Gretchen Mol

Born: 8 November 1972
Where: Deep River, Connecticut, USA

The former hat check girl made her big screen debut in Spike Lee's story about a sex line worker Girl 6.

However, after being courted as Hollywood's new It Girl, she failed to capitalise on her early promise after being chosen to star opposite Matt Damon in Rounders.

However, the film bombed and Mol disappeared off the celebrity radar, only to slowly claw her way back again.

A teenage actress, she moved to New York, where she did a stint at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and began performing in a number of stage productions.

To support herself, Mol also worked a number of odd jobs, and was spotted working as a hat check girl in a showbiz restaurant by an agent who got her work on Spin City.

After Girl 6, appearances in Abel Ferrara's The Funeral and Mike Newell's Donnie only confirmed her typecasting as 'the girlfriend'.

She did more substantial work in Music From Another Room, alongside Jude Law but the film went virtually unnoticed by critics and audiences.

Next up was the forgettable sci-fi thriller The Thirteenth Floor and she portrayed actress Marion Davies in Tim Robbins' star-studded ensemble drama Cradle Will Rock.

She starred opposite Ray Liotta and Joseph Fiennes in Paul Schrader's Forever Mine and re-teamed with Woody Allen for Sweet and Lowdown.

Recent appearances include Attraction and an uncredited role in the disastrous US remake of Get Carter starring Sly Stallone.

Mol also takes a role in Neil LaBute's adaptation of his own stage play The Shape of Things.