Rosario Dawson

A ravishing, multiethnic beauty, this native New Yorker was discovered by director Larry Clark while hanging out near her Lower East Side home. The adolescent acting novice made her debut in Kids, Clark's controversial 1995 film about teenagers and HIV, but she didn't hit the mainstream until the '00s, when she landed a string of supporting roles in high-profile films (Spike Lee's 25th Hour, the blockbuster sequel to Men in Black, the big-screen adaptation of Josie and the Pussycats) while managing to remain an indie darling with parts in more alternative fare (Chelsea Walls, Love in the Time of Money). Her unpretentious screen presence coupled with her striking looks helped her weather a few notorious bombs (The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Alexander). Her breakthrough came in 2005, when she did a sexually charged, leather-clad turn in the neo-noir Sin City and had a leading role in the film adaptation of the musical Rent, which allowed her to show off her surprisingly strong vocal chops.