KATE HUDSON

Upon her acceptance to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Hudson convinced Hawn and Russell to let her defer a year in order to concentrate on finding her first film role. In 1998, she appeared in the little-seen independent film Desert Blue, alongside fellow up-and-coming young actors Christina Ricci, Casey Affleck, and Brendan Sexton III. She was also a featured player in the ensemble cast of 200 Cigarettes (1999), a comedy that received poor reviews despite its talented cast, which included Ricci, Ben Affleck, Paul Rudd, and Courtney Love.

Hudson began the year 2000 somewhat inauspiciously, with a supporting turn as a virginal college student in the unimpressive teen thriller Gossip. By year's end, however, she had charmed her way into the hearts of moviegoers and critics with her breakthrough performance as Penny Lane, the leader of a group of girls, or so-called “Band-Aids,” who worship at the altar of 1970s rock & roll as imagined by writer-director Cameron Crowe in his autobiographical film Almost Famous. Originally cast in a smaller role, Hudson won the part after another young actress, Sarah Polley (The Sweet Hereafter, Go) dropped out. As Penny, the sometime lover of Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup), lead guitarist in the rock band Stillwater, and the object of affection for Crowe's own alter ego, the budding rock journalist William Miller (Patrick Fugit), Hudson was in many ways the emotional centre of the film. Her glowing performance earned her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Also in 2000, Hudson appeared in the ensemble cast of Robert Altman's Dr. T and the Women, costarring Richard Gere, Helen Hunt, Farrah Fawcett, and Liv Tyler. In 2001, she starred in Four Feathers, a wartime drama costarring Wes Bentley (American Beauty) and Heath Ledger (The Patriot). Upcoming projects include Garry Marshall's Raising Helen, where she plays a successful single woman forced to take care of her sister's three young children after a car accident. In 2004, she starred opposite Luke Wilson in the romantic comedy Alex & Emma.

Hudson married Chris Robinson, the lead singer of the rock band The Black Crowes, on New Year's Eve 2000, at the Hawn/Russell ranch in Colorado. The couple welcomed the arrival of its first child, a boy named Ryder Russell Robinson, in January 2004.

HELEN HUNT

Hunt made her feature film debut in 1977 with the forgettable film Roller coaster. Though she had supporting roles in such films as Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985, starring Sarah Jessica Parker), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986, starring Kathleen Turner and Nicolas Cage), The Waterdance (1992, starring Eric Stoltz), and Mr. Saturday Night (1992, starring Billy Crystal), Hunt first earned star status for her role as smart urban career woman and wife Jamie Buchman on the much-loved TV sitcom Mad About You. Over the course of the show's seven seasons (1992-99), Hunt won four consecutive Emmy Awards from 1996-99 and became one of America's best loved television couples with costar Paul Reiser.

Hunt's hard work and small-screen stardom finally translated to big-screen success in the latter half of the 1990s. In 1996, she starred opposite Bill Paxton in the summer action blockbuster Twister, which became one of the top-grossing movies of that year. A year later, she won acclaim from both critics and audiences—along with an Academy Award for Best Actress—for her star turn as a long-suffering single mother and waitress alongside Best Actor winner Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets (1997), written and directed by James L. Brooks.

Although her Oscar win sent Hunt straight to Hollywood's A-list, she made her next starring appearance on stage, playing the androgynously charming Viola in an acclaimed 1998 production of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. In 2000, she returned to the big screen with several long-awaited efforts, including Pay It Forward, costarring Kevin Spacey and Haley Joel Osment; What Women Want, costarring Mel Gibson; Dr. T and the Women, starring Richard Gere; and Cast Away, costarring Tom Hanks and directed by Robert Zemeckis.

In 2001, Hunt costarred opposite writer-director Woody Allen in Allen's The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, a 1940s-era detective comedy also featuring Dan Ackroyd and Charlize Theron.

Hunt, who previously dated her Project X costar Matthew Broderick, married her longtime boyfriend, actor Hank Azaria (The Birdcage, Mystery, Alaska), in July 1999. The couple separated in August 2000. In May 2004, Hunt and her beau, writer-producer Matthew Carnahan, welcomed a baby girl named McKenna.

JANET JACKSON

The Jackson children were raised in the Jehovah's Witness faith, as Katherine Jackson had been baptized as a Jehovah's Witness in 1963. LaToya Jackson famously chronicled their tumultuous childhood—including charges of physical and sexual abuse by Joseph Jackson—in her tell-all autobiography, but Janet and others of her siblings disputed LaToya's account. The tensions within the family certainly increased on account of Michael Jackson's emergence as a solo artist and a superstar beginning in the early 1970s.

Janet Jackson first appeared on stage in April 1974, singing and doing impressions alongside her brother Randy in the Jackson family's Las Vegas act. In 1976, she appeared on The Jacksons, a summer replacement television show. Her performance earned her the attention of a producer who hired her to play Penny, a regular on the TV comedy series Good Times, from 1977-79. She continued her television work in the short-lived A New Kind of Family (1979-80), the sitcom Different Strokes (1981-2), and the teen drama Fame (1984-5), based at a New York City performing arts high school.

Unlike many of her siblings, Jackson attended public school in Encino, California, for some time before switching to Valley Professional School, from which she graduated in 1984. During her time on Fame, she was able to break away from her family's supervision while on location in New York. In September 1984, she eloped with James DeBarge, a musician in the group DeBarge, also on the Motown label. Jackson's family disapproved of DeBarge, and the marriage was brief, as she applied for an annulment in January 1985, which was granted the following November.

With the guidance of her brother Michael, with whom she is closer than are most of her siblings, Janet Jackson released her debut album Janet Jackson, in 1982. The album reached No. 84 on the pop charts and had three hit singles, including “Young Love” and “Give Your Love to Me.” The self-titled album sold about 250,000 copies, as did her follow-up, Dream Street, which featured contributions from her brothers Michael, Tito, Jackie, and Marlon.

Jackson scored her first major success in 1986 with Control, released on the A&M label. Control, produced with the writing-producing team of Jimmy Jam (James Harris III) and Terry Lewis, sold eight million copies worldwide and featured two No. 1 singles, “What Have You Done For Me Lately” and the title track. Nominated for three Grammy Awards and nine American Music Awards, it won two of the latter. Jackson's new, sexier style, stage presence, and dancing ability were all showcased in her videos, and combined to make her a star.

Her next album, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, was a more socially conscious album, also produced by Jam and Lewis, who wrote nearly half the songs. The album spawned a number of hit singles, including “Black Cat” (written by Jackson herself), “Miss You Much,” and “Escapade,” and again sold around eight million copies. Rhythm Nation, which won three American Music Awards, made Jackson the first artist to have seven Top 5 hits from a single album. Jackson embarked on her first tour, in support of the album, in the spring of 1990.

Jackson's contract with Virgin Records, signed in March 1991, was at the time the largest recording contract in history, at $32 million. (Michael Jackson reportedly held off signing his so-called “billion-dollar” contract until after Janet signed so as not to steal her publicity.)

In the summer of 1993, Jackson unveiled her fifth album, titled Janet as well as her first starring film role, in the drama Poetic Justice, directed by John Singleton, who had received two Oscar nominations for writing and directing his debut feature, Boyz N the Hood. The film received disappointing reviews, but Jackson received an Oscar nomination for “Again,” which she performed on the soundtrack. Janet (another Jam and Lewis collaboration), sold more than six million copies, and featured “Any Time, Any Place,” which became Jackson's 14th gold single, tying her with Aretha Franklin as the female solo singers with the most gold singles. In addition, “That's the Way Love Goes” earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rhythm & Blues Song.

Jackson's sixth album, The Velvet Rope (1997), brought her sexually suggestive style to a whole new level, generating some impressive buzz from critics but failing to reach the sales records of her three previous blockbusters. On a more personal level, Jackson made headlines in when it was revealed that she had been secretly married to her manager and longtime boyfriend, Rene Elizondo, for eight years. Jackson announced their separation in 1999, but the fact of their marriage (which Jackson's sisters LaToya and Rebbie had earlier alleged to the press) became public when Elizondo filed for divorce in May of 2000.

Jackson continued her acting career with a costarring role opposite Eddie Murphy in the blockbuster comedy The Nutty Professor II (summer 2000). A year later, she released another smash hit album, All For You, which like The Velvet Rope was more sexually explicit than her early albums. The success of All For You and her subsequent world tour, along with a reported $80 million recording deal with Virgin, put Jackson squarely back on top of the pop world. As if to confirm her success, Jackson won an American Music Award for favorite female pop/rock artist in January 2002.

Jackson's star continued to rise until an incident at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2004 caused her to a falter. During a live performance with Justin Timberlake, Jackson's right breast was exposed during a "costume reveal." The stunt caused an uproar among both fans and the Federal Communications Commission, and Jackson subsequently failed to appear at the Grammy Awards and dropped out of a television project in which she was to play Lena Horne at the elder actress's request.

MICHAEL JACKSON

Michael and the group (with the exception of brother Jermaine) left Motown in 1975, signing with Epic Records, which also gave Michael a solo deal. Two years later, he starred in the film version of the hit musical The Wiz, which also featured singer Diana Ross and comic Richard Pryor. Quincy Jones, who produced the soundtrack album, became one of Michael's longtime friends and collaborators. The year 1979 saw the release of Jackson's extraordinarily successful album Off the Wall; this record included the hit singles "Rock With You" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and eventually sold some 10 million copies. The singer had matured into a dynamic adult entertainer, but he also began to make his mark as a songwriter, crafting durable pop that synthesized rock and disco.

Jackson's next album, Thriller, was a quantum leap for him both creatively and commercially. Produced by Jones, the recording spanned a number of pop genres—cannily enlisting rock guitar idol Eddie Van Halen to play a solo on "Beat It," for example, guaranteed access to listeners Jackson might not otherwise have reached—and fired a record-setting seven Top 10 singles up the charts, notably the title track, a duet with Paul McCartney titled “The Girl Is Mine,” the insinuating "Billie Jean," and the raucous "Beat It." The state-of-the-art videos that accompanied these singles, meanwhile, coincided with the sudden dominance of Music Television (MTV); Jackson's distinctive "Moonwalk" and overall visual panache (combined with brilliant choreography and lavish special effects) won him an even vaster audience. Thriller went on to become the bestselling album of all time and garnered an unprecedented eight Grammy Awards; Jackson also snagged a Grammy for his participation in the E.T.: The Extraterrestrial soundtrack album.

