Matthias Schoenaerts

Though he came to prominence playing menacing brutes in "Bullhead" (2011) and "Rust and Bone" (2012), the ruggedly handsome Matthias Schoenaerts was more than what met the eye. The son of Flemish actor and artist Julien Schoenaerts, Schoenaerts showed an interest in performance early, appearing in his first film, the Oscar-nominated "Daens" (1992), at age 15. After cutting his teeth in short films and guest roles on popular Belgian television series, he landed his first lead role in the Belgian film, "Love Belongs to Everyone" (2006), in which he played a mentally-challenged ex-convict. But it was his role as an intelligent and manipulative womanizer in "Loft" (2008) - the highest-grossing Flemish film - that made him a star in his homeland. Schoenaerts brought his intensely focused talent to the attention of the world at large with an amazing cinematic one-two punch: his physically transformative role as a cattle farmer undone by his ties to the illegal hormone trade in the Oscar-nominated "Bullhead" (2011), and his deeply empathetic performance in the tragic romance "Rust and Bone" (2012) opposite Marion Cotillard. With his unusual combination of formal training, physical stature, and brooding good looks, the charismatic Matthias Schoenaerts became one of Hollywood's favorite Belgian imports.