Angelina Jolie is an Oscar-winning actress who has become popular by taking on the title role in the "Lara Croft" series of blockbuster movies. Off-screen, Jolie has become prominently involved in international charity projects, especially those involving refugees. She often appears on many "most beautiful women" lists, and she has a personal life that is avidly covered by the tabloid press.

In her earliest years, Angelina began absorbing the acting craft from her parents - her father is the Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight and her mother is Marcheline Bertrand, who had studied with Lee Strasberg. At age 11, Angelina began studying at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. She undertook some film studies at New York University and later joined the renowned Met Theatre Group in Los Angeles. At age 16, she took up a career in modeling and appeared in some music videos. Her exotic good looks may derive from her mixed ancestry which is Czech, French-Canadian, Iroquois and English.

In the mid-1990s, Jolie appeared in various small films where she got good notices, including Hackers (1995) and Foxfire (1996). Her critical acclaim increased when she played strong roles in the made-for-TV movies True Women (1997) (TV), and in George Wallace (1997) (TV) which won her a Golden Globe award and an Emmy nomination. Jolie's acclaim increased even further when she played the lead role in the HBO production Gia (1998) (TV). This was the true life story of supermodel Gia Carangi, a sensitive wild child who was both brazen and needy and who had a difficult time handling professional success and the deaths of people who were close to her. Carangi became involved with drugs and because of her needle-using habits she became, at the tender age of 26, one of the first celebrities to die of AIDS. Jolie's performance in Gia (1998) (TV) again garnered a Golden Globe award and another Emmy nomination, and she additionally earned a SAG Award.

Angelina got a major break in 1999 when she won a leading role in the successful feature The Bone Collector (1999), starring alongside Denzel Washington. In that same year, Jolie gave a tour de force performance in Girl, Interrupted (1999) playing opposite Winona Ryder. The movie was a true story of women who spent time in a psychiatric hospital. Jolie's role was reminiscent of Jack Nicholson's character in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), the role which won Nicholson his first Oscar. Unlike "Cuckoo", "Girl" was a small film that received mixed reviews and barely made money at the box office. But when it came time to give out awards, Jolie won the triple crown -- "Girl" propelled her to win the Golden Globe, the SAG Award and the Academy Award for best leading actress in a supporting role.

With her new-found prominence, Jolie began to get in-depth attention from the press. Numerous aspects of her controversial personal life became news. At her wedding to her Hackers (1995) co-star Jonny Lee Miller, she had displayed her husband's name on the back of her shirt painted in her own blood. Jolie and Miller divorced and in 2000 she married her Pushing Tin (1999) co-star Billy Bob Thornton. Jolie had become the fifth wife of a man twenty years her senior. During her marriage to Thornton, the spouses each wore a vial of the other's blood around their necks. That marriage came apart in 2002 and ended in divorce. In addition, Jolie was estranged from her famous father, Jon Voight.

In 2000, Jolie was asked to star in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001). At first, she expressed disinterest, but then decided that the required training for the athletic role was intriguing. The Croft character was drawn from a popular video game. Lara Croft was a female cross between Indiana Jones and James Bond. When the film was released, critics were unimpressed with the final product, but critical acclaim wasn't the point of the movie. The public paid $275 million for theater tickets to see a buffed up Jolie portray the adventuresome Lara Croft. Jolie's father Jon Voight appeared in "Croft", and during filming there was a brief rapprochement between father and daughter.

One of the Croft movie's filming locations was Cambodia. While there, Jolie witnessed the natural beauty, culture and poverty of that country. She considered this an eye opening experience, and so began the humanitarian chapter of her life. Jolie began visiting refugee camps around the world and came to be formally appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Some of her experiences were written and published in her popular book "Notes from My Travels" whose profits go to UNHCR.

Jolie has stated that she now plans to spend most of her time in humanitarian efforts, to be financed by her actress salary. She devotes one third of her income to savings, one third to living expenses and one third to charity. In 2002, Angelina adopted a Cambodian refugee boy named Maddox and in 2005 adopted an Ethiopian refugee girl named Zahara. Jolie's dramatic feature film Beyond Borders (2003) parallels some of her real life humanitarian experiences although, despite the inclusion of a romance between two westerners, many of the movie's images were too depressingly realistic -- the film was not popular among critics or at the box office.