Jackson was a crucial player in the all-star benefit project We Are the World, which sought to combat hunger in Africa. In addition to his epochal solo work, he continued working with his brothers as part of The Jacksons; their 1984 "Victory" tour was a landmark of the decade.

Michael Jackson ruled the 1980s. Though his next album, Bad performed less spectacularly than did Thriller, it was a colossal hit by any other standard. He also racked up both music industry awards and honours from the United Negro College Fund, the NAACP, and even the president of the United States. He had his occasional bad moments—his head was burned during the shooting of a commercial for Pepsi cola, for which he had a lucrative endorsement deal, and speculation abounded that he lightened his skin and had plastic surgery to make himself look more "white”—but by and large his image as the world's most beloved entertainer was undimmed. Jackson's memoir, Moonwalk, was adapted into a film in 1988. In 1990, the performance rights organization BMI presented the first Michael Jackson award—to its namesake.

In early 1991, Michael's sister and fellow pop star Janet Jackson announced that she had scored the biggest record deal in history early. One week later, Michael announced his new Sony contract, which made Janet's look paltry by comparison. His 1991 release Dangerous, however, did not perform to expectations. Some controversy was generated by the fact that Jackson reportedly only granted his innovative "Black or White" video to MTV on the condition that the network refer to him as the "King of Pop." A 1993 interview with talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, an unusual step for the press-shy Jackson, helped boost sales. Over time, the album performed impressively; again, only the standards previously set by Jackson himself cast any doubt on its popularity. He was showered in laurels in 1993, including a Living Legend Award at the Grammys and, more controversially, the Humanitarian of the Year trophy at the Soul Train Awards.

Yet Jackson's reputation as an androgynous recluse who lived in a state of perpetual adolescence—rumors of his Peter Pan-like life and hobbies at his sprawling ranch and amusement park, “Neverland,” abounded—only increased. He also earned the scorn of some self-appointed moral guardians when one of his videos showed him smashing a car window and grabbing his crotch more flagrantly than usual; he excised the footage as soon as the eyebrows were raised.

No one could have anticipated, however, the charges that rocked the entertainment world in 1993. A 13-year-old boy, identified only as a "friend" of the singer's, asserted that Jackson had sexually abused him during his stay at Neverland. Jackson was on tour when the allegations were made public, and he promptly brought the series of performances to a halt, claiming exhaustion and addiction to painkillers. After extensive legal wrangling and much mud-slinging from both the boy's family and lawyers and Jackson's defence team, Jackson opted to settle out of court for an estimated $20 million. Though he settled, Jackson denied any wrongdoing.

Despite investigation of a second boy who said he'd slept in the same bed with Jackson—but alleged no improper behaviour on the entertainer's part—the Los Angeles District Attorney brought his investigation to a close in 1994. Jackson's attorney said this was due to lack of evidence, though others claimed it was the boy's refusal to testify that weakened the case. Meanwhile, longtime friends of Jackson's had issued passionate statements in his defence. "I am mortified and disgusted by what has been reported with no evidence of anything untoward," fumed producer Bruce Swedien, as quoted in Rolling Stone. "Michael is one of the most decent people I've ever met in my life. These allegations are preposterous." Jackson's own public statement expressed confidence that he would be fully exonerated. "I am grateful for the overwhelming support of my fans throughout the world," it concluded. "I love you all."

Yet the scandal devastated Jackson and heightened speculation that his career was over. He lost his Pepsi endorsement as well as a deal to develop several films in which he hoped to star. "They just pulled the plug when the scandal broke," noted director John Landis—who had helmed the epic "Thriller" video—to Entertainment Weekly. The rumor-mongering over the alleged molestation continued, as the media and industry insiders played the age-old game of trying to pin down Michael Jackson's personal life.

In 1994, Jackson shocked the public again—in a very different way. He and Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock innovator and cultural icon Elvis Presley, were married in a secret ceremony in the Dominican Republic. The unexpected union was the cause of further speculation: had Jackson married to divert attention from his alleged homosexuality and/or pederasty? Was he hoping to save his career by establishing himself as a "normal" and adult man? A very staged kiss at the MTV Video Music Awards added fuel to the fire.

Meanwhile, Michael Jackson returned to what he did best—making records. He commenced recording new tracks for an ambitious package that would include his greatest hits along with an album's worth of new material. He gathered a number of hot songwriters and producers and even recorded a duet with his sister Janet. Epic Records, the branch of Sony that handled his recordings, prepared for a massive media assault. Jackson and Lisa Marie appeared on a television interview with Diane Sawyer; the singer and his bride vehemently insisted that they had a sex life and planned to have children. Naturally, such urgency only encouraged those who felt that their public claims to "normalcy" were career propaganda. Even so, the interview earned astronomical ratings and helped prepare the way for the new album's marketing blitz. This included the sudden appearance of building-high statues of the performer, one of which is pictured on the cover of the disc.

The marketing campaign for HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1 (1995) was the biggest ever seen for an album; amid the hype, strangely enough, Jackson was trumpeting the message that he resented intrusions into his privacy. When HIStory was released it met with mixed reviews. "It's not where music is headed, it's where music has been," complained radio station music director Bruce St. James, quoted in Newsweek. The public, despite the media bombast, seemed to agree. The debut single, "Scream”—a raucous duet with Janet that was supported by a flashy science-fiction video—earned only a lukewarm reception, and HIStory dropped out of the top ten after only a few weeks.

Yet the record could scarcely be considered a failure, given that it was a double album and promised to issue singles for at least another year. One, the ballad "Childhood," also appeared on the soundtrack of the family film Free Willy 2, promising an even wider audience. "There will probably be nine singles," pronounced Epic executive David Glew to Billboard. "That puts us through two Christmases ... I think this will be one of the biggest albums of all time, [but] we know it will take the full weight of this company." Meanwhile, many fans who didn't adore the new tracks would likely still invest in the package just to have Jackson's classic hits in one place.

Another scandal erupted immediately, however; it involved the presence of apparently anti-Semitic lyrics on the song "They Don't Care About Us." Steven Spielberg, superstar filmmaker and stalwart defender of Jackson during his earlier travails, publicly criticized the lyrics, as did many other individuals and groups. Jackson announced that he harbored no prejudice toward anyone, though his remark that "my lawyers are Jewish" scarcely banished all doubt. A smaller ripple came from the revelation that Lisa Marie's two children from her previous marriage were unhappy living at Neverland. The couple would divorce amicably in 1996.

Later that same year, Jackson announced that Deborah Rowe, an assistant to his dermatologist, was pregnant with his child. The couple were married in Australia soon after his announcement, and Rowe subsequently gave birth to a son, Prince Michael Jackson Jr. A daughter, Paris Michael Katherine, was born in the spring of 1998. Jackson and Rowe announced their intention to divorce in the fall of 1999. In 2002, under a veil of secrecy, a second son named Prince Michael II was added to the brood. The child's mother remains unnamed

In 1997, Jackson released Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix, a combination of some new and some remixed material. His first new studio album in six years, titled Invincible, hit stores in October of 2001.

The albums relatively poor performance -- by July 2002 it had sold only 4 million copies worldwide -- led Jackson to publicly criticize Sony Music, which he claimed failed to properly promote his work. Jackson went further, claiming his treatment was indicative of racism and black exploitation in the music industry. He enlisted the aid of controversial activist Al Sharpton to forge a campaign against supposed mistreatment.

In February 2003, Britain's ITV network broadcast the first-ever documentary about the controversial pop king called Living with Michael Jackson. ABC purchased the rights to broadcast the interview to American audiences on 20/20, though Jackson claimed it to be "a gross distortion of the truth." A year later, in January 2004, Jackson pleaded not guilty to nine felony charges, which echoed the charges brought against the pop star a decade earlier. These included seven counts of performing lewd or lascivious acts on a child under 14 and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent. Three months later, Jackson was indicted by a grand jury in Santa Barbara County Superior Court. Jury selection for the long-awaited court trial began in January 2005.

Even when beset by rumor and scandal—and such has been his situation for much of his career—Michael Jackson has managed to translate adversity into greater fame. While many argue that his work has been uneven, his contribution to modern pop has been enormous.

PETER JACKSON

His next effort was the award-winning Heavenly Creatures in 1994 starring Kate Winslet. Proving he could tell a story without splattering guts, the surprisingly poignant film tells the true tale of two young girls who murder one of their mothers. Jackson's next project grabbed headlines in 1998: The film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved Lord of the Rings series. Both ambitious and visionary, the three installments, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, were an enormous success both at the box office and among critics. In 2004, Jackson won the Best Director Oscar for the final installment. That year, The Return of the King also received Academy Awards for Best Picture, Art Direction and Writing among others.

Next up, Jackson will undertake a remake of King Kong with the help of Lord of the Rings' screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.

STAR JONES

After three years in general trials, Jones moved to the Homicide Bureau, where her work earned her a promotion to Senior Assistant District Attorney in 1991. Jones gained attention in court with a number of highly publicized victories in cases that were of immense importance to the community. In one case, she became the first New York Assistant District Attorney to obtain the maximum sentence for a 13-year-old defendant tried as an adult in the murder of another teenager. In another case she won a 66-year prison term for a serial sex abuser known as the “Bicycle Rapist,” after other lawyers had failed to get convictions in four other cases. Out of the last 40 homicide cases Jones prosecuted with the Brooklyn D.A's office, only two did not result in convictions.

Jones debuted on television in 1991, when she started moonlighting as a studio commentator for Court TV during the William Kennedy Smith rape trial. She was quickly lined up as a guest on the Today show and, a few months later, she became the NBC legal correspondent for both Today and Nightly News, covering the latest developments in the Mike Tyson rape case and the Rodney King police brutality trial, among other high-profile cases. Most notably, Jones landed an exclusive interview with Tyson after the imprisoned ex-heavyweight champion had dodged the press for a year, and an exclusive interview with King after the sentencing of the two Los Angeles policemen convicted of violating his civil rights.

Jones' success as a legal commentator and interviewer on Court TV and NBC led producers at Group W Networks to create a syndicated show, Jones & Jury, especially for her. Premiering in September 1994, the show earned notice for its ratings-grabbing combination of confessional talk show and real-life courtroom drama. Jones moderated cases taken from California's small claims division (primarily disputes of $5,000 or less), at many times acting as mediator in a contentious standoff between plaintiff and defendant, who were sometimes relatives or former friends. At the end of the show, the so-called “jury” (the studio audience) voted to determine the verdict.

