Matthew Marsden

From humble beginnings working in his uncle's shoe store, ambitious actor Matthew Marsden steadily built a diverse resume that included successful stints in modeling, singing and acting. Following his first brush with celebrity as the face for Impulse Body Spray, the British-born Marsden became a star in his native country for his portrayal as mechanic Chris Collins on the soap opera "Coronation Street" (ITV, 1960- ). After the show, he left acting for a couple of years to become a singer and frequent tabloid cover star, thanks to a stint as a serial celebrity dater. He returned to acting in 2000 and landed substantial roles in "Black Hawk Down" (2001) and "Resident Evil: Extinction" (2007). An avid adventurer in real life, Marsden spent his off-time developing the physical skills necessary to become an action star, training extensively in martial arts and with the German Navy in military maneuvers. His hard work paid off in 2008 when he co-starred in that year's gory action flick, "Rambo." But it was his supporting turn as a British special agent in the high-tech sci-fi adventure, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (2009), that cemented his reputation as a future action star.