In 2004, Jolie began filming Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) with co-star Brad Pitt. The film became a major box office success. There were rumors that Pitt and Jolie had an affair while filming "Smith". Jolie insisted that because her mother had been hurt by adultery, she herself could never participate in an affair with a married man, therefore there had been no affair with Pitt at that time. Nonetheless, Pitt separated from his wife Jennifer Aniston in January 2005 and, in the months that followed, he was frequently seen in public with Jolie, apparently as a couple. Pitt's divorce was finalized later in 2005.

Jolie and Pitt announced in early 2006 that they would have a child together, and Jolie gave birth to daughter Shiloh that May. They also adopted a three-year-old Vietnamese boy named Pax. The couple continues to pursue movie and humanitarian projects.

Kim Kardashian

Kardashian is of Armenian (father), Scottish and Dutch (mother) descent,[2] the daughter of attorney Robert Kardashian and Kris Jenner (née Houghton). Robert Kardashian, best known for being O. J. Simpson's lawyer during his murder trial, died on September 30, 2003.[3] Her mother, Kris, divorced Robert in 1989, and married former Olympian Bruce Jenner in 1991.

Kardashian has two sisters, Kourtney and Khloe, and one brother, Robert. She also has stepbrothers Burton Jenner, Brandon Jenner, and reality TV star Brody Jenner, stepsister Casey Jenner, and half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner.O. J. Simpson is Kardashian's godfather.
While attending high school, Kardashian worked at her father's music marketing firm, Movie Tunes.Her first acting role was in the television series Beyond the Break. She then starred in the 2008 disaster film spoof Disaster Movie as Lisa, alongside Carmen Electra and Vanessa Minnillo. Kardashian also appeared in an episode of How I Met Your Mother entitled "Benefits".

Kardashian has done many small modeling jobs on the side of her television career. Kardashian posed nude for the December 2007 issue of Playboy magazine. [7] In February 2008 Bongo Jeans announced that Kardashian would be their new face model. [8] Kardashian is also a model for Travis Barker's Famous Stars and Straps clothing line. [9] Kardashian is one of the stars of the reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians along with her two sisters, mother, brother, half-sisters, and stepfather.

On May 2, 2008, Kardashian released a workout DVD, Workout with Kim Kardashian, and a set of workout cards with the help of trainer Kathy Kaehler. In July 2008, Kardashian announced on her personal blog that she is working on her own perfume line to be released in 2009.[10] In March 2009 Kardashian launched a shoe shopping service.[11] Kardashian is slated to appear as a guest judge during Cycle 13 of America's Next Top Model.[12] Kardashian co-owns a clothing boutique called D-A-S-H with her sisters Kourtney and Khloe.

Mila Kunis

Mila and her family moved from Ukraine to LA when she was 7. Her father, Mark, is a mechanical engineer. Her mother, Elvira, is a physics teacher. Brother Mike is a biochemist.
Met her manager at the Beverly Hills Studios (an after-school acting class). Her father enrolled her there when she was nine.Missed her senior prom due to a scheduling conflict.Learned to speak English from watching the "The New Price Is Right" (1972). She said Bob Barker talked slow enough for her to understand him. In second episode of the fifth season of "That '70s Show" (1998), she and Hyde (Danny Masterson) are watching an episode of "The Price is Right" when they come on to each other.

Auditioned for "That '70s Show" (1998) at age 14. Though actors had to be at least 18 to get the part, she truthfully claimed she would be 18 on her birthday, not specifying which birthday, and won the role.Terrified of bugs so much that during her May 2004 appearance on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (1993), she ran offstage when the "bug man" appeared after her interview.
Ranked #54 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women In The World" (2002).She and Laura Prepon are often filmed sitting down for their scenes on "That '70s Show" (1998) due to the fact that Laura is seven inches taller than Mila. In other scenes, Mila wears platform shoes to give her four extra inches.She is a fan of hard rock/metal band Aerosmith.

