Trivia: Australian actor Chris Hemsworth became a favorite face in his native country when he wasn't yet a teenager, appearing on Australian TV shows like Neighbours and Home and Away in the early 2000s. He would go on to cross the pond, appearing in American movies like 2009's Star Trek, in which he played George Kirk. His next big splash in Hollywood would come in the years to follow, as he was cast as Thor in the big screen adaptations of The Avengers and Thor. The Avengers turned out to be a mega-smash, lending even more luster to his other films from that year including Snow White and the Huntsman and the remake of Red Dawn. In 2013, he played British race car driver James Hunt in Rush, before picking up the hammer again in Thor: The Dark World.

Trivia: Barred from performing during his first two years at Juilliard, turned to stand-up comedy as a way to stay in front of an audience. Was a featured performer in the Tony-nominated 2007 revival of Inherit the Wind. Performs stand-up comedy regularly. Turned down the role of Beast in X-Men: First Class to appear in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson on Broadway. Spent six hours in makeup for his role in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Trivia: A soft-spoken, fair-skinned actor with startling blue eyes, a penchant for playing volatile characters, and a reluctance to forsake his critically lauded stage career for a life in film, American audiences may best know Irish actor Cillian Murphy as the bike courier making his way through infected London in director Danny Boyle's apocalyptic thriller 28 Days Later. Though the film may have been Murphy's first to find wide stateside exposure, he has been appearing onscreen in the U.K. and his native Ireland since 1997. Born in Douglas, Cork, Ireland, in 1974, Murphy's father was a school inspector and his mother a French teacher. Attending school at Presentation Brothers College Cork while intending to enter into a career in law, Murphy was an avid rugby player who was turned on to the Concordia Theater's unique stage productions in his fourth year. Murphy soon signed up for a workshop with Concordia's Pat Tiernan and it quickly became apparent that he had a natural flair for the stage. Soon cast as the wildly emotional Pig in Concordia's production of Disco Pigs, Murphy debuted to rave reviews and was soon skipping school to go on tour with the production. Though his acting had initially begun as a hobby and a way to kill time on the weekends, it was quickly taking over his life and a career in law seemed less and less appealing. Though he would attempt to continue his law studies, it was soon obvious to Murphy that his heart just wasn't in it.Subsequently cast in a series of interesting and complex roles, Murphy made his feature debut in the 1998 film Sweety Barrett and quickly followed with the coming-of-age comedy drama Sunburn. Though it was obvious that his stage talents translated well to the silver screen, Murphy still maintained that the rush of theater couldn't be touched by celluloid. The problem in Ireland of suicide and poor mental health among young men prompted Murphy to accept a role in the 2000 drama On the Edge, and his role of a suicidal psychiatric patient proved memorable and affecting. Following How Harry Became a Tree (2001), it was time to adapt Disco Pigs into a feature film, and with director Kirsten Sheridan at the helm, Murphy reprised his role of Pig to enthusiastic results. By the time 28 Days Later rolled around, it seemed that everyone except United States audiences were familiar with the rising star, and with the stateside release of the film in mid 2003, all that was soon to change. Noting that, in his opinion, the best actors alternate frequently between stage and screen, Murphy strived to keep a balance as his growing popularity found his film career taking precedence. Following 2003's Zonad, Murphy began preparation for such features as Intermission and Girl With a Pearl Earring (both 2003).Murphy's resumé amassed higher and higher profile roles. 2005 brought his most popular film to date as he played the villain opposite hero Christian Bale in Batman Begins. Murphy's "boy next door" face seemed to make his performance as the menacing Scarecrow all the more disturbing, and he would go on to play the bad guy again later that same year in Red Eye, though this time he wore makeup to cover his boyish features. Soon he was donning even more makeup, however, as a transsexual in the indie hit Breakfast on Pluto. Playing both a victim and a hero in the U.K. of the 1970s, Murphy's ethereal performance as a boy who leaves his Ireland home to live as a woman in London was praised by critics, and the film was a cult success. He followed it up with another passion project in 2006: Ken Loach's award-winning The Wind That Shakes the Barley, a look at the Irish Republicans of the early 20th century and the anti-British rebellion that would continue to tear families apart for decades to come. He next signed on to star with Lucy Liu in the romantic comedy Watching the Detectives, another independent venture that would find Murphy playing a shy film geek who's pulled out of his movie collection and into the real world when he meets a real-life femme fetal, played by Liu. Also on Murphy's calendar for 2007 was the Danny Boyle psychological sci-fi thriller Sunshine, about a small crew of astronauts sent to reignite Earth's dying sun. Over the next few years, Murphy would apper in a number of other films, like Inception, Retreat, and Broken.

