Hugh Grant

Born: September 9 1960
Where: London, UK

The Oxford-educated star made his breakthrough as the foppish toff chasing Andie McDowell in the global smash Four Weddings and a Funeral.

However, his dream career (and his relationship with Liz Hurley) almost went totally off the rails when he was caught with prostitute Divine Brown.

His frank admission about his poor judgement went someway to making recompense and he was back soon on track with Notting Hill and Bridget Jones's Diary.

Now pretty much a British institution, he chooses his work carefully with appearances in the well-received About A Boy and Richard Curtis' Love Actually.

The son of an artist who made ends meet by selling carpet and a teacher, he grew up in suburbia before winning a scholarship to Oxford to read English.

After considering a job as an art historian he plumped for acting following an appearance in a student revue and made his big screen debut in the public school movie Priveleged in 1982.

After leaving Oxford he opted for comedy and was a member of a comedy revue called the Jockeys of Norfolk (they were on the same pub circuit as Mike "Austin Powers" Myers) as well as working as a copywriter.

While the JoN stumbled on (they were offered a TV series), Grant continued his film career with Mel Gibson's The Bounty (he was sacked after two days for having no union card).

Subsequent appearances included Maurice, the colonial thriller White Mischief and Rowing With The Wind (alongside his girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley).

Grant fared better in the Liam Neeson drama The Big Man and in Roman Polanski's drama Bitter Moon before hitting the big time opposite McDowell in Four Weddings - one of the most successful British films ever.

Top-tier casting in movies such as Sirens, the historical drama Restoration and Sense & Sensibility were accompanised by the setting up of Simian Films with Hurley (because she thought he looked like a monkey).

However, he engineered a spectacular fall in June 1995 when Los Angeles police caught him with prostitute Divine Brown indulging in "lewd conduct" on Sunset Strip and fined him £1,000.

Ironically, his male demographic was improved with video rentals enjoying a 30% hike and his self-mocking appearances on Jay Leno went some way to limiting the damage.

His rehabilitation was complete with the romantic comedy Notting Hill opposite Julia Roberts, which saw him firmly back in the A-list.

In 2001, Grant starred opposite Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth in Bridget Jones's Diary - the highest grossing British movie in history at the time of its release.

Critics also applauded his performance as Will in About A Boy, based on the best-selling novel by Nick Hornby, and as a pompous art-dealer and Tracey Ullman's love interest in Woody Allen's Small Time Crooks.

In 2002, he starred in Two Weeks Notice with Sandra Bullock and the directorial debut of Richard Curtis - Love, Actually in which he played a bumbling British Prime Minister.

In 2004, he starred again as the caddish Daniel Cleaver in the sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason.

Following his amicable split with Hurley, he has been spotted squiring UN worker Kasia Komorowicz as well as cricketer Imran Khan's ex-wife Jemima.

Recent work has included the talent show satire American Dreamz with Dennis Quaid and Mandy Moore.