AllMovie

Documentary film maven David L. Wolper returns to the scene with a ten-part series profiling 50 international icons of the 20th century. In part three, he presents five "people who fascinated us." Fidel Castro is the Cuban revolutionary who led the overthrow of the corrupt dictatorship of his country in 1959 and established a socialist state. A main player in the Cold War of the 1960s, he remains leader of Cuba today and supports the liberation struggles of countries in Latin America and Africa. Jackie Kennedy Onassis, the beloved wife of President John F. Kennedy, brought a youthful vigor to the White House, promoted the arts in America, and became a fashion icon to a generation of admirers. John Wayne was a larger-than-life star of the silver screen and to many the embodiment of rugged American manhood. He starred in dozens of Westerns, won an Academy Award in 1969, and eventually produced and directed his own movies. Marilyn Monroe, while also a film star, transcended Hollywood and became an international sex symbol. Her short, turbulent life was filled with modeling assignments, movie roles, marriages (most notably to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller), alleged presidential flings, and the drug use that culminated in her death in 1962 at age 36. Princess Diana became the world's sweetheart in 1981 when she married Prince Charles of Wales at the tender age of 19. Her grace, beauty, and generosity captured the attention and fascination of millions, lasting -- despite the first Royal divorce in 1996 -- until her untimely death in 1998.