In 1995, Jones was named a senior correspondent and chief legal analyst for Inside Edition, just in time for one of the most high profile murder cases of the century, the O.J. Simpson trial for the murder of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. She continued her coverage through the criminal trial (Simpson was acquitted) and was the only news correspondent to obtain an exclusive interview with Mr. Simpson during the civil trial (he was found responsible and ordered to pay extensive damages to the Brown and Goldman families).

In 1997, Jones landed a co-host job on The View, a daily morning talk show launched by television newswoman Barbara Walters. Alongside co-hosts Walters, Meredith Vieira, Joy Behar, and Debbie Matenopoulos (who was later replaced by Lisa Ling), Jones offered commentary on the law, self-esteem, race, family, education, religion, the media and other social issues relating to the community at large. The View, offering the unique perspective of its five female co-hosts, all from different backgrounds and different generations, was an immediate success, earning Emmy nominations each year for Outstanding Daytime Talk Show, and for Jones and her co-hosts as Outstanding Talk Show Host. In September 1998, Jones published her first book, You Have to Stand for Something, or You'll Fall for Anything, a bestselling collection of autobiographical essays. In 1999, she became the spokesperson for Salon Z, Saks Fifth Avenue's clothing line for plus-sized women. She has since acted as spokesperson and partner in Alight.com, a Internet shopping site for full-figured fashion, and in October 2001 launched a new home shopping television show entitled: “It's all about you with Star Jones” on cable's ShopNBC.

Jones has served on the board of directors of the charitable organizations Dress for Success, the East Harlem School at Exodus House, God's Love We Deliver, and Girls, Inc., a national self-image building campaign aimed at young women. She became engaged to boyfriend Al Reynolds in February 2004.

DIANE KEATON

JOHN KERRY

Buy JOHN KERRY's Biography on DVD.

TERESA HEINZ KERRY

In 1966, Teresa married her college sweetheart, Republican Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania, with whom she has three sons. Shortly after celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary in 1991, Senator Heinz was killed in a plane crash.

After her husband's death, Teresa turned down offers to seek election to her husband's Senate seat and instead became chairman of The Howard Heinz Endowment and the Heinz Family Philanthropies, one of the nation's large private foundations. Under her leadership, the foundation has helped channel money to organizations focused on health care, early childhood education and the arts. In 1996, she established the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement to educate women about pensions, savings and retirement security. In 2003, Teresa received the Albert Schweitzer Gold Medal for Humanitarianism for her work to protect the environment and promote health care and education around the world.

Teresa was first introduced to her second husband, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, by Senator Heinz at an Earth Day rally in 1990. In 1992, she met Kerry again at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The couple was wed in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in 1995. In 2004, in her typical candid, forthright fashion, Teresa supported her husband during his campaign for President of the United States.

She and Senator Kerry live in Boston, Massachusetts, and have homes in Ketchum, Idaho; Nantucket, Massachusetts; Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania; and Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

BEN KINGSLEY, SIR

From 1975 to 1977, Kingsley worked with the National Theatre; he subsequently returned to the RSC, where he originated the role of Squeers in Nicholas Nickleby. When the production travelled to Broadway, Kingsley was unable to reprise the role due to film commitments. His film career soared to unforeseen heights in 1981 with his first starring role, in the title role in Richard Attenborough's acclaimed Biopic Gandhi. Appearing in only his second film, Kingsley won numerous accolades for his performance, including an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Kingsley appeared in seven more European films, notably a 1983 adaptation of Harold Pinter's Betrayal, costarring Jeremy Irons, and James Ivory's Maurice (1987), and made his Broadway debut in the one-man show Edmund Kean (1984), before making his U.S. film debut in Without a Clue (1988), playing the capable Dr. Watson to Michael Caine's bumbling Sherlock Holmes. The film was an unusually comic choice for Kingsley, and it met with mixed reviews. In 1989, he again ventured into historical Biopic territory, earning critical praise for his performance in the title role of the HBO feature Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story, as the famed Holocaust survivor who steadfastly sought vengeance against the Nazis.

Kingsley earned his second Academy Award nomination for his sharp-edged supporting turn as Jewish gangster Meyer Lansky in the Warren Beatty vehicle Bugsy (1991). After a villainous performance in the thriller Sneakers (1992), costarring Robert Redford, he essayed a trio of more benevolent roles, including a patient coach to a chess prodigy in Searching for Bobby Fischer, a U.S. vice president in the comedy Dave, costarring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver, and Itshak Stern, the trusted friend of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) in Steven Spielberg's acclaimed Holocaust epic Schindler's List (all 1993). This last performance garnered Kingsley his best reviews since Gandhi, and once again proved the actor's gift for portraying complicated characters of uncommon dignity and historical importance.

A series of less well received movies followed, including Roman Polanski's Death and the Maiden (1994), the science fiction thriller Species (1995), the spy drama The Assignment (1997), the alien comedy What Planet are You From? (2000), costarring Garry Shandling and Annette Bening, and the military thriller Rules of Engagement (2000). In addition, Kingsley acted in a number of high profile TV projects, including the TNT miniseries Joseph (1995) and Moses (1996, in which Kingsley played the title role), Showtime's The Tale of Sweeney Todd (1998), and the NBC movies Dostoevsky's “Crime and Punishment” (1998) and Alice in Wonderland (1999).

Kingsley had a busy year in 2001, beginning with his chilling, outrageous performance as the tightly wound British gangster Don Logan in the British import Sexy Beast. For the scene-stealing turn, Kingsley earned rave reviews and numerous critical accolades, including his fourth Academy Award nomination, for Best Supporting Actor. The same year, he nabbed an Emmy nod for another supporting performance, as Otto Frank in the well received ABC miniseries Anne Frank. Kingsley also narrated the Spielberg-directed science fiction film A.I. Artificial Intelligence and costarred with Mira Sorvino in The Triumph of Love, which was released in the U.S. in 2002. In 2004, Kingsley received an Oscar nomination for his performance in the film adaptation of Andre Dubus III's acclaimed novel, House of Sand and Fog.

Kingsley has a son and daughter, Thomas and Jasmine, from his first marriage to actress Angela Morant, and two sons, Edmund and Ferdinand, from his second to theatre director Alison Sutcliffe, with whom he worked on the one-man show Edmund Kean. He and his third wife, Alexandra, separated after just 15 months of marriage in 2005.

On March 19, 2002, Kingsley was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of Britain.

BEYONCE KNOWLES

Knowles began singing with the original members of the group -- LaToya Luckett, Kelly Rowland and LaTavia Roberson -- as a pre-teen.

The girls went through various incarnations, singing a mix of gospel, rhythm and blues, and hip hop, before they officially became Destiny's Child in 1995. Knowles' father, Matthew, served as manager of the group. After performing in the Houston area, the group appeared on Star Search, the popular television talent competition. Although they did not win the competition, a contract with Columbia Records soon followed. Their first release, Destiny's Child (1997), was a tremendous success in Europe. Upon the album's release, the group kicked off a tour of sold-out shows there.

Their second effort, The Writing's on the Wall (1999), brought them wider acclaim back home. The album generated three top-ten hits on the Billboard R&B singles chart. In 2000, despite internal conflicts that resulted in the departure of Luckett and Roberson from the group, Destiny's Child continued to promote their sophomore effort, playing as a supporting act for Christina Aguilera's summer tour.

In 2001, still calling themselves Destiny's Child, the group released their third album, Survivor. In 2004, after launching a successful solo career, Knowles won five Grammy Awards, tying a record for most wins by a female artist.

Knowles has also made a start in acting, making her debut in MTV's Hip Hopera: Carmen in 2001 and co-starring as Foxxy Cleopatra in Mike Myers' James Bond parody Goldmember in 2002.

MICHELLE KWAN

KWAME KWEI-ARMAH

LEONARD LAKE

In 1981, Lake married Claralyn Balasz, whom he met while working at a local Renaissance fair. Later that year, Lake met Charles Ng, who had just escaped Marine Corps jail where he was being held on charges of weapons theft. The two men struck up a friendship, and Ng moved in with Lake and Balasz.

Soon after, Ng and Lake began a campaign of abduction, rape and murder based from Lake's remote cabin in Wilseyville. Altogether, the bodies of seven men, three women, two baby boys and forty-five pounds of bone fragments would be recovered from in and around the cabin site.

The killings came to an end only through chance. Having broken the vice they were using to torture their victims, the two men drove into town to get a replacement. The clerk at the lumberyard spotted Ng trying to shoplift the vice and called the police. When they arrived, Ng had departed on foot. Upon being arrested, Lake gave the police the name of his partner and then swallowed two cyanide pills he had taped to the collar of his shirt. Ng, however, had disappeared.

In Ng's absence, the police began to investigate Lake's cabin. In addition to the corpses and body parts, they also unearthed caches of weapons, personal effects from the victims and even videotapes of Lake and Ng raping and killing in their bunker.

Ng was eventually caught shoplifting in Canada and was brought back to face trial in California in 1991. The trial didn't take place until 1999 and lasted eight months. The jury deliberated for a couple of hours before finding Ng guilty of the murders and sentencing him to death, a judgment that he is appealing to this day.

DIANE LANE

Lane began her film career at age 13, opposite Sir Lawrence Olivier, in A Little Romance (1979). Lane earned critical acclaim for her performance as a bright American girl living in Paris. She became very popular among teenage audiences. In 1979, she graced the cover of Time, which profiled her as Hollywood's newest rising star.

Lane's sultry combination of sexuality and innocence caught the attention of director Francis Ford Coppola. He bolstered her visibility by casting her in a number of his films including The Outsiders (1983), which paired her with Matt Dillon, and Rumble Fish (1983). Coppola also gave Lane the lead role in The Cotton Club (1984), which co-starred Richard Gere. The movie was a failure, and Lane's performance was criticized as being both unconvincing and premature.

Throughout the early 90s, Lane made a number of forgettable movies including Chaplin (1992), Judge Dredd (1995), and Jack (1996). However, in 1999's A Walk on the Moon, Lane's dynamic performance as a frustrated 1960s housewife reestablished her career. Shortly after, she appeared in the heart-warming film My Dog Skip (1999) with Kevin Bacon and Frankie Muniz.

