I didn’t know I was doing film noir, I thought they were detective stories with low lighting! Even Kubrick, in 1955 during filming of The Killing, ne… - Marie Windsor

I was always a little girl in my heart. As I grew older, I really felt like inside. But outside it didn't come out like that. [...] I think it was physical. All the women were small in those days. The men were smaller, too, so taller women didn't get much of a chance. It was my looks and my voice, and I played menace very well. That's the way they saw me, and it was easy to do. [...] It seemed very natural to me to be slinky and sexy. The s of the world can't be slinky and sexy. I've sort of given up and just accept it.

I used to be offended when they called me that. Then I began to enjoy it. It's better to be the queen of something than nothing. One of the things that's kept me mentally healthy during many heartbreaking periods in my career is that I have a very strong direction about facing reality. If something's wrong, I try not to blame somebody else or the situation. Since I seem to be a rather content individual, I guess it's working.

Sure I'm sad I've never made it to being a big superstar, but I feel absolutely no bitterness. I came out of a town with 250 people and what I've done is extraordinary.