She is one of the most important French film actresses of our time. Born in Paris in 1943, it was the film "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" that made her famous at the tender age of 21. The woman with the flawless appearance and cool expression played in films by renowned directors such as Roman Polanski, Francois Truffaut or Luis Bunuel.

She seems unapproachable and distant. Just a facade? One who should know is director Michael Haneke (pictured left). Huppert is his favorite actress; their latest collaboration was on the drama "Happy End." The exceptional actress became famous with films like "The Lacemaker," "Madame Bovary" and "The Piano Teacher."

She shot films with almost every famous director. Moreau starred in very influential films such as "Elevator to the Gallows," "Jules et Jim" or "The Lovers." In 1965 her striptease with Brigitte Bardot in the revolutionary comedy "Viva Maria!" caused a real scandal. The legendary actress died in July 2017.

Speaking of Brigitte Bardot... She should not be missing from this list, of course. In the 1960s she became an erotic icon as an actress, singer and model. She made film history through her role in "Contempt" by Jean-Luc Godard from 1963. Here she's lounging with Maurice Ronet in "Les Femmes."

In the 1980s she became a star and was the crush of many teenage boys after playing in "La Boum." After part two, the then 16-year-old got out of the contract so she wouldn't have to shoot a third part. Through the erotic drama "Descent Into Hell" she proved she was not an innocent teenager anymore. Here she is seen as a Bond girl in "The World Is Not Enough."

Fanny Ardant, Francois Truffaut's last muse and companion, is one of the most popular actresses on the screen and on stage in her home country. Director Truffaut discovered Ardant in a TV series and wanted to get to know her. A lunch with him and Gerard Depardieu followed. In 1981 she had her breakthrough in the "The Woman Next Door."

She celebrated her first major success at the Comedie Francaise, but it was Truffaut's "The Story of Adele H." that made her famous as a film actress. By working with many renowned directors she soon became one of the sought after cinema names in Europe — and her image changed from comedy actress to femme fatale.

From a very young age, the daughter of a theater director and an actress was present on stages and celebrated her film debut at 18. It did not take long for Hollywood to take note. In 1996, she won an Oscar for best supporting actress in "The English Patient." Binoche is considered to be very headstrong: She refused a role in the blockbuster "Jurassic Park."

She is one of the divas of the new generation: Audrey Tautou. She couldn't completely rid herself of the image of the strange but lovable Amelie Poulain. The movie "Amelie" helped her with her breakthrough as an actress and she later starred in several other successful films. Tautou created a buzz internationally by playing alongside Tom Hanks in "The Da Vinci Code."

The daughter of Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg created a stir in Lars von Trier's "Nymphomanic." The film shows a woman who experiments with her sexuality in all kinds of ways. It is not Gainsbourg's first appearance in a daring role. The film "Antichrist" (pictured), also directed by von Trier, gained a reputation as a scandalous film.

Long before her highly debated death scene in "Batman — The Dark Knight Rises" the beautiful Marion Cotillard was talked about. In 2011 she was named the best-paid French actress. Cotillard has shown that she can be very versatile — particularly in her role as Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose," for which she won an Oscar in 2008.

Seydoux is another French actress who became a Bond girl (here with Christoph Waltz in "Spectre"). She first became famous with "Blue Is the Warmest Color" — a film that both fascinated and shocked critics and audiences, particularly with its seven-minute lesbian sex scene. Together with co-star Adele Exarchopoulos and director Abdellatif Kechiche, Seydoux received the Golden Palm in 2013.

Audiences and press alike loved her. The Italian actress, born just outside Rome in 1927, became one of the biggest names in European film during the 1950s and '60s. Widely known as "La Lollo," she managed to celebrate success in Hollywood as well. Lollobrigida retired from acting in the early 1970s after more than 25 years in the biz.

Lollobrigida didn't lack for competition, with Sophia Loren's career taking off right about the same time. Six years her junior, Loren reveled in and milked her status as a sex symbol, further fueling the feud between the two actresses. Loren continued to be active as an actress for many years and still seems to enjoy the attention.

Another actress soon joined the ranks of the busty Italians leading the way in European cinema. Claudia Cardinale featured in a number of outstanding roles directed by some of Europe's greatest directors, such as Luchino Visconti or Federico Fellini. The talented brunette managed to highlight her charms as well as her daring side in Western classics like "Once Upon a Time in the West" (1968).

In neighboring France, another sex bomb was advancing to new heights in film. Brigitte Bardot showcased the best of La Republique Francaise starring in such unforgettable movies as "And God Created Woman" (1956) and "Love Is My Profession" (1958). Bardot also retired from acting in the 1970s and turned her focus to animal welfare.

By the 1960s, Bardot's compatriot Catherine Deneuve started to attract a following in her own right. Her parts, however, were more subdued than those of the ladies who predated her, not exclusively pandering to male fantasies but bringing cinema into an age of complex roles. Her talent for acting has allowed Deneuve to continue featuring prominently in films to this day.

The 1960s and '70s were Romy Schneider's golden era. Born in Vienna, the actress achieved her breakthrough in Germany in the role of "Sissi" in 1955. She later moved to France where she became one of the most charismatic and outstanding performers of European film. But her private life was anything but happy. In 1982, Schneider died under tragic circumstances.

Actresses from smaller European nations were also able to conquer the hearts of audiences across the continent in the decades after World War II. Among them was Irene Papas. The Greek actress, also venerated as a great singer in her home country, achieved her biggest international success in 1964 with "Zorba the Greek." Papas went on to perform in numerous European and Hollywood movies.

Naturally, most audiences in Western Europe focused on Italian, French, German and British films. Postwar female icons from Eastern European countries were almost entirely overlooked. The biggest star of Russian film was Tatiana Samoilova, who celebrated world success with "The Cranes Are Flying" in 1957.

Poland is the home country of several outstanding actresses who celebrated international success. In the 1970s, Krystyna Janda became famous for her performances in films directed by her countryman Andrzej Wajda, followed by international co-productions alongside stars like Lino Ventura (seen here in "Espion, leve-toi" in 1982). Back in Poland, Janda is also known as a singer and author.

One of the biggest female stars of the European continent hails from Spain. Born in 1974, Penelope Cruz became a star in her home country before achieving fame in Europe and Hollywood. She has given a number of brilliant performances, especially when working with one of her favorite directors, Pedro Almodovar - like here in "Volver" in 2006.