In 2000, Lane appeared in The Perfect Storm with George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg. The following year, she costarred with Keanu Reeves in Hardball and in the spooky drama The Glass House, with Leelee Sobieski. She earned an Oscar nomination for her role as a wayward wife in 2002's Unfaithful and has signed on to co-star with Bruce Willis in the mystery Me Again.

In 2004, Lane married actor Josh Brolin.

ANNIE LENNOX

The Eurythmics quietly disbanded in 1991 when Lennox took time off to have a child, and eventually work on a solo career. In 1992, her first solo album, Diva, was released. Her soulful vocals and mature styling showed a sophisticated departure from the electronic sounds of the 1980s. Popular singles such as Walking On Broken Glass and the haunting Why established Lennox as a serious solo artist. The album sold over 2 million copies in the U.S., and was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.

In 1995, she released her second album, Medusa, a collection of cover tunes including No More 'I Love You's', Can't Get Next To You and Don't Let It Bring You Down. All the while, Lennox continued to push the envelope with her live performances, including male backup singers in ballet wear and bear suits.

Throughout the 1990s, Lennox took on the creative challenge of collaborating to produce for movie soundtracks. She wrote and sang backup on the Whitney Houston song Step By Step for The Preacher's Wife. In 1992, she contributed to Love Song For A Vampire from the Dracula soundtrack and her voice can be heard on Dark Side Of The Moon and End Titles from Apollo 13. Her collaborative film efforts were rewarded in 2004 when she received an Academy Award for Best Song for the haunting, beautiful Into the West from The Lord of the Rings: The Return the King.

In 1999, Stewart and Lennox received a lifetime achievement award for Outstanding Contribution to the British Music Industry.

JOSEPH LIEBERMAN

Lieberman practiced law in New Haven for several years before running successfully for the Connecticut State Senate in 1970. Lieberman, a Democrat, spent the next 10 years in the State Senate, winning reelection easily in 1974 and 1978 and serving as majority leader from 1974 on. In 1980, he gave up his seat to make a bid for Congress, which he lost.

In 1982, Lieberman bounced back from his congressional defeat to win election as Connecticut's state attorney general. He was a popular figure in the state, known for his support of environmental issues and his ability to advocate on behalf of consumers, and won reelection by a large margin in 1986. Two years later, Lieberman decided once again to make a run for national office, this time shooting for the United States Senate. As the underdog in a race with the three-term Republican Senator Lowell Weicker Jr., Lieberman waged an uphill battle to become the first Orthodox Jew ever to serve in the U.S. Senate.

During his tenure in the Senate (he was reelected in 1994 by a convincing majority), Lieberman has become known for his willingness to go against Democratic Party leaders on certain issues, and to vote according to his strong moral conscience and not strictly along party lines. While he has voted on the liberal side of such causes as abortion rights, gun control, and welfare reform, Lieberman crossed party boundaries in his enthusiastic support of military spending, school vouchers, and free trade.

Lieberman also became known in the Senate for his strong moral views and his tendency to support traditionally conservative causes, most notably those related to so-called “family values.” In 1998, he and former Secretary of Education William Bennett began giving what they called “Silver Sewer Awards” to bring producers of sexually explicit or violent movies, television programs, and video games to the public attention. Lieberman has also supported measures that would regulate television ratings and would supply electronic devices to parents to control their children's television viewing.

On September 3, 1998, Lieberman made headlines by becoming the first prominent Democrat to openly chastise President Clinton for his admitted affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Speaking from the floor of the Senate, Lieberman denounced Clinton's behaviour as “immoral” and “harmful,” and stating that he believed the president “has undercut the efforts of millions of American parents trying to instil in our children the values of honesty.” Coming from an old friend and longtime political ally of the president (while a student at Yale Law, Clinton worked on Lieberman's 1970 Connecticut State Senate campaign), Lieberman's rebuke was both personal and political. Though Lieberman eventually voted to acquit Clinton in his impeachment trial, he confirmed his widespread reputation as a strong moral leader and an independent thinker regardless of party allegiance.

Since 1995, Lieberman has served as chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council. He is a member of the Armed Services Committee, the Environment and Public Works Committee, and the Small Business Committee; and in 1999, he became the ranking Democrat on the Governmental Affairs Committee. He is the author of several books, including In Praise of Public Life (2000), written with Michael D'Orso.

In the months leading up to the 2000 presidential election, Lieberman emerged as one of the individuals in the running for a place on the ballot alongside likely Democratic presidential nominee and current Vice President Al Gore. On August 8, 2000, Gore officially announced Lieberman as his running mate at a rally in Gore's home state of Tennessee. Their nomination was made official at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles in mid-August.

The choice of Lieberman, a strong supporter of campaign finance reform, was seen as an important way to help Gore deflect expected Republican criticism of his aggressive fund-raising tactics during the 1996 campaign. Lieberman's memorable speech chastising Clinton and his reputation for high moral standards was also expected to give Gore some much-needed distance from the less savoury aspects of the Clinton legacy.

Lieberman was the first Jewish-American ever to be nominated on the ticket of a major national party, a groundbreaking achievement that clearly invited comparison to the 1960 Democratic National Convention (also in Los Angeles), when John F. Kennedy, a Roman Catholic, received his party's nomination for president.

Gore and Lieberman faced Republican nominee George W. Bush, governor of Texas, and his running mate, former Secretary of Defense Richard B. Cheney, in one of the closest and most disputed presidential elections in U.S. history. On election night, November 7, it all came down to the state of Florida and its 25 electoral votes. With a razor-thin lead in the state (though he trailed Gore in the popular vote), Bush was first declared the winner by the news networks, and Gore called to concede the election. Hours later, the final count in Florida looked too close to call, and Gore rescinded his concession as the recounts began. After five weeks of complicated legal battles that stretched all the way to the highest court in the land, the United States Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to stop the recounts in Florida, effectively declaring Bush the winner of the state by a margin of 537 votes. On December 13, one day after this decision, Gore ended his campaign and congratulated Bush on his victory, as both men urged the nation to try to put partisan differences aside in the wake of the extraordinary election.

Lieberman and his wife, Hadassah, who married in 1983, live in New Haven and Georgetown with their daughter, Hana. She has a son, Ethan, from a previous marriage, and he has two children, Matt and Rebecca, from his marriage to Elizabeth Hass, which ended in divorce in 1981.

JENNIFER LOPEZ

TRACI LORDS

COURTNEY LOVE (MICHELLE HARRISON)

When Cobain committed suicide in 1994, Love was left to take care of their daughter, Frances Bean. Following her husband's death, Love's acting and music careers subsequently took off, a result of talent, publicity and sheer determination. "Live Through This", Hole's second album, went platinum soon after Cobain's death, and she has appeared in numerous films including Feeling Minnesota (1996), Basquiat (1996), The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) (for which Love won a New York Film Critics Circle award and a Golden Globe nomination) and Man on the Moon (1999).

EVITA

Buy EVITA's Biography on VHS video.

Buy EVITA's Biography on DVD.

ERNEST SHACKLETON

Buy ERNEST SHACKLETON's Biography on DVD.

TOM HANKS

THEODORE J. KACZYNSKI (Unabomber)

Buy THEODORE J. KACZYNSKI (Unabomber)'s Biography on VHS video.

JACK RUBY

JOHN WATERS

HENRY LEE LUCAS

BRUNO LUDKE

His murderous career was particularly prolific in the years leading up to WWII, when, while working as a laundry truck driver, he stabbed and strangled as many as 80 women, frequently raping them before and even after their deaths. During the war authorities apprehended Ludke as he molested a young woman, and under the Gestapo leader Heinrich Himmler's orders, he was sterilized.

On January 29, 1943, he murdered his final victim, Frieda Rosner, and slipped into a state of severe dementia. The police accidentally discovered Ludke while conducting a routine investigation. In his madness he attempted to assault them, and was arrested. Once in custody, Ludke admitted to 85 killings, claiming rape was the main objective. Rather than prosecute him as criminally insane, the Nazi's decided to use Ludke as a human guinea pig in their experiments, and Ludke died in Vienna on April 8, 1944, when an experiment involving lethal chemicals proved fatal.

STEVE MARTIN

Martin released four comedy albums between 1977 and 1981, winning Grammy awards for Let's Get Small and A Wild and Crazy Guy. He also received a gold record for his hit comedy song, “King Tut.” Martin wrote his first book Cruel Shoes, in 1977.

Martin's first feature, a short film he wrote called The Absent-Minded Waiter (1977), was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1979, he starred in his first full-length feature film, The Jerk, the first of many collaborations between Martin and director Carl Reiner, including the lampoon of detective thrillers, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982), the sci-fi comedy The Man With Two Brains (1983), and the identity-swapping comedy All of Me (1984) with Lily Tomlin. Martin received Best Actor awards from both the New York Film Critics Association and the National Board of Review for his performance in All of Me. He also won rave reviews for his portrayal of a demented dentist in Frank Oz's Little Shop of Horrors (1986).

In 1987, Martin stretched his talent even further by co-writing, executive-producing, and starring in Roxanne (1987), a modern interpretation of the story of Cyrano De Bergerac. For his work in Roxanne he won a Best Actor award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association as well as an award for Best Screenplay from the Writers Guild of America. In 1991, Martin wrote, starred in and co-executive produced L.A. Story co-starring actress Victoria Tennant, whom he later married, in 1986 (they later divorced in 1994). Martin also starred in the Disney remake of Father of the Bride (1992), and it's sequel in 1995.

In 1993, Martin had success as a playwright with Picasso at the Lapin Agile, which opened at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, moving to Boston and Los Angeles as well as running off-Broadway.

More recent work included David Mamet's The Spanish Prisoner (1997), a voice role in the animated Dreamworks film The Prince of Egypt (1998) and a co-starring role with Goldie Hawn in a remake of The Out of Towners (1999). Martin wrote and starred in the comedy Bowfinger with Eddie Murphy in 1999. In 2001, he starred opposite Helena Bonham Carter in the dark comedy Novocaine. That same year, he took on a new challenge, hosting the notoriously long Academy Awards ceremony. His trademark humour and antics earned him an invitation to return in 2003.

