Billy Crudup
Born: July 8th 1968
Where: Manhasset, New York
Legend has it the chameleon-like actor declined an invitation to audition for the lead role in Titanic so he could seek out more challenging projects.
He is probably best known for the hit Sleepers and Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous but constantly returns to work on the stage.
As a youngster he lived in Texas and Florida, finding roles in school pageants and developing funny impersonations to entertain family and friends.
He received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina (where he confirmed his interest in acting), then went on to the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in 1994.
A year later he'd already made a name for himself on Broadway, earning the Outer Critics Circle Outstanding Newcomer Award for his performance in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia.
His feature debut at the aged of 24 in the independent movie Grind ended up on the shelf for three years.
In 1996 he became a familiar face to cinema-goers with his appearance in Woody Allen's musical Everyone Says I Love You - a role which also allowed him to showcase his powerful singing voice.
The Barry Levinson directed Sleepers - about little boys who grow up to be murderers - also co-starred Billy opposite Kevin Bacon and Robert De Niro.
Some saw Crudup's next move as a huge mistake: he turned down the role of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, which went on to be a huge success - starring Christian Bale.
By the turn of the millennium, Crudup had established himself as a talented and flexible actor.
He starred as the as Kennedy-esque political figure in Keith Gordon's Waking the Dead, and had a leading role in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous, a semi-autobiographical drama about a teenage journalist.
He starred as Cal in the drama World Traveller and was Cate Blanchett's love interest in the French Resistance thriller Charlotte Gray.
Regular voiceover work (for clients including MasterCard) allow him the luxury of being fussy about the roles he takes.
Recent work includes Tim Burton's Big Fish alongside Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney.
