Hollywood Actress 2011

By now the story of how Justin Bieber came to be is the stuff of legend. In an age where fame is only a viral video away, Bieber’s meteoric ascension to pop super stardom is still an exception, not yet a rule. Born in Stratford, Ontario, to a single, teenage mother, Bieber grew up playing sports, while secretly teaching himself how to play the piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet.

It wasn’t until he was 12, that Bieber was ready to show the world what he could do. After placing second in a local singing competition, his mother posted a video of his performance on YouTube for friends and family that weren’t able to attend. The video went viral, and Bieber’s mother continued uploading videos of Bieber covering a string of syrupy hits by the likes of Usher, Justin Timberlake and other future colleagues.

When the former marketing executive of So So Def, Scooter Braun, accidentally stumbled upon Justin Bieber’s YouTube channel (he was actually trying to track down a different singer) he knew he had found a star. Braun literally hunted Bieber down -- tracking down former teachers, school board members and even unearthing footage of Bieber busking in front of a theater.

Though Bieber’s mother originally envisioned her son serving God through his music, she gave in to Braun’s aggressive advances. After continuing to build his profile on YouTube, Braun arranged a meeting between his keen protege and R'n'B impresario Usher. Bieber’s natural charisma and talent immediately impressed Usher -- who had once been in Bieber’s shoes -- who signed him to Raymond Braun Media Group. Just like that, the prepubescent tween from Stratford, Ontario, had a record deal with Island Records, and a new home in Atlanta, where his path toward super-stardom began.

By the time Justin Bieber released his debut EP My World in 2009, he already had the luxury of a mass following shrewdly constructed by his management team on YouTube. In short, there was no way this thing would fail. Couple Bieber’s arsenal of syrupy confection of R’n’B pop, with his newly polished urban teenybopper aesthetic (thanks in large to his Usher-appointed swagger coach Ryan Good) and tween girls everywhere had found their ultimate crush. The record debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard charts with four singles landing safely in the Top 100. It wasn’t long before Bieber-mania was as ubiquitous as text messaging, with the mop-topped one performing for everyone from Ellen DeGeneres to Mr. and Mrs. Obama.

When Justin Bieber released “Baby,” the infectious lead single off his follow-up disc My World 2.0, he had become one of the music industry’s foremost saviors -- a camera-ready Messiah in purple sneakers and a straight-brimmed cap. The single propelled My World 2.0 to No. 1 on the Billboard charts, making Bieber the youngest male solo act to top the chart since Stevie Wonder did it in 1963. But by now, Justin Bieber had become more than just a best-selling pop star -- the pint-sized pipsqueak from Stratford, Ontario had become a genuine cultural phenomenon. Gigs on Saturday Night Live, The View and The Late Show meant that in 2010, there was no escaping Justin Bieber.

Justin Bieber’s omnipresence in the media, and his lightning-quick rise to fame were sure to inspire backlash, especially in the quick-to-hate blogosphere. Bieber’s shrewd embracing of social media (the boy tweets!), and his easy-to-pick-on effeminacy (lesbians who look like Justin Bieber has become its own meme) made him an easy target for both critics and creeps.

Internet trolls have perpetuated a string of maliciously preposterous rumors about the Biebster; no he does not have syphilis, no he has not joined a cult, and as far as we know he’s not dead. But despite his many critics, Bieber has been embraced by the cred-solidifying hip-hop community; he pals around with Drake, Ludacris appears on his album; and Kanye West’s admitted fandom led to a much-tweeted about remix of Bieber’s “Runaway Love” featuring none other than Wu-Tang’s street disciple Raekwon.

If Justin Bieber was the prince of 2010, he may just end up being the king of 2011. So for all the haters out there, a warning: Justin Bieber is here to stay. With his best-selling tour wrapping up in December, Bieber has spent the last year dominating the internet (he was the most searched celebrity in July), inspiring riots and hysterics everywhere he went (remember the riot in Long Island?) and performing in some of the most revered venues in the world. Bieber’s recent gig at Madison Square Garden was filmed for his upcoming 3-D biopic due next winter, and his new album will feature at least two songs produced by Dr. Dre. Yes, Dr. Dre -- he of gun-toting NWA fame -- is producing two songs for the grinning charmer with pearly whites from Stratford, Ontario. Is it the end of the world as we know it?

Shakira is a two-time Grammy Award-winning and seven-time Latin Grammy Award-winning artist and celebrity. She has been a major figure in the pop music scene of Latin America since the mid-1990s, but in 2001, she made her mark in the English-speaking world with the release of "Laundry Service".shakira is the only child of Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado, a Colombian of Spanish and Italian ancestry, and William Mebarak Chadid, of Lebanese descent.

Name: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Famously known as: Shaki
Birth date: 02-02-1977
Birth place: Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
Parents: Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado and William Mebarak Chadid
Profession: Singer-songwriter,dancer,music video director, record producer, philanthropist,actress
Genre: Pop, latin pop, rock en Español, pop-rock, R&B
Instruments: Vocals, guitar, harmonica, drums

Engaged to: Antonio de la Rúa(in 2001)

Shakira

Shakira

Shakira wallpaper

Nadya Denise Suleman was born October 12, 1975, in Fullerton, California. The only child of a high school teacher and a Realtor, she always hoped to have a large family of her own. “I just longed for connections and attachments with another person that I really lacked, I believe, growing up,” she says.

Nadya Suleman came one step closer to starting a family of her own in 1996 when she married Marcos Gutierrez. Unfortunately, she and her husband could not conceive children. “I went through about seven years of trying,” she explains. “And through artificial insemination... medication.... all of which was unsuccessful.” Upon closer examination, doctors discovered she had lesions in her fallopian tubes, thereby further complicating her attempts to become pregnant.

Nadya Suleman never abandoned her dream of having children. She began saving for in vitro fertilization (IVF) by working around the clock as a psychiatric technician at Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk, California. “I was able to work double-shifts, constantly working double-shifts, 'cause I was hoarding my money, and I was saving it and nonstop working,” she says. “I was so driven, so determined, I wouldn't give up. There's no way I would have ever allowed any obstacle… to get in my way of my dream.” Creepy.

Nadya Suleman had already saved enough money for several procedures by 1999 when she suffered a severe lower back injury in a riot at the hospital. The ensuing trauma left her unable to work, and she began receiving disability payments. She also fell into a deep depression which, coupled with her inability to conceive children, led to the termination of her marriage in 2000.