A frequent contributor to The New Yorker magazine, Martin published Shopgirl, a novella, to great acclaim in 2001. The story of a disenchanted saleswoman struggling to choose between a would-be musician and a wealthy married man, the book is set to grace the big screen starring Martin, SNL's Jimmy Fallon and Claire Danes. The same year, Martin starred opposite Queen Latifah in the romantic comedy Bringing Down the House, which debuted at a surprising No. 1 at the box office. In 2004, Martin costarred with Bonnie Hunt to reprise the 1950s comedy Cheaper by the Dozen. He is set to take on two more remakes: the 1937 Cary Grant vehicle Topper and a Pink Panther adaptation.

Martin lives in the Los Angeles area with his dog Roger, and two cats, Lucy and Bub. An avid art collector, Martin is a trustee of the Los Angeles Museum of Art and owns works by O'Keeffe, Diebenkorn, de Kooning, Frankenthaler, Hopper, Hockney, Lichtenstein, and Picasso, among others.

MICHAEL MOORE

Critical opinion was high but divided. The Washington Post described Roger & Me as a "hilariously cranky bit of propaganda" and critics such as Roger Ebert gave it rave reviews, but others, including the doyenne of the New Yorker, Pauline Kael, attacked Moore for re-arranging the narrative events of the movie. He responded in an interview in Film Comment that "the movie is essentially what has happened to this town [Flint] during the 1980s. I wasn't filming in 1982 ... so everything that happened happened. As far as I'm concerned, a period of seven or eight years ... is pretty immediate and pretty devastating.... I think it's a document about a town that died in the 1980s." The critical controversy notwithstanding, the film was voted Best Documentary by the National Board of Review, the New York Film Critics, the Los Angeles Film Critics, and the National Society of Film Critics, as well as Best Film at the Toronto, Vancouver, and Chicago Film Festivals. It was included on several critics' "best of the decade" lists, but conspicuously failed even to be nominated for an Academy Award. Roger & Me was creatively financed by Moore and his friends through bingo games and other fund raising efforts, but also through an out of court settlement Moore made with Mother Jones magazine over his dismissal from the publication after a short tenure as editor in 1986-87.

Moore came to Mother Jones after a successful career as an alternative journalist in his hometown of Flint, Michigan (though he is actually from the suburb of Davison). Moore's comedy and politics emerged from his roots in a working-class community that enjoyed a boom from manufacturing automobiles at a dozen General Motors factories until the company abandoned the town, as chronicled in Roger & Me. Moore had been a staunch opponent of GM and local Flint politics since founding the Flint Voice at the age of 22. He partially funded the newspaper through the weekly showing of alternative movies, and promoted it through work on the local public radio station where he hosted a show called "Radio Free Flint." He also wrote essays for National Public Radio. A rabble rouser from early on, Moore was elected to his local school board at age 18 and successfully fought to have its meetings open to the public.

Moore followed up Roger & Me with a sequel, Pets or Meat: A Return to Flint (1992) a short film shown on PBS. The second film repeated the narrated style of the first and seemed more of a continuation than a sequel. In it, Moore caught up on the lives of people from the first film, including "the Rabbit Lady," who sold rabbits as pets or meat. The film was also an update on Moore himself, containing snippets from his appearances on television talk shows such as Donahue. He made an unlikely movie "star"--he is heavyset with a goofy grin, a fondness for baseball caps, and a preference untucked shirts--yet there is no doubt that the "star" of all of Moore's films is Michael Moore.

His next project was a narrative film, Canadian Bacon (1994), starring John Candy, Rhea Perlman, Kevin Pollack, Alan Alda, and Rip Torn. Alda plays a liberal U.S. president who decides to invade Canada in order to boost his popularity in the polls. A cross between Dr. Strangelove (there's a similar Doomsday device) and Wag the Dog (the invasion of a foreign country for shabby domestic reasons), the film never received wide release, nor were the reviews particularly enthusiastic.

Moore's next move was to take the basic Roger & Me idea--good guy Mike harasses evil corporate America--to television. His political comedy show, TV Nation, was a summer replacement on NBC in 1994. The show featured weekly, off-the-wall polls like 16&percent; of Perot voters believe that "if dolphins are really that smart they could get out of those nets," and showcased memorable events such as a day of picnicking with "Doctor Death" Jack Kevorkian. The first episode featured the "CEO Challenge" in which he asked executives to perform menial tasks, such as getting the head of IBM to format a disk. While not all the stories had a political bent, TV Nation was an eclectic mix of news magazine, sketch comedy, and David Letterman-style comedy of the banal. Only on TV Nation would you see a guy in a Detroit Tigers baseball cap attempting to end the conflict in Bosnia by getting leaders from the warring factions to share a pizza together.

NBC passed on TV Nation, but Fox picked it up for eight episodes in the summer of 1995. It was more of the same, including a segment featuring Moore performing maneuvers with the Michigan Militia. He also introduced Crackers, the corporate crime-fighting chicken, alongside featured guests such as Merrill Markoe (David Letterman's former chief writer), actress and stand-up comedian Janeane Garofalo, former MTV VJ Karen Duffy, and filmmaker Rusty Cundieff, who wrote and directed a comedy movie, Fear of a Black Hat. Moore chronicled his experiences with the show in a book, Adventures in TV Nation (1998), written with wife Kathleen Glynn.

The book was not his first. He had published Downsize This: Random Threats from an Unarmed American, an unlikely best seller, in 1994. The book began with two photos: one of the bombed out Federal building in Oklahoma City, the other of a pile of rubble which used to be an auto factory in Flint. The point of that piece, and the book, is to expose, through satire, irony, and poke-in-the-eye comedy, corporate America's war on working-class families. With chapters such as "Would Pat Buchanan take a check from Satan?" "Why doesn't GM sell crack?" and "Why are Union Leaders so stupid?" the book is part stand-up comedy in printed form, part political manifesto, and part Spy magazine-like pranks. The author embarked on an unconventional book promotion tour, refusing to sign books at certain chain stores and seeking out independent booksellers. After a few stops, he was joined by a film crew, which led to the making of his movie The Big One (1997). The film features stunts familiar to Moore's fans, including the presentation of Downsizer of the Year awards to company bigwigs. It opened in selected cities as benefits for local charities, unions, and leftist political groups. Moore would answer questions, promote local causes, tell some jokes, and then inspire the audience to political action. Despite excellent reviews, The Big One failed to achieve commercial success; an angry film about corporate America seemed out of synch when the Dow was at an all-time record high.

As the twentieth century ended, Moore was still pitching his political message to a larger audience, attempting a weekly talk show and developing Better Days (1998), a sitcom about a town where everybody is unemployed. In conjunction with Britain's Channel 4, he negotiated another incarnation of TV Nation, which launched in early 1999 under the title The Awful Truth. It kicked off with a scathing attack on health insurance companies in the United States and a somewhat crude and gauche sideswipe at Kenneth Starr morality in the form of a sketch delivered like a scene from Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Moore looked set to remain a viable force in popular culture in the twenty-first century. Virtually the country's lone left-wing satirist, he pops up regularly on talk shows such as Politically Incorrect. Popular culture has never seen a figure quite like Michael Moore: a comedian who one minute offers a critical analysis of legislation, and in the next a suggestion that Queen's "We Will Rock You" become the new national anthem.

In 2003, Moore's Bowling for Columbine, which took a dark-comic look at gun culture in the United Sates, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The director's acceptance speech included a very Moore-like statement against the war with Iraq. "We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons. We are against this war, Mr. Bush. Shame on you!" The film was also awarded the Special 55th Anniversary Prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. In late 2002, the director launched a one-man stage show, Michael Moore--Live, in London and New York. In 2004, The Walt Disney Company banned Miramax from distributing Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, which critiques the Bush administration's handling of Iraq and the war on terror. The film won the coveted Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and, when it eventually hit theatres in June, became the first documentary to win the weekend box office.

SAMANTHA MORTON

Morton gained a measure of recognition for her roles in three acclaimed BBC/A&E TV productions: she played Harriet Smith in Emma (1997), the title role in Jane Eyre (also 1997), and Sophia Western in an adaptation of Tom Jones (1998). Her feature film debut, in the low-budget drama Under the Skin (1997), earned her a Best Actress award from the Boston Society of Film Critics.

The pace of Morton's career moved up several notches in 1999, when she made no fewer than five films. She first garnered praise for her starring role in Dreaming of Joseph Lees (1999), also featuring Rupert Graves. Also in 1999, she turned in an impressive performance—and scored an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress—as the long-suffering mute companion of Sean Penn's dissolute jazz guitarist in Sweet and Lowdown, written and directed by Woody Allen. Other films she completed in 1999 included Jesus' Son, the comedy caper The Last Yellow, and Pandemonium, in which she played the very-pregnant wife of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (played by Linus Roache).

After appearing in several small-budget films that never saw release in the United States, Morton began production on Steven Spielberg's $80 million sci-fi thriller Minority Report. In 2004, she received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in In America.

Morton gave birth on February 5, 2000, to her first child, a daughter named Esme. The father is actor Charlie Creed-Miles (1997's The Fifth Element), Morton's co-star in The Last Yellow. The couple lives in London.

EDDIE MURPHY

Murphy watched a lot of television growing up and developed a great skill for impressions, doing such characters as Bugs Bunny, Bullwinkle, and Sylvester the Cat. Murphy told Gene Lyons of Newsweek, “my mother says I never talked in my own voice—always cartoon characters.” Although he was never a dedicated student, Murphy found a great forum for his verbal agility in grade school, excelling in the popular game of “ranking”—trading witty insults with classmates. Hosting a talent show at the Roosevelt Youth Center at age 15, Murphy delighted his young audience with an impersonation of Al Green.

This early success spurned a passion for showbiz, and Murphy began working on his comedy routines after school and performing stand-up at local bars, clubs, and "gong shows." His schoolwork suffered, however, and Murphy had to repeat the 10th grade. By doubling up on classes and attending summer and night school, he graduated only a couple of months late. Murphy was voted the “most popular” boy in his graduating class. His declared career plan: comedian.

Responding to the pleas of his mother, Murphy enrolled at Nassau Community College and worked part-time as a shoe store clerk. He continued to perform in local clubs, and eventually worked his way into such New York City venues as the Comic Strip—billing himself as a disciple of the great comedian Richard Pryor. Although his raunchy, profanity-ridden routines resembled his idol's, Murphy stayed away from drinking, smoking, and drugs, and would later declare to Barbara Walters, “I don't have to sniff cocaine to make me funny.”

When Murphy learned that the producers of NBC's popular late night comedy show, Saturday Night Live, were seeking a black cast member for the 1980-81 season, he jumped on the opportunity and auditioned six times. He finally got a part as an “extra” and appeared sporadically throughout the show's unsuccessful season. One fateful night, during a moment of panic when producers realized they had four minutes of airtime remaining and no material, they pushed Murphy before the camera and told him to do his stand-up routine. His improvised performance was called “masterful” by Rolling Stone and Murphy became one of only two cast members (along with Joe Piscopo) asked back for the next season.

Murphy became Saturday Night Live's strongest comedic presence, creating such memorable characters as Mister Robinson, a ghetto version of TV's Mister Rogers; a grown-up Little Rascals' Buckwheat; and an illiterate convict-poet Tyrone Green. He also continued his skilful impersonations, adding Bill Cosby, Muhammad Ali, James Brown, Jerry Lewis, and Stevie Wonder to his repertoire. Murphy received some criticism for his satirical characterizations based on black stereotypes, but in defence, he claimed that his characters were far too absurd and abstract to be taken seriously.

In 1982, Murphy received a Grammy nomination for an album of stand-up material, which eventually went gold, and at age 21, he landed his first major motion picture role, alongside Nick Nolte in 48 Hours (1982). He approached the role with confidence and ingenuity, convincing director Walter Hill to adjust some of the dialogue to more genuinely depict a black speaker. His charming and inspired performance as the fast-talking convict stole the film, and 48 Hours grossed over $5 million in its first week.

Murphy followed this success with the 1930s style farce Trading Places (1983). Playing alongside fellow SNL alumnus Dan Aykroyd, Murphy's street-wise Billy Ray Valentine becomes the victim, then the victor, of two Wall Street moguls'shortsighted bet. Paramount proceeded to sign the 23-year-old to a six-picture contract worth $25 million. Murphy's next film, Beverly Hills Cop (1984), hit number nine on the list of all-time box office hits. He played bad boy/good cop Axel Foley, a role originally slated for Sylvester Stallone, and earned a Golden Globe nomination. Taking advantage of his status as a hot commodity, Murphy released his first album How Could it Be? featuring the hit single “Party All the Time.”

Murphy went on the make Beverly Hills Cop II in 1987, which received mixed reviews from critics, but major rewards from the box office. However, his other efforts of this period including The Golden Child (1986), and his violence and profanity riddled directorial debut Harlem Nights (1989), starring Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx, were deemed failures by critics and audiences alike. The only film of the period that seemed to showcase his comedic charm was Coming to America (1988), a light romantic farce costarring Arsenio Hall, in which both Murphy and Hall play several characters each. Another 48 Hours (1990) did little to redeem his career, and Murphy decided to take a break from the Hollywood scene.

He returned as a smooth, impeccably dressed bachelor in 1992's Boomerang, costarring Halle Berry, about a lady-chasing cosmetics executive who finally meets his match. The film met mixed reviews, but many critics found Murphy's mellowed performance a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, he followed this semi-success with an uninspired Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) and the unmemorable Vampire in Brooklyn (1995).

In 1996, Murphy rediscovered his love for over-the-top comedic invention in a hit remake of the Jerry Lewis film The Nutty Professor. Murphy earned some unfortunate publicity when he was discovered by L.A. police with a transvestite male prostitute in the early hours of May 2, 1997. He claimed he was merely trying to give the prostitute a ride, but the incident made him the target of jokes nonetheless. Despite the scandal in his personal life, Murphy went on to play the voice of Mushu the Lizard in Disney's animated picture Mulan (1998) to enormous critical praise, and starred in the family film, Doctor Doolittle (1998).

In 1999, Murphy starred in the comedy Bowfinger, costarring Steve Martin, who also wrote the screenplay. Nutty Professor II: The Klumps was released in the summer of 2000, with Murphy featured as all six lead characters. He also voiced the lead character, superintendent Thurgood Stubbs, on The PJs, an animated TV show for which he also serves as executive producer. In the summer of 2001, Murphy had two more big box office successes, starring in Dr. Doolittle 2 and lending his voice to the character of Donkey in the fantastical animated feature Shrek, also featuring the voices of Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz. In 2003, Murphy starred in yet another family comedy, this time as an overwhelmed babysitter in Daddy Day Care. The following year, he revived Donkey for the hit sequel Shrek 2.

In 1993, Murphy married model Nicole Mitchell. The couple has four children together: Bria, Myles, Shayne Audra, and Zola Ivy.

BILL MURRAY

He eventually relocated to New York City where he took his comedic talents on air in National Lampoon Hour alongside Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner and John Belushi. In 1975, both Murray brothers were in an off-Broadway spin-off of the radio show when Bill was spotted by sportscaster Howard Cosell, who recruited him for the cast of his ABC variety program, Saturday Night Live With Howard Cosell. On NBC, a program also named Saturday Night Live was creating a much bigger sensation. A year later producer Lorne Michaels tapped Murray to replace Chevy Chase, who had moved on to pursue a film career.

It was on the set of Saturday Night Live that Murray created the sleazy, insincere comedic character that became his calling card for many films to come. He also earned an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for his work on the show. His first major film role was with the 1979 box office hit Meatballs. This was followed by the biography flop Where the Buffalo Roam, where Murray starred as gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. In 1980, he redeemed himself by going back to his comedic roots with the cult classic Caddyshack. The roll continued with the army farce Stripes in 1981, Tootsie in 1982, and Ghostbusters in 1984 with Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The comedy was one of the decade's biggest hits, spawning a cartoon series, action figures and even a chart-topping theme song.

Murray's next move caught loyal fans off guard. He starred in and co-wrote an adaptation of the W. Somerset Maugham novel The Razor's Edge in 1984, which had been a lifelong dream. The hairpin turn from farce to literary drama proved too sharp, and the film was a failure. Murray spent the next several years away from Hollywood, making only a cameo appearance in the 1986 musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors.

He finally made his comeback in 1988 with Scrooged, a darkly comedic version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. While it performed moderately well, it was not the smash many predicted. Nor was 1989's Ghostbusters II. But in 1991, he starred in What About Bob?, which was an unqualified hit followed by the equally acclaimed Groundhog Day in 1993 and Ed Wood in 1994.

In 1998, Murray played what many believed to be his finest role yet in Wes Anderson's Rushmore. As a business tycoon competing with an eccentric 15-year-old for the affections of a first grade teacher, Murray won Best Supporting Actor from both the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics. The film's success helped put the actor back in the forefront, and he drew further exposure that year from his appearance as a sleazy lawyer in the controversial Wild Things. In 1999, he appeared in Tim Robbins' Cradle Will Rock and in 2000 he played the affably dense Bosley in the Charlie's Angels remake. In 2001, he once again gained critical praise for his role in The Royal Tenenbaums. In 2003, Murray signed on to voice Garfield in Fox's upcoming live-action adaptation of the comic-strip feline. He will also join a team with Tenenbaums director Wes Anderson for the offbeat comedy The Life Aquatic. In 2004, Murray received an Oscar nomination for his starring role in Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation.

He was married to Margaret "Mickey" Kelley from 1981-1994. They have two sons, Homer and Luke. In 1997, he married Jennifer Butler with whom he has three sons, Jackson, Cal and Cooper.

MIKE MYERS

Myers began acting in commercials at the age of eight and appeared in ads for Datsun, Pepsi, Kmart, and Apple Jacks, among others. At the end of his senior year at Stephen Leacock High School in 1981, he auditioned for and was accepted into the Second City Comedy Troupe. Myers performed with the group in Toronto and Chicago. In 1989, producer Lorne Michaels hired him as an actor and writer for Saturday Night Live.

As one of the youngest actors on the famous show, Myers once again had big shoes to fill—former members of the SNL cast included Second City alumni Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, and John Belushi, as well as Eddie Murphy. Myers soon built up a portfolio of personae for himself—some of the most recognizable were Dieter, German host of the dance party/talk show "Sprockets;" Linda Richman, the often-“Verklempt” New York Jewish host of “Coffee Talk;” and Lank Thompson, the “Handsome Actor.” His most famous alter-ego, heavy metal enthusiast Wayne Campbell, broadcast his own TV show, “Wayne's World,” from the basement of his parents' house in suburban Aurora, Illinois—Myers has said he based the character on his own experience growing up in Scarborough.

The tremendous popularity of “Wayne's World” on SNL led to a movie version, which Myers co-wrote and starred in alongside Dana Carvey as Wayne Campbell's dim sidekick, Garth Algar. Wayne's World earned $200 million in combined box office and video sales. In 1993, Myers's film career seemed well on its way, with two reasonably successful releases, Wayne's World 2, and So I Married An Axe Murderer, both of which had moderate success. After six years on SNL, Myers left the show in 1995.

After a two year hiatus from filmmaking, Myers returned in 1997 with a bang in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, which he also wrote. Like Wayne's World, this outrageous spoof of British spy movies was a hit in theatres, but went on to make millions more in video sales. Myers' hilarious dual performances as the libidinous Powers and his archenemy, Dr. Evil, were followed by a critically acclaimed “serious” turn as disco-owner Steve Rubell in 1998's mediocre 54.

In 1999, Myers had his biggest hit yet with Austin Powers II: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Released in June, the movie temporarily pushed Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace from the top spot at the box office, earning $54.7 million in its first weekend for the third highest opening ever. Austin Powers 2 also earned more that weekend than the first installment did in its entire run.

As part of a two-picture deal with Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment, he was reportedly set to receive $20 million to write and direct Sprockets, a film version of his SNL skit, elevating him to the ranks of Hollywood's highest-paid actors. After Myers left the project in June 2000, citing the project's poor quality, Universal and Imagine both filed a lawsuit against him in an attempt to force the actor to fulfill his commitment. Myers filed a $20 million countersuit against Universal claiming defamation and invasion of privacy. He later signed a settlement with Imagine agreeing to make a replacement comedy (which cannot be an Austin Powers sequel) with Imagine and Universal before making another film.

Myers lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Robin Ruzan, whom he married in 1993. Before they wed, the couple co-wrote Wayne's World: Extreme Close Up, about the making of his first hit film. Myers has said he based “Coffee Talk's” Linda Richman on Ruzan's mother.