Trivia: Not long after British actor Ben Whishaw debuted onscreen in the late '90s, he began to reveal a gift (and a proclivity) for essaying some of the more intense and unusual characterizations in contemporary cinema, occasionally delivering uncanny evocations of real-life figures. Whishaw was memorable as a young Keith Richards in Stephen Woolley's Brian Jones biopic Stoned (2005), then portrayed a demented young man so determined to capture "the scent of womanhood" that he resorts to serial murder in Tom Tykwer's psychological thriller Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006). Whishaw evoked a young Bob Dylan (one of many) in Todd Haynes' controversial avant-garde biopic of the folk singer, I'm Not There (2007), then signed on to portray famed author John Keats in director Jane Campion's dramatization of the Keats/Fanny Brawne romance, Bright Star (2008). That same year, audiences could catch Whishaw's portrayal of Sebastian in Julian Jarrold's big-screen Evelyn Waugh adaptation , Brideshead Revisited (2008). In the years to come, Winshaw would remain a bankable actor, with prominent roles in films like Skyfall and Cloud Atlas.

Trivia: Father is Dominic Holland, a famous British comedian and novelist. Started performing as a young child when he began studying dance at Nifty Feet Dance School in London. In 2006, was noticed at a dance showcase by Lynne Page, the choreographer of Billy Elliot The Musical, who decided to train him in preparation for a role in the stage show. After training for two years and auditioning numerous times, starred in the titular role of Billy Elliot The Musical in the West End in London from 2008 until 2010. Played Lucas in the 2012 film The Impossible, a role that earned him an award for Best Breakthrough from the National Board of Review and for which he was honored at the Hollywood Spotlight Awards. Is involved with the Anthony Nolan Trust, a charity that aims to persuade people to donate bone marrow and stem cells.

Trivia: A former teacher, burly Irish actor Brendan Gleeson spent the 1990s earning an increasing amount of acclaim for his work in a variety of films, most notably John Boorman's The General (1998). Gleeson, who made his feature film debut in Jim Sheridan's The Field (1990), first made an impression on audiences in the role of Hamish, William Wallace's hulking ally in Braveheart (1995).In 1997, the actor was given his first crack at a starring role in I Went Down, a likeable black comedy that cast him as a thick-skulled hitman. The role brought him a greater dose of recognition and respect on both sides of the Atlantic, but it was Boorman's The General (shot right after I Went Down wrapped) that truly demanded -- and received -- international attention. The story of real-life Irish criminal Martin Cahill, the film featured Gleeson in its title role, and his cocky, assured portrayal of Cahill was widely deemed the best part of an altogether excellent film. The numerous plaudits he won for his performance included awards from Boston and London film critics.His career flourishing, it was only a matter of time before Gleeson had the opportunity to expand his resumé to include the occasional Hollywood blockbuster. That opportunity came by way of John Woo's Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), which cast Gleeson, surprisingly enough, as one of the film's resident villains. After carefully balancing his roles between the mainstream and the more low-key, character-driven films in later 2000 and into 2001 (he gained notice for his starring role as a philanderous, boozing TV chef turned sensitive amnesiac in the romantic comedy Wild About Harry [2000]), Gleeson headed back to Hollywood with his lively turn as Lord Johnson-Johnson in Steven Spielberg's A.I. Appearing in Trainspotting director Danny Boyle's zombie thriller 28 Days Later the following year, it wasn't long before Gleeson was once again gracing stateside cinemas with appearances in such high-profile films as Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York (2002) and the Kurt Russell police detective thriller Dark Blue (2003).Gleeson remained a presence in high-profile films over the ensuing two years. In 2004 he could be seen in both the M. Night Shyamalan brain-bender The Village and the sweeping historical epic Troy. The following year found the actor in another pair of big-budget Hollywood films, the box-office dud Kingdom of Heaven and the fourth installment in the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Subsequent years found him re-teaming with 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy for the Neil Jordan comedy Breakfast on Pluto and reprising his role of Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007).He had a memorable turn in the Irish comedy In Bruges in 2008. Two years later he returned as Mad Eye for the final Harry Potter movie. That same year he turned in one of his best performances in The Guard. He played opposite the Oscar nominated Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs in 2011, and enjoyed roles in a couple of high-profile Hollywood films - The Raven and Safe House the next year.

