At 75, Charlotte Rampling appears to be busier than ever. In recent months, film fans have seen her in Benedetta, a typically provocative movie from Basic Instinct director Paul Verhoeven, and the hit sci-fi blockbuster Dune. Now comes Last Words, a sweet-looking film from New Zealand co-starring Nick Nolte that opens in select theaters today (December 17). To celebrate Rampling’s purple patch, we’re making her our British Icon of the Week and rounding up just 10 of the things we admire about her.
1. She’s worked extensively in French and Italian cinema, as well as more selectively in the U.S. and U.K.
Rampling is particularly popular in France, where she has lived since the late 1970s. In 2002, she received a Légion d’Honneur award from the French government, and she also has an honorary César Award – the highest prize in French film.
2. She's upfront about why she's made relatively few mainstream Hollywood movies. 
"Let's use a nice old English expression: it just wasn’t my cup of tea," she told The Guardian earlier this year. "I wanted to go into the auteur and European world of the semi-darkness."
3. Though she does appear in Denis Villeneuve's Dune, which has grossed $390 million globally since opening in October.
You can watch Rampling discuss her role as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam in this charming video interview, which also gives us a glimpse of her chic Paris apartment.4. She appeared opposite Ben Whishaw in BBC America's acclaimed 2015 series London Spy.
Rampling is perfectly cast as Frances Turner, the formidable mother of the title character, an MI6 agent who died in unexplained circumstances. In this behind-the-scenes video, Rampling describes her character as "very enigmatic" and "very commanding," a description we definitely agree with.5. She's become known as a muse of revered French director François Ozon.
Their most famous collaboration is probably 2003's Swimming Pool, in which Rampling plays Sarah Morton, a crime novelist whose quiet working holiday is interrupted by a grisly real-life crime. Rampling was nominated for Best Actress at the César Awards for her performance. 6. She earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in the 2015 romantic drama movie 45 Years.
Rampling is quietly devastating as Kate, a woman whose seemingly happy marriage to Geoff (Tom Courtenay) is rocked when the body of his first love is discovered many decades after she disappeared. Rampling also won the Best Actress prize at the Berlin Film Festival for her hauntingly honest performance.7. She has made consistently daring career choices.
At this point, it’s hard not to mention her 1974 movie The Night Porter, a cult classic, which is notorious for exploring the dark side of sexuality within a story set during the Holocaust. The Criterion Collection calls it a "provocative and problematic film" involving "compelling characters," and it's definitely one of Rampling's signature roles.8. She has a clear stance on cosmetic surgery.
"I’d rather not tamper with nature. I think it’s more frightening to tamper with time and nature than to have plastic surgery," Rampling told The Talks. "If you will allow yourself that luxury to be old – to be maybe ugly, to be more unattractive, to be less desirable, all that – if you allow yourself as an actor to be that at certain times, you’ll find that the rewards are extraordinary."
9. She's supremely gracious.
When she received a Lifetime Achievement prize at the European Film Awards earlier this year, Rampling spoke eloquently about leaving England to embrace all the "mélange" and "diversity" that Europe has to offer. It's stirring stuff.10. She's been described by Vogue as an "icon of classic French style."
“You either have it or you don’t, I’m sorry to say," Ramping told The Guardian. “Everybody can look good and get clothes that are working. But it’s like the old ‘It factor’, when the moguls were choosing women to be stars and had them all lined up in their little bikinis, all dressed the same, and there’d just be one that had it. I don’t know what it is. Sometimes I’ve still got it.”
Do you have a favorite Charlotte Rampling performance?