Ben Cross

Composed, cerebral actor Ben Cross first came to international attention as the Olympic runner Harold Abrahams in Hugh Hudson's inspiring drama "Chariots of Fire" (1981). The Oscar-winning drama set the tone for much of Cross' subsequent film and television career, which found him playing upstanding young men whose passions - either romantic or professional - clashed with the established order in projects like "The Citadel" (BBC, 1983) and "The Far Pavilions" (HBO, 1984). Cross' popularity cooled in subsequent years, but he remained remarkably active in a wide-ranging selection of projects around the globe, which cast him as everything from vampires in "Dark Shadows" (NBC, 1991) to Biblical kings in "Solomon" (1997). In 2009, he enjoyed a return to Hollywood with a small role in J.J. Abrams' big-screen revamp of "Star Trek" (NBC, 1966-68) before continuing his career as one of international film's most dependable and talented performers.