She was seen in exactly eight films, but gorgeous Carole Gray still left quite an impression on horror movie fans. In fact, she could’ve become quite the British Scream Queen, if her career had been longer. I just saw her in Curse of the Fly and can only recommend a viewing of this movie, if only for its credits sequence, where Carole is seen only in her underwear escaping from a mental institution! This scene reminds us that more than her eyes and cheekbones were close to perfection.

She was born in 1940 in South Africa and made her movie debut in 1961 for The Young Ones, a musical starring Cliff Richard. Carole is mainly known for some other fantasy motion pictures, including Devils of Darkness, Island of Terror and The Brides of Fu Manchu. After an uncredited role as ‘Chorus Girl’ in 1969’s Oh! What a Lovely War, she disappeared from the screen, being married to Douglas Cullinan, grandson of the original owner of the Cullinen Diamond, the largest uncut diamond in the world. Shine on you…

It would’ve been nice to witness Carole Gray play bad girls, as there was sometimes a little disturbing edge in her gaze. The recent DVD release of the original The Fly trilogy and MGM’s ‘Midnight Movies’ double-bill of Devils of Darkness/Witchcraft is a great start to get (re)acquainted with a memorable actress.

I’ve just seen The Fly this past weekend and boy I had great fun revisiting this classic, now newly available with its two follow-ups, Return of the Fly and Curse of the Fly. Of course, it’s incredibly corny now and quite ridiculous, but I understand how this must have felt for a 1958 audience eager for thrills and scientific mumbo-jumbo. Some scenes of pathos just seem to still work, even in all this craziness. Vincent Price and Herbert Marshall were already seasoned performers, but the weight of the movie entirely lands on the beautiful shoulders of Patricia Owens, as the bewildered wife. If her character didn’t get our sympathy right away, the film would have never worked.

Born in Golden, British Colombia, Canada, on January 17th, 1925, Patricia followed her family in 1933 when they all moved to England. It was ten years later that the gorgeous redhead made her film debut in the British production Miss London Ltd., a musical. For the following years, she acted in increasingly larger movie parts until the time she was spotted in the mid-fifties by a 20th Century Fox executive as she was doing theater work. This resulted in a screen test and a contract with the studio. Patricia moved to Hollywood and was busy right away, having four film projects in 1957, including Sayonara alongside Marlon Brando.

The next year, she got the role that would make her an immortal icon, that of Helene Delambre in The Fly, concerned housewife of a scientist trying to make his teleportation machine work. Let’s just say that there are complications. The scene where the husband is unmasked is still a horror movie classic, as when can share the mutated creature’s point of view in observing his unfortunate hysterical wife. Patricia was then mostly seen on television series and B-westerns, her last appearance being in 1968 for a Lassie episode. It seems that she was married three times. She passed away on August 31, 2000 in California, an interesting talent waiting to be rediscovered.

Considered by many to be one of Bollywood’s greatest sex-symbol (if not THE greatest), Zeenat Aman was also a trend-breaker, agreeing to play unconventional characters in the conservative Hindi film industry.

She was born to a Hindu mother and a Muslim father on November 19th, 1951, in Germany. After studying in Bombay and Los Angeles, Zeenat won quite a few beauty pageants (let’s mention Miss India and Miss Asia both in 1971), worked as a journalist for Femina magazine and also as a model. Then came her film debut, with a couple of cameo appearances. People took notice of her in Hare Ram Hare Krishna, where she played a junkie hippie, a most unusual role at the time for a woman in the industry, with actresses mostly being confined in obedient or decorative roles. A Best Supporting Actress title was graced for her at the Filmfare Award and a BFJA Award for Best Actress, as she had completely eclipsed established movie queen Mumtaz. Sultry was the best word to describe Zeenat, so her career took off with that kind of rebellious image, to the delight of audiences, who could finally accept an actress playing more or less “not so pure” characters or that could display a little more flesh on camera.

Zeenat also dressed in a more modern way, revolutionizing the portrayal of Hindi actresses, as she wasn’t afraid to crop her hair in untraditional manner for example. Consider that she once played a character that contemplated abortion and still won the audience’s sympathy, which was close to a miracle in India at the time. Same thing with playing a rape victim or giving the first kiss on the mouth of a leading actor in an Indian big screen, all colossal feats in Bollywood. Being a young actor and starting out alongside Zeenat was also considered good fortune.

After a brief and tumultuous marriage in 1980 with Sanjay Khan, Zeenat wed actor Mazhar Khan in 1985 and they had two sons, Azhar and Azaan, as she took a temporary break from the film world. Mazhar was diagnosed with liver dysfunction and all the couple’s savings went for treatments. He finally lost his battle in 1998, shortly after their divorce, which resulted in Zeenat’s in-laws engaging her in battle for the custody of her sons. Her mom also passed away as these were the most difficult and bitter of times. Still, she regained her fans’ favor when all the unpleasantness was washed away.

A real legend, Zeenat Aman still pops up from time to time on screen, with an American upcoming project entitled Geeta in Paradise. Everyone should bow down because she is an important figure in modern cinema.