Johnny Depp

When this pretty boy leapt to stardom in the '80s, no one could have predicted that he would become one of the most revered thespians of his generation. A former rock-and-roll wannabe, Depp segued into acting with a handful of big-screen supporting roles. With his stunning cheekbones, he became an instant sex symbol on the TV series 21 Jump Street. After graduating from the small screen, Depp shrewdly eschewed the traditional leading-man route, playing offbeat characters in films helmed by edgy directors: John Waters, Terry Gilliam, and his frequent collaborator, Tim Burton. (One of Depp's many memorable roles included his wonderful portrayal of the title character in Burton's magical 1990  film Edward Scissorhands, in which Depp's handsome face is obscured by makeup and scars.) Off the screen he cultivated a bad-boy image with a string of high-profile romances (Winona Ryder, Sherilyn Fenn, Kate Moss) and trashed hotel rooms. But Depp matured both personally and professionally in the 2000s, earning Oscar nods and making a stable home with his girlfriend Vanessa Paradis and their children. In 2007, he proved that, despite his megastar status, his family was his top priority when he interrupted the shoot of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street to be by his sick daughter's bedside. Depp continued to show his formidable protean acting skills when he played John Dillinger in the 2009 film Public Enemies, latest in a line of films in which he successfully took on real-life characters (notably, FBI agent Donnie Brasco in the 1997 film of that name and schlock director Edward J. Wood in the haunting 1994 Burton movie, Ed Wood).