Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile, is one of the most recognizable historical icons of all
time. But she's also one of Hollywood's most enduring characters, having been portrayed
in countless movies and TV shows over the years. These are the very best portrayals
of Cleopatra on screen ranked.
While Leonor Varela's name may not necessarily ring any bells, fans of the Blade trilogy
probably recognize her as Wesley Snipes' sworn enemy Nyssa, from Blade II. Playing the part
of a seductress was clearly no sweat for Varela, and in 1999, she snagged the titular role
in Cleopatra, a three-hour mini-series which was eventually nominated for four Primetime
Emmy Awards. Critics were a little harsher, however, with The New York Times declaring:
"It's big, it's bad, it's Cleopatra! What else could anyone expect?"
As the outlet went on:
"This version strains so hard to make her an overachieving modern woman that she might
as well have a to-do list taped to her throne."
On the other hand, New York Magazine was slightly more forgiving to the $30 million production,
adding that:
"Half Chilean and half French, she's exotic enough not to need additives of kohl or lacquer.
Dark-eyed, olive-skinned, raven-haired, and lithe-limbed, not to mention imperial-pouty,
she’s a lot more Wild Thing than Pop Tart."
Nonetheless, Varela is living proof that looks aren't quite enough to get by as Queen of
the Nile.
Amanda Barrie took a more lighthearted approach to her turn as Cleopatra in 1964's Carry on
Cleo. As part of the notorious Carry On series, the movie takes a baudy, humorous approach
to Cleo's story in this case, Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. The movie is worth taking
a peek at, if anything because it reused the set and costumes from 1963's iconic Cleopatra
meaning that, if nothing else, the production values are surprisingly high.
Longtime British soap fans may recognize Barrie from Coronation Street, but the comedian first
catapulted into the spotlight thanks to the Carry On movies. So, what did the reviews
say? Across the pond, The New York Times dubbed it a "cheap travesty," adding that:
"It is burdened with some of the most atrocious gagged-up dialogue."
"I have a poisonous asp."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that."
But maybe you can chalk this review up to the English having a different sense of humor,
as The Guardian offered up some significant praise, writing:
"[Carry on Cleo] gets it right on the money when it comes to the sense of humor on the
Nile in the first century BC."
As for Barrie? There's no denying Carry on Cleo gave the actress some Tinseltown publicity,
with 1963's Cleopatra actor Richard Burton even once declaring:
"My God, the girl who plays Cleopatra in Carry On Cleo is sexier than [Elizabeth Taylor]."
Janet Suzman played Cleopatra in the Royal Shakespeare Company's TV movie, Antony and
Cleopatra, in 1974. The film was received well by the British Academy of Film and Television
Arts, earning director Jon Scoffield an award for Best Single Play, while Suzman herself
got a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress.
The star is truly mesmerizing to look at as the queen of the Nile and she was already
an acting heavyweight at the time, being described by The Guardian as one of the giants of the
British stage in the 60s and 70s. Suzman was even poised for Hollywood, for a while yet
never quite made it. Having starred in a plethora of Shakespearean roles throughout the '60s
and '70s, the actress nonetheless explained to the outlet that she believes Tinseltown
is too, quote, "conservative." Elaborating, Suzman explained:
"If you've worn a tiara, they are always looking for tiara parts for you."
It looks like playing Cleopatra really left a mark on Janet Suzman, too, as in 2011, she
decided to step back into the ruler's sandals this time as a director. Suzman directed Sex
and the City's Kim Cattrall as Cleopatra in an on-stage production of Antony and Cleopatra
at the Liverpool Playhouse.
In 1934, Claudette Colbert, one of the highest-paid stars of the 1930s, took on the titular role
in Cecil B. DeMille's epic, Cleopatra. By then, Colbert was already a sultry Hollywood
A-lister, so it made sense for her to take on the part of the extravagant Egyptian ruler.
It wasn't the first time Colbert had worked with the legendary DeMille, either. She also
starred as Poppaea, the Emperor Nero's wife, in the director's 1932 historical drama The
Sign of the Cross. Teaming up again for Cleopatra, DeMille's flick cost about a million dollars
to produce, employed 5,000 people, and was 14 months in the making. So, how was Colbert
in the role? Well, this version of Cleopatra displayed some seriously cool Depression-era
feminism, with Cinemagraphe writing:
"[This is] a gal who can take anything life throws at her, and whose own suicide is played
as a clever triumph over one more foolish Roman."
Nevertheless, the same year she wrapped up Cleopatra, Claudette Colbert decided she was
over being typecast as a Hollywood lush. When she starred in 1934's It Happened One Night,
the actress finally put her foot down. According to The New York Times, Colbert allegedly refused
to even partially undress for the camera, and demanded she be featured for her acting,
rather than her sex appeal.
Theda Bara's interpretation of the queen of the Nile in 1917's Cleopatra is truly haunting
if only because just a few seconds of it remain for viewing. And of all the early on-screen
depictions of Cleopatra, it's arguably Bara's whose fame still endures today. In 1936, the
legendary silent star mused on a radio show:
"Hollywood entertainment has certainly developed amazingly since I was making pictures. Before
pictures grew up and started to talk, we had to translate all emotion into pantomime [...] We
had to express jealousy, hatred, love, or devotion all in pantomime, and at the same
time, keep pace as the director guided us."
Talking specifically about her role in Cleopatra, Bara noted:
"We had no research department at the studio. I worked myself for months with a curator
of Egyptology at the Metropolitan Museum in New York."
