Eva MendesAge: 24 January 1961 , Berlin, Germany; Real name: Nastassja Nakszynski; Alternate Names: Anastasiya Kinski | Nastassia Kinski | Nastassja Nakszynski;    Kinski was the daughter of crazed German actor Klaus Kinski, whose intense performances in collaboration with director Werner Herzog were the stuff of legend, and Ruth Brigitte Tocki, a young shopgirl her father lavished with wealth and promises, only to make her a kept woman. Kinski's childhood was plagued by sadness over her father's controlling treatment of her mother, though some happy moments eked their way into her gloomy existence. When she was 10 years old, Kinki's father deserted her mother for another woman, leaving them to fend for themselves. In fact, she had little if any contact with Klaus up until his death from a heart attack in 1991. Meanwhile, Kinski lived hand-to-mouth with her mother, selling all their possessions and even living in a van. At 16 years old, Kinski created a touch of controversy with her appearance in the British horror thriller, "To the Devil, a Daughter" (1976), in which she appeared nude onscreen despite being a minor. While still underage, she came under the influence of director Roman Polanski, who took the young girl under his wing and guided her through Lee Strasberg's Method-style of acting. After Polanski sent her to England in order to help her develop a proper Wessex accent. The role earned the actress considerable acclaim and launched her to international stardom. Though long rumored to have had an affair with Polanski, Kinski remained adamant that they were not in fact romantically involved despite her developing feelings for him. Kinski soon moved into American films, appearing in Francis Ford Coppola's uneven romantic comedy "One From the Heart" (1982) before starring opposite Malcolm McDowell in "Cat People" (1982), directed by Paul Schrader, with whom she had a brief, but notable affair during production.