Favourite Actresses

Kate Siegel (born August 9, 1982) is an American actress and screenwriter. She is known for her collaborations with her husband Mike Flanagan, appearing in the acclaimed horror films Oculus (2013), Hush (2016), which she also co-wrote, Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), and Gerald's Game (2017). Siegel also starred as Theodora Crain in the Netflix supernatural horror series The Haunting of Hill House (2018).

Siegel made her acting debut in the film The Curse of The Black Dahlia, which was released on January 23, 2007. That same year she went on to star in Hacia La Oscuridad which had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 28, 2007. She also appeared in Steam alongside Ruby Dee and Chelsea Handler. In 2008, Siegel appeared in the short film Knocked Down, which was directed by Ted Collins. In 2009, she made her television debut in Ghost Whisperer as Cheryl. In 2010, she appeared in Numb3rs as Rachel Hollander. She then appeared in an episode of Castle. That same year she appeared in the drama-thriller Wedding Day.

In 2013, Siegel appeared in Man Camp. That same year she appeared in Oculus, a horror film written and directed by Mike Flanagan. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2013, and was released in April 2014. She also appeared in an episode of Mob City. In 2014, she appeared in Demon Legacy.

In November 2015, it was revealed that she and Mike Flanagan would be adapting the young adult novel 13 Days to Midnight into a film.

In 2016, Siegel made her screenwriting debut opposite her husband Mike Flanagan in Hush, the film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 11, 2016, and was released on Netflix on April 8, 2016. In July 2016, she starred in a commercial for Stelara psoriasis medication. That same year, Siegel appeared in Ouija: Origin of Evil, also directed by Flanagan, which was released on October 21, 2016.

In 2017, Siegel starred alongside Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood in the film adaptation of Stephen King's Gerald's Game. The film was released on September 29, 2017, by Netflix.

In 2018, Siegel had a starring role as Theodora Crain in the Netflix supernatural horror series The Haunting of Hill House, based on Shirley Jackson's 1959 novel of the same name.

Siegel is married to director Mike Flanagan since 2016. They have one son, Cody Paul Flanagan (born November 26, 2016).

Kate Beckinsale was born on 26 July 1973 in West Middlesex Hospital, Isleworth, Middlesex, England, and has resided in London for most of her life. Her mother is Judy Loe, who has appeared in a number of British dramas and sitcoms and continues to work as an actress, predominantly in British television productions. Her father was Richard Beckinsale, born in Nottingham, England. He starred in a number of popular British television comedies during the 1970s, most notably the series Rising Damp (1974), Porridge (1974) and The Lovers (1970). He passed away tragically early in 1979 at the age of 31, when Kate was five years old, and her mother Judy Loe never remarried, and her grandmother moved in to help her mother.

Kate attended the private school Godolphin and Latymer School in London for her grade and primary school education. In her teens she twice won the British bookseller W.H. Smith Young Writers' competition - once for three short stories and once for three poems. After a tumultuous adolescence (a bout of anorexia - cured - and a smoking habit which continues to this day), she gradually took up the profession of acting.

Her major acting debut came in a TV film about World War II called One Against the Wind (1991), filmed in Luxembourg during the summer of 1991. It first aired on American television that December. Kate began attending Oxford University's New College in the fall of 1991, majoring in French and Russian literature. She had already decided that she wanted to act, but to broaden her horizons she chose university over drama school. While in her first year at Oxford, Kate received her big break in Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing (1993). Kate worked in three other films while attending Oxford, beginning with a part in the medieval historical drama Royal Deceit (1994), cast as Ethel. The film was shot during the spring of 1993 on location in Denmark, and she filmed her supporting part during New College's Easter break. Later in the summer of that year she played the lead in the contemporary mystery drama Uncovered (1994). Before she went back to school, her third year at university was spent at Oxford's study-abroad program in Paris, France, immersing herself in the French language, Parisian culture and French cigarettes.

A year away from the academic community and living on her own in the French capital caused her to re-evaluate the direction of her life. She faced a choice: continue with school or concentrate on her flourishing acting career. After much thought, she chose the acting career. In the spring of 1994 Kate left Oxford, after finishing three years of study. Kate appeared in the BBC/Thames Television satire Cold Comfort Farm (1995), filmed in London and East Sussex during late summer 1994 and which opened to spectacular reviews in the United States, grossing over $5 million during its American run. It was re-released to U.K. theaters in the spring of 1997.

