Like many of his British contemporaries, this dashing actor started out on stage. In fact, his big break came when he replaced Daniel Day-Lewis (in the middle of a run, no less) as Hamlet in the National Theatre's 1989 production. With dark good looks and a suave manner, Northam worked on the BBC before making his first big impression stateside as an alluring villain opposite Sandra Bullock in 1995's The Net. Instead of vying to become the next Hugh Grant, the classically trained player appeared in prestigious productions (Emma, An Ideal Husband, Possession), occasionally popping up in mindless Hollywood fare (Mimic) presumably for the paycheck. He also proved he could hide his upper-crust British accent when he played crooner Dean Martin in the TV biopic Martin and Lewis. In keeping with his low-profile career, Northam's romantic life is shrouded in mystery, although he has been linked to a number of models as well as to British TV presenter Donna Air.