Ryan Gosling

Born: 12 November 1980
Where: London, Ontario, Canada

The actor won critical acclaim for his Oscar-nominated portrayal of a history teacher with a drug habit in the drama Half Nelson.

Born the second of two children into a Mormon family, Gosling was home-taught by his mother who took him out of school due to repeated bullying.

His first acting break came in 1993 when he beat off the challenge of 17,000 other hopefuls in Montreal for a part in The Mickey Mouse Club.

He made his big screen debut in Frankenstein and Me and landed a minor role in the Hollywood sports movie Remember The Titans.

In 2001, his career took off with the role of Danny Balint, based on the bizarre story of the Jewish teenager who was uncovered as a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

The following year he starred as a cold-blooded killer alongside Sandra Bullock in Murder By Numbers (and also dated the Hollywood star when filming finished).

In 2004, he appeared as a juvenile delinquent in the dark drama The United States of Leland with Don Cheadle and Kevin Spacey.

Gosling starred opposite Rachel McAdams in the tearjerker The Notebook and also appeared alongside Ewan McGregor in the thriller Stay in 2005.

Recent work includes the acclaimed role of a drug addict teacher who forms an unlikely relationship with a pupil in the drama Half Nelson.