Stana Katic

A statuesque talent with a knack for physical roles, Stana Katic was a film and television actress whose formidable presence translated into a string of action-oriented turns in features like "Quantum of Solace" (2008