Marina Berti

Biography: Marina Berti was a popular bilingual Italian starlet whose English skills enabled her to appear in numerous stateside films, including Ben-Hur (1959) and Cleopatra (1963). Her popularity soared in the 1940s and '50s, though she would remain active onscreen through the early '90s. Born in London in 1924, Berti made her uncredited film debut in 1941's La Fuggitiva. Although she would eventually appear in nearly 100 films, her popularity never took off in the U.S. Marina Berti died October 29, 2002, in Rome following an extended illness. She was 78.