Still determined to become a mother, Nadya Suleman convinced a platonic friend to donate his sperm and, on May 18, 2001, she finally gave birth to a baby boy named Elijah. “I kept praying,” she says. “And it worked.” Suleman underwent another IVF treatment soon after, and 13 months later gave birth to a little girl named Amerah. And she didn’t stop there. Another IVF treatment resulted in the birth of a second boy named Joshua in August of 2003. “At that point, the doctor's like: ‘You're the only one who's come back more than twice,’” she says. “But he knew I wanted a big family, and this [was] my only option.” She then gave birth to Aidan in 2005 and to twins Caleb and Calyssa in 2006, giving her a total of six children in just five and a half years. Still unable to work, Suleman supported her children through her rapidly diminishing savings, student loans and her disability checks.

Nadya Suleman made another life-changing decision the following year when she opted to use the frozen embryos left over from the batch that produced her twins. “I couldn't live with the fact that if I had never used them, [I’d] be 70 years old and regret the fact that I didn't allow these little embryos to live,” she explains. The first two IVF treatments were unsuccessful, but then, in June of 2008, she was informed that all six embryos had been successfully transferred. “I embraced it fully,” she says.

Nadya Suleman’s pregnancy progressed well until the fifth month when the extraordinary weight of the fetuses snapped several of her ribs, forcing her to go on bed rest. She was then brought into hospital at 30 weeks for an emergency C-section after doctors expressed concern that one of the babies was not growing. Suleman was still in for one more major surprise when doctors discovered she was carrying eight babies and not seven as previously thought, meaning that two of her six embryos had resulted in twins. “I actually started crying,” she admits. “It was an overwhelming feeling of shock.”

Public reaction to the birth was at first positive until news started to leak that Nadya Suleman was unmarried, unemployed and already had six other children under the age of eight. Protesters eventually gathered in front of her home and even threatened her life. Despite the negative backlash, Suleman says she does not regret her decision to have more children and believes strongly that she is a responsible mother. “I'm providing for my children,” she says. “I'm providing myself to my children. I'm loving them unconditionally, accepting them unconditionally. I have a plan.”

Nadya Suleman’s babies are now out of the hospital and have since become the longest surviving octuplets in U.S. history.

Olga Kurylenko was born and raised in the small town of Berdyansk, in southern Ukraine, and dreamed of getting away from there to live a more exciting and glamorous life. When she was 15, she went to Moscow for a week's vacation at the suggestion of her mother, and it was there that she was "discovered" by a scout from a modeling agency. Olga was soon living in Paris where she began working immediately. Her first gig was a photo shoot in sunny Cuba.

Olga Kurylenko eventually became interested in acting, as she began studying at a theater school during her spare time. She landed her first big screen role playing Iris in the French drama L'Annulaire. The film became a favorite at the 2005 Toronto Film Fest, and earned her the Certificate of Excellence as Best Actress at the Brooklyn International Film Festival. In 2006, Olga Kurylenko portrayed The Vampire, opposite Elijah Wood's Tourist, in the ”Quartier de la Madeleine” segment of Paris, je t'aime, and also appeared in the French-Swiss telefilm Le Porte-bonheur.

Next Olga Kurylenko appeared in Suspectes, a mini-series which aired on French television during the spring of 2007. Her other credits for that year included the role of sexy seductress Sofia in the thriller Le Serpent (aka The Snake) as Nika, and opposite Timothy Olyphant's Agent 47 in Hitman, based on the video game of the same name. She also played Mina Harud in the sci-fi drama Tyranny, which was introduced as a web-series before hitting the big screen sometime in 2008.

Olga Kurylenko became the next Bond girl, Camille, for the '08 flick Quantum of Solace, a role that finally solidified her place in Hollywood.

Look for her in '09 in the film Kirot.

Canadian thespian Ellen Page didn't grow up anywhere close to Hollywood, or even Hollywood North (Vancouver) for that matter. Her humble beginnings came in Nova Scotia, where she alternated between competing interests in tree-climbing, action figure duels, soccer, and performance. An aspiring performer since age 4, she developed her interest further by appearing in school productions like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, in which she played Charlie, and courses at her hometown's Neptune Theatre School. She would make her screen debut at 10 by playing Maggie in 1997's Pit Pony, a TV movie that would later be picked up as a TV series. In 29 episodes on the show, Page would hone her craft while also being rewarded with nominations at the Young Artist Awards and the Genie Awards.

Ellen Page continued to develop her acting reputation through intense training and impressive credits. On the training side, she moved to Toronto, where she took on a heavy drama-infused course load at Vaughan Road Academy. On the acting side, she enjoyed a recurring guest role as Treena Lahey on the Canadian TV favorite, Trailer Park Boys, before winning the female ACTRA Maritimes Award for Outstanding Performance for her work in the searing family drama Marion Bridge. The first of two Gemini Awards for Ellen Page would come via another family drama, where she played a girl coping with the loss of her mother in Mrs. Ashboro's Cat. Now a pro at playing it nice, Page would soon turn the tables on her screen type and come out stronger on the other side.

Not wanting her fans and industry observers to prematurely conclude that she could only play nice, Ellen Page played a pair of darker characters in 2005 that deservedly bolstered her acting credibility and overall awareness. In Mouth to Mouth, she aptly played an impressionable teen in who gets caught up in the ill-advised activities of a European youth gang. For her subsequent effort, Hard Candy, she portrayed a conniving girl who squares off against a suspected pedophile (Patrick Wilson). The merciless on-screen battle would feature her using a scalpel and a bag of ice in ways that would be enough to make any man squirm.

Following this pair of serious-minded indies, Ellen Page sent some love to the comic book crowd for the 2006 superhero sequel, X-Men: The Last Stand. As Kitty Pryde, the mutant gifted with the superhuman ability of phasing, Page gamely established the character as her own after following in the footsteps of two different predecessors. Page's string of engaging performances -- and especially her work in Hard Candy -- caught the eye of director Jason Reitman, who made her his first choice to play the opinionated and very pregnant teen title character in the 2007 indie dramedy, Juno. She accepted the role and the resulting film became a surprise blockbuster, grossing more than $230 million around the world. As Juno-isms like "honest to blog" became rampant across pop culture and teen pregnancy's like Bristol Palin's became fodder for "copycat pregnancy" accusations, Page reaped the benefits of increased popularity and success by netting an Oscar nomination for her endearing performance. Marion Cotillard, was eventually crowned the winner.