Acting on the stage consumed the first part of 1995; she toured in England with the Thelma Holts Theatre Company production of Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull". After turning down several mediocre scripts "and going nearly berserk with boredom", she waited seven months before another interesting role was offered to her. Her big movie of 1995 was the romance/horror movie Haunted (1995), starring opposite Aidan Quinn and John Gielgud, and filmed in West Sussex. In this film she wanted to play "an object of desire", unlike her past performances where her characters were much less the siren and more the worldly innocent. Kate's first film project of 1996 was the British ITV production of Jane Austen's novel Emma (1996). Her last film of 1996 was the comedy Shooting Fish (1997), filmed at Shepperton Studios in London during early fall. She played the part of Georgie, an altruistic con artist. She had a daughter, Lily, in 1999 with actor Michael Sheen.

Jessica Barden is an English actress. She is best known for playing Alyssa in Channel 4 series The End of the F***ing World, and the film The Lobster (2015).

She also had small roles in Tamara Drewe (2010), Hanna (2011) and Far from the Madding Crowd (2015).

In 2016 she played Justine in Penny Dreadful.

Her film debut was Mrs. Ratcliffe's Revolution (2007).

Autumn Reeser saw her breakout role as the individualist Taylor Townsend on the popular Fox drama series "The O.C." Since then she's become known for her intelligent and heartfelt performances in roles such as firecracker junior agent Lizzie Grant on HBO's "Entourage" and become an in-demand and beloved star in Hallmark movies.

Acting came into Autumn's life as a clear calling when she was six years old and her parents took her to see her first play at the community theater in the small surf town of Carlsbad, California. She begged to audition for the next one, the jumping off point for a lifelong love-affair with art, musical expression and the exploration of the human character and psyche. Strongly connected to Spirit, she followed her guidance to apply for only one college, a new musical theatre program being launched at UCLA, and was accepted. After many late nights waitressing to support herself and rigorous training at various acting programs throughout Los Angeles, she began working steadily in film and TV and has not stopped since.

Her first role was as an alien girl on 'Star Trek: Voyager' at the age of 20, followed by honing her comedic chops on sitcoms such as 'The George Lopez Show' and 'Grounded For Life', and pouring her heart out in dramas such as 'Cold Case' and 'CSI'. Her breakout role came in 2005, as the quirky-cute and socially awkward Taylor Townsend on the final two seasons of The O.C. (2003), for which she received high critical acclaim. She's also known for her role as firecracker junior agent Lizzie Grant on HBO's 'Entourage' as scientist Katie Andrew in ABC's No Ordinary Family (2010), along with actors Michael Chiklis, Julie Benz. In 2012, she starred as sexy weapons expert Kylie Sinclair in Shawn Ryan's short-lived political thriller Last Resort (2012), on ABC. She also appeared as Dr. Gabrielle Asano on Hawaii 5-0, sports agent Abby Bruce opposite John Stamos on Necessary Roughness, and lead the cast in numerous romances for Hallmark.

In 2021 she directed her first short film and earned her first executive-producer credit for developing Hallmark's "The 27-Hour Day," followed by 'The Wedding Veil' trilogy with Lacey Chabert and Ali Sweeney, which was Hallmark's most-watched series of 2022.

In addition to her film and television career, she has appeared onstage in "For the Record: Tarantino" at Rockwell, "The OC Musical" at the Montelban, "Too Much Sun" at the Odyssey, and numerous cabarets. She is a member of The WorkJuice Players alongside Paul F. Tompkins and Busy Phillips, best known for their ongoing radio play series and podcast, "The Thrilling Adventure Hour." In the last few years, she has directed two new musicals: 'City of Light' at Feinsteins 54 Below in New York and 'Modern' in USC's LiveRead Workshop program and is the co-creator of the musical 'Particle.'

Autumn lives in Los Angeles with her sons Finn & Dash and has served on the board of the SAG-AFTRA union. She is an advocate for women, performers and working parents, as well as a counselor and intuitive guide. She offers mentorship to artists through her website.

Megan Denise Fox was born on May 16, 1986 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and raised in Rockwood, Tennessee to Gloria Darlene Tonachio (née Cisson), a real estate manager and Franklin Thomas Fox, a parole officer. She began her drama and dance training at age 5 and at age 10, she moved to Port St. Lucie, Florida where she continued her training and finished school. Megan began acting and modeling at age 13 after winning several awards at the 1999 American Modeling and Talent Convention in Hilton Head, South Carolina. At age 17, she tested out of school using correspondence and eventually moved to Los Angeles, California. Megan made her film debut as Brianna Wallace in the Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen film, Holiday in the Sun (2001). Her best-known roles are as Sam Witwicky's love interest, Mikaela Banes in Transformers (2007) and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), as April O'Neil in the remake Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) and its sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016), and as Jennifer Check in the horror comedy Jennifer's Body (2009).

Jennifer Love Hewitt was born in Waco, Texas, to Patricia Mae (Shipp), a speech-language pathologist, and Herbert Daniel Hewitt, a medical technician. She has English, Italian, French, Scottish, and German ancestry. She got her first name from her older brother Todd Daniel Hewitt (b. November 8, 1970), who picked the name after a little blonde girl on whom he'd had a crush. Her mother selected Jennifer's middle name, Love (which she goes by offstage), from her best college friend. Her parents separated when she was six months old and her mother raised her in Killeen, Texas.

Hewitt made her official performing debut at age 3 when she sang at a livestock show. At age 5, she was taking tap, jazz, and ballet lessons, which led to her joining the Texas Show Team, who toured the Soviet Union and Europe. When she was 10 her family moved to Los Angeles with encouragement from talent scouts, while Todd stayed behind to finish high school in Texas Jennifer quickly found commercial work and a role on Disney's Kids Incorporated (1984) in 1989. She went through a series of television flops before finally hitting it big on Party of Five (1994) in 1995.

Famke Janssen was born November 5, 1964, in Amstelveen, the Netherlands, and has two other siblings. Moving to America in the 1980s, she modeled for Chanel in New York. Later, taking a break from modeling, she attended Columbia University, majoring in literature.

This model-turned-actress broke into Hollywood in the early 1990s. Her first film was Fathers & Sons (1992). Later she became James Bond's enemy in GoldenEye (1995). Her career has bloomed since then with her starring in such films as House on Haunted Hill (1999), Hide and Seek (2005), a recurring role on FX's Nip/Tuck (2003), and the blockbuster movies X-Men (2000), X2: X-Men United (2003), and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).

Abbie Cornish, also known by her rap name Dusk, is an Australian actress and rapper. Following her lead performance in 2004's Somersault, Cornish is best-known for her film roles as the titular heroin addict in the drama Candy (2006), courtier Bess Throckmorton in the historical drama Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Fanny Brawne in the John Keats biopic Bright Star (2009), "Sweet Pea" in the action film Sucker Punch (2011), Lindy in the science fiction thriller Limitless (2011) and for her work with writer/director Martin McDonagh in Seven Psychopaths (2012) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).

Cornish was born in Lochinvar, New South Wales, Australia, as the second of five children of Shelley and Barry Cornish. Her sister, Isabelle Cornish, is also an actress. She grew up on a 70-hectare (170-acre) farm before moving to Newcastle, New South Wales. As a teenager, Cornish was fascinated by independent and foreign films. In 2006 she became an ambassador for Australian animal rights group Voiceless, the animal-protection institute, and was part of a national advertising campaign in 2012. Cornish began model-ling at age 13 after reaching the finals of a Dolly Magazine competition. In 1999, Cornish was awarded the Australian Film Institute Young Actor's Award for her role in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television show Wildside and was offered her first role in a feature film, The Monkey's Mask.

In 2004, Cornish appeared in the award-winning short film Everything Goes with Hugo Weaving. She received the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actress at the FCCA and IF Awards and Best Breakthrough Performance at the 2005 Miami International Film Festival for her role in Somersault. Cornish received critical acclaim for her role in Candy, opposite Heath Ledger. She has also starred in A Good Year, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Kimberly Peirce's Stop-Loss. In April 2010, Cornish was cast in Limitless, the film adaptation of the novel The Dark Fields, directed by Neil Burger and also starring Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro.

Cornish narrated Zack Snyder's film Sucker Punch, in which she played one of the protagonists, at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International. Cornish played the role of Wally in Madonna's film W.E., about Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. She replaced Emily Blunt in the independent film The Girl. It premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2012. She starred alongside Woody Harrelson and Colin Farrell in Seven Psychopaths, released in 2012. Cornish co-starred in the 2014 RoboCop reboot. She played Clara Murphy, the wife of protagonist Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman). In 2015, she played Agent Katherine Cowles in Solace, a mystery thriller film directed by Afonso Poyart with central performances by Anthony Hopkins, Colin Farrell, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. In 2016, she filmed The Girl Who Invented Kissing with Luke Wilson.

Cornish is a rapper, singer and songwriter. She has been rapping under the name Dusk since 2000 and was part of an Australian hip hop group from the age of 18 to 22. In 2015, Cornish supported American rapper Nas on his Australian tour. The same year she released two new tracks on SoundCloud: "Evolve" featuring Jane Tyrrell and "Way Back Home" which was produced by Suffa from Hilltop Hoods.

Annabelle Wallis is an English actress best known for her roles as Jane Seymour in Showtime's period drama The Tudors, Grace Burgess in the BBC drama Peaky Blinders, and for the films Annabelle (2014), and The Mummy (2017). She was born in Oxford, but spent much of her childhood in Portugal, attending Saint Dominic's International School. She did several short films before she moved to London to pursue a career in movies. In London, she did some advertisements and went to drama school. Her maternal uncle is actor Richard Harris. Wallis speaks fluent English and Portuguese. She also speaks some French and Spanish. She lives in London.

ELLEN HOLLMAN is making a name for herself in the entertainment industry through the characters she has brought to life in film and television. Most recently, Ellen will be joining Keanu Reeves in MATRIX 4 directed by Lana Wachowski as well as upcoming action adventure MONSTER PROBLEMS with Michael Rooker and Dylan Obrien.

Hollman is widely recognized for starring as "Saxa" on the hit STARZ series SPARTACUS: WAR OF THE DAMNED and SPARTACUS: VENGEANCE, one of the most buzzed about shows in STARZ history. A seasoned jiu-jitsu practitioner, Hollman is also known for her serious ass kicking in major roles on NCIS: NEW ORLEANS as recurring antagonist/assassin "Amelia Parsons" and AMC's groundbreaking martial arts series INTO THE BADLANDS. Other credits include recurring roles on Ryan Murphy's series 9-1-1 on FOX, Navy SEAL Series SIX on A&E as well as LETHAL WEAPON and HAWAII 5-0.

Born in Michigan, Hollman was raised by her father Hart Hollman, a violist for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and her mother Julie, a master pianist. No stranger to the arts, Hollman spent countless hours in the Opera House and Orchestra Hall surrounding herself with classical brilliance. In her teen years, she decided to pursue a career in the arts herself, and moved to New York City. There, she studied at various acclaimed acting studios and honed in on her craft of choice: bringing to life a versatile array of characters on stage and on the silver screen. In 2004, Hollman moved out to Los Angeles. Within one year of being in LA, she started landing projects.

Aside from acting, Hollman is the CEO of Visual Impact Now, a non-profit based in Los Angeles. Visual Impact Now has served as a fundraising and awareness arm for their partner ONE SIGHT, to provide free eye exams and glasses to children and families who are unable to afford it. They have been involved with various high profile events including the GOLDEN GLOBES STYLE LOUNGE, COACHELLA, SUNDANCE, LA FASHION WEEK, and more. Their Host Committee Members and supporters have included Zoe Saldana, Chris Pine, Debra Messing, Malin Akerman, Shaun White, January Jones, and Taylor Lautner, to name a few. Over the years they have serviced over 7,000 LA youth with eye care and glasses.

Crystal Reed is of half-Native American and half-Polish descent. Growing up in Detroit, Michigan, she began studying the arts a young age. She pursued dance and theater as a child and began working as an actor in local productions. She later attend Wayne State University where she was admitted into the highly regarded Bachelor of Fine Arts program for theater. After leaving college, Crystal began modeling and acting. Being "disillusioned" by the modeling industry, she was quickly cast in her breakout role on Teen Wolf, playing the now iconic Allison Argent.

Leighton Marissa Meester was born in Fort Worth, Texas, to Constance Lynn (Haas) and Douglas Jay Meester. Although born in Texas, Meester spent her early years in Marco Island, Florida with her grandparents. There, she became involved with the local playhouse and made her stage debut in a production of "The Wizard of Oz".

She moved to New York with her mother at the age of 11 and was soon working as a model and appearing in TV commercials. A few years later, at age 14, she and her mother moved again, this time to Los Angeles, where she began to pick up TV work, making her debut in Disciple (1999).

A steady stream of TV work followed, and in 2007 she landed the role of Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl (2007), which made her famous. This led to more TV and movie roles. In 2009, she launched a recording career with the single, "Somebody to Love".

Blake Ellender Lively was born Blake Ellender Brown on August 25, 1987 in Los Angeles, California to Elaine Lively & Ernie Lively. Her brother is actor Eric Lively, and her half-siblings are actors Lori Lively, Robyn Lively and Jason Lively. She followed her parents' and siblings' steps. Her first role was Trixie, the Tooth Fairy in the musical movie Sandman (1998), directed by her father. Her big break came along a few years later, though. Blake was up to finish high school when she got the co-starring role of Bridget in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005).

Blake was so perfect for the role of Bridget that, with no big references or even auditioning, she landed the role. According to her, all she did was walk in and leave a photo of herself. It was clear that she was the Bridget needed. After the film, Blake went back to high school for her senior year to have the life of a regular teenager -- or a very busy regular teenager. She was class president, a cheerleader, and performed with the choir.

Willa Joanna Chance Holland (born June 18, 1991) is an American actress, voice actress and model. She is known for her role as Kaitlin Cooper in the FOX teen drama The O.C., Agnes Andrews in The CW series Gossip Girl and, most recently, Thea Queen / Speedy in Arrow. Holland was born in Los Angeles, to cinematographer Keith Holland and actress Darnell Gregorio-De Palma. Her mother was remarried to director Brian De Palma from 1995-97. She grew up with two sisters: Brianna Holland (b. 1988) and Piper De Palma (b. 1996). Holland attended Palisades Charter High School for only six weeks because her career was taking off and school peers were dismissive of her acting pursuits. At age seven, Holland played at her stepfather's neighbor's house in The Hamptons, New York. The neighbor, Steven Spielberg, was filming home videos and told Holland's parents, "You've got to put her in front of a camera".

Upon returning to Los Angeles that September, Holland signed with Ford Modeling Agency at age seven, and immediately booked a shoot for Burberry. The following year, 1999, De Palma took Holland to a theatrical talent agency. Since then she has appeared in many national commercials. During 2001 when Holland was ten, she worked alongside her cinematographer father in Ordinary Madness (2001). She was even slated to co-star in the 2005 Fox series The Inside with fellow model Rachel Nichols, but left the show when writer Tim Minear was brought in to overhaul it. She played the role of Kaitlin Cooper on The O.C. (2003); initially as a recurring character in season 3, but then as a regular in season four. In December 2007, Holland was cast in the independent drama film Garden Party (2008), playing the role of April, a troubled teenage aspiring model who tries to make it in Los Angeles. In September 2008, The CW announced Holland would appear in three episodes of the second season of the teen-drama television series Gossip Girl (2007), created by The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz. Holland played the role of Agnes Andrews, a rebellious 16-year-old model who befriends and creates havoc for Taylor Momsen's character. She also appeared in the films Middle of Nowhere (2008) and A Summer in Genoa (2008).

In March 2010, Holland made a one-off return in the 16th episode of the third season, The Empire Strikes Jack (2010), which aired March 29, 2010. She voiced Aqua in the PlayStation Portable title, "Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep", which was released on September 7, 2010 in North America. That same year, Holland starred in her first major studio film in the apocalyptic thriller film Legion (2010), playing the role of a bratty teenager.

She played teen-temptress Janice Heddon in the film Straw Dogs (2011), a remake of the 1971 film of the same name. The film opened in September 2011. In February 2012, Holland was cast in The CW action-adventure series Arrow (2012), based on the Green Arrow comic books, where she plays Thea Queen, the sister of Oliver Queen. In the film Tiger Eyes (2012), released in April 2012, Holland starred as Davey Wexler. The film was based on the 1981 novel of the same name, written by Judy Blume.

Julia Jones is one of the entertainment industry's brightest talents.

Julia stars in a leading role on Dexter: New Blood, Showtime's record-shattering, most watched series to date. She can also be seen in Peacock's comedy series Rutherford Falls, Disney+'s hit series The Mandalorian, and HBO's critically acclaimed drama Westworld.

Jones played the pivotal role of 'Wilma' in Taylor Sheridan's critically acclaimed neo-Western, Wind River, opposite Jeremy Renner. The film premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and won the Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard-Best Director award. Other film credits include Lionsgate's Cold Pursuit alongside Liam Neeson and Laura Dern; Quentin Tarantino Presents' Hell Ride; Jonah Hex opposite Josh Brolin; Winter in the Blood; and Netflix's The Ridiculous Six, to name a few. She also portrayed 'Leah Clearwater' in the hugely popular The Twilight Saga franchise.