Trivia: Early in his acting career, Jordi Molla was in danger of being forever cast in pretty boy roles. Slender, short, and possessing a rugged and shaggy handsomeness, Molla changed that when he played a luckless small thief in La Buena Estrella (1997). Molla's other notable roles are in Bigas Luna's Jamon, Jamon (1994) and Montxo Armendariz's Kronen Stories (1994).

Trivia: Knew she wanted to pursue acting after playing Captain Hook in a school play at age 9. After graduating from university, co-wrote a play called Shaking Cecilia, which won the Sunday Times Student Playwright Award in 2004. When she auditioned for the role of Cathy in the 2009 adaptation of Wuthering Heights, she had never read the book itself before. Away from acting, she performs as a member of a 1940s doo-wop band The Flirtinis. Is an avid painter in her spare time. Won the lead role in the BBC drama Press in 2018, which was cancelled after the first series. Played the role of Lottie/Ghost of Christmas Present in 2019 in the BBC mini-series A Christmas Carol, based on the Charles Dickens novel of the same name.

Trivia: Actor Frank Dillane signed for one of his first screen roles as the teenage version of Tom Riddle (who later becomes Lord Voldemort) in the fantasy Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2008).

Trivia: Dropped out of school as a young teenager. Aspired to be the lead singer of a band while growing up. Worked as a ticket scalper before pursuing a career in acting. Studied performing arts at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. Performed the role of Daz in Gregory Burke's stage production of On Tour at the Royal Court Theatre in 2005. Met Tom Hardy on the set of Peaky Blinders and have remained close friends and worked together numerous times since.

Trivia: Parents operated a tavern in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. Got her start in drama with the Ulster Youth Theatre. Made London stage debut in 1986. Played the killer in the Inspector Morse puzzler The Way Through the Woods, which aired on PBS's Mystery! in 1997. Made Broadway debut in The Weir in 1999. Earned a 2008 supporting-actress nomination for an Olivier (the British equivalent of the Tony Awards) for her role as Emilia in Othello. Played Hermione Granger's mother in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows (Parts 1 and 2).

Trivia: Quintessentially British character actor Donald Sumpter tackled a host of roles in his native Britain before breaking through to international acclaim. He landed guest parts (as different characters) on the U.K. cult fantasy series Doctor Who, then segued to features throughout the 1970s, '80s, and '90s in such pictures as Meetings with Remarkable Men (1979), Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1990), and Richard III (1995). Sumpter's popularity increased substantially in the mid- to late 2000s when he landed pivotal supporting roles in two major features: Fernando Meirelles' The Constant Gardener (2005) and David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises (2007).

Trivia: Dropping the "Cooper" in his name to avoid confusion with bit player Edward Cooper, British actor Edward Ashley was a seven-year film veteran when he came to America in 1940. His first Hollywood picture, and for many years his best, was MGM's Pride and Prejudice (1940). Ashley was but one of many handsome Englishmen wandering around the MGM lot, so the studio used him in anything that came along. He was afforded a rare star-billing credit in the "Passing Parade" short subject Strange Testament (1941), in which he played a New Orleans millionaire who left a monetary legacy to all Louisiana newlyweds as compensation for betraying his own true love. Freelancing by the late 1940s, Ashley appeared in several second leads and character parts such as the Commissioner in the Mexican-filmed Tarzan and the Mermaids (1948). Banking on his resemblance to Errol Flynn, Ashley played the Fox, a Robin Hood type, in The Court Jester (1956), but most of the derring-do went to the film's true star, Danny Kaye (who impersonated the Fox). Edward Ashley remained a journeyman actor into the 1970s, appearing with dignity if not distinction in such films as Herbie Rides Again (1973) and Won Ton Ton, The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976).

Trivia: Parents are Nigerians who relocated to London. Is an avid skateboarder and was Head of Design of a small skateboard clothing company called Rmskate Ltd. in 2014. Attended London's Identity Drama School of Acting starting in 2009. Claimed his first lead role in the 2015 feature film Jet Trash.

Trivia: Wanted to be a musician.Decided to pursue a career in film after failing to complete his Leaving Certificate exams.Worked at a video rental store while attending drama school, which he only attended for eight months.In 2010, got the role of Killen in The Other Side of Sleep (2011) after attending an open casting in his hometown.Didn't had much formal acting training before getting the role of Killen in The Other Side of Sleep (2011).Became a vegetarian while filming The Cured (2017).Moved from Dublin to Iceland in 2016.

Trivia: Paul Anderson gained a fair bit of notoriety in his native England when he directed the ultra-violent Shopping from his own script. The film, highly regarded for its stylish direction and production on a shoestring budget, featured Jude Law and Sean Pertwee in a story about ram-raiders, thieves whose technique is to drive a car into storefronts and make off with whatever goods can be grabbed in a few seconds. The film was banned in the U.K. for a while, and a somewhat trimmed version became a straight-to-video release in the U.S.Shopping was enough of a calling card for Anderson that his next film was Mortal Kombat, a flashy adaptation of the hit computer game. Anderson's visual flair and tight editing brought him a great deal of praise. The film performed wonderfully at the box office, giving Anderson a blank check for his next film. He had intended to go straight on to Soldier at Warner Bros., with Kurt Russell in the lead, but the film was delayed by Russell's decision to take a break from acting, pushing the start date of that film into 1998.Anderson instead went on to direct Event Horizon from a script by Philip Eisner, financed by Paramount, allowing Anderson to once again use Sean Pertwee and Jason Isaacs, who have become a small stock company for him. The science fiction/horror film was stylish and sometimes effective, but took a critical drubbing for its derivative story and poor script. With many critics commenting on the bloody carnage throughout, Event Horizon proved a weak performer at the box office. Though Soldier was eventually made following Event Horizon, it didn't fare much better at the box office and Anderson opted for the small screen for his next feature, a supernatural mystery titled The Sight. Maintaining a low-key profile that left many fans wondering if he would continue after two consecutive flops, Anderson shot back when he took the director's chair for the long-anticipated celluloid adaptation of the popular survival horror video game Resident Evil. Long rumored among fans to be a choice comeback vehicle for zombie grandfather George A. Romero (Romero in fact submitted a script for Resident Evil in addition to directing an atmospheric Japanese television commercial for the game's sequel), the writing and directing credits eventually transferred to Anderson, leaving Romero fans pining for the long-rumored fourth entry into the "Living Dead" series.Not only did Resident Evil breathe life back into Anderson's career, it also introduced him to actress Milla Jovovich who he fell for and later married. The two would reteam for the film's 2004 sequel, though Anderson opted to hand over directing duties on that film to first-time helmer Alexander Witt, while acting as producer and screenwriter on the project. Anderson instead focused his attention as a director in 2004 on the highly-anticipated Alien vs. Predator, a film based on a series of comic books that hypothesized a battle between two of the sci-fi-action genre's most notorious and monstrous characters. In 2006 Anderson would add another producer's credit to his filmography when he played a key role in helping to bring director Corey Yuen's video game adaptation D.O.A. to the big screen. In 2008, he directed Jason Statham in the action film Death Race, which spawned two direct-to-vide follow ups, which Anderson only worked on in a producer capacity. He returned to directing the Resident Evil series in 2010, with Resident Evil: Afterlife, and continued to work with Jovovich on The Three Musketeers (2011, in which Jovovich played Milday de Winter) and Resident Evil: Retribution (2012). In 2014, he directed the disaster epic Pompeii.