Paul Bettany

Born: May 1971
Where: London, UK

Bettany's curious claim to fame in his early career is that he has appeared naked in almost every film he has made.

Son of actor Thane Bettany and husband to Jennifer Connelly, whom he met on the set of A Beautiful Mind, Bettany was classically trained at London's Drama Centre.

He made his stage debut in the West End production of An Inspector Calls after spending time busking on London's Westminster Bridge.

A Royal Shakespeare Company actor, his big screen debut came in 1997 in Bent, the story of a gay man sent to a Nazi concentration camp.

Roles followed in Land Girls and After The Rain before his career break in Gangster No1 with Malcolm McDowell and David Thewlis.

He next appeared in Kiss Kiss (Bang, Bang), Dead Babies and a scene stealing part as Chaucer in A Knight's Tale (director Brian Helgeland wrote the part specifically for them).

Bettany appeared opposite Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind and also featured in medieval thriller The Reckoning.

In Lars Von Trier's controversial Dogville he starred opposite Nicole Kidman (he turned down the role of the Tooth Fairy in Red Dragon to take the role).

He also reunited with his Beautiful Mind co-star Russell Crowe for the seafaring adventure yarn Master and Commander.

Recent work includes the light rom-com Wimbledon opposite Kirsten Dunst.