Jones' television credits include Amazon's legal drama, Goliath, and recurring roles as "Gabriella Langton" on the Netflix series Longmire and "Dr. Kaya Montoya" on NBC's long-running series, ER.

On stage, Jones played "Dacotah" in the Culture Clash play Palestine, New Mexico at The Mark Taper Forum.

A native of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, Julia began working in commercials and community theatre at a young age. She also performed regularly in Boston Ballet's production of The Nutcracker. After high school, Jones moved to New York to attend Columbia University, where she graduated with a degree in English. While in college, she began modeling internationally appearing in ads for such companies as Levi's, Esprit, and Polo Ralph Lauren. She is on the board of Colt Coeur, a Brooklyn based theater company.

Jones currently resides in Los Angeles.

Whitney Ann Cummings is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer, director, producer and pod-caster. A native of Washington, D.C., Cummings pursued a comedy career in Los Angeles after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, where she had studied with the intention of becoming a journalist. After beginning stand-up in 2004, she secured regular appearances as a round-table guest on Chelsea Lately. She subsequently created, produced, and starred in NBC's Whitney, a sitcom in which she portrayed a semi-fictionalized version of herself. The series ran for two seasons before being canceled in 2013. Simultaneously, Cummings created the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls, which also began in 2011, and concluded in 2017.

Cummings released her first hour-long stand-up special, Money Shot, in 2010 on Comedy Central. She followed this with a second stand-up special for the network, entitled I Love You (2014). Her third special, I'm Your Girlfriend, was released on HBO in 2016, and later delivered as an audio streaming album in 2021. Beginning in 2018, Cummings served as a producer and writer for the ABC revival of Roseanne, but left the project prior to its cancellation. Cummings's fourth special, Can I Touch It?, premiered on Netflix in July 2019.

Natalie Portman is the first person born in the 1980s to have won the Academy Award for Best Actress (for Black Swan (2010)).

Natalie was born Natalie Hershlag on June 9, 1981, in Jerusalem, Israel. She is the only child of Avner Hershlag, an Israeli-born doctor, and Shelley Stevens, an American-born artist (from Cincinnati, Ohio), who also acts as Natalie's agent. Her parents are both of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Natalie's family left Israel for Washington, D.C., when she was still very young. After a few more moves, her family finally settled in New York, where she still lives to this day. She graduated with honors, and her academic achievements allowed her to attend Harvard University. She was discovered by an agent in a pizza parlor at the age of 11. She was pushed towards a career in modeling but she decided that she would rather pursue a career in acting. She was featured in many live performances, but she made her powerful film debut in the movie Léon: The Professional (1994) (aka "Léon"). Following this role Natalie won roles in such films as Heat (1995), Beautiful Girls (1996), and Mars Attacks! (1996).

It was not until 1999 that Natalie received worldwide fame as Queen Amidala in the highly anticipated US$431 million-grossing prequel Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). She then she starred in two critically acclaimed comedy dramas, Anywhere But Here (1999) and Where the Heart Is (2000), followed by Closer (2004), for which she received an Oscar nomination. She reprised her role as Padme Amidala in the last two episodes of the Star Wars prequel trilogy: Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). She received an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Black Swan (2010).

She received a second nomination for Best Actress, for playing Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in Jackie (2016).

Erin Gray was born on January 7, 1950 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Gray moved with her family from Hawaii to California when she was eight years old and graduated from Pacific Palisades High School. She was fifteen when a chance meeting with Nina Blanchard, head of one of Hollywood's top model agencies, convinced her what she wanted to do in life. Moving to New York City, she became one of the town's most sought-after models, in elite company with Farrah Fawcett, Veronica Hamel and Susan Blakely. Television viewers encountered her commercials for Breck, Max Factor, Clairol, Camay Soap and RC Cola, and a classic spot--for English Leather cologne--in which she provocatively declared, "My men wear English Leather--or they wear nothing at all!" Between modeling assignments, she studied acting with well-known coach Warren Robertson and, when television movie offers came in, she was ready.

Universal was impressed by her performances on such series as Police Story (1973) and Gibbsville (1976) and signed her to a seven-year contract. Under that pact, the studio co-starred her as a tough-minded newspaper reporter in Irwin Shaw's Evening in Byzantium (1978). Her performance scored with both critics and audiences, and led directly to her role as Colonel Wilma Deering in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979). As a result, she has become a regular commuter between Hollywood and New York City, the hub of the magazine and fashion world. Many women admired her commanding role as Colonel Wilma Deering, while many men admired her beautiful looks and shapely figure.