At age nine, Mila started to take after-school acting classes at the Beverly Hills Studio. At one of the Studio's public showcases, Mila was approached by entertainment manager Susan Curtis, who offered to take her on.Mila's best friend was Maria Osadchy when she was younger, an Aries whom she met in 2nd grade. Maria is Russian and helped Mila learn English. In an interview, Mila had Maria with her and talked about how they spent the night together on the weekends.In 2006, ranked #47 of Maxim's Magazine Sexiest Women.Has two different eye colors: one blue, one green. On the television show "Loveline" (1996), she mentioned about her eyes and the injections she needed because of an eye condition. Laura Prepon, her co-star on "That '70s Show" (1998), called her a husky, since she has two different eye colors. When she was younger, she had serious migraines that was caused by a glaucoma eye condition. She had to insert steroid injections straight into her eye.

Favorite movie is Dirty Dancing (1987).Favorite show is "8 Simple Rules...for Dating My Teenage Daughter".The shark-tooth necklace she is wearing in Forgetting Sarah Marshall 2008) is by Pade Vavra Designs.Is a fan of the famed MMORPG, World of Warcraft.Ranked #81 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2008 list.Learned how to use a gun while filming Max Payne (2008).The nude pictures of her in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) were not real, according to the films director Nicholas Stoller.Graduated from Fairfax Senior High School in June 2001, with Fernanda Romero.Auditioned for a role in Knocked Up (2007).Engaged to Macaulay Culkin. They've been together since 2002.She and actress Sarah Michelle Gellar have a special credit in every episode of "Robot Chicken" (2005).Mila and Macaulay Culkin were on vacation in Israel in 2006 when a war broke out between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. They flew out of the country and back to the U.S.; Mila later stated that they were never in any danger from rocket fire.Her favorite color is white.

Kate Beckinsale

Kate Beckinsale was born on 26 July 1973 in England, and has resided in London for most of her life. Her mother is Judy Loe, who has appeared in a number of British dramas and sitcoms and continues to work as an actress, predominantly in British television productions. Her father was Richard Beckinsale, born in Nottingham, England. He starred in a number of popular British television comedies during the 1970s, most notably the series "Rising Damp" (1974), "Porridge" (1974) and "The Lovers" (1970). He passed away tragically early in 1979 at the age of 31.

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

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

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

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

Jennifer Love Hewitt

Jennifer Love Hewitt got her first name from her older brother Todd Daniel Hewitt (b. November 8, 1970), who picked the name after a little blonde girl he then had a crush on. Her mother selected her middle name, Love, which she goes by offstage from her best friend at college. Her mother, Pat, is a speech pathologist and her father, Danny, is a medical technician. Her parents separated when she was six months old. Born in Waco, Texas, she was raised by her mother in Harker Heights, Texas. She made her official performing debut at age 3 where she sang at a livestock show. At age 5, she was taking tap, jazz, and ballet lessons which led her to joining the Texas Show Team, which toured the Soviet Union and Europe.

At age 10, the family moved to L.A. with the encouragement of talent scouts, while Todd stayed behind to finish high school in Texas. Jennifer quickly found commercial work and a role on Disney's "Kids Incorporated" (1984) in 1984. She went through a series of television flops before finally hitting it big on "Party of Five" (1994) in 1995.
In a Playboy interview, Love commented about her breasts] "I just accepted them as a great accessory to every outfit".

"When I came to Los Angeles, it was the first time that I ever felt like I belonged somewhere. Not because it was wacky, but because people here understood what I felt like to perform, and there were other kids my age who wanted to do it. I didn't get looked at as, 'God, you freak.'""I don't consider myself a great dresser either. But I try. Most of the time I'm in khakis and a white T-shirt. I'm a total Gap girl. Super casual, hair in a pony tail and no makeup." - in response to being voted as one of the Worst Dressed by People magazine."We had this joke on the set of I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). All the girls wore tiny tops, so we called it "I Know What Your Breasts Did Last Summer"."

