Nina Foch

Tall, blonde B-film lead of the 1940s turned character actress from the 1950s on, most typically as cool, aloof women whose surface sophistication only thinly masks their insecurity. Foch made a good impression as one of Bela Lugosi's victims in the enjoyable "Return of the Vampire" (1943) and played another victimized heroine in cult director Joseph H. Lewis's unnerving Gothic noir, "My Name Is Julia Ross" (1945). Foch is perhaps best known for her striking performance as Milo ("as in Venus de"), the wealthy arts patron who attempts to snare painter Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly) with her money in Vincente Minnelli's Oscar-winning "An American in Paris" (1951). She was also quite fine in her Oscar-nominated turn as the loyal secretary in the all-star "Executive Suite" (1954) and as one of the fleeing Israelites in Cecil B. DeMille's holiday favorite, "The Ten Commandments" (1956).

Extremely active on TV from the late 1940s on, Foch appeared in many of the live anthology dramas of the 1950s as well as several quiz and news programs. Increased theatre work, some of it in administrative and directing capacities, took up the slack in her film career in the 1960s. She also began teaching film and drama at both USC and the American Film Institute. An Emmy nominee for a guest stint on "Lou Grant," Foch has also graced periodic TV and feature films in more recent years, including "Mahogany" (1975), "Rich and Famous" (1981) and "Sliver" (1993).