Killer Queens
CLEOPATRA in hieroglyphics
Carry on Cleo
Queen Cleopatra a fascinating historical character from North Africa, most often played by European/American actresses. That in itself says a lot. Cleo is clearly one of the most famous women ever yet the movies featuring her are a mixed bag. They have attracted some of the leading female actors, Taylor, Leigh, Belucci, Colbert and of course Amanda Barrie. Yet very few women of North African descent or of colour. Maybe one day there will be a film made about her that is on a level with Gladiator or Spartacus, with an actress who fits the part. You never know.
It's most likely that she looked more like this (Iman)
One of the myths that has grown out of the politically correct belief that all black history has been suppressed is that Cleopatra was a woman of colour. She was actually a greek, a member of the greek Ptolomaic family and even the fact that she spoke Egyptian and Greek seems to have been more of a political convenience than anything else - the Ptolomaics having refused to speak anything but Greek. Whether Cleo was a great beauty by todays reckoning seems somewhat in doubt if you look at her portrait on coins of her reign.
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