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Sunday, January 15, 2012
Naomi Watts
Born in England, raised in Australia and — after 15 years of hard work — an "overnight" Hollywood success, this actress is as brilliant as she is gorgeous. Watts began studying acting Down Under and befriended Nicole Kidman at a commercial audition when the two were just teens. In their twenties they both appeared in the boarding-school drama Flirting, but Kidman's star rose much more quickly than Watts'. Throughout the '90s, Watts languished in supporting parts that failed to showcase her incredible versatility and knack for accents. Yet, with a lot of encouragement from Kidman, she stuck it out and finally got her big break in 2001's Mulholland Dr. Originally conceived as a TV series, this offbeat chronicle of an L.A. starlet was released as a movie that featured Watts in two powerhouse parts. Audiences and critics immediately took notice of her talent, and the next year she finally hit the big time with the horror flick The Ring and made the tabloids because of her romance with hunk Heath Ledger, 10 years her junior. Watts continued her hot streak with an Oscar-nominated turn in 2003's 21 Grams and soon signed on to play an ape's best gal in the remake of King Kong. After her relationship with Ledger ended in 2004, she found new love in the arms of the more mature Liev Schreiber, her costar in The Painted Veil.
Angelina Jolie
Stunning, smart and slightly insane, this Hollywood icon is known for romancing her costars, kissing her brother at the Oscars, exotic tattoos and commendable humanitarian efforts. The daughter of Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight, she first garnered attention as a high-school computer wiz in the film Hackers after which she married costar Jonny Lee Miller. Their marriage died in 1999 just when Jolie's career was heating up. She appeared in three films that year including the seriocomic Pushing Tin which introduced her to hubby No. 2, Billy Bob Thornton, and the mental-institution drama Girl, Interrupted, which earned her an Oscar. Subsequently, Jolie made a series of blockbusters (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) and bombs (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow), none of which made use of her considerable acting talents. After divorcing Thornton in 2003, Jolie devoted much of her time to working with refugees in impoverished countries and raising her adopted children. In 2005, around the time her action film Mr. & Mrs. Smith was released, rumors circulated that she and recently separated costar Brad Pitt were having an affair. Although they refused to confirm the relationship, they remained tabloid cover stars for months until Jolie finally admitted in early 2006 that she was pregnant with his child.
Scarlett Johansson
BIRTHDAY November 22, 1984, New York, NY. RECENT CREDITS: We Bought a Zoo (FILM) Dec. 23, 2011, The Whale (FILM) Sep. 9, 2011, Iron Man 2 (FILM) May. 7, 2010, He's Just Not That Into You (FILM) Feb. 6, 2009, The Spirit (FILM) Dec. 25, 2008
Marisa Tomei
A feisty brunette who has enjoyed a roller-coaster career, Tomei started out on soaps before jumping to prime time as a regular on the sitcom A Different World. Her breakthrough role as a marriage-minded tough cookie in 1992's My Cousin Vinny showcased her comedic talents and Brooklyn accent, and snagged her an Academy Award as best supporting actress. However, there was a downside to her victory. Not only did she fail to live up to her promise in her subsequent projects (Untamed Heart, The Perez Family), rumors circulated that she hadn't actually won the Oscar and that presenter Jack Palance had read the wrong name — either by mistake or as a joke. (PricewaterhouseCoopers, the firm that handles the balloting process, said that she legitimately won.) In an effort to be taken more seriously, Tomei smartly switched her focus to indie films, earning a second Oscar nod (and Hollywood credibility) for her work in the harrowing 2001 drama In the Bedroom. Supporting roles in mainstream pictures followed (Anger Management, Alfie), as did a handful of plum stage roles, notably her 2003 pairing opposite acting great Al Pacino in Salome on Broadway.
Megan Fox
BIRTHDAY: May 16, 1986, Tennessee. RECENT CREDITS: Passion Play (FILM) May. 6, 2011, Jonah Hex (FILM) Jun. 18, 2010, Jennifer's Body (FILM) Sep. 18, 2009, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (FILM) Jun. 24, 2009, How to Lose Friends and Alienate Pe... (FILM) Oct. 3, 2008
