Chris Martin

An exceedingly earnest rocker, British singer-guitarist-keyboardist Chris Martin was the frontman for the massively popular alt-rock band Coldplay. Upon releasing the group's mellow debut, Parachutes, to considerable attention in 2000, the boyishly good-looking Martin and his three inconspicuous bandmates began playing before progressively bigger crowds. The charming musician's fame was solidified when Coldplay's second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002) became even more successful, fittingly accompanied by a grander stadium-ready sound. In late 2002, Martin met willowy American actress Gwyneth Paltrow; the two were quickly inseparable, and they wed the following year. (The couple separated in March 2014.) After some downtime as a newlywed, Martin got back to the business of fronting Coldplay, unveiling the accessible and well-received X&Y in 2005. He and the lads next ventured into more dynamic sonic territory with Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008). The restless and bold album found favor with critics and audiences alike, though Coldplay's subsequent outing, the ambitious 2011 record Mylo Xyloto, didn't inspire quite the same level of enthusiasm. Outside of Coldplay, Martin has worked with other pop/rock superstars, including his friend Jay-Z, and appeared in a number of film and television productions, most notably the satirical celebrities-are-jerks series "Extras" (BBC, 2005-07) and the gleefully garish big-screen comedy "Brüno" (2009). Consistently pegged as an amiable guy-next-door, Martin has tried to escape that image on occasion, while never indulging in clichéd rock-star antics or any other unseemly behavior.