At this point in her career, moviegoers and pop culture observers couldn't get enough of Ellen Page. To go along with kudos from Entertainment Weekly, FHM and Time, Ellen Page hosted Saturday Night Live in 2008 and appeared in animated form on The Simpsons a year later. For the latter, she poked fun at entertainment tween queen Miley Cyrus by voicing the satirical character, Alaska Nebraska. Where movies were concerned, she joined the 2008 Dennis Quaid-Sarah Jessica Parker ensemble dramedy, Funny People, which was followed by Whip It, the cinematic ode to roller derby that cast Page as a Texas teen who learns to "Be your own hero." The film was also Drew Barrymore's directorial debut.

In 2010, Ellen Page joined the cast of what would become her biggest film to date -- Christopher Nolan's mind-bending thriller, Inception -- which was top-lined by Leonardo DiCaprio. Besides being yet another prime showcase for her talents, the film was also notable for Ellen Page in its casting of her previous Oscar competition, Marion Cotillard, in a supporting role. Following Inception, Ellen Page traded barbs with Rainn Wilson of The Office in the superhero comedy, Super, before going the cable route opposite Diane Keaton for Tilda, a series about DeadlineHollywood.com creator, Nikki Finke.

Elisabeth Moss was born on July 24, 1982, and raised in Los Angeles. The daughter of a jazz musician and a harmonica player, Elisabeth Moss was raised by parents who encouraged her to indulge in her every artistic whim. She subsequently enrolled in ballet classes at the tender age of 5, and began auditioning for a variety of movies and television shows shortly thereafter.

In 1990, Elisabeth Moss made her professional debut with a bit part in an obscure made-for-television movie entitled Bar Girls. That same year, she worked side-by-side with such fellow up-and-coming actresses as Sandra Bullock, Shawnee Smith and Nicolette Sheridan in the Emmy-winning miniseries Lucky Chances. Elisabeth Moss spent the next several years appearing in a whole host of movies and television shows, including the 1994 Harvey Keitel drama Imaginary Crimes and The Last Supper, a 1995 black comedy starring Cameron Diaz, Bill Paxton and Annabeth Gish.

It was also around that time that Elisabeth Moss got her first taste of success on the small screen after she landed a recurring role on the popular David E. Kelley drama Picket Fences. Her work on the critically acclaimed CBS show opened doors for her all over Hollywood, and Elisabeth Moss soon found herself appearing alongside such familiar faces as Michelle Pfeiffer, Natalie Portman and Jason Lee in a variety of projects.

In 1999, Elisabeth Moss joined the predominantly female cast of Girl, Interrupted and quickly found herself propelled to an entirely new level of fame thanks to her searing performance opposite Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie and Brittany Murphy. That same year, Elisabeth Moss kicked off a run of 25 episodes on the Emmy-winning series The West Wing in which she took on the high-profile role of President Bartlet’s daughter Zoey. Elisabeth Moss proved that she could more than hold her own opposite such powerhouse performers as Martin Sheen and Allison Janney, and her efforts eventually landed her a nomination for Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Guest Starring Young Actress at the 2001 Young Artist Awards.

The turn of the century found Elisabeth Moss appearing in a variety of critically acclaimed independent projects, with her work alongside Robin Wright Penn in the 2003 drama Virgin earning her a nod for Best Female Lead at the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards (she lost to Charlize Theron). She followed that up by taking on a series of guest spots on shows like The Practice, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Medium, though it wasn’t until she successfully auditioned for a starring role on the made-for-AMC series Mad Men that Elisabeth Moss finally took her place in the limelight.

The series became an instant hit among critics and discerning viewers, with its bracingly authentic look at the lives of 1950s era advertising executives eventually landing it a record number of Emmy nominations. Elisabeth Moss’ work has been singled out for its complexity and depth, and it’s certainly not surprising to note that she is, along with Jon Hamm and Christina Hendricks, considered one of the show’s breakout stars.

Rachael Taylor hails from the island of Tasmania, off the coast of mainland Australia. With her pretty, natural looks, she started out as a teenage model with the Skye-Jilly International agency, and also entered the Miss Teen Tasmania and Miss Universe/Miss World state finals.

At the urging of her college English professor/modeling agent, Rebecca Miller, Taylor relocated to Sydney to advance her modeling and acting careers. During this time, she entered the University of Sydney to study history and politics.

Taylor made her acting debut in 2004, appearing as Maryann Marinkovich in the Peter Bogdanovich-directed TV movie The Mystery of Natalie Wood, which was filmed in Sydney. In 2005, she was featured as Catherine Oxenberg in another U.S.-produced telefilm shot Down Under: Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure. That same year she costarred as Teri Richards in the gory sci-fi flick Man-Thing, made a guest appearance on the Aussie series McLeod's Daughters, and played the Sphinx in the TV movie Hercules.

Taylor left her studies after landing a regular role on the Australian soap opera Headland, which debuted in the fall of 2005. The part of Sasha Forbes afforded the actress her first opportunity to speak on-screen using her native accent. The series ended its run in February 2006, and despite the fact that the show was off the air for a couple of months, she earned a Logie Award as Most Popular New Female Talent that spring. In May, she appeared as Zoe in the horror movie See No Evil.

Taylor got her big break when she landed the role of Maggie Madsen in Michael Bay's Transformers, one of the most anticipated films of 2007. Despite mixed reviews, the action-packed flick cleaned up at the box office, helping to increase her profile immensely.

She was cast in the 2007 thriller The Tourist with Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman, and in a remake of the Thai horror movie Shutter (2008).

Whitney Eve Port was born on March 4, 1985, in Los Angeles, California. Whitney Port’s bubbly demeanor has been in place right from childhood, so it’s not surprising to note that she was an extremely popular student during her time at Warner Avenue Elementary -- as evidenced by her stint as school president in fifth grade. Her interest in the arts led her to enroll at Santa Monica’s prestigious Crossroads School for the Arts and Sciences, which counts among its alumni such familiar faces as Zooey Deschanel, Jake Gyllenhaal and Kate Hudson.

After high school, Whitney Port began taking gender studies at the University of Southern California where, in addition to her place within the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, she shared a room with Christina Schuller (who rose to fame in the hit reality show Laguna Beach). Whitney Port’s keen interest in fashion and the arts, coupled with an intense drive to succeed, resulted in a summer internship at Women’s Wear Daily, though she also spent some time at W magazine.

In 2005, Whitney Port landed an internship at Teen Vogue alongside Lauren Conrad -- with their efforts documented on the hit MTV reality series The Hills. After spending the summer of 2006 working for the magazine in Paris, Whitney Port’s clout within Teen Vogue had reached a point where she successfully interviewed for a position within the organization as a direct supervisor to all of its interns. Whitney Port’s stint at Teen Vogue was featured prominently on The Hills, with her ongoing rivalry with Emily Weiss providing the series with plenty of backstabbing drama.

