Gillian Anderson

The fantasy lover of geeks everywhere, this diminutive actress became a huge star when cast as a skeptical special agent on the sci-fi series The X Files in 1993. While she radiated intelligence and a subtle sensuality, her lack of experience (she had only a handful of roles under her belt) and atypical beauty made her a hard sell to narrow-minded network executives. But series creator Chris Carter insisted that she be hired, and Anderson played the character throughout all nine seasons, one feature film and a couple of video games. During her tenure, she underwent a major makeover (slimmer figure, redder hair, sculpted eyebrows) and ventured onto the big screen, notably as an independent but doomed late-19th-century woman in 2000's House of Mirth. While she gave a winning performance, the movie was a box office disappointment, and audiences seemed reluctant to accept her as anyone other than her X Files alter ego. After the series ended in 2003, she left Hollywood and relocated to England (where she had spent much of her childhood), appearing on the London stage and in British films and TV shows.