With degrees from Princeton and Yale, Duchovny initially intended to join the ranks of English lit academics before switching to acting. After a variety of supporting film and TV parts — including a flashy role as a cross-dressing DEA agent on the surreal series Twin Peaks — he landed his signature role as an alien-obsessed FBI agent on The X Files in 1993. His innate intelligence coupled with his good looks and seductive, skeptical smirk made him an instant sex symbol. During the series' eight-year run, he made the leap to big-screen leading man (Playing God, Evolution, the disappointing X Files feature), but neither his performances nor the box-office receipts proved that he was a movie star. He also branched out into writing and directing, helming a number of X Files episodes and the 2004 indie flick House of D. Off screen, Duchovny dated a string of beauties (Sheryl Lee, Perrey Reeves) before settling down with Téa Leoni in 1997.