Edie Falco

This handsome blonde actress excels at playing tough, working-class or world-weary women. Falco was a familiar face on the dramas Law & Order and Oz. But just when it looked like she would never achieve stardom, she rocketed to fame on The Sopranos as the tough-as-nails Carmela and became the first actress ever to win Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG awards in the same year. She subsequently landed bigger film roles and starred on Broadway in a number of shows, including Frankie and Johnnie at the Clair de Lune. (During the run, she had a relationship with married costar Stanley Tucci. The two eventually parted ways.) Like most of her characters, Falco is a strong woman in real life, successfully battling breast cancer in 2003 and adopting a baby boy in 2004.