Clive Owen

After a decade of steady work on British television, actor Clive Owen broke out internationally with American art house success of the taut crime-thriller "Croupier" (2000). With his rugged good looks and low key charm, comparisons to the great Sean Connery seemed inevitable as he delivered a series of strong performances in such films as "Gosford Park" (2001) and "The Bourne Identity" (2002). Nearly unanimous praise was heaped on the actor for his wicked performance in Mike Nichols' brutal relationship drama, "Closer" (2005) - in a role he had originated on the stages of London - followed by a stylistic about-face as part of Robert Rodriguez's hyper-stylized neo-noir "Sin City" (2005), adapted from Frank Miller's graphic novel. His work in the intelligent, affecting and ultimately terrifying look into the near-future "Children of Men" (2006) secured Owen's status as one of Hollywood's top talents. He showed exceptional comic timing opposite Julia Roberts in the sexy satire "Duplicity" (2009) in addition to a willingness to tackle historical icons in acclaimed work like "Hemingway & Gellhorn" (HBO, 2012). While harkening back to the leading men of film's golden era, Owen also brought to the table an unmistakably 21st-Century artistic sensibility, making him both an actor's actor and bona fide movie star.