In a landmark agreement, Myers will reportedly receive $25 million from New Line to star in a third installment of Austin Powers. A deal is expected to go through in the spring of 2001. In 2001 and 2004, Myers lent his voice to the title character, a green ogre with a Scottish burr, in the Dreamworks animated hits Shrek and Shrek 2, also featuring the voices of Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz. In 2003, the actor starred in Miramax's romantic comedy A View From the Top opposite Gwyneth Paltrow.

CHARLES NG

ELLEN OCHOA

A mission specialist and flight engineer, Ochoa is a veteran of four space flights, logging more than 950 hours in space. Her technical assignments have included flight software and computer hardware development and robotics development, testing, and training. She has served as Assistant for Space Station to the Chief of the Astronaut Office, lead spacecraft communicator in Mission Control and Acting Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office. She currently serves as Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Ochoa's numerous awards include NASA's Exceptional Service Medal (1997), Outstanding Leadership Medal (1995) and Space Flight Medals (2002, 1999, 1994, 1993). Besides being an astronaut, researcher, and engineer, Ochoa is a classical flutist. She lives in Texas with her husband, Coe Fulmer Miles, and their two children.

ROSIE O'DONNELL

Rosie caught the acting bug when she imitated Gilda Radner's character “Roseanne Rosannadanna” for a high school skit--inciting praise, then a conviction to pursue an acting career through comedy. By watching and imitating other comics, such as Jerry Seinfeld, O'Donnell eventually came up with her own material and honed her magnetic presence for the stage. After graduating from high school (O'Donnell was elected prom queen, homecoming queen, most school-spirited student, and class president), she embarked on a grand tour of the United States, appearing in 49 states over a five-year period. It was a difficult and enlightening time for O'Donnell, as she realized the unhealthy lifestyle and the sexist climate revolving around the comedy world. She told Robert Hoffler of Buzz, “Everybody was doing drugs and drinking, and I was just this little girl on the road, scared in her room.”

O'Donnell studied briefly at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and Boston University and made five winning appearances on Star Search before moving to Los Angeles in 1984. She landed a part on the last season of NBC's popular sitcom Gimme a Break before cable music video channel, VH-1, snatched her up as a veejay. When the station decided to stop using veejays, O'Donnell convinced them both to create a showcase for comedians, Stand-Up Spotlight, and keep her on as its host. Stand-Up Spotlight became the VH-1's most popular show, and O'Donnell hosted for four years.

In 1992, after appearing in several television specials, O'Donnell made a much-desired and anticipated move to film when Penny Marshall cast her as Madonna's loveable sidekick in A League of Their Own. During filming, O'Donnell forged many connections and friendships which served to enhance her career, including an enduring relationship with co-star Madonna. Her role spurned a string of “best-friend” roles including “Becky,” Meg Ryan's closest pal in 1993's Sleepless in Seattle. She played assistant district attorney, Gina Garrett, in John Badham's Another Stakeout alongside Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez, and made a cameo in Carl Reiner's Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct spoof, Fatal Instinct. She also appeared as a wise-cracking hairdresser in Beautiful Girls. O'Donnell began a trend of making praiseworthy performances in less than extraordinary films.

In 1994, O'Donnell's dream of performing live on stage materialized when she was cast as Rizzo in Tommy Tune's Broadway revival of Grease!. However, both the production and O'Donnell's performance met lukewarm reviews. O'Donnell also expressed concern about the message of the play, with its sexist premise about a girl who must transform herself into a tightly-clad tramp to gain acceptance by her boyfriend and his friends. Following her Broadway debut, O'Donnell appeared in Lesli Linka Glatter's coming of age film, Now and Then alongside Demi Moore and Melanie Griffith and made a cameo on the TV sitcom Bless This House. In February 1995, after a two-year hiatus, O'Donnell returned briefly to stand-up in order to prepare for an HBO comedy special.

In 1995, O'Donnell accepted a post as host of a variety talk show for NBC, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, featuring such attractions as celebrity guests and Broadway performances. Inspired by The Merv Griffin Show, O'Donnell pitted her nice and cozie attitude against the swarm of sensationalist talk shows commanding the airwaves. Her move to television also allowed her to continue in show-business while raising her two adopted children, Parker and Chelsea Belle in New York (producers built a deluxe nursery for her children right in the Rockefeller Center studio). The show quickly became one of the most popular in daytime television, and O'Donnell was hailed as the “Queen of Nice” due to her down-to-earth frankness and eye-to-eye sense of humour.

O'Donnell continued to make occasional appearances in films; playing a nanny in the children's film Harriett the Spy and a schoolteacher-nun in 1998's Wide Awake. She blossomed in the children's movie arena, playing the voice of Terk, Tarzan's gorilla-companion in Disney's animated production of Tarzan in 1999. Although O'Donnell's repertoire is broad rather than deep, her appeal crosses the boundaries of many different media, attesting to her status as a thoroughly versatile and talented performer. Her continual support of Broadway shows, and theatre in general, brought renewed attention to the stage, and the Tony's award show enjoyed its highest ratings in years when she hosted. In 1999, she hosted the Grammy awards.

After living in Los Angeles for 10 years, O'Donnell returned to New York, where she feels more at home with the matter-of-fact attitude toward celebrity. In late 1999, she adopted a third child, Blake Christopher. O'Donnell received two Emmy awards in 1998 for “Outstanding Talk Show” and “Outstanding Talk Show Host” (the latter for which she illustriously tied with established talk show great, Oprah Winfrey).

In November 2000, O'Donnell admitted that she is planning to leave her talk show after her contract expires in 2002 in order to spend more time on her nonprofit organization, Rosie Adoptions. The organization helps facilitate the process of adoption between birth mothers and adoptive families.

In early 2002, Rosie began making headlines again, with word that she would officially come out as a lesbian in her autobiography Find Me. Later that year, she announced that she would no longer produce her namesake magazine after a little over a year on newsstands. Though the magazine was fairly well received, Rosie cited editorial differences for pulling the plug, causing Rosie's publisher to file a $100 million lawsuit for breach of contract. O'Donnell later filed a $125 million countersuit, claiming the publishers seized control and forced her out. In the midst of the media-heavy trial that ensued, O'Donnell continued to produce her Broadway musical Taboo about the life of Boy George. However, after negative reviews and publicity, the show closed just three months after it opened.

In November 2002, O'Donnell's girlfriend, Kelli Carpenter (who has since legally changed her name to O'Donnell), gave birth to a baby girl, Vivienne Rose.

ASHLEY OLSEN

MARY-KATE OLSEN

LARRY PAGE

GWENYTH PALTROW

As she grew up, Paltrow's burgeoning beauty and developing acting talent began to win her small film roles, beginning with Shout and Hook in 1991. After a well-received spot opposite her mother in the television mini-series Cruel Doubt (1992), Paltrow decided to abandon her art history studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara to pursue acting full time.

The decision paid off--Paltrow won a string of roles in films like Malice (1993), co-starring Nicole Kidman and Alec Baldwin, Flesh and Bone (1993), and Jefferson in Paris (1995), co-starring Nick Nolte. In 1995, Paltrow appeared in the controversial Seven with Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt. A romance with the latter helped propel Paltrow into the headlines, just as she began to win starring roles in The Pallbearer (1996), Emma (1996), Great Expectations (1998), and A Perfect Murder (1998) with Michael Douglas. Paltrow confirmed her superstar status with an inspired performance in 1998's Shakespeare in Love, as the immortal Bard's purported muse. The role won her a Best Actress Oscar and made her one of Hollywood's most sought-after female performers.

The willowy blonde also made a name for herself in the gossip columns with much-publicized relationships—and break-ups—with both Pitt and Ben Affleck, the Oscar-winning co-screenwriter of Good Will Hunting(1997). Affleck also appeared (in a relatively small role) in Shakespeare in Love. He and Paltrow, who broke up amicably in early 1998 after a yearlong romance, are still “good friends.”

In 1999, Paltrow starred with Matt Damon in director Anthony Minghella's lush production of The Talented Mr. Ripley, a novel by Patricia Highsmith. In 2000, she starred in the karaoke comedy-drama Duets, directed by her father, Bruce Paltrow, and the romantic Bounce, opposite Affleck. In late 2001, Paltrow donned an unflattering fat suit for some of her scenes in the crude comedy Shallow Hal, costarring Jack Black and directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly. She also joined an all-star cast, including Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Bill Murray, Danny Glover, and Luke and Owen Wilson, in The Royal Tenenbaums, directed by Wes Anderson. In 2002, she starred in the literary adaptation Possession, as well as Miramax's romantic spoof A View From the Top.

In October 2002, while vacationing in Italy to celebrate her 30th birthday, Gwyneth's father, Bruce, succumbed to complications from pneumonia after a battle with throat cancer. Following his death, Gwyneth pulled out of some film projects, returning to the screen in the literary drama Sylvia in 2003, about the iconic, tragic poet Sylvia Plath, who killed herself in 1963.

In December 2003, Paltrow married Chris Martin, front man for the British rock group Coldplay. Their daughter, Apple Blythe Alison Martin, was born in May 2004.

JANE PAULEY

Pauley lives in New York City with her husband, cartoonist Garry Trudeau. They have three children, twins Rachel and Ross (b.1983) and Thomas (b.1986).

SEAN PENN

Penn's breakthrough role came a year later, when he played perpetually stoned surfer Jeff Spicoli in the high school comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High. He garnered acclaim for his first starring role, in 1983's Bad Boys and for The Falcon and the Snowman (1985), also starring Hutton. In 1985, Penn gained a whole new measure of fame when he married pop goddess Madonna. Their tumultuous four year marriage produced one dismal movie, 1986's Shanghai Surprise, and a barrage of tabloid headlines. Penn's “bad boy” image only increased with his continued hostility towards the aggressive paparazzi—he served 34 days in prison in 1987 for punching an extra who had tried to take his picture on the set of the film Colors, co-starring Robert Duvall and directed by Dennis Hopper. Penn and Madonna divorced in 1989.

In 1991, two years after earning rave reviews for his performance in Casualties of War (1989), directed by Brian De Palma and co-starring Michael J. Fox, Penn directed his first film, the little seen feature The Indian Runner. Though he had claimed he was quitting acting, Penn was back in front of the camera in 1993, playing a coke-addled criminal lawyer in De Palma's Carlito's Way, co-starring Al Pacino. In 1995, he starred as a death row inmate searching for salvation in the critical and popular success Dead Man Walking, directed by Tim Robbins and co-starring Susan Sarandon. Penn's powerful performance earned him his first Academy Award nomination, for Best Actor. That same year, he wrote, produced, and directed The Crossing Guard, a dark drama starring his boyhood idol, Jack Nicholson.

Penn's edgy good looks and undeniable talent might have secured him a place among Hollywood's A-list leading men; instead, he has largely neglected headline roles in big-budget films in favor of decidedly unheroic roles in darker, more understated films, with varying degrees of success. He starred as a lovesick, jealous husband in Nick Cassavetes's She's So Lovely (1997), co-starring John Travolta and Penn's real-life (second) wife, Robin Wright Penn (whom he fell in love with while filming State of Grace in 1990 and married in 1996 after a turbulent five-year romance). Although Penn (who also served as executive producer) won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival, She's So Lovely did not attract a wide audience. Penn appeared in two other major films in 1997: the poorly received U-Turn, directed by Oliver Stone and co-starring Nick Nolte and Jennifer Lopez, and the hit action-thriller The Game, starring Michael Douglas. In Hurlyburly (1998), Penn reprised a role he had played on the Los Angeles stage in 1988, co-starring with Kevin Spacey as a brutal, misogynistic Hollywood agent. In 1998, Penn also starred in the critically acclaimed World War II drama, The Thin Red Line, directed by Terrence Malick.

In 1999, the unpredictable Penn took Hollywood by surprise when he garnered a second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, turning in another searing, darkly complex performance as the dissolute jazz guitarist at the centre of Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown, alongside fellow Oscar-nominee Samantha Morton. In 2000, he starred in the romantic Up in the Villa, with Kristen Scott Thomas, and The Weight of Water. His third directorial feature, the thriller The Pledge, starred Nicholson and Robin Wright Penn. In 2002, Penn starred opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in I Am Sam, playing a mentally disabled man who fights to regain custody of his young daughter. The following year, he starred in Clint Eastwood's small town drama Mystic River, for which he earned an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Penn and Robin Wright Penn live in Marin County, California, with their daughter, Dylan, and son, Hopper. Wright Penn, best known for her roles in The Princess Bride (1987), Forrest Gump (1993), and Message in a Bottle (1999), also appeared in Hurlyburly and The Crossing Guard. Penn's mother, Eileen Ryan, is an actress who appeared in Magnolia, released in late 1999. His father, Leo Penn, who died in 1998, was an actor-turned-director who was blacklisted during the 1940s and 1950s when he refused to name names of Communist sympathizers in Hollywood. Penn has two brothers: Christopher, an actor who appeared with his brother in At Close Range (1986), and Michael, a rock musician.

DENNIS QUAID

Over the next few years, Quaid appeared in the 1980 Western The Long Riders with his brother Randy and in the romantic comedy All Night Long (1981), costarring Gene Hackman and Barbra Streisand. After starring in a few low-rated films like The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (1981) and Jaws 3-D (1983), he won acclaim for his portrayal of the cocky astronaut Gordon Cooper in The Right Stuff, the 1983 film version of Tom Wolfe's best-selling book, costarring Sam Shepard and Ed Harris.

\t\tIn 1987, Quaid's career heated up with his romantic turn as a New Orleans homicide detective who becomes involved with a district attorney (played by Ellen Barkin) in The Big Easy. That same year, he starred opposite Cher in the thriller Suspect. On the set of the screwball comedy Innerspace (1987), Quaid met actress Meg Ryan; the two fell in love while filming their next movie, the thriller D.O.A. (1988), and became engaged in 1989. (Quaid was previously married to another actress, P.J. Soles, from 1978 to 1983.)

Before Ryan would marry him, however, she forced him to come to terms with his struggles with alcohol and cocaine. After his high-profile film Great Balls of Fire! (1989), in which he played the temperamental rock great Jerry Lee Lewis, tanked with both critics and audiences, Quaid resolved to kick his addictions. In 1990, he quit drinking and drugs for good, and he and Ryan were married a year later.

After a supporting turn opposite Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine in Postcards from the Edge (1990), Quaid took a self-imposed hiatus from filmmaking, returning in 1993 with a starring role alongside Ryan in Flesh and Bone, also featuring James Caan and Gwyneth Paltrow. He lost 42 pounds in preparation for his acclaimed performance in Wyatt Earp (1994), in which he played Doc Holliday, the tubercular sidekick of the titular lawman and hero of the Old West (played by Kevin Costner).

\tIn 1995, Quaid starred as the unfaithful husband of Julia Roberts' character in the likeable comedy-drama Something to Talk About. His next several films were less successful, including the disappointing big-budget fantasy Dragonheart (1996), Gang Related (1997), Switchback (1997), and Savior (1998). In 1998, he starred in an update of the family classic The Parent Trap and joined an ensemble cast—including Sean Connery and Angelina Jolie—in Playing By Heart. He made his directorial debut that same year with the television movie Everything That Rises, in which he also starred.

Quaid's stock rose again in late 1999 and early 2000 with meaty roles in two well-received films, Oliver Stone's pro-football drama Any Given Sunday, costarring Al Pacino and Cameron Diaz, and the sci-fi thriller Frequency (2000). In December 2002, Quaid was named Best Supporting Actor by the New York Film Critics Circle for his role in Todd Haynes' Oscar contender, Far From Heaven. Two years later, Quaid starred as legendary Lone Star maverick Sam Houston in The Alamo with Billy Bob Thornton.

Throughout the 1990s, Quaid and Ryan were looked to as one of the more stable couples in Hollywood. With their son, Jack, the couple divided their time between homes in New York City, Santa Monica, and Paradise Valley, Montana. In June 2000, Quaid and Ryan shocked many by announcing their separation after nine years of marriage. At the same time, Ryan was linked romantically in the press to the Australian actor Russell Crowe, her Proof of Life costar. Citing "irreconcilable differences" (and claiming there was no third party involved), Quaid filed for divorce in July 2000. He married 32-year-old Texas real-estate agent Kimberly Buffington in July 2004.

RAMONES, THE

The group formed in 1974 in Forest Hills, New York. The founding members -- Joey (Jeffrey Hyman), Dee Dee (Douglas Colvin), Johnny (John Cummings) and Tommy (Tommy Erdelyi) – jettisoned their birth names and adopted the surname “Ramone”, a moniker once used as an alias by Beatle Paul McCartney.

Having either dropped out or squeaked through high school, the foursome saw rock stardom as an escape from a system they felt had nothing to offer. Disgusted with the ornate style and affectation of then-popular bands like Led Zeppelin, they sought inspiration from the purer forms of 1960s pop. They supercharged these bubble-gum melodies with a considerable dose of modern frustration and accompanied them with morbidly comic lyrics.

Their primitive style was not only a conceptual choice, but also a practical necessity. The decision to become rock stars pre-dated their ability to actually play instruments. Unable to mimic even their favorite contemporaries, they began composing their own music right off the bat. Their signature songs were simple, fast-paced, chord-heavy arrangements devoid of musical trimmings like solos and finger picking.

Sporting torn jeans and motorcycle jackets, the Ramones rose to local prominence through their performances at CBGB, a dilapidated club on Manhattan's Bowery that would later become the epicentre of the punk movement. In 1975, they were signed to Sire Records, an independent label that welcomed their raw, determinedly unpolished sound. Their first release, Ramones (1976), was initially panned by critics, but has since been reappraised as a milestone in the history of modern rock. Featuring songs like “Blitzkrieg Bop”, “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue”, and “Beat on the Brat”, the Ramones' tongue-in-cheek anthems of rebellion earned them a solid cult following.

While the Ramones never received significant radio airplay, they maintained their popularity by touring heavily. Their 1976 tour of England planted the seed for the emergence of the Sex Pistols and the Clash.

During the next two decades, the Ramones produced over 20 albums. Although few performed well on the charts, their continuous touring schedule nurtured a devoted following. Despite several lineup changes, including the departure of Tommy and Dee Dee and the addition of Marc "Marky" Bell (1978), Richard "Ritchie" Beau (1983) and Chris "C.J." Ward (1989), the Ramones consistently drew large crowds to their high-energy live performances.

Their fierce devotion to their minimalist sound resisted the influence of record producers, who sought make them more palatable to a mainstream audience. However, many contemporary musicians have recently been citing the band as a fundamental influence. On March 19, 2002, the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

Joey Ramone died on April 15, 2001, at the age of 49 of lymphatic cancer. Dee Dee Ramone -- possibly the member of the band most faithful to the punk lifestyle -- died of a suspected drug overdose on June 5, 2002. Johnny Ramone died just two years later, on September 15, 2004, at the age of 55, after fighting prostate cancer.

GARY RIDGWAY

JOEL RIFKIN

RINGLING BROS

JESSICA SIMPSON

With her father as her manager and her mother as her stylist, Simpson eventually signed with Sony and toured with popular boy bands during the late 1990s. She released her first album, Sweet Kisses, in 1999 and her second, Irresistible, including the hit single “I Wanna Love You Forever,” in 2001. Success for Simpson remained just out of reach, however. Her albums received a somewhat lukewarm response and were eclipsed by the enormous success of pop contemporaries Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

It wasn't until after she married 98° crooner Nick Lachey and starred in MTV's reality show Newlyweds that Simpson's career took off. The show followed the couple around for their first year of marriage—and then their second—providing the insatiable audience with a peek at their glamorous and mundane world. Boosted by the success of the show, Simpson's third album, In This Skin, was re-released in 2004, becoming a huge hit among MTV viewers. That year, the couple also produced The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour on ABC and enjoyed a successful turn as hosts of Saturday Night Live

GARY SINISE

Sinise began his film and television career in the director's chair on such series as Crime Story and thirtysomething and the feature film Miles From Home. In 1992, he directed, produced and starred in a remake of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

In 1994, Sinise became familiar to mainstream audiences as Lt. Dan in the blockbuster film Forrest Gump with Tom Hanks. His performance as the physically crippled and emotionally shattered veteran earned him an Oscar nomination. He re-teamed with Hanks for Apollo 13 in 1995 and starred in the television Biopics Truman in 1995 (for which he won a Golden Globe) and George Wallace in 1997 (for which he won an Emmy). In 2000, he appeared in the drama Mission to Mars and the thriller Imposter. Sinise returned to the small screen in 2004 to star in the crime series CSI: New York.

Sinise is married to actress Moira Harris, who is an original member of Steppenwolf Theater. They have two daughters, Sophie and Ella, and a son, McCanna.

MIRA SORVINO