Claudia Cardinale – 84Claudia Cardinale is an Italian-Tunisian actress who rose to stardom when she took a trip to Italy as a prize for winning a beauty contest in Tunisia. She was instantly sought after for film roles. One, in particular, was an Italian-American collaboration, Once Upon a Time in the West, which catapulted her into stardom in the American scene. Born and raised in La Goulette, Tunisia, the actress didn’t know how to speak Italian until she was given the chance to work in the Italian movie industry. But before becoming a superstar who worked side by side with big names such as Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, and Jason Robards, she was mentored by Franco Cristaldi who launched her career by putting her in the sights of many directors.
Samuel Dietz/WireImage / Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Needless to say, it marked the beginning of her acting career. Her debut film was entitled Goha. While most of her films were released in Europe, she became known in other parts of the world for her brilliant performances. Even though she chose not to enter Hollywood, she had managed to earn $10 million. She is now in her 80s, quietly enjoying life away from the paparazzi.Katharine Ross – 82Katharine Ross is an award-winning American actress who is best known for her performances in The Graduate, The Stepford Wives, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Voyage of the Damned. She was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 on January 29, 1940, in Hollywood, California. Perhaps being close to the home of celebrities had sparked her interest in acting or maybe it was the production of The King and I that sparked her curiosity. Whatever it was, she was fascinated by the craft and accepted jobs that were connected to show business. After working for The Actor’s Workshop, she officially started working as a professional actress in 1962.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Sundance Film Festival / Harry Dempster/Daily Express/Getty Images Katharine Ross’s acting s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s were recognized by the BAFTA Awards. She was chosen as the Best Actress for her film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Although her married life was not as successful as her acting career, the 81-year-old still proves that nothing and no one can bring her down or tell her how to lead her life. After all, she has $5 million in her bank account.Honor Blackman – 94 (Passed)Honor Blackman enjoyed a great career in the entertainment industry for almost six decades. On her sixteenth 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day, she made a decision that set off her career. As a gift, her father offered her a choice between a bicycle and elocution classes. With the life she led afterward, it is clear that she had gone for the latter. Honor’s teacher helped her discover her inner talents and had introduced her to the world of theater and poetry. She was then enrolled by her father in the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Possessing a natural talent made even stronger by her inspirational teachers and music mentors, it is not surprising that Honor never had trouble securing a job in the business.
Danny Martindale/WireImage / Avalon/Getty Images While she started out with non-speaking and smaller roles, it didn’t take long for her to win the lead ones. Honor Blackman became famous when she was cast to be a part of The Avengers, a popular British series. She also became a Bond Girl alongside Sean Connery. She continued to appear in films and television series. Before she officially gave up her profession, she had already secured $89 million for herself and her family. Sadly, Blackman passed away at the age of 94 while at her home in Lewes, Sus𝓈ℯ𝓍.Leonard Whiting – 72Leonard Whiting is an English singer and actor who became popular for his role as Romeo in the 1968 film, Romeo and Juliet. He was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 and raised in north London on June 30, 1950. As a kid, he had a modest upbringing. He was only 17 back then but his brilliant portrayal of Shakespeare’s timeless character had paved his way to stardom. The film was directed by Franco Zeffirelli. In the same year, he received a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year. Later on, he was given another breakthrough role. He played Victor Frankenstein in NBC’s Frankenstein: The True Story.
Tara Ziemba/WireImage / Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images While Whiting was offered a handful of projects after his recognition, nothing beats the success he had for Romeo and Juliet. Thinking that he had been typecast, he chose to become a writer in the latter part of his career. Today, he has $1 million and is living his life peacefully with his family.Kim Novak – 89Kim Novak was one of those celebrities who didn’t plan to rock Hollywood. Born on February 13, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois, all she ever cared about when she was growing up was to have a college degree. During a break from her university, Kim and some of her friends decided to take a trip to Los Angeles. She wasn’t taking it seriously when they decided to do some extra work on a film for fun. However, her outstanding beauty was spotted by an agent and it was the beginning of a brilliant career in Hollywood.
David Buchan/Getty Images / Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images Kim Novak officially started her acting career in 1954. Her debut appearance on TV was for Columbia Pictures. Despite being a newcomer, she was offered roles in films that starred huge names of that era. One of her highly regarded performances was the one she did in Hitchcock’s Vertigo. For a short while, starting in 1966, Novak had distanced herself from Hollywood, she had no interest in remaining in the spotlight. Unfortunately, the final straw was a giant mudslide that swept away her Bel-Air home and drained her life savings in bulldozing fees. She had some more small roles to recoup her savings, but her last role in 1991 left her completely burned out. She has not had an on-screen role since. Among other mishaps, in 2006 she fell from a horse and her injury ultimately led her to spend all of her time in recovery on her visual art. Upon retirement, she had an estimated net worth of $15 million.