Melissa George

Born: August 6 1976
Where: Perth, Australia

The former Home & Away star landed her big screen break opposite Ryan Reynolds in the 2005 remake of the thriller The Amityville Horror.

One of four children, she trained in modern dance, tap and classical ballet at Perth's Warwick Senior High School.

However, it was her talent for rollerskating that first got her noticed and she skated at international level from the age of six.

Aged 16, she embarked on a modelling career and then landed the part - despite having no acting experience - as Angel Brooks in the Aussie soap Home & Away.

George's performance won her a sizable following in both Australia and Great Britain but she quit to avoid getting typecast after three years.

After appearing in several made-for-TV movies (and posing in the Australian edition of Playboy), the actress made her feature debut in the sci-fi thriller Dark City.

She had a brief appearance in Steven Soderbergh's The Limey (as Terence Stamp's ill-fated daughter) and then landed a significant role in the US TV series Sugar & Spice.

On the big screen, David Lynch cast her a mob-connected ingénue Camilla Rhodes in Mulholland Drive alongside Naomi Watts.

In 2002, she landed a role in the American remake of the British comedy series Coupling only for the part to be recast.

However, success was more forthcoming with an occasional role as a lesbian nanny in Friends and a small part in the romantic comedy Down With Love.

In 2003, she played the role of Lauren Reed, the new wife of Agent Vaughn (Michael Vartan), in the crime series Alias.

Back on the big screen, the played Kathy Lutz in Michael Bay's glossy remake of The Amityville Horror.

Upcoming projects include the psychological thriller Derailed with Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen.