Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman, best remembered for her role in Casablanca (1942), was ranked by the American Film Institute as the fourth-greatest female screen legend of classic American cinema.
The St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture recalls that Bergman quickly became "The ideal of American womanhood." Wikipedia suggests that, in the United States, she is considered to have brought a "Nordic freshness and vitality" to the screen, along with exceptional beauty and intelligence.
Bergman, who knew five languages, was once asked which she preferred. She replied, "English for acting, Italian for romance, French for diplomacy, German for philosophy... and Swedish for secrecy, because so few people know it."
Which language should you take up? French sounds pretty. But Mexico is closer. Or would Italian be easier?