Gael García Bernal

Having spent a great deal of his adolescence starring in various Mexican telenovelas, actor Gael Garcia Bernal became an international film star with a breakout performance in Alejandro González Iñárritu's gritty thriller, "Amores Perros" (2000). Hot on the heels of that film's critical and box office success, Bernal cemented his status as an international star with "Y Tu Mama Tambien" (2001), opposite life-long friend Diego Luna, and "The Crime of Father Amaro" (2002), which allowed him one of his first romantic leading roles. Though he could have gone Hollywood and become a big celebrity, Bernal chose instead to star in films he was passionate about. Always with his finger on the pulse of social and political issues, he delivered an exquisite performance as a young Che Guevara, who undergoes a transformation while on a road trip, in "The Motorcycle Diaries" (2004). He continued making interesting choices, taking such off-the-wall roles as a drag queen in "Bad Education" (2004) and a shy daydreamer in "The Science of Sleep" (2006). After reuniting with Iñárritu for the critically-acclaimed "Babel" (2006), Bernal remained one of the more interesting and talented performers operating just below Hollywood's radar.