Despite her ascent within the ranks at Teen Vogue, in 2007, Whitney Port decided to leave the publication in favor of a position within the fashion PR firm People's Revolution. Working alongside boss Kelly Cutrone, Whitney Port found herself forced to adopt a bicoastal lifestyle -- she still lived in Los Angeles, even though People's Revolution was located in New York City. Whitney Port’s work for the firm included a variety of high-profile events within the fashion world, including Los Angeles’ Fashion Week, and she was eventually joined at People's Revolution by Hills castmate Lauren Conrad.

In 2008, Whitney Port was offered the chance to have her own MTV reality show: a spin-off from The Hills entitled The City. The series revolves around her efforts to move seamlessly from her hometown of Los Angeles to New York City when she takes on a job at the prestigious fashion outfit Diane von Furstenberg. Although she has since left Diane von Furstenberg, Whitney Port’s burgeoning profile has played an instrumental role in the creation of her own fashion line called Whitney Eve. She's now back at People's Revolution, and the company represents her fashion line.

Gabrielle Anwar was born on February 4, 1970, in Laleham, Middlesex, England. Gabrielle’s father, Tariq Anwar, is an Oscar-nominated film editor, while her mother, Shirley, is an actress. Gabrielle attended Laleham Church of England Primary and Middle School starting at age 5, and as early as 1982, she was performing in school productions. Originally, Gabrielle planned to be a dancer and she was trained at ballet school.

At 15, an injury forced Gabrielle to transfer to the drama department of her school. Gabrielle’s parents didn’t want her going into show business, she later quipped, “because they’re smart.” But within months of her switch to acting, Gabrielle was getting professional work. Gabrielle had already been kicked out of one school for fighting, and the competition for drama school was fierce, so she made up her mind to start acting professionally. Gabrielle debuted in Hideaway, a British miniseries, in 1986, and appeared in several other British TV shows while continuing her education with a private tutor.

While working in London, Gabrielle met American actor Craig Sheffer, with whom she would have a lengthy relationship through to the mid-'90s. In 1989, Gabrielle relocated with Sheffer to Los Angeles. She appeared in If Looks Could Kill (1991) and Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken (1991), and she guest-starred on a 1992 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. But it was Gabrielle’s seven-minute tango lesson with Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman (1992) that really got the young actress noticed in Hollywood.

Bigger roles in more prominent movies followed: Gabrielle starred in the Body Snatchers remake the following year, and appeared alongside Michael J. Fox in For Love or Money. Also in 1993, Gabrielle played Queen Anne in Disney’s version of The Three Musketeers, with Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland. Gabrielle was nearly replaced for her Disney role as she was a few months pregnant with her first child, Willow, during filming. A few costume adjustments and careful filming hid her condition, although Gabrielle’s custody dispute with Willow’s father, actor Reyn Hubbard, was harder to cover up.

Gabrielle continued to work steadily as the '90s progressed. After an unsatisfying role in Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead (1995) with Andy Garcia, Gabrielle spent the next decade on the B-list. She appeared in a number of movies with ex-boyfriend Craig Sheffer, including In Pursuit of Honor (1995), The Grave (1996), Turbulence 3: Heavy Metal (2001), Flying Virus (2001), Save It for Later (2003), Water Under the Bridge (2003), and Long Lost Son (2006). In the meantime, Gabrielle married actor John Verea, had two children with him, and subsequently got divorced.

Gabrielle’s star has risen once again, but this time it’s on cable television. In 2006, she co-starred with Noah Wyle in The Librarian 2 on TNT, and she starred as Henry VIII’s sister, Princess Margaret, on Showtime’s hit historical drama The Tudors in early 2007. Gabrielle followed that up as a regular on the USA Network’s comedy series Burn Notice, playing Fiona Glenanne, the IRA-connected ex-girlfriend of series star Jeffrey Donovan. Between acting gigs, raising her three children and taking care of her dog, Gabrielle likes to write screenplays and children’s books.

What else do you need to know?

As Lyla Garrity on Friday Night Lights, Minka Kelly was a picture of perfection: head cheerleader, dating the high school quarterback, born again Christian, and eventual college student. It was hard to believe that Kelly’s own upbringing didn’t somehow mirror her coming of age on the show. Well, not quite.

Kelly was born out of wedlock; her mother was an exotic dancer in Vegas and her father a sometime guitarist for Aerosmith. Kelly was raised by her mother in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and her childhood was, in her own words, “pretty rough” (Stinka Smelly rolls right off the tongue, doesn’t it?). But with the support of her mother -- with whom she was close -- Kelly graduated high school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in show business.

During a model casting, Minka Kelly was approached by a former Playmate, who offered to manage the young ingenue. The plan was to have Kelly work as a receptionist at a plastic surgeon’s office until she earned herself a pair of fake breasts, making her a shoo-in for Playboy’s Playmate of the Year honors. The only problem was that Kelly liked the way she looked, and canceled the surgery days before it was scheduled. Instead, she decided to pursue a career in nursing, and save for a few small roles on some bargain-bin television shows, Kelly seemed destined for a life of changing diapers and bedsheets.

In an industry that fetishizes youth, a 26-year-old Minka Kelly was already over-the-hill when she was cast as head cheerleader Lyla Garrity in NBC’s football drama Friday Night Lights, especially since she was charged with the task of playing a high school student. But play her she did, with as much conviction, poise and heart as some of Hollywood’s most seasoned actresses. Even The New York Times called the young actress’ performance “heartbreaking.”

When Kelly left the show after four seasons, she had all the momentum of most young actresses coming off hit shows, except that she was already pushing 30, and the offers weren’t coming in. Bit parts opposite Jamie Foxx in The Kingdom and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in (500) Days of Summer proved that Kelly was equipped with the tools to command the big screen, but the offers just weren’t coming.

Past winners of Esquire’s “Sexiest Woman Alive” have starred in films like Match Point, Monster’s Ball and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. They’ve worked with directors like Woody Allen, Oliver Stone and Paul Haggis. They’ve been nominated for and won Oscars. This year’s winner has appeared in episodes of American Dreams, What I Like About You and Parenthood. Her current claim to fame is her relationship with one of the winningest baseball players of all time, Derek Jeter. OK, so maybe we’re being a little hard on Minka Kelly. Her figure is near perfect and her face is liable to start wars, but isn’t she just a more syrupy version of another brunette whose name rhymes with Fegan Mox?

