Joshua Jackson

Born: 11th June 1978
Where: Vancouver, Canada

Originally known for Dawson Creek's fast-talking Pacey Witter, Jackson's big screen breakthrough came with Rob Cohen's thriller The Skulls.

He played Luke McNamara, a scholarship student at an Ivy League University who is seduced by the power of an elitist secret society.

His mother - a casting director - wanted to discourage him from the stage...but he went on to land a role in the feature film Crooked Hearts (a film cast by his mum).

He had been acting professionally since the age of nine, and got his big break as the coach's shy prodigy in Disney's Mighty Ducks series.

(in 1980 he appeared in The Changeling with George C Scott as a baby).

Other child roles followed, with a featured part opposite a seal in 1994's Andre and a role as Mark Harmon's teen son in the Canadian family film Magic in the Water.

Having completed TV work including a starring role in the ice rink-set Ronnie and Julie, and a featured part in the TV-movie On the Edge of Innocence, Jackson made his series regular debut as Dawson Leery's best friend on Dawson's Creek.

He had a small part in Scream 2, which he followed up with appearances in Bryan Singer's Apt Pupil, Urban Legend and Cruel Intentions.

After The Skulls, he landed featured roles in arthouse hit The Safety of Objects and The Laramie Project with Christina Ricci and Steve Buscemi.

In 2002, he starred in David Semel's crime comedy Lone Star State of Mind and Adam Goldberg's stalker drama I Love Your Work.

After screen testing for Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, he lost out for the lead role to Christian Bale.

Recent work includes the Wes Craven horror yarn Cursed with Christina Ricci.