10 Best Actresses from Other Countries

Lights. Camera. Action! These are the words heard so often by actors trying to make their cinematic mark in Hollywood. Good directors make movie classics and ten of the world's best actresses have performed unforgettable roles on the big screen. Let's take a look at ten actresses who are some of America's best imports in the entertainment world.

Cate Blanchett- The first thing that comes to mind is her fine performance as Queen Elizabeth in "Elizabeth." Dazzling! An Aussie from Melbourne, this very versatile actress made her 1997 film debut in "Paradise Road." The following year she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama and was nominated for an Oscar, but lost to Gwyneth Paltrow. She gave a nice performance as the Elf Queen (she can really play queens!) Galadriel in "Lord of the Rings."

Keisha Castle-Hughes- This actress received an Oscar nomination at 13 years old! She became the youngest actress ever to be nominated in a lead role for portrayal of a girl who bends tradition in "Whale Rider," an indie hit. Now, she's back in Hollywood trying to relaunch her adult career. Coming along with her from New Zeland : her fiancé and baby.

Kate Winslet- I just have one word to say: "Titanic." Along with Leonardo DiCaprio, they immortalized this movie! Born October 5, 1975, in the UK, Kate comes from an acting family and was destined to be a star. This daughter of stage actors got her first gig at 11 years old in a cereal commercial. And her first big Oscar nomination in 1995 for the movie "Sense and Sensibility." In 1997, she filmed "Titanic," which won all kinds of awards. She teamed up once again with Leonardo in 2008 to make " Revolutionary Road," directed by her hubby, Sam Mendes. In the same year, Kate filmed "The Reader" and finally won the Oscar for Best Actress. She is an amazing actor with a lot of great films.

Penélope Cruz- Sizzling and sultry, this Spaniard from Madrid has been named "The Sexiest Woman in the World." Her star began to rise when she formed a partnership with famed moviemaker Pedro Almodóvar. In her native country, she won a Best Actress Goya Award for the movie"La niña de tus ojos." Ex-girlfriend of Tom Cruise, she has won numerous honors by magazines such as People, Maxim, and Stuff's, to name a few. In 2008, she won an Academy Award for her flick "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." It is confirmed that she is now pregnant by her boyfriend, Javier Bardem.

Salma Hayek- Salma was born September 2, 1966 to a well-to-do Lebanese-Mexican business man and his Mexican opera-singing wife in Veracruz, México. Her big break into stardom came with the cult-classic pic "Desperado," starring Antonio Banderas; her first-name billing in 1997 with "Fools Rush In." Hayek tried her hand at producing with the biopic drama "Frida" in 2002. Alfred Molina played her cheating artist- husband, Diego Rivera. This beautiful and talented actress is the first Latin American to get a nod from Oscar for Best Actress.

Nicole Kidman- Her first love was ballet, but she received her first movie role at 16 in an Australian holiday favorite, "Bush Christmas." Yes, this Hawaiian-born Aussie has a string of hit films to her credit, numerous awards, accolades, and magazine covers. You may remember her in her first big US hit, "Days of Thunder," opposite "ex" Tom Cruise. Now the wife of country singer Keith Urban, she is the first Australian actress to win a Best Actress Academy Award. Her latest movie: check out "Nine."

Ziyi Zhang- America got a glimpse of this beauty in the Jackie Chan movie, "Rush Hour 2," her first American flick. The former Maybelline spokesmodel was named one of the "100 Most Beautiful People" by People magazine. She hails from Beijing, China, where she was voted the 2nd most popular celebrity in China, after Yao Ming. Her performances in "Crouching Tiger" and "Memoirs of a Geisha" are fantastic and hopefully, we will be seeing more of this Chinese star.

Keira Knightly- This beautiful Brit got her American film break in one of my favorite movies, a cult-classic, "Star Wars: Episode 1- The Phantom Menace." Keira's star has been rising ever since with such films like: 2002's "Bend It Like Beckham" and "Pirates of the Caribbean-The Curse of the Black Pearl," playing opposite acting sensation Johnny Depp. 2005 brought a Golden Globe nomination for a great performance in "Pride and Prejudice." She got the nod from Oscar, as well, becoming the youngest contender for Best Actress, but lost to Reese Witherspoon. Keira will reprise the role of Eliza Doolittle in a new production of "My Fair Lady," due out in 2010.

Naomi Watts- Naomi has been working in the entertainment industry for over 15 years. Born in Shoreham, England, but raised in Australia, this dual-citizen's break-through film happened in 2001 with the hit "Mulholland Drive." It was a brilliant performance as Betty Elms/Diane Selwyn, in dual roles. In 2002 came another movie,"The Ring." 2003 she landed an Oscar nomination for "21 Grams." And she played Ann Darrow in "King Kong." One of her latest productions is an action-thriller, filmed in 2009, "The International." Friends with Nicole Kidman, she has a child with actor Liev Schreiber.

Marion Cotillard- Daughter of French actor Jean-Claude Cotillard, Paris native Marie is one of the most celebrated French actresses world-wide. Her stunning portrayal of Édith Piaf in "La vie en Rose," won her an Academy Award for Best Actress. Marie honed her acting skills starring in her dad's plays. Multi-talented, she did most of her own singing in the Piaf film and is now featured in another musical with an all-star cast in the new movie "Nine."

Ten talented imports that shine, these accomplished actresses have earned their mark and Hollywood fame. Their performances are moving and entertaining, and they leave us with films we can watch again and again. Films that affect us, films that stand the test of time. See you at the movies!