She couldn't have been more different than the all-American blondes who were landing magazine covers and ad campaigns in the late sixties. But all it took was one meeting with Vogue's Diana Vreeland, and Anjelica Huston, daughter of Hollywood legend John Huston (himself son of revered character actor Walter), was off to Ireland for a Richard Avedon shoot. In Britain, the long-limbed 17-year-old's dark, moody look made her a favorite of lensman David Bailey. And when she moved to L.A. after five years as a model, her raven locks and "conflicting jutting bones," as she once described her own features, worked their magic on Tinseltown's then-reigning Lothario, Jack Nicholson. They were a couple for 16 years and appeared together onscreen in 1985's Prizzi's Honor. Huston played the sly, vengeful girlfriend of Nicholson's hit man and made history when she nabbed an Oscar for the part, becoming the Academy's first third-generation winner. This year, she's been nominated for a Golden Globe for her supporting role in HBO's suffragette film Iron Jawed Angels. It's a fitting description for the actress-turned-director whose third film about a strong-willed woman, Riding the Bus With My Sister, airs on CBS this spring.

—Nicole Phelps