Cleopatra as played by Leonor Varela

The nose is all wrong, but Leonor Varela otherwise makes a compelling young queen in the 1999 miniseries Cleopatra. With her is actor Nadim Sawalha as her advisor, Mardian. About that nose: Cleopatra‘s nose was said to be quite prominent, an element that made her beauty more exotic. "Cleopatras nose, had it been shorter, the whole face of the world would have been changed," wrote philosopher Blaise Pascal in the 1600s. Alas, no photos of Cleopatra exist: she died in 30 B.C., about 1800 years too early for photography. Leonor Varela was born in 1972, so she turned 27 the year this miniseries was released. Thats right in line with the real Cleopatra, who was born in 69 B.C. and was about 18 when she became ruler of Egypt. Cleopatra was only about 39 when she committed suicide (yikes!) in 30 B.C.