Ethan Embry

Born: June 13 1978
Where: Huntington Beach, California, USA

The former child star has left the world of commercials behind to star in high-profile features including Sweet Home Alabama and Timeline.

One of three children, he was was home-schooled from an early age to allow him to pursue a career as a young actor.

He appeared in numerous TV and radio commercials before making his screen debut aged 12 in the TV series Drug Wars.

However, he first attracted attention as a prep boy in the John Hughes-scripted independent comedy Dutch in 1991.

His next milestone was the comedy drama Empire Records in 1995 alongside Anthony LaPaglia and a young Renee Zellwegger.

The following year he had a minor role in Ridley Scott's adventure drama White Squall and also played the bass player in Tom Hanks' The Thing You Do.

Supporting roles followed in the action drama Montana and a co-starring role alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt in the romantic comedy Can't Hardly Wait in 1998.

The same year Embry married girl Amelinda Smith only for the couple to later divorce.

In 2002, he starred in the romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama alongside Reese Witherspoon and went on to play a physicist in the sci-fi thriller Timeline.

Recent work includes the American TV remake of Dragnet and the gross-out comedy Harold and Kumar Get The Munchies.