Scott Speedman

Born: September 1 1975
Where: London, UK

The former competitive swimmer first attracted attention in the Ron Shelton's Los Angeles-set police drama Dark Blue.

Born in England but raised in Toronto, Speedman was a keen teenage athlete (his mother held a world record in running).

At 12 and again at 14 he was a member of the relay team that captured the national 400m relay record and even joined the Canadian Junior National Swim Team.

However, a neck injury forced him to leave the sport and he studied drama at the Neighbourhood Playhouse in New York.

After losing out the role of of Robin in Batman Forever to Chris O'Donnell, his big break came when he landed an American TV role in Felicity.

His first high-profile big screen role was alongside Gwyneth Paltrow in the Bruce Paltrow-directed Duets.

Next up was Dark Blue before he was cast as the prey of werewolves in the horror thriller Underworld with Kate Beckinsale.

Upcoming projects include My Life Without Me opposite Sarah Polley and Mark Ruffalo.