Amelia Warner

When she initially bowed as a miniseries star in her native Britain, just after the dawn of the new millennium, striking raven-haired actress Amelia Warner suddenly appeared everywhere in the U.K. -- from fashion spreads to magazine covers and talk programs -- and prompted many a journalist to tag her, perceptively, as "poised for stardom." Then only 19, Warner indeed turned numerous heads with her skillful portrayal of the title character in the 2001 telefilm adaptation of R.D. Blackmore's Lorna Doone -- a huge BBC television event that Christmas. In subsequent years, Warner often revealed a preference for low-key, subtly played, intelligent psychological dramas and quiet character studies, including the underpraised Winter Passing (2004), Love's Brother (2004), and Alpha Male (2005). For better or worse, Warner's crossover to more internationally oriented work embodied a commercialization; her first two major Hollywood assignments were supporting roles in the superhero fantasy Aeon Flux (2005) and the elephantine fantasy adventure The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising (2007).

~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide