Alex Pettyfer

Born: April 10 1990
Where: Hertfordshire, UK

The actor beat off the challenge from 500 other hopefuls to land the starring role of teenager spy Alex Rider in the action thriller Stormbreaker.

The son of actor Richart Pettyfer and American TV presenter Lee Ireland, his first taste of acting was a school production of Willy Wonka.

He attends the prestigious Shiplake College, near Reading, and his mother and second husband - property developer Michael Ireland - live in nearby Windsor.

His younger brother James is tipped as a future British tennis champion and is relocating to Florida to train at the Evert Tennis Academy.

A child model, Alex appeared in a yoghurt commercial when he was six and modelled for Gap Kids and Marks & Spencer.

He went on to study drama at London's Sylvia Young School and landed his first film role in the TV adaptation of Tom Brown's Schooldays with Stephen Fry.

He was spotted by the makers of Stormbreaker and cast as Alex, a 14-year-old boy who is recruited as a spy by MI6.

However, it is unlikely that he will reprise the role as he will be too old when the sequel is made.