"I try to find things that are insanely cheap and brilliant. My Bonne Bell lip gloss is about 75 cents, and I have worn it as my lipstick to almost every main event in Hollywood in the past two years." - quoted in Woman's World (27 December 2005)"I would just love once to be called sexy. Just because it would make me something other than cute."

Jennifer Aniston

Born in Sherman Oaks, California, Jennifer Aniston spent a year of her childhood living in Greece with her family. Her family then relocated to New York City where her parents, John Aniston and Nancy Dow, divorced when she was 9. Jennifer was raised by her mother and her father landed a role, as "Victor Kiriakis", on the daytime soap "Days of Our Lives" (1965). Jennifer had her first taste of acting at age 11 when she joined the Rudolf Steiner School's drama club. It was also at the Rudolf Steiner School that she developed her passion for art.

She began her professional training as a drama student at New York's High School of the Performing Arts. In 1987, after graduation, she appeared in such Off-Broadway productions as "For Dear Life" and "Dancing on Checker's Grave". In 1989, she landed her first television role, as a series regular on "Molloy" (1990). She also appeared in "The Edge" (1992), "Ferris Bueller" (1990), and had a recurring part on "Herman's Head" (1991). By 1993, she was floundering. Then, in 1994, a pilot called "Friends Like These" came along. Originally asked to audition for the role of "Monica", Aniston refused and auditioned for the role of "Rachel Green", the suburban princess turned coffee peddler. With the success of the series "Friends" (1994), Jennifer has become famous and sought-after as she turns her fame into movie roles during the series hiatus.

When somebody follows you 20 blocks to the pharmacy, where they watch you buy toilet paper, you know your life has changed.It's impossible to satisfy everyone, and I suggest we all stop trying.[on her marriage to Brad Pitt, after two years] Everybody always asks if we're happy. Give me a break. We're married two years. In Hollywood years, that's forever.[on the constant rumors surrounding her split from Brad Pitt] There is always going to be the tough and the nasty. You just tune out to that.

[on the irony of the title of her movie, The Break-Up (2006)] Well, you know. I figured just seize the moment.I always say, "Don't make plans, make options."If we can say, "I loved, and I received a lot of love," then great. That's enough.I've learned that you can get through things that hurt. Nothing will kill you. Nothing. People are unbelievable. we have such resilience.

Salma Hayek

The amazing Salma Hayek was born on September 2, 1966, in the oil boomtown of Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. Hayek has freely admitted that she and her brother, Sami, were spoiled rotten by her well-to-do Lebanese-Mexican businessman father and her Mexican-born opera-singing mother. After having seen Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) in a local movie theatre, Salma decided she wanted to become an actress. Her education included a stint at a New Orleans convent school, where she pulled pranks on the nuns by setting their clocks back three hours. She was soon expelled. Only after attending Mexico City's Universidad Iberoamericana did she feel ready to pursue acting seriously.She soon landed the title role in "Teresa" (1989), a hugely successful soap opera which earned her the star status in her native Mexico. However, anxious to make films and to explore her talent and passion, Hayek left both "Teresa" (1989) and Mexico in 1991. Heartbroken fans spread rumors that she was having a secret affair with Mexico's president and left to escape his wife's wrath.

At long last, Salma made her way to Los Angeles. The 24 year old actress approached Hollywood with naïve enthusiasm, and quickly learned that Latin actresses were, if at all, typecast as the mistress maid or local prostitute. By late 1992, Hayek had landed only bit parts. She appeared on "Street Justice" (1991), "The Sinbad Show" (1993), "Nurses" (1991), and as a sexy maid on the HBO series "Dream On" (1990). She also had one line in the Allison Anders film Mi vida loca (1993). Feeling under-appreciated by Anglo filmmakers, Hayek vented her frustrations on comedian Paul Rodriguez's late-night Spanish-language talk show in 1992.

