Actor: Marlene Dietrich

Marlene Dietrich made seven films with Josef von Sternberg, beginning with The Blue Angel, and the collaboration constructed a screen image built on lighting, ambiguity and a refusal to seem to want anything.

She took American citizenship, refused Nazi offers to return to Germany, and performed for Allied troops throughout the war, which made her a controversial figure at home for decades afterward. Witness for the Prosecution and Touch of Evil are the late performances worth seeking.