Perhaps her selection was Esquire’s way of “thinking outside the box” or maybe no A-list actress was willing to appear on the cover, for fear that it might forever relegate them to that dreaded “sexpot” category, vanquishing all aspirations of a serious acting career (even Angelina Jolie has trouble playing anything other than a seductress). Whatever the case may be, we’re sure Minka Kelly isn’t complaining. With her thriller The Roommate (costarring Leighton Meester) on the way, the sexy cover and inside photo spread has been burning a hole through the interweb, and drumming up just enough publicity for her upcoming film to make it a hit. Isn’t 30 the new 20 anyways?

Lady Gaga Photo

Lady Gaga Photo

Lady Gaga Photo

Vanessa Anne Hudgens was born on December 14, 1988, in Salinas, California. While still a toddler, Vanessa and her younger sister, Stella, were uprooted and moved to San Diego. Vanessa’s passion for music was borne early on, and undoubtedly stems from the presence of her grandparents, who were actively involved in the big-band scene in the 1930s.

By the time she was just 8 years old, Vanessa successfully petitioned her parents to allow her to try out for a whole host of local musicals (including The King and I, Cinderella and Evita). It quickly became evident that Vanessa had a real gift for both performing and singing, and she consequently decided (along with her parents, of course) to spend some time in London studying drama and music.

vanessa hudgens in still standing

Upon her return from the United Kingdom, Vanessa decided that her best shot at securing a bona fide career in show business involved a move to Los Angeles. There’s little doubt that Vanessa would still be toiling on local stages were it not for the support of her family, who abandoned their comfortable lives in San Diego to support the burgeoning star. Vanessa immediately dived into the grueling auditioning scene, trying out for anything and everything she was allowed access to. Her hard work paid off in 2002, when she landed one-off guest spots on a pair of television shows: the sitcom Still Standing and the crime drama Robbery Homicide Division.

vanessa hudgens in thirteen

A year later, Vanessa found herself cast opposite fellow up-and-comers Evan Rachel Wood and Nikki Reed in Thirteen, a drama revolving around the reckless exploits of several teenagers. She followed that up with a role in the 2004 live-action adaptation of Thunderbirds (opposite no less than Ben Kingsley), and popped up on TV shows such as The Brothers Garcia and Quintuplets. But it wasn’t until she successfully auditioned for the part of Gabriella Montez in the Disney Channel movie High School Musical that Vanessa finally began to receive the recognition she so richly deserved.

vanessa hudgens in high school musical

After blowing away the producers with a stirring rendition of Robbie Williams’ “Angels” during her audition, Vanessa soon found herself starring alongside folks like Zac Efron and Ashley Tisdale in the smash hit High School Musical (2006). The film, along with its soundtrack, quickly became a sensation among the tweener set, propelling Vanessa to household-name status within the ranks of such viewers. Vanessa soon found herself being offered spots on commercials for high-profile companies like Old Navy and Blockbuster, and the actress even won a Teen Choice Award for Choice Chemistry with costar Zac Efron (it was a good choice -- as the pair became a couple).

Vanessa Hudgens went on to star in High School Musical 2 and High School Musical 3.

vanessa hudgens releases v

Buoyed by her massive High School Musical success, Vanessa decided the time was right to fulfill her lifelong dream of recording an album of her own, and consequently signed with Hollywood Records in 2006. Hoping to take advantage of the heat surrounding her, Vanessa worked day and night on the album for two months. On September 26, 2006, V was released to monstrous success. It premiered at No. 24 on the U.S. pop album charts and sold 34,000 copies. The album spawned a hit single, “Come Back to Me,” and Vanessa spent the latter part of 2006 touring in support of the disc (first as an opener for The Cheetah Girls, then as part of the High School Musical concert series). In addition to her relentless touring schedule, Vanessa found time to make a series of appearances on the popular Disney Channel show The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.

vanessa hudgens is named no. 61 in 2008 and 2009 top 99

In September 2007, a collection of nude photos of Vanessa Hudgens surfaced online, sparking a major controversy. Both she and her publicist addressed the scandal, citing that the photos were taken in privacy and that it was a shame they were leaked to the public. Despite this, Disney indicated that they intended to continue working with the young star. With more eyes on her than ever before, Vanessa successfully bounced back from the scandal, as evidenced by her position at No. 61 on AskMen.com's list of the Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2008 and again in 2009.

In April 2008, Vanessa Hudgens released the first single "Sneakernight" from her second album Identified. She also appeared in the third installment of the hit movie franchise High School Musical 3: Senior Year and, in '09, she worked on the flick Rock On with Lisa Kudrow.

Rania Al-Yasin was born in Kuwait on August 31, 1970. The daughter of Palestinian parents, she attended Kuwait's prestigious New English School, where she was given the opportunity to interact with children of all races and backgrounds.

"There was a very large expatriate community in Kuwait," she recalls. "My classroom had children from many different nationalities, so I grew up with people from Europe, the United States, Africa, the Far East. These interactions made me realize how alike we are, that what makes us similar is much more than what separates us."

rania begins a career

Following the completion of her secondary education, Rania moved to Egypt, where she received a degree in business administration from The American University in Cairo in 1991. Upon her graduation, Rania made tracks once again. This time, she set her sights on Jordan, where she began a career at Citibank before taking a job in information technology at Apple Computers.

Rania's fate changed forever one night in 1993 when she met Abdullah Bin Al-Hussein, the son of Jordan's King Hussein, at a party. "I could never have imagined what fate had in store for me," she says. "At that time, as a recent graduate, I was living and working in Amman, and certainly never expected to marry a Prince of the Hashemite lineage or, one day, become the Queen of Jordan."

rania and prince abdullah are wed

Less than six months later, on June 10, 1993, the pair married in a lavish ceremony. Despite his royal lineage, neither one of them expected to ascend to the throne since Prince Abdullah was not officially a crown prince. That honor belonged to Prince Hassan. Reflecting upon that time, Rania considers Prince Abdullah's status to have been something of a blessing.

"I was lucky, because when I came into the family, I had the opportunity to get used to a new way of life," she says. "My husband was just a prince, and I was just a princess, so I could control, to some extent, the separation of my public duties from my private life."

rania begins a family

Left to their own devices, the young couple began planning a family, and on June 28, 1994, Rania gave birth to their first son, Prince Hussein. Princess Iman followed just two years later on September 27, 1996.

Sadly, the family suffered a devastating setback in 1999 with the death of His Majesty King Hussein. Two weeks before succumbing to cancer, the King shocked many observers around the world by switching the line of dynastic succession and making Abdullah his heir rather than Hassan.

queen rania ascends to the throne

The newly crowned Queen Rania remembers it as being an overwhelming time. "Following the sad passing of His Late Majesty King Hussein, and the ascension of His Majesty King Abdullah, we were faced with enormous responsibilities and challenges," she recalls. "Fortunately, we had had a taste of public life in our roles as Prince and Princess, but still the adjustments to King and Queen were considerable. In fact, we are still learning."