Robert Rodriguez and his producer wife Elizabeth Avellan happened to be watching and were immediately smitten with the intelligent, opinionated young woman. He soon gave her her big break--to star opposite Antonio Banderas in the now cult classic Desperado (1995), which put her on Hollywood's map. The moviegoers proved to be as dazzled with Hayek as he had been. After her break, she was cast again by Rodriguez to star in his From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Although her vampy role opposite George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino was a small one, it was a good credit to her box office name. Hayek's first star billing came later that year with Fools Rush In (1997) opposite "Friends" (1994) actor Matthew Perry. The film was a modest hit, and Hayek continued to rise her star in both commercial and artistic films such as: Breaking Up (1997) with an unknown Russell Crowe; 54 (1998) about the rise and fall of the legendary New York club; Dogma (1999), playing the muse in a somewhat odd comedy co-starring Matt Damon and Chris Rock; In the Time of the Butterflies (2001) (TV), the small artistic film which won Hayek an ALMA award as best actress; and the 1999 summer blockbuster Wild Wild West (1999). Her production company "Ventanarosa" produced the 1999 Mexican feature film El coronel no tiene quien le escriba (1999), which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and selected as Mexico's official Oscar entry for best foreign film.

The new millennium started out quietly around Salma as she was preparing to produce and star in her dream role, that of Frida Kahlo, the legendary Mexican painter whom Salma had been admiring her entire life and whose story she wanted to bring to the big screen ever since her arrival in Hollywood. It finally happened in 2002. Frida (2002), co-produced by Hayek, was a beautifully made film overflowing with passion and enthusiasm, with terrific performances from Salma and Alfred Molina as Kahlo's cheating husband "Diego Rivera". On the side was an entourage of stars including Antonio Banderas, Ashley Judd, Geoffrey Rush, Edward Norton and Valeria Golino.

The picture was a hit and was nominated for six Oscars, including best actress for Hayek, who became the first Latin actress to be nominated in the category, and won the awards for make-up and its brilliant original score by Elliot Goldenthal. Hayek established herself as the serious actress that she is and, in the same year, expanded her horizons, directing The Maldonado Miracle (2003) (TV), which was shown at the Sundance Film festival. In 2003, she starred in the final of Rodriguez's "Desperado" trilogy Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), again opposite Banderas, and has just finished After the Sunset (2004) opposite Pierce Brosnan and Ask the Dust (2006) opposite Colin Farrell. Both are scheduled for release in early 2005. In the works are Robert Altman's "Paint" and Bandidas (2006) in which she will star with her friend Penélope Cruz.

Monica Bellucci

Born in 1964 in the Italian village of Città di Castello, Umbria, Bellucci originally pursued a career in the legal profession. While attending the University of Perugia, she modeled on the side to earn money for school, and this led to her modeling career. In 1988, she moved to one of Europe's fashion centers, Milan, and joined Elite Model Management. Although enjoying great success as a model, she made her acting debut on TV in 1990, and her American film debut in 1992Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). Her role in the 1996 French thriller, L'appartement (1996), shot her to stardom as she won the French equivalent of an Oscar nomination. Other credits include Malèna (2000), Under Suspicion (2000) and Le pacte des loups (2001).

She appeared in a black & white TV commercial for Dolce & Gabbana. The director was Giuseppe Tornatore, who also directed her in the movie Malèna (2000).Measurements: 35C-24-35 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine.)Fluent in Italian, English, French and Spanish.Daughter-in-law of Jean-Pierre Cassel.Made a nude calendar for the Italian magazine Max in 1998 and another one for the Italian magazine GQ in 2000.Was originally cast as Mina Harker in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) but had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict. The part then went to Peta Wilson.Wears a size 10 shoe.Studied jurisprudence for a short time.

Daughter, Deva Cassel (b. 12 September 2004 in Rome, Italy).Engaged to actor from 1990 to 1995.Nicola FarronShe was elected the most beautiful woman in the world by French viewers on a TV show "La Plus belle femme du monde" on 8th November 2004.One of the world's top fashion models.Favourite poem is "A Silvia" by Giacomo Leopardi.Has her look-alike puppet in the French show "Les guignols de l'info" (1988).She ranked #6 in Maxim's '50 Sexiest Women' (1999).She ranked #9 in Maxim's '100 Sexiest Women' (2002).She ranked #1 in Askmen's 'Most Desirable Woman' (2002).Italian citizen.Shares birthday with Marion Cotillard, Deborah Kerr and Angie Dickinson.Favorite movie is Una giornata particolare (1977) by Ettore Scola.Her role as Chantal in "Under suspicion" was held by Romy Schneider in the original film:"Garde à vue".

