The actress lived a pretty wild existence for the time: a Midwestern girl-next-door who struck gold when cast in 1957's Saint Joan, she was soon adopted by the French film scene, becoming one of their most treasured expats. Her later life was defined by FBI intimidation and harassment as a retaliation to her political activism, with counter-intelligence agencies spreading vicious rumours that aimed to destroy her career and tarnish her name in a volatile and segregated America.