Sean Faris

Born: March 25, 1982
Where: Houston, Texas

The former model and Tom Cruise lookalike made his big screen debut as a gunner in Michael Bay's World War II blockbuster Pearl Harbour.

His parents divorced when he was in his early teens and he moved from Texas to Parma, Ohio, with his mother when he was 12.

He attended Padua Franciscan High School, where he excelled at soccer, basketball and baseball, and graduated with honours in 2000.

At the same time he was enjoying a parallel modelling career and was named Junior Male Model of the Year at the International Model and Talent Association event in 1999.

(at one stage he considered a career in the United States Air Force but failed to make the grade due to poor eyesight).

Determined to become an actor, he skipped college three weeks after graduation and headed to Hollywood with his best friend when he was 18.

Striking gold, within a week he was cast in the role of Josh Hartnett's gunner in Michael Bay's 2001 blockbuster Pearl Harbor.

The same year he also starred in the pedestrian horror yarn The Brotherhood 2: Young Warlocks.

Subsequent appearances included two shortlived TV shows - Life As We Know It and Reunion - and he also starred alongside Alex Vega in the comedy Sleepover in 2004.

The following year he played William Beardsley in the the family comedy Yours, Mine and Ours with Dennis Quaid.

In 2007, he piled on 15lbs of muscle to star in the martial arts yarn Never Back Down.