Rossy de Palma

It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and no actress proves that truism more than Rossy de Palma. She is called beautiful by some, others are less kind; but everyone can agree that the looks of the Spanish actress are unique. Her unusual appearance has made her a star of dramatic comedies and a favorite of Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar. De Palma appears in many Almodóvar films, perhaps as much for her stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks face as for her acting abilities. She seems perfectly suited for the Spanish director's satiric but fond character studies of women and the predicaments in which they find themselves. The stories focus on love with a twist: romantic triangles, if not quadrangles, same-sex relationships, transvestite relationships, incest, adultery, dishonesty, impecuniousness, falls from grace, betrayal -- in short, life. De Palma's role in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) is typical of her performances in Almodóvar vehicles. She lights up the screen from the moment she steps through the door of Carmen Maura's apartment with her boyfriend, Antonio Banderas, in his first screen role. Whether asking deadpan questions, or fainting in a drug-induced swoon, the stunning Rossy de Palma is a comedic delight. Other Almodóvar films in which de Palma appears include The Law of Desire (1986); Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990); Kika (1993); and The Flower of My Secret (1995). De Palma also made a big splash in Antonio Mercero's Don Juan, My Love. The 1990 Spanish film is a hilarious comedy about the ghost of Don Juan, who de Palma finds out is not all he seems to be -- all set to flamenco music. Robert Altman put the actress' exotic looks to good use as a model in his sardonic visit to the world of high fashion, Ready to Wear, in 1994. De Palma released two films in 1998: Talk of Angels, an American film by director Nick Hamm, set in turn-of-the-last-century Spain, and Foul Play, a French film from director Karim Dridi that walks the thin line between fantasy and reality. De Palma stars as Concepcion, a woman very much like herself: unforgettable.