After her film debut in the mid-1960s in England, the British actress Charlotte Rampling took on new acting challenges throughout Europe. She worked in Italy for directors such as Luchino Visconti ("The Damned," 1969), but regularly returned to her homeland as well. In 1974, she starred alongside Sean Connery in the science-fiction movie "Zardoz," pictured here.

In the art-house film "The Night Porter" (1974) by Liliana Cavani, Rampling depicted a former concentration camp prisoner who had an ambiguous sadomasochistic relationship with a Nazi officer (Dirk Bogarde). Because of its setting and sexual nature, the film was very controversial when it came out and was banned in different countries. It also made Charlotte Rampling world famous.

She was also cast in US productions in the following years. In "Farewell, My Lovely" (1975), a crime story based a novel by Raymond Chandler, she starred along with Robert Mitchum, who played detective Marlowe. The film paid homage to film noir - a genre that highlighted Rampling's mysterious beauty.

In the 70s, Charlotte Rampling was a major star in Europe. The debut film of the famous French theater director Patrice Chéreau, "The Flesh of the Orchid" is typical of that decade: strange and colorful, mysterious and filled with symbolism.

One of Charlotte Rampling's most beautiful roles in those years was alongside Woody Allen in his film "Stardust Memories" (1980). In this movie, the British actress played the role of the neurotic ex-lover of a successful filmmaker facing existential questions.

Before her career started slowing down due to health reasons towards the end of the 80s and into the 90s, she offered another classic performance in Alan Parker's mystery horror thriller "Angel Heart" (1987), also starring along Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro.

The French director François Ozon launched Charlotte Rampling's "second career" by casting her in his film "Under the Sand" (2000), in which she depicted a middle-aged woman whose husband suddenly disappeared during their holidays.

The actress became a muse for François Ozon, who also cast her in his erotic thriller "Swimming Pool" (2003). A British crime novelist (Rampling) is confronted with writer's block when a younger woman (Ludivine Sagnier) shows up in the summer house in southern France where she planned to work.

The actress, who can work in French, English and Italian, had another memorable performance in the French film "Heading South" (2005) by Laurent Cantet. This story of a woman searching for her identity explores a taboo topic: sex tourism for women. Once again, Charlotte Rampling was a perfect fit for such a role.

Her performance in this film established a new peak in Charlotte Rampling's "second career." She plays an older woman whose marriage goes through a crisis after 45 years. She won Best Actress at the Berlinale and the European Film Award last year, and she is now among the contenders for the Oscars on February 28.