Diego Luna

Born: 29 December 1979
Where: Mexico City, Mexico

Before taking on the role of Tenoch in the Mexican blockbuster Y tu mama tambien, Luna was already a soap star his native country.

After his mother's death, he yearned to follow his father's footsteps into the entertainment business.

A set designer on films, his father Alejando worked with director Alfonso Cuaron when Diego was just seven.

Though Luna would eventually work for Cuaron himself as the co-star of Y Tu Mama Tambien, the young actor built up a strong acting resume on his own.

At six, Luna took his first acting role in the stage play De Pelicula and by thirteen he landed a role in television soap El Abuelo Y Yo, with Y tu mama co-star Gael Garcia Bernal and the two quickly became best friends.

In 1995, Luna appeared in his first feature film, Un Hilito de Sangre (A Trickle Of Blood).

He continued appearing in TV series and films before becoming a huge success in Cuaron's sexually charged road movie, Y Tu Mama Tambien.

The film was a hit in native Mexico and earned numerous critical awards in America, including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Film.

Luna and Bernal also shared the prestigious Mastroianni Prize for Best Young Actor at the 2001 Venice Film Festival.

Luna followed this with a small role alongside Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina in the artist biopic Frida.

In 2003, he appeared in Kevin Costner's return to form, the western Open Range, before starring in the Dirty Dancing sequel Havana Nights.

In 2004, he had a small part in the Tom Hanks immigrant drama The Terminal and followed that with Criminal, the American remake of the Argentinian caper Nine Queens.