Eric Bana

Although his chiseled face and sculpted physique have been put to use in action flicks, this Australian actor started out in stand-up. He both wrote and performed on the down-under sketch-comedy series Full Frontal and briefly had his own eponymous show in 1997. Yet Bana's first taste of international fame came from his portrayal of a real-life murderer in the 2000 indie hit Chopper. Hoping he would be the next Hugh Jackman, Hollywood cast him in two one-word mega-movies: comic-book epic Hulk and Homer's Greek epic Troy. While both films showed off Bana's assets as an actor and as a hunk, they were box-office disappointments. In a courageous move to jump-start his career, Bana signed on to Steven Spielberg's controversial drama Munich, and though the film wasn't a hit, he earned glowing notices playing a conflicted Israeli agent.