To look upon the face of Claire Danes is to discover an exquisitely expressive canvas for all the emotional colorings of life. This remarkably self-possessed young performer brought startling authenticity as well as intelligence and complexity to her starring role in the landmark high school/family drama "My So-Called Life" (ABC, 1994-95). Danes' often heartrending portrayal of a fifteen-year-old coping with the rigors of adolescence contributed to the cult series' avalanche of kudos and won a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy nod for its rising star. The low-rated, short-lived program counted Steven Spielberg and Winona Ryder among its followers.

This affable blond performer took a decade to advance from second lead and character actor to starring status. Like James Stewart in an earlier generation, the unthreatening, wholesome Pullman labored through small parts in good films and leading roles in bombs before finally coming into his own. A doctor's son, he earned his MFA from the University of Massachusetts and then worked in construction and as a drama teacher and director before trying acting.

It was unclear which fact was more extraordinary about Anna Paquin – that she won an Academy Award at age 11 for her performance in “The Piano” (1993), or that after the win, she had no plans to continue acting.

BIOGRAPHY

From Hollywood wild-child to Academy Award winner to respected U.N. Goodwill Ambassador, actress Angelina Jolie underwent a series of metamorphic transformations over the course of her career. An exceedingly beautiful, strikingly talented performer, Jolie broke on to the scene in the mid-1990s, quickly gaining a reputation for both her on-screen work as well as her outrageous off-camera antics.