Patrick Wilson

Born: July 3 1973
Where: Norfolk, Virginia, USA

The seasoned stage actor landed his first lead role as a paedophile who has the tables turned on him in the thriller Hard Candy.

Subsequent high profile roles have included the part of stay-at-home husband Brad opposite Kate Winslet in Todd Field's Little Children.

The son of a TV anchorman and a professional singer, he graduated in drama from Carnegie Mellon University in 1995.

He first made his mark on the stage with acclaimed roles on Broadway in The Full Monty and Fascinating Rhythm.

He was nominated for a Tony Award for the role of Curly in Oklahoma (Trevor Nunn gave him the role after he sang Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' in an audition.

In 2001, he made his big screen debut in the low-budget outing My Sister's Wedding and went on to appear in Mike Nichol's acclaimed drama Angels in America.

Wilson played William Travis in the largely forgotten 2004 remake of The Alamo and was then cast as Raoul in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera.

The following year he played the creepy internet predator Jeff in Hard Candy and also appeared in the ensemble drama American Gothic.

In 2006, he played the husband who falls for Kate Winslet in Todd Field's dark melodrama Little Children.