From Vicky Vale to Bond Girl: Kim Basinger’s Best Movie Roles

Zhanna Slor December 8, 2023

MY STEPMOTHER IS AN ALIEN, Kim Basinger, 1988 — Everett Collection

Though she doesn’t look it, Kim Basinger, one of Hollywood’s leading actresses also known for her first marriage to Alec Baldwin (with whom she had a daughter, Ireland, who also went into show business), recently hit a milestone age. Here’s a list of some of our favorite films.

L.A. Confidential (1997)

L.A. Confidential, key art, top: Kim Basinger, bottom l-r: Danny DeVito, Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, 1997.

Warner Bros. Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

Basinger is probably most well known for her Oscar-winning role as Lynn, a beautiful sex worker who resembles Veronica Lake who falls in love with a cop, in this crime drama costarring Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce as three Los Angeles policemen with very different crime-solving tactics. The film also won an Oscar for Best Picture.

Batman (1989)

BATMAN, Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger, 1989

courtesy Everett Collection

This Oscar-winning Tim Burton rendition of our favorite caped superhero without superpowers paired Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne with Jack Nicholson as the Joker in what is still considered the best Batman movie by many fans. Basinger played photojournalist Vicki Vale, who was aiming to uncover the identity of Batman and was also a target of the Joker.

Cool World (1992)

Cool World, Gabriel Byrne, Kim Basinger animated 1992.

Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

In a half real world and half cool ‘animated’ world Basinger stars as Holli Would, a doodle created by comic artist Jack Deebs (Gabriel Byrne) in order to pass his time in prison. Itching to get into the real world and become a real person, she seduces Jack into her doodle world. Nothing will stop her getting there. Not even the hunky Brad Pitt who plays a hard-boiled detective enforcing the rules of the Cool World. This is a great cult classic that also boasts a killer soundtrack that will surely give any ’90s indie music fan a jolt.

I Dreamed of Africa (2000)

Courtesy Everett Collection

Based on a bestselling memoir, this biographical drama follows a bored Italian socialite who moves to rural Kenya to start a cattle ranch.

Never Say Never Again (1983)

Never Say Never Again, Kim Basinger, 1983,

Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection

Did you know Kim Basinger was once a Bond girl? This Sean Connery-era James Bond film featured Basinger as Domino Petachi, the mistress of SPECTRE agent Maximillian Largo.

My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988)

MY STEPMOTHER IS AN ALIEN, from left: Dan Aykroyd, Kim Basinger, 1988

Columbia/Courtesy Everett Collection

In this film costarring Dan Aykroyd and future Buffy the Vampire Slayer witch Alyson Hannigan (and her future Buffy boyfriend Seth Green), Kim Basinger is an alien who tries to seduce a shy scientist for intel in this 1988 sci-fi comedy.

The Burning Plain (2008)

Magnolia Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

With a stellar cast, including Charlize Theron and a fresh-faced pre-Hunger Games fame Jennifer Lawrence, this Guillermo Arriaga (21 Grams, Babel) crime drama follows three interconnected women, each navigating various relationships and challenges.

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