Elias Koteas

Born: 11 March 1961
Where: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

A Canadian of Greek parentage, Elias was first seen in One Magic Christmas in 1985.

Koteas' acting teacher, Peter Masterson, believed in his pupil, directing him in Full Moon in Blue Water and the bomb Blood Red.

For Francis Ford Coppola, he appeared in Gardens of Stone and Tucker: A Man and His Dream.

He portrayed vigilante Casey Jones in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.

Koteas is one of Canada's most popular actors and frequently appears in movies by Canadian directors Atom Egoyan and David Cronenberg.

In Cronenberg's controversial Crash, Elias played Vaughan, a mad scientist with a sexual delight in car crashes.

He acted in Gattaca, Apt Pupil, Lost Souls and Collateral Damage, but one of his finest screen opportunities to date came as the conscientious captain of The Thin Red Line.

In 2002, he was cast in Simone alongside Al Pacino.