Jerry O'Connell

Born: 17th February 1974
Where: New York

O'Connell beat off the challenge of 500 others boys to make his big screen debut in Rob Reiner's coming-of-age drama Stand By Me.

Despite being just eleven he had already appeared in adverts for Coca-Cola and Duncan Hines cookies - but had to return to college before taking acting up full-time.

Graduating in film and television from New York University, he found himself having to turn down the chance to compete in the US Olympic fencing team.

He appeared in the Jason Priestly film Calendar Girl while studying and also decided to try out for two TV pilots: Sliders and Party of Five.

He spent a single day in LA and landed the Bailey role in Party, but before he could get back to New York, the studio's first choice for Sliders backed out.

Stuck a day before shooting without a lead, they begged Jerry to fill in - and he did.

Jerry continued to work both in film - such as Joe's Apartment, the Tom Cruise movie Jerry Maguire, Scream 2; as well as in television, What the Deaf Man Heard.

When Jerry left Sliders to pursue more film work, he made an uncredited cameo on the Jennifer Love Hewitt movie Can't Hardly Wait, and played a Vietnam war veteran in The '60s.

Roles followed in Mission to Mars and he was shared the leading roles with Anthony Anderson in the comedy Kangaroo Jack.