Ally Walker

A brainy blonde who worked as a genetic-engineering lab assistant before getting into acting, Walker was discovered in a restaurant by a producer who gave her a part in the 1988 comedy Aloha Summer. Although her scenes were left on the cutting-room floor, she'd been bitten by the acting bug, and after a brief stint on the soap Santa Barbara, she began landing roles in prime time and on the big screen. Steadily employed but by no means a star, Walker got her big break in 1996 when she signed on to the cult hit Profiler as an intense forensic psychologist, a part that made excellent use of her model looks and fierce intelligence. After three seasons, Walker left the show and for six years she was MIA, living a life out of the spotlight with her producer husband John Landgraf and their children. In 2005 she directed a documentary about Los Angeles' foster-care system and also returned to the small screen with occasional TV guest appearances.