Eva Perón

Actor / Political Figure

Name at birth: Maria Eva Ibarguren

Eva Duarte was an ambitious actress on stage, screen and radio when she married Juan Domingo Perón in 1945. He was already a leading military figure in Argentina, with a wide following; in 1946 he was elected to the presidency. While First Lady, Eva virtually ran the ministries of labor and health and fought vigorously for women's voting rights. Popularly known as Evita, she became immensely popular with the public. Her untimely death from cancer at age 33 helped cement the almost mythical proportions of her popularity.

Extra credit: The popular musical Evita!, based on the life of Perón, was first staged in London in 1978. A 1996 film version starred Madonna as Evita and Antonio Banderas as Che Guevara.

Other superstar political spouses of the 20th century included Princess Diana, Princess Grace and Jackie Kennedy Onassis.