Mekhi Phifer

Boasting an athletic body, sexy smile and raw intensity, this native New Yorker found overnight success when he attended an open call for Spike Lee's 1995 drama Clockers and landed the leading role of a drug dealer. After earning accolades for his debut, Phifer turned in credible performances in movies of varying quality, from the silly comedy High School High (which introduced him to wife ex-Malinda Williams) to the inane but popular thriller I Still Know What You Did Last Summer to the sadly underappreciated O, an adaptation of Othello set in the world of high-school sports. Although 2002 was a bad year for Phifer personally, due to his divorce from Williams, it marked his professional breakthrough with his winning turn as Eminem's pal in 8 Mile and his addition to the cast of ER as a cocky doctor.