A child star who enjoyed that rare successful transition to onscreen adulthood, Christina Ricci’s continuing film presence was aided in no small part by the fact that her early roles did not depend on dimpled cuteness, but on an unnerving maturity that suggested her characters were smarter than their adult counterparts. Ricci spent her teens as a gloomy, precocious lead in Goth-tinged big budget comedies and heavier independent dramas – all of which best showcased her flair for unconventional teen females burdened by fear and identity issues. As the actress matured, she enjoyed increasing respect from the art house crowd, but had difficulty translating her persona as an intelligent, tough-talking, yet vulnerable outsider into the limited confines of Hollywood female characters.

 Hailed by The Los Angeles Times, as quite simply, "the coolest actor in the world," the endearingly plebeian, yet strikingly handsome Chow Yun-Fat was a fixture of Hong Kong film and TV since his debut in the early 1970s. Most celebrated by American and British cultists as a hard-boiled action hero, Chow specialized in portrayals of honorable hitmen, gangsters, thieves and trigger-happy cops. A bona fide superstar in his native Asia, Chow‘s extensive credits spanned a variety of genres, including romances, dramas, slapstick comedies and supernatural thrillers. A favorite of both common folk and cinephiles alike, Chow segued effortlessly between commercial and artsy fare. Moreover, Chow came to define "cool" with his signature handling of cigarettes and firearms with equally devastating flair.

Actress Anne Hathaway had a wholesome start in Hollywood, establishing her strong screen presence with breakout roles in family fare “The Princess Diaries” (2001) and “Ella Enchanted” (2004), while many of her peers were getting far more attention for their rehab and party antics. But the well-grounded, well-educated Hathaway held focus on her career, evolving into impressively three-dimensional adult roles in widely heralded films “Nicholas Nickelby” (2002), “Brokeback Mountain” (2005) and the role which proved she could more than hold her own against the greatest talents, as well as carry a film herself – “The Devil Wears Prada” (2006). Having proven her potential range and her flair for intelligent, feisty, and often unpredictably intense characters, Hathaway found herself with steady offers in both comedies and dramas and a promising career usually far from the tabloid spotlight.

When Anna Faris' college roommate first saw Faris in her breakthrough role in "Scary Movie," the ex-roomie called the actress in surprise and told her "That's so weird that you were cast, because you are not funny." Hollywood has continually disagreed with that assessment, casting Faris in several projects where her comedic skills—subtle or, if Faris is to be believed, even unintentional--were allowed to shine.

BIOGRAPHY

Hailed by producer-director Oliver Stone as "my all-time favorite actress", Hong Kong film star Michelle Yeoh (a.k.a. Michelle Khan) has no counterpart in Hollywood. She is a woman who has gained fame and fortune by starring in action films. Like leading male action hero Jackie Chan, Yeoh has been celebrated for performing her own death-defying stunts and handling her own fight scenes. Moreover, she has cultivated this reputation without compromising her femininity.

BIOGRAPHY

Despite a short-lived start on series television, actor Heath Ledger moved into features as a heartthrob in teen films, quickly developing into one of Hollywood’s most prominent and gifted talents, as well as a tabloid favorite for his very public relationships with actresses Naomi Watts and Michelle Williams.

BIOGRAPHY