A statuesque Danish beauty, Connie Nielsen has lent her considerable talents to parts that have cast her as everything from Satan's spawn to an astronaut to an emperor's daughter. Regardless of the role or the quality of the script, she has managed to transcend the limitations and delivered memorable full-bodied performances. Raised in a small coastal village in Denmark, Nielsen became enamored with movies at a young age through weekly visits at the local movie theater. She was encouraged to pursue a theatrical career by her actress-writer mother, alongside whom she made her stage acting debut at age 15. Three years later, Nielsen moved to Paris to pursue a career and she further studied her craft in such far-flung locations as South Africa, NYC and Rome. Fluent in several languages, she easily found work in films produced in Italy and France and caught a break with the American made-for-cable movie "Voyage" (USA Network, 1993).

A tall, soft-spoken and leathery leading man who, since the 1960s, has diversified into directing and producing after achieving iconic status, Clint Eastwood arose from the world of television westerns to become the number-one box-office star in the world, and subsequently earned critical acclaim as a director. His production company, Malpaso, has crafted moderate-budget features that range from mainstream fare to personal and ambitious endeavors. Eastwood is not entirely part of the Hollywood establishment—his business is run out of Carmel, California, on the Monterey Peninsula, where he has also served as mayor and ran a restaurant.

Since her debut in the little seen "Little Witches", (1996) prolific actress Clea DuVall has racked up an impressive number of film credits in a short time. The sandy-haired, freckled player gave a spirited comic performance as the star of the quirky independent feature "How to Make the Cruelest Month", which made the festival circuit in 1998. As Bell Bryant, a young woman desperate to fall in love and determined to quit smoking who reaches a crossroads in her life that coincides with the new year, DuVall won acclaim for her work as the intensely neurotic heroine. Generally cast in roles that downplay her average looks, DuVall, like many enduring actresses before her, has made a name based on her skill and dynamic presence rather than her pretty face.

With her sensuous lips, high forehead, and piercing eyes, Claire Forlani is a stunning beauty, and the London native, who moved with her family to Northern California just shy of her 21st birthday, has had a quick rise up the pecking order in Hollywood. Forlani made eight films in four years before being chosen for the plum female lead opposite Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins in "Meet Joe Black" (1998). Her first role of note in a Hollywood film came in 1994's "Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow" in which she played an interpreter for the visiting cops. She went on to play Brandi, the girlfriend to Jeremy London who ditches plans to travel with him in order to appear on a TV dating show in Kevin Smith's uneven "Mallrats" (1995) and had a small but memorable role as Sean Connery's angry daughter in "The Rock" (1996).

 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 performer who developed her talent at a young age, Cate Blanchett grew into exceptional actress who achieved international acclaim with her stunning Oscar-nominated turn as a young Elizabeth I in Shekhar Kapur’s “Elizabeth” (1998). Prior to that role, the engaging Australian found herself thrust in the spotlight with just her third feature, "Oscar and Lucinda" (1997), starring opposite Ralph Fiennes. As the headstrong proto-feminist heiress whose penchant for gambling draws her to a clergyman with the same predilections, Cate Blanchett delivered a star-making performance that garnered the attention of filmdom’s most esteemed directors. Alluring, yet elusive and possessing an innate intelligence coupled with malleable features – she sometimes seemed plain, but beautiful, often in the same shot – the actress quickly rose to international fame to become one of Hollywood’s most respected and revered talents.

Perhaps no actress had a faster ride to the top than Cameron Diaz, who was launched into stardom with “The Mask” (1994), her first-ever onscreen performance. Though originally slated for a minor role, Diaz won over the movie’s producers with her unique charm and looks, and took on the lead actress role with verve.

 A statuesque brunette of Irish descent, Bridget Moynahan first turned heads as Mr. Big’s fresh-faced wife Natasha on “Sex and the City” (HBO, 1998-2004) before landing roles in some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters. A natural beauty, Moynahan began her career as a model, appearing in a number of fashion magazines. Shifting her career towards acting, she went on to land starring roles in such high profile flicks as “The Sum of All Fears” (2002), “The Recruit” (2003) and “I, Robot” (2004).

 Lithe, graceful Bridget Fonda represents the third generation of the Fonda acting dynasty. Granddaughter of Henry and daughter of Peter, she succumbed to the acting bug after appearing in a high school production of "Harvey". After studying theater at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts (where she played the lead in Andrew Fleming's student short "P.P.T."), Fonda made her professional screen debut in Franc Roddam's "Tristan and Isolde" segment of "Aria" (1987), in a role requiring nudity and little else.