Owns an apartment in London.Doesn't always live with her husband Vincent Cassel, for avoiding routine the two live in separate apartments; she lives most of the time in London and he lives in Paris.Bellucci is a typical surname from center Italy, it comes from the Latin word "Bellutus", and has the same root as surnames like Belluto, Belluti, Belluzzo, Belluccio, or the aristocratic surname of Belluzzi.She speaks to her daughter Deva Cassel in Italian.She has said in an interview that Sophia Loren and Claudia Cardinale have inspired her acting career.Ranked as #89 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement. (2005)Member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006Supports the Italian football team.Has a wax statue in the Grevin Museum in Paris.Her parents are Pasquale Bellucci (the owner of a trucking company) and Brunella (a painter).She's an only child.Good friends with Guillaume Canet.Ranked #5 on E! Entertainment Networks list of "101 Sexiest Celebrity Bodies" list of 2006.Attended University of Perugia.Mother is painter Maria Gustinelli.Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#35). [2007].Her best friend is Ilaria D'Amico.

Jenna Jameson

Jenna was born and raised in Las Vegas by her father, and by the time she was 18, the bright lights were already drawing her in. She studied ballet as a student, but it was stripping that started Jenna on her road to superstardom. Dancing led to nude modeling, and by her 20th birthday Jenna had appeared in dozens of top men's mags, including Penthouse, Hustler, High Society and Cheri. A visit to a porn set piqued Jenna's interest in a hardcore career, and Wicked Pictures signed her to an exclusive contract after a bidding war. It took only a few releases for Jenna to become the most popular young starlet around.

She catapulted to the top of the porn heap, and in 1996 she scored an unprecedented triple crown by taking home the XRCO Best New Starlet, the F.O.X.E. Video Vixen and the AVN Best New Starlet awards. Jenna has been branching out into more mainstream projects lately, including a featured role in Howard Stern's Private Parts (1997) film. She remains one of the most popular pornstresses in the industry today.
I try my hardest to push the point that I am a feminist. I really think it's important that people know that the women in this industry are empowered. They run it, man. It's awesome.

in response to a question at the 2003 X-Rated Critics Organization Awards] Is it just me, or is a porn award show just not the right place to be discussing your thoughts on the war?I know that when I do get pregnant, I won't step one foot in the adult industry again.

The funny thing about being a porn star is that everyone automatically assumes that they can sleep with you. This is what I do for a living. I don't just let anyone get into my pants.
Making eye contact during rough sex is roughly the equivalent trying to read [Fyodor Dostoyevsky] on a rollercoaster.

Maria Grazia Cucinotta

Few Americans will recognize Italian beauty Maria Grazia Cucinotta. The actress has had little exposure stateside, save for small bit parts as one of Tony's hallucinations on the HBO series The Sopranos and as a villain in the James Bond film The World is Not Enough. But in Italy, Maria is a much bigger star. She solidified her acting career with a lead role in the 1994 international hit Il Postino. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Maria was born in Messina, Sicily, on July 27, 1969. She began modeling when she was 16 years old, but that lasted only a couple of years before she quit. Having filled out as a voluptuous young woman, she became unhappy with modeling due to the focus on her body instead of her face. So her interests turned toward acting.

She auditioned for a job in Rome on the Italian show Indietro Tutta, a parody show, and got the job. She concurrently took acting lessons and worked with a voice coach to rid herself of her Sicilian accent. Next Maria landed plenty of roles in commercials, making lots of contacts for future work. It was filmmaker Massimo Troisi who befriended her, believed in her, and took a chance by casting her in Il Postino, solidifying her career as an Italian actress and gaining international recognition.

The 5' 10", 39-25-35 bombshell was soon receiving offers to star in many other films in her homeland, many of them largely successful. She can be seen in the 2005 multi-national film All the Invisible Children, a series of seven short films about the trials and tribulations of children around the world. Directors include Ridley Scott and John Woo.