Sure enough, Bara made a long-lasting impression on the cinematic world by starring as the
Egyptian ruler.
Italian bombshell Monica Bellucci decked herself out in the glitziest of costumes for 2002's
French flick, Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra. At the time of its release, the
movie was the most expensive European film of all time which, some outlets noted, was
readily apparent in the special effects and costumes. For Cleopatra herself, designers
Philippe Guillotel and Tanino Liberatore styled nine dresses, with the star of the show being
a stunning black gown adorned with 5,000 pearls.
However, as impressive as that black gown was, it wasn't what caught the eye of a French
waiter at the Cannes Film Festival in 2003. According to Reuters, a hotel worker ended
up stealing one of Bellucci's dresses, which had been on display at the Martinez Hotel.
The waiter later confessed to stealing the costume, having intended it to be a gift for
two girls he had met hours earlier.
While critics dubbed the movie amusing enough, it was the Italian actress who commanded all
the attention or as Variety kinda creepily put it:
"Monica Bellucci's asset-enhancing costumes afford some of the nicest views in the ancient
world."
Once Hollywood's "It" girl, thanks to her performance in 1939's Gone with the Wind,
Vivien Leigh had a whirlwind of a time filming 1945's Caesar and Cleopatra despite it being
a hugely over-the-top production that was fraught with problems.
The World War II-era production took over two years to complete and cost nearly £1.3
million making it the most expensive British film ever produced at the time. But money
wasn't the movie's only problem. Leigh herself was diagnosed with tuberculosis in her left
lung before filming began, and was even told to stop acting by her doctors. Nevertheless,
the actress took on the ambitious role. Further tragedy struck when she slipped and fell on
set, and suffered a miscarriage as a result. According to Harper's Bazaar:
"This sent her into a deep depression, and Leigh was so distraught that she would sometimes
fall into hysteric crying fits on the floor."
Along with Leigh's health problems, the set was also at risk of being hit by buzz-bombs
being dropped in the surrounding area as well as a number of weather issues. It was filmed
in England, after all.
As for the end result? Well, the film was a relative failure at the box office but Vivien
Leigh nonetheless captivated audiences with her portrayal as Cleopatra.
Before she became a silver screen icon, Sophia Loren starred as Cleopatra in the Italian
comedy, Two Nights with Cleopatra, in 1954. That same year, she took on yet another leading
role in The Gold of Naples, and the two films together quickly established her as one of
the up-and-coming stars of Italian cinema.
While the film itself didn't exactly garner overall positive reviews, it solidified Loren
as a bonafide international sex symbol. Interestingly enough, Two Nights with Cleopatra wouldn't
be released in America until the '60s, where audiences were drawn to see a then-18-year-old
Loren in one of her earliest roles, with one trailer calling her, quote, "The screen's
queen of romance."
Decades later, Loren's influence has still found its way into pop culture. In fact, per
People magazine, Kim Kardashian's now-famous "wet" 2019 Met Gala outfit is said to have
allegedly drawn inspiration from Loren's first American feature-film debut in Boy on a Dolphin.
Elizabeth Taylor is, without a doubt, the most famous on-screen Cleopatra. The most
expensive movie to date, 1963's Cleopatra took a little over $31 million, two directors,
two separate casts, and two and a half years of on-and-off filming in England, Italy, Egypt,
the US, and Spain to hit theaters and dazzle audiences around the world.
"You dare ask the pro consul of the Roman Empire…"
"I asked it of Julius Caesar. I demand it of you!"
Taylor's legendary 65 costume changes aside, it's her on-and-off-screen romance with Richard
Burton that ultimately captivated audiences as both actors were married to other partners
at the time. According to Biography:
"Sparks flew between them when they filmed a scene that required her to gaze into his
eyes, and an on-set kiss went on for far longer than the production required."
Their relationship was also volatile, however, to the point of violence. At one point, production
even stopped for Taylor to recover from two black eyes and a roughed-up nose. As Vanity
Fair writes:
"Never before [was a] celebrity scandal pushed so far into global consciousness."
After the movie's release, The New York Times wrote:
"Forget the fantastic sum that Cleopatra is reported to have cost. Forget the length of
time it took to make it and all the tattle of troubles they had, including the behavior
of two of its spotlighted stars. The memorable thing about this picture [...] is that it
is a surpassing entertainment, one of the great epic films of our day."
Even after so many centuries have passed, audiences haven't stopped flocking to the
story of Cleopatra. In fact, Hollywood's obsession with the queen of the Nile is so powerful
that actresses are still vying for a chance to portray her.
Case in point? In March 2019, a new, mysterious production of Cleopatra was posted on IMDb,
with its status still in pre-production. But who was to play Egypt's famous ruler? According
to rumors at the time, it was allegedly a toss-up between Angelina Jolie and Lady Gaga.
Soon enough, however, the truth was revealed, and in October 2020 it was revealed that Gal
Gadot will be starring in Cleopatra, with director Patty Jenkins taking the helm. The
pair had previously collaborated, of course, on Wonder Woman and its follow-up, Wonder
Woman 1984.
Unfortunately, Gadot's casting sparked some serious controversy, with critics accusing
the movie of cultural whitewashing. Instead, it has been suggested that an Arab or African
actress should take the role instead — which makes sense, as in 2009, the Austrian Academy
of Sciences discovered remains of what's thought to be Cleopatra's sister, which indicated
that she and her mother both had a, quote, "African skeleton." Whether anything changes,
however, or just how Gadot will tackle this iconic role has yet to be seen.
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