Maria Bello was born on 18 April, 1967 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, to Kathy, a nurse and teacher, and Joe Bello, a contractor. She is of Italian and Polish descent. Maria went to Villanova University, majoring in political science. She had every intention of becoming a lawyer, but she took an acting class during her senior year, just for fun. She discovered she was very good at it, and she was soon cast in small off-Broadway plays, such as "The Killer Inside Me", "Small Town Gals With Big Problems" and "Urban Planning". She later guest-starred on episodes of The Commish (1991), Nowhere Man (1995), Misery Loves Company (1995), and Due South (1994). She got her big break when producers Kenny Lenhart and John J. Sakmar cast her in the spy show Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1996) as "Mrs. Smith" (they remembered her from her performance in a failed pilot that was a remake of the classic TV series 77 Sunset Strip (1958)). The show was canceled after eight weeks on the air. Then came a spot on ER (1994) as "Dr. Anna Del Amico", in which she guest-starred on the final three episodes of the third season. The show's producers were so impressed with her that they asked her back as a regular on the series.

Jennifer Esposito was born in Brooklyn, New York. She launched her career with an appearance on Law & Order (1990) in 1996, and went on to play the character of "Stacey Paterno" in 36 episodes on the hit TV series Spin City (1996), starring alongside Michael J. Fox.

Her first major film was Spike Lee's Summer of Sam (1999). Other famous film credits include the Academy Award-winning film Crash (2004) and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998).

Sasha Alexander began acting by the time she was in the seventh grade when she found herself cast as the lead female in her school's production of "Baby." What she didn't know was that her male co-star would chicken out on her only a few hours before opening night. Determined to let the show go on, Sasha used her comedic skills and threw herself into the role. The audience response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic, and a star was born. Sasha continued acting in high school and college plays, and traveled east to New York from her native Los Angeles to perform in summer stock and Shakespeare Festival productions. It was here that her portrayal of Katherine in "The Taming of the Shrew" earned her the honor of studying in London with Cicely Berry and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Sasha graduated from USC's prestigious School of Cinema & Television, where she studied directing in an effort to hone her behind-the-camera skills. All the while, she continued to add to her acting resume with appearances in several critically acclaimed independent films, which premiered at festivals across the country. Besides her acting career, Sasha has also written a variety of productions, including Lucky 13 (2005), a comedy which she co-wrote, produced and stars in with Harland Williams and Lauren Graham. Sasha co-starred with Angie Harmon on the TV drama Rizzoli & Isles (2010).

Born in Bristol, Pennsylvania, the daughter of two college professors, Lauren Michael Holly grew up in the upstate New York town of Geneva. Her childhood was split between experiences that contrasted. She was privy to the shelter of growing up in a rural town and also exposed due to the erudite sophistication of her parents' academic careers. She spent time traveling in Europe and lived for a year in London, where she studied languages and flute at the famed Sarah Siddons School. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College in Westchester County, New York, Holly credits her love of acting to her great-grandmother who bred a family tradition of "treading the boards" on the musical theatre stages of Liverpool and London.

Holly's breakthrough motion picture performance came in the New Line Cinema's box-office smash, Dumb and Dumber (1994), with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. Lauren captured the hearts of audiences, as "Mary Swanson", the woman who drove Jim Carrey to follow her across the country to pledge his love. Next, she received glowing reviews for her performance in the Edward Burns drama, No Looking Back (1998), as a woman whose life in a small seaside community is turned upside down by the reappearance of her ex-boyfriend. Other film credits include Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday", Sydney Pollack's "Sabrina", the action-drama "Turbulence", the Miramax ensemble "Beautiful Girls", "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story", "A Smile Like Yours", "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane", "Down Periscope", "Entropy" and "The Last Producer". On television, Holly recently starred in two films for Hallmark. She also boasts three seasons as Director Jenny Shepard in NCIS, opposite Mark Harmon. Holly was seen in the TNT movie "King of Texas", an adaptation of Shakespeare's "King Lear", playing opposite Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden and renowned actor Patrick Stewart, and in the NBC miniseries "Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot". She also starred on David E. Kelley's drama, "Chicago Hope", marking her second project with Kelley, following their successful collaboration on the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning series, "Picket Fences".

