too dark, overweight, and unkempt
4) In 1966, her first film debut was in “Rangula Ratnam”
5) She was rumored to be the mistress of Amitabh Bachchan. Because of that she is a “persona non grata” to the older members of the Bachchan family. They’ve taken to not acknowledging her in public.
6) She won a national award for the film “Umrao Jaan”
7) She allegedly had a sultry relationship with Vinod Khanna, but it ended because his mother didn’t approve
8) Rekha was considered to be Bollywood’s first superstar during a time when women were just love interests of male heroes.
9) She follows her own style of life she calls “Rekha-ism”. Which she remains as private as possible and not to announce every little thing to the media or post on twitter.
10) She was only married once to businessman Mukesh Aggarwal. After many attempts, he was able to commit suicide and Rekha was blamed for his death because of her rumored affair with Amitabh. She never married again after her husband’s death.
Both these women worked hard for their place in the film industry and have made such an impact they became part of the "classics".
SOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCE