Welsh-born actress Catherine Zeta-Jones first captivated U.S. film audiences with her swashbuckling turn in “The Mask of Zorro” (1998) – leaving moviegoers so mesmerized by her ebony-tressed old Hollywoodesque beauty, it was a wonder she was able to move beyond all the comparisons to Ava Gardner and Vivien Leigh – enough to garner respect as a serious actress. It was her impressive turn in “Traffic” (2000) and Oscar-winning scenery-chewing for her musical showstoppers in “Chicago” (2002) which firmly established her as a Hollywood A-lister. That, and a fairytale-likened marriage to one of the industry’s most respected actors-producers, Michael Douglas; thusly, entry into one of Hollywood’s most famous and respected families.

A gifted actor with old-fashioned matinee-idol looks, Antonio Banderas smoldered his way to an international following with his sly send-ups of Latin machismo in the films of fellow Spaniard Pedro Almodovar. Born on August 10, 1960 in Malaga, Spain, Banderas actor set out to be a professional soccer player. But when a foot injury sidetracked his plans, Banderas turned his attention to the stage, completing his studies at Malaga's School of Dramatic Art before embarking upon a five-year stint with the prestigious National Theater of Spain, where he quickly caught the eye of Almodovar.

BIOGRAPHY

Despite his pretty boy looks and movie star charisma, actor Brad Pitt spent most of his career trying to avoid bloated box office leads, in favor of riskier, lower profile roles.