Career
She is best known for starring in Italian gothic horror films of the 1960s. Her breakthrough role came in Italian director Mario Bava"s Black Sunday (1960). Steele starred in a string of horror films, including The Horrible Doctor Hichcock (1962), The Ghost (1963) directed by Riccardo Freda, The Long Hair of Death (1964) and Roger Corman"s 1961 adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe"s short story The Pit and the Pendulum, among others
She also starred in Castle of Blood (1964), Terror-Creatures from the Grave and Nightmare Castle (both 1965) and Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968).
She guest starred on various British television shows including the spy drama, Danger Manitoba starring Patrick McGoohan. She made her American television debut in 1960 as Dolores in the "Daughter of Illusion" episode of the American Broadcasting Company series, Adventures in Paradise, starring Gardner McKay.
In that same year she was replaced in the Elvis Presley film Flaming Star after a disagreement with director Don Siegel. In 1961, she appeared as Phyllis in the "Beta Delta Gamma" episode of Columbia Broadcasting System"s Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
She also had an important role in Federico Fellini"s celebrated 8½ in 1963.
Steele was cast as Julia Hoffman in the 1991 remake of the 1960s American Broadcasting Company television series, Dark Shadows. In 2010, she was a guest star in the Dark Shadows audio drama, The Night Whispers. In 2010, actor-writer Mark Gatiss interviewed Steele about her role in Black Sunday (1960) for his British Broadcasting Corporation documentary series A History of Horror.
In 2014 she appeared in the directorial debut of Ryan Gosling"s drama-fantasy thriller film Lost River, in which she portrayed the character Belladonna in a supporting role.