Johnny Knoxville

Despite his Jackass roots, this goofy but good-looking daredevil is a shrewd talent who earned straight A's in high school and then a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, Calif. However, the traditional route to showbiz didn't appeal to this Tennessee native, and he soon ditched acting school. A prankster since childhood, Knoxville (who took his stage name from his hometown) pitched an idea for a stunt column to the skating magazine Big Brother. But instead of recording his alternately crazy/disgusting antics in words, he filmed himself and his friends, and the resulting video became a cult hit, leading to his career-making series in 2000. But Knoxville was far from a one-trick donkey. Not only did he spin off Jackass into two movies, he landed a handful of plum supporting roles (Men in Black II, The Dukes of Hazzard). In 2005, he graduated to leading man in the Special Olympics comedy The Ringer. Despite being more versatile than he first appeared, he continued to have trouble shaking his idiotic image.