Holly has worked on numerous Independent films, including the political thriller "Fatwa", in which she not only acted but also served as a producer, the Peter Schwaba penned and directed comedy "Godfather of Green Bay", "The Chumscrubber", "Pleasure Drivers", a Lifetime movie "Caught in the Act" (which she also produced), and "Chasing 3000". Most recently, she starred in "You're So Cupid". Additional projects contributing to the broad and diverse body of motion picture work Lauren has compiled include the drama "Colored Eggs" with Academy Award winner Faye Dunaway, the comedy "Raising Flagg" playing opposite Academy Award winner Alan Arkin, the Darrell Roodt directed HBO thriller, "Pavement" (co-starring Robert Patrick), and "What Women Want" (starring Academy Award winners Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt). She had a prime role in Disney's Academy Award-winning animated motion picture "Spirited Away" as the voice of Chihiro's Mother. Thrice divorced, as of 2014, Holly makes her home in Toronto, Canada, with her sons: Alexander, George, and Henry.

Laura Leighton was born on 24 July 1968 in Iowa City, Iowa, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Melrose Place (1992), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and Pretty Little Liars (2010). She has been married to Doug Savant since 2 May 1998. They have two children.

Troian Bellisario, daughter of producers Donald P. Bellisario and Deborah Pratt, made her film debut at the age of 3 in Last Rites (1988). She made several TV and movie appearances in her teens (most of the TV appearances were in shows produced by her father) before attending the University of Southern California.

She rose to worldwide prominence as Spencer in the hit TV series, Pretty Little Liars (2010).

Actress, advocate, philanthropist, and producer Torrey Joël DeVitto is best known for her incredible six season run on the NBC drama, "Chicago Med" playing Natalie Manning, the 'girl next door' and a doctor in the ER Pediatrics division. Outside of her acting work, Torrey's mission is to grant access and bring knowledge of wellness and philanthropy to as many people as possible.

Born and raised in Huntington, New York, to Mary & Liberty DeVitto, Torrey was surrounded by the entertainment industry from the moment she was born. For 28 years, her father played the drums for Billy Joel and she spent most of her early years traveling on the road with her parents. By the time Torrey could walk, her heart was in the music and acting world. She began violin lessons at age six and was in the 4th grade when she had already earned her place as the 4th chair violinist in a New York high school orchestra. She later played the violin at a show that Tommy Davidson put on and was backed by Brian McKnight's band. Torrey later studied dance with the Kings Park Dance Center in New York and started working in commercials and modeling by 15.

Torrey has numerous credits across television and film in her storied career. She may be best known for her role in the CW television series, "The Vampire Diaries" as Meredith Fell, her popular recurring role as Melissa on ABC Family's hit show, "Pretty Little Liars" as well as her character Carrie on the CW's "One Tree Hill". Her work includes: playing Alexandra on the MTV pilot Alexandra the Great; guest-starring on the FBC pilot One Big Happy; guest-starring in The Untitled Michael Jacobs Pilot for FBC; as well as guest-starring on episodes of Scrubs (2001), Dawson's Creek (1998), Jack & Bobby (2004), The King of Queens (1998), Drake & Josh (2004), CSI: Miami (2002) and Castle (2009). Torrey booked her first lead on the ABC Family series Beautiful People (2005) as aspiring model Karen Kerr. On the film front, her film debut was in Starcrossed (2005), and she has appeared in the 2006 movie sequel I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006), The Rite (2011) with Anthony Hopkins, Green Flash (2008), Killer Movie (2008), and Heber Holiday (2007) and Evidence (2013), starring Stephen Moyer.

Staying true to her love of music, throughout the years she has played violin at a show with the Tommy Davidson Band, was featured on Raphael Saadig's, "Ray Ray," and Stevie Nicks' album, "In Your Dreams," and has performed several times with her father on stage to standing ovations. Recently, Torrey and her father performed a song called "You've Been Through" for a PSA for SAMHSA, talking about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

As an advocate for women's safety, health and rights, she is working on the board of directors with SafeBAE, is a spokesperson and ambassador for the NHPCO. She is also an outspoken advocate for reproductive rights and spoke at Planned Parenthood's Bans Off Our Bodies virtual rally, attended The Women's Convention in 2022 as well as shared her own abortion story in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. Cycling through veganism and vegetarianism for the past 13 years, she is also an advocate for animals and regularly supports organizations such as PETA, IMAlive, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and PAWS adoption in Chicago.

Torrey splits her time between Chicago and her farm in Michigan, doting on her dogs Beau and Homie.