15 Best Famke Janssen Films

Her major international breakthrough and one of the most iconic Bond villains of all time. As the Georgian assassin Xenia Onatopp, she kills men by crushing their ribcages between her thighs while moaning with pleasure. Her wild energy, animalistic sexuality, and maniacal laugh behind the wheel of a Ferrari effortlessly stole the show from Pierce Brosnan.

Bryan Singer's groundbreaking superhero film launched the modern comic-book era. Janssen shines as telepathic mutant and doctor Jean Grey, the intellectual and emotional heart of the X-Men. Her struggle with her growing powers and the palpable tension between her, Cyclops, and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) gave the characters unprecedented human depth.

The widely praised second installment of the mutant series let Janssen grow into the story's ultimate anchor. As her telekinetic powers become increasingly terrifying, the film culminates in one of the most dramatic and emotional endings in the superhero genre: her heroic sacrifice at the collapsing dam.

Pierre Morel's hard-hitting action thriller sparked a global phenomenon. Janssen plays Lenore, the wealthy ex-wife of former CIA agent Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson). The panic and sheer desperation when their daughter is kidnapped by Albanian human traffickers in Paris drives the nerve-wracking story.

In the finale of the original trilogy, Janssen's alter ego awakens: the cosmic, all-powerful, and destructive Dark Phoenix. With jet-black eyes and terrifying telepathic powers, she obliterates everything in her path. Janssen masterfully shifts between the fragile, frightened Jean and the ruthless monster only Wolverine can stop.

John Dahl's atmospheric poker classic follows New York's underground gambling world. Janssen plays Petra, the shrewd and seductive card room owner who backs Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) as he risks everything against Russian mob boss Teddy KGB (John Malkovich). Janssen brings a delightful no-nonsense noir vibe to the poker table.

Robert Rodriguez's entertaining sci-fi horror comedy shows a high school where teachers are taken over one by one by alien parasites. Janssen plays the timid, insecure teacher Miss Burke, who after being infected transforms into a stunningly beautiful, ice-cold seductress ruthlessly hunting the teenagers.

In this nerve-wracking thriller, Michael Douglas plays a psychiatrist whose young daughter is kidnapped. Janssen plays his wife Aggie, confined to bed with a broken leg in their Manhattan apartment. When one of the kidnappers guards her, she shows a terrifying fighting spirit using her crutches.

In this delightfully campy, gory horror film, Janssen plays Evelyn, the spoiled and spiteful wife of theme park magnate Stephen Price (Geoffrey Rush). Their toxic marriage and mutual attempts to kill each other in an abandoned asylum full of vengeful spirits make the film pure popcorn entertainment.

Woody Allen cast Janssen in this black-and-white satire about the shallow fame culture of Manhattan. As confident, stylish book editor Bonnie, she begins a relationship with Kenneth Branagh, who becomes hopelessly tangled in his own neuroses. Janssen shows her natural intellectual flair here.

Seven years after The Last Stand, Janssen returned as the ghostly apparition of Jean Grey haunting Logan's (Hugh Jackman) dreams in Japan. Her whispering, seductive, and tragic appearances form the tormented mutant's conscience.

In this sequel, the tables are turned: while on vacation in Istanbul, Lenore and Bryan Mills themselves are kidnapped by vengeful relatives of the criminals from the first film. Janssen endures harrowing torture scenes and once again shows her total commitment to physical thrillers.

In this psychological horror thriller, Robert De Niro plays a father who moves to a remote house with his traumatized daughter (Dakota Fanning) after his wife's suicide. Janssen plays child psychologist Katherine, the only one who breaks through to the dark secrets of the imaginary friend 'Charlie.'

Janssen goes all out as the gruesome head witch Muriel in this dark fantasy action film. With prosthetic witch makeup, flying broomsticks, and dark spells, she faces off against Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton in a spectacular witch-hunting adventure.

Directed by horror legend Clive Barker. Janssen plays the mysterious femme fatale Dorothea Swann, wife of a world-famous illusionist caught up in a deadly cult of real black magic. An atmospheric, occult neo-noir where Janssen's classic beauty and mystique come perfectly into their own.