That may be so, but Jordan's new queen took to her role admirably, immediately giving a voice to many of Jordan's disenfranchised. "I work in areas related to child protection and family safety, women's empowerment, the creation of opportunities for youth, and culture and tourism," she says. "Daunting? Yes. Impossible? No. In fact, such challenges energize me.

rania and abdullah extend their family

Queen Rania and King Abdullah have since had two other children. Princess Salma was born on September 26, 2000, and Prince Hashem was welcomed into the world on January 30, 2005. "For now, I am cherishing Prince Hashem and this special time at home with my family," she says. "Being surrounded by them grounds me and reminds me of what is important."

Sandra Bullock knew that she was destined for greatness the moment that she first started hearing voices -- singing voices. As the daughter of an opera singer and a vocal coach, she was surrounded by voices and spent the greater part of her childhood in Germany watching her mother regularly belt out operatic tones on stage. Sandra Bullock joined her mother's operas occasionally and got her first taste for the arts through dual training in ballet and choir practice. Upon returning to her home state of Virginia, she acted in school plays at Washington-Lee High School and -- like every future Hollywood girl next door -- she danced on the cheerleading squad.

East Carolina University was the next stop for Sandra Bullock. She studied drama all the way until her graduating year, but dropped out early, finding the lure of New York City and its many young, starving actors to be too strong to resist. She joined them as a part-time bartender and coat-check girl while she brushed up on her acting technique at the city's prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse. After earning a spot in an off-Broadway stage production, she got her first major screen role in the 1989 TV movie, Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman -- placing her alongside 1970s pop culture heroes, Lee Majors and Lindsay Wagner.

Sandra Bullock remained active in television in the early 1990s and even won the lead of her own TV series, Working Girl, which was based on the earlier Harrison Ford/Melanie Griffith movie of the same name. The show was a non-factor in prime-time TV, but in 1993, Sandra Bullock caught a major break when she was chosen to play the no-nonsense futuristic cop, Lt. Lenina Huxley in the testosterone-laced Sylvester Stallone/Wesley Snipes collaboration, Demolition Man. An effective supporting player in the action genre already, she became the coolest woman to ever drive a bus in 1994 when she teamed up with Keanu Reeves for the action blockbuster, Speed. Besides having displaying an amazing ability to help Keanu Reeves act better, she effortlessly exuded charisma and became an instant front-page name.

Building on her charm and likability, Sandra Bullock shifted to the romantic comedy genre for films like While You Were Sleeping, Miss Congeniality and Two Weeks Notice, showing the entertainment world that there could be life without Julia Roberts. While a few of her other efforts like Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) and attempts at more serious fare like Murder By Numbers and 28 Days didn't attract audiences, they did little to hurt Sandra Bullock's overall career trajectory as it seemed like her next comedy hit was never that far away.

By 2004, though, Sandra Bullock was pushing 40 and there was some debate as to whether she might be growing a bit long in the tooth for her genre of choice. She fired back in the Oscar-winning Crash by playing completely against type as a yuppie whose racial hostilities boil to the surface after a carjacking incident. The performance won over the critics who previously thought she couldn't be credible in a serious film and breathed new life into her career.

An on-screen reunion with Keanu Reeves in The Lake House was the high point for Sandra Bullock in 2006. Her other film that year, Infamous, in which she played Harper Lee, was quickly overshadowed by the similarly themed Oscar favorite, Capote. Rather than retreat to the romantic comedy genre, Sandra Bullock went the way of supernatural suspense opposite Julian McMahon for 2007's Premonition. The film cast her as a woman living her days out of order and trying to change the fate of her husbands imminent death.

Following a two-year break from the movie world, Sandra Bullock returned to the big screen with a vengeance in 2009 and had what was arguably one of the most successful year of any modern American actress. Showing that she was older, wiser and not quite done yet, she played cougar to Hollywood's It Boy, Ryan Reynolds, for the marriage comedy, The Proposal. It proved to be one of highest-grossing films of her career and a few months later, it was deja vu all over again. Her next film, the fact-based drama The Blind Side became the first film top-lined by an actress to gross over $200 million in North America. For her efforts as a woman who adopts a struggling football hopeful, Sandra Bullock would further reap the benefits of her comeback with her first-ever Oscar (as well as nomination) for Best Actress.

After winning the Academy Award for Best Actress, it seemed like life for 45-year-old Sandra Bullock couldn't get any better, but the actress was blindsided by Michelle "Bombshell" McGee, a tattoo model who went to In Touch magazine with a story of her alleged affair with Bullock's husband Jesse James -- an affair that apparently took place while Bullock was filming The Blind Side. Bullock has since reportedly moved out of her home with James.

Naomi Ellen Watts was born on September 28, 1968, in Kent, England. She spent the majority of her adolescence growing up in England, where her father worked as a road manager and sound engineer with legendary ‘70s prog-rock band Pink Floyd. After the separation of her parents -- followed by the death of her father -- Naomi Watts eventually went to live in Australia with her mother and brother, and it was there that she discovered her passion for acting.

It was while attending an Australian acting class that Naomi Watts first met Nicole Kidman, and the two remain close friends to this day. In 1986, Naomi Watts traveled to Japan in the hopes of launching a career in modeling -- though her efforts quickly proved fruitless and she was forced to return home just a few months later. After spending a few years working at an Australian fashion magazine, Naomi Watts decided to throw herself into acting full-time and she was soon working regularly on a variety of locally shot projects (including beloved Australian soap Home and Away).

Naomi Watts worked steadily throughout the early part of the 1990s; in 1993 alone, she appeared in four films (including the John Goodman comedy Matinee), though it wasn’t until 1995 that she got her first taste of mainstream success. Cast opposite Lori Petty and Ice-T in the big-budget comic-book adaptation Tank Girl, Naomi Watts’ time on the $25 million spectacle (and subsequent bomb) proved to be an educational experience for the relatively green actress. She spent the remainder of the decade working almost exclusively in small independent efforts, including 1996’s dark noir Persons Unknown (alongside fellow up-and-comer Jon Favreau) and 1998’s period piece Dangerous Beauty.

Naomi Watts marked the turn of the century by successfully landing a role in Mulholland Dr., which was initially filmed as the pilot episode of a new TV show. After it became clear that no network wanted it, director David Lynch added new scenes and turned it into one of the most talked-about movies of 2001. Naomi Watts instantly found herself the center of a worldwide media storm, and it was her decision to follow-up her Mulholland role with 2002’s The Ring that catapulted her to the A-list.

