Mercedes Ruehl first got our motors running with The Warriors (1979), where she turned a bit part into a memorable turn as a sexy, ass-kicking cop. The five-foot-eleven-inch goddess kept working in New York as a respected stage actress and then emerged as a mature beauty as Dean Stockwell’s filthy-mouthed wife in Married to the Mob (1988)--not to mention her work that year as Tom Hanks’s MILF in Big (1988). Mob’s success gave Mercedes--already into her forties--a chance to be measured as both a leading lady and a sex symbol. The comedy Another You (1991) gave us a stripped-down Mercedes in her underwear, and some sexy outfits only helped Mercedes win an Oscar for The Fisher King (1991). Of course, it’s no surprise that Hollywood doesn’t know what to do with a unique beauty like Mercedes, and you’re still more likely to find her onstage than on film or video.