Elizabeth McGovern in Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

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When renowned spaghetti westerner Sergio Leone set his sights on creating an epic tale chronicling the rise of organized crime in the United States, America’s top actors rushed to sign on for the project. Robert De Niro and James Woods both lend their considerable talents to the exhaustive dramatization of crime and consequence that is Once Upon a Time in America (1984). Aside from these compelling masculine presences, Italian director Leone also picked from the cream of comely Stateside actresses, including tall, dark Jennifer Connelly and cherub-faced Elizabeth McGovern. Leone also commanded complete creative control, which accounts for Once Upon a Time’s nearly four-hour running time and the flash of fur cracked by Elizabeth McGovern while enduring unbidden sexual advances from Robert De Niro.