Naomi Watts' desire to prove herself as a serious actress resulted in a string of critically acclaimed yet financially underwhelming efforts, such as 2003’s searing 21 Grams (although it did garner her an Oscar nomination), 2004’s baffling I Heart Huckabees and the 2006 costume drama The Painted Veil.

Naomi Watts’ appearance in Peter Jackson’s big-budget 2005 remake of King Kong cemented her status as one of Hollywood’s top actresses, and she received recognition for her expectedly first class work in the Viggo Mortensen thriller Eastern Promises.

In July 2007, Naomi Watts gave birth to her first child, son Alexander, with Liev Schreiber.

In 2008, she signed on to star in Funny Games and The International, Need, and in '09 she appears in Kicked, Bitten and Scratched, Angles and Demons and The Birds.

Ninel Herrera Conde was born in Toluca, Mexico on September 29, 1970, and began her acting career around her mid-20s. She studied acting in workshops run by fellow actor Rene Pereira and actor/director Sergio Jimenez at the Centro de Arte y Teatro Emilia Carranza in Mexico.

Her first big break came in 1995 when she landed small roles in several Mexican telenovelas and television series. In addition to television roles, Ninel also appeared in movies, most notably in the film Mujeres Frente al Espejo which was directed by her former acting teacher Jimenez.

In 2003, Ninel moved away from acting gigs and on to a career in music. She released her first album, titled Ninel Conde. Her first single, “Callados,” was a collaboration with her boyfriend, Jose Manuel Figueroa.

Yet, despite her success as both an actress and a musician, Ninel’s popularity did not reach its height until 2004, when she appeared on Big Brother VIP, Mexico's version of the worldwide reality TV smash. Using her sexy personality to her advantage, Ninel lasted 43 days in the Big Brother VIP house, earning many fans along the way.

In 2006, Ninel made her first appearance on American television as she was tapped to play a role on Ugly Betty.

Yasmin Brunet was born on June 6, 1988, in Gavea, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As the daughter of Luiza Brunet, a two-time cover model for Brazil's Playboy, Yasmin Brunet was blessed with the genes for a career in modeling. As a child, one of the first things that Luiza introduced her daughter to had nothing to do with modeling -- it was an annual trip to the beautiful beaches of Abiza, a vacation the family still gets together for now.

Yasmin Brunet wasn't one to plan ahead, so she would change her mind frequently about what she wanted to do next. Her initial idea for a career was to start a band and act as a front woman. She even went so far as to learn the drums and guitar with voice lessons on the side, but Yasmin Brunet couldn't get past her own wooden voice. Acting was also an interest, but she settled on modeling and began walking the catwalks in her teens.

Yasmin Brunet 's first taste of professional modeling came on the catwalk, where she worked a series of fashion shows. The most well-known shows of the bunch were the 2001 Patachou fashion show, which was followed by Rosa Cha and Versus a year later.

Yasmin Brunet's looks and comfort in front of the camera helped her get industry representation from Ford Models Brazil and 40º Models, which landed her more gigs. She showed up on the cover of the February 2004 Brazil edition of Elle and she was a natural choice to be an advertising face. Calzedonia and Disritmia picked Yasmin for their ads, and Escada featured her prominently in their ads for Sunset Heat Fragrance. All this attention was great for Yasmin Brunet, but she hadn't had the break that would make her an international model -- yet. However, this finally happened in 2008.

In 2008, Yasmin Brunet's patience paid off when she was chosen as the cover model for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Needless to say, the resulting media exposure opened new doors for Yasmin Brunet.

Victoria Caroline Adams was born April 17, 1974, in Hertfordshire, England. She has two siblings, brother Christian and sister Louise, and her parents, Jackie and Tony, ran a successful electrical wholesale business and were well-off by most standards.

As a child, Victoria was surprisingly lonely; other children often teased her because of her acne and she would even ask her father not to drop her off in front of school so as not to be seen in the family's Rolls-Royce.

victoria beckham is posh in the spice girls
Such a personality made her an unlikely candidate for pop stardom, but Victoria Beckham found herself in a band while in school. She studied at the Jason Theatre School as a child and moved on to the Laine Arts Theatre College, where she also dabbled in dance and modeling.

Although her original band never took off, her life was forever changed when she decided to answer an ad in The Stage that was looking for five women who could sing and dance to form a group.

Little did Victoria know that this ad would lead to a group called the Spice Girls, which would leave an indelible mark in music history.

Released in 1996, the Spice Girls' first single, "Wannabe," and their debut album, Spice, were smash hits in the U.S. and abroad. Victoria, along with her band mates Emma, Geri, and the two Mels, became instant household names, with success that changed the face of pop culture and gave new meaning to "girl power."

victoria beckham married david beckham
With hits like "2 Become 1" and "Spice Up Your Life," the Spice Girls went on to sell over 35 million albums and 25 million singles worldwide, igniting a worldwide phenomenon in the process.

But this mega success was relatively short-lived. Worldwide tours, millions of albums sold and a movie (Spiceworld) later, Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell decided to split from the Girls in May 1998, leaving a huge void in the group.

After the remaining foursome released Forever in 2000, which was met with lukewarm sales, the Spice Girls decided to split up and pursue solo projects. Taking some time off and falling in love in the process, Victoria "Posh Spice" Adams married soccer star David Beckham in July 1999, and together they have three sons, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz.

victoria beckham flies solo
Although Victoria Beckham claims that she has never read a book from cover to cover, she released an autobiography, titled Learning To Fly. In 2001, she released her first solo album, Victoria Beckham, which has spawned the singles "Not Such An Innocent Girl" (which, unfortunately, was clobbered on the charts by Kylie Minogue's comeback single) and "A Mind Of Its Own."

In 2004, Victoria Beckham designed a fashion line for Rock and Republic called "VB Rocks," which consisted mainly of jeans for the high-end market. Two years later she came out with "DVB Eyewear" and, that same year, she and husband David came out with his-and-hers fragrances, Intimately Beckham. In June 2007, Victoria launched her "dVb" denim collection.

2007 was a very busy year for Victoria Beckham. She and her fellow bandmates reunited for a Spice Girls reunion comeback tour and performed at the Victoria Secret's Fashion Show (amongst other special appearances). Victoria also made a special guest appearance on the TV show Ugly Betty.

Olga Kurylenko was born and raised in the small town of Berdyansk, in southern Ukraine, and dreamed of getting away from there to live a more exciting and glamorous life. When she was 15, she went to Moscow for a week's vacation at the suggestion of her mother, and it was there that she was "discovered" by a scout from a modeling agency. Olga was soon living in Paris where she began working immediately. Her first gig was a photo shoot in sunny Cuba.

Olga Kurylenko eventually became interested in acting, as she began studying at a theater school during her spare time. She landed her first big screen role playing Iris in the French drama L'Annulaire. The film became a favorite at the 2005 Toronto Film Fest, and earned her the Certificate of Excellence as Best Actress at the Brooklyn International Film Festival. In 2006, Olga Kurylenko portrayed The Vampire, opposite Elijah Wood's Tourist, in the ”Quartier de la Madeleine” segment of Paris, je t'aime, and also appeared in the French-Swiss telefilm Le Porte-bonheur.

Next Olga Kurylenko appeared in Suspectes, a mini-series which aired on French television during the spring of 2007. Her other credits for that year included the role of sexy seductress Sofia in the thriller Le Serpent (aka The Snake) as Nika, and opposite Timothy Olyphant's Agent 47 in Hitman, based on the video game of the same name. She also played Mina Harud in the sci-fi drama Tyranny, which was introduced as a web-series before hitting the big screen sometime in 2008.

Olga Kurylenko became the next Bond girl, Camille, for the '08 flick Quantum of Solace, a role that finally solidified her place in Hollywood.

Look for her in '09 in the film Kirot.

Born into wealth and privilege, Olivia Palermo’s mother is an interior decorator and her father is a prominent New England real-estate developer. She has attended some of the finest private schools money can buy including St. Luke’s School in New Canaan, Connecticut, and the all-female Nightingale-Bamford School on New York’s Upper East Side (one of the nation’s elite university-preparatory schools). Currently Olivia Palermo takes classes at The New School, one of New York’s most distinguished private universities.

Prior to working in PR for Diane von Furstenberg, Olivia Palermo spent a year in France, a short time in Los Angeles, and she interned at the society magazine Quest.

Olivia Palermo’s life as a New York socialite began when she was photographed at a Sotheby’s auction in 2006. Thanks to her extraordinary beauty, her profile grew quickly. Then a mysterious website appeared entitled SocialiteRank.com that published a ruthless biweekly ranking of the young women who appeared at A-list parties and charity events. Palermo’s profile grew, along with a feeling that she was nothing more than a petty social climber who hadn’t paid her dues.

SocialiteRank.com then published an e-mail purportedly written by Olivia Palermo apologizing for her behavior and begging to be accepted by the scene’s elite. She became a laughingstock, ridiculed by the site and by her peers. However, she denied ever writing the e-mail and hired a top litigation firm with a view toward suing for libel and defamation of character.

Despite a number of early denials, in September 2008, Olivia Palermo joined MTV’s reality-based series The City. Some New York social insiders claim that her decision to join the MTV show is proof positive of her poseur status, since no “genuine” Upper East Side privileged child would expose her family name to the scrutiny.

Whatever the case, Olivia Palermo is getting more national publicity than the combined New York scene, reminding us of the old Mae West line: “It’s better to be looked over than overlooked.”

Uma Karuna Thurman was born April 29, 1970, in Boston, Massachusetts, and had an eccentric, multicultural upbringing. Her mother, Nena, is a half-Swedish, half-German former psychotherapist, while her father, Robert A.F. Thurman, is a Tibetan Buddhist monk and a University of Columbia professor. Uma was named after a Hindu deity that is the "bestower of blessings."

As a teenager, Uma did not fit in. As if her name wasn't different enough, she was lanky and awkward as a child. Her long nose, which today only adds a unique touch to her beautiful face, was part of her misery. Rather than taking part in the typical all-American extracurricular activities, Uma Thurman had better things to do: act.

After receiving a standing ovation while involved in an elementary school theater production, Uma Thurman caught the acting bug and knew this was what she wanted to do with her life. She packed up, and like most aspiring models and actors, she headed for New York -- she didn't even stick around long enough to become a high school graduate.

While in New York, Uma Thurman was forced to work odd jobs, including washing dishes and modeling -- a more glamorous day job. It didn't take long for Uma to trade in her dishwashing gloves for scripts, as she landed her first feature film role in 1988's Johnny Be Good. Uma Thurman was on the verge of beginning her career and was about to take on a string of sexual film roles.

After Johnny Be Good, which was nothing to write to Boston about, Uma Thurman was cast in Kiss Daddy Goodnight and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, which raised eyebrows and garnered her critical praise. But it was after her role in 1988's Dangerous Liaisons that her image became erotic. Choosing to become more than just a passing fad, Uma Thurman left for England; however, many offers for movie roles were waiting for her back in America, and she eventually returned. Her role in 1990's Henry & June showcased her with sexuality streaming out of her pores; it didn't help that she portrayed a bisexual in the film.

Although she starred in popular movies such as Final Analysis, Jennifer 8, Mad Dog and Glory, and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, it was her role as the offbeat, cocaine-junkie Mia Wallace in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction that garnered her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. With a departure from alternative, more dramatic films to the commercial comedies Beautiful Girls and The Truth About Cats and Dogs, Uma proved that she can also provide some laughs.

Next up for the beautiful actress were roles in the sci-fi films Gattaca and Batman & Robin, as well as her starring role as Emma Peele in the adaptation of The Avengers, which tanked at the box office.

Uma Thurman went on a brief hiatus to marry Gattaca costar Ethan Hawke and to welcome their first baby, Maya Ray, into the world. They later had another child, but their marriage ended in 2004. Uma Thurman had previously been married to actor Gary Oldman, and her dating record includes Timothy Hutton and Robert De Niro.

After a role in Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown in 1999, Uma Thurman returned to her former modeling days as a spokesperson for Lancôme. One of Empire magazine's 100 Sexiest Stars in film history, she has modeled for Louis Vuitton as well.

In 2003 and 2004, Uma Thurman played the leading role of cold-blooded kung fu villain Beatrix Kiddo in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies, which she cowrote with Quentin during the shooting of Pulp Fiction. Thus, Uma Thurman had expanded her talents to not only acting and modeling, but writing and producing films as well.

In 2006, Uma Thurman explored her comedic abilities alongside Luke Wilson and Anna Faris in My Super Ex Girlfriend. Her character used super powers to make her ex-boyfriend's life a living hell.

Uma Thurman took a bit of a break from the spotlight in 2007 to return in 2008 with a vengeance. She had roles in the flicks The Life Before Her Eyes, My Zinc Bed and Eloise in Paris, as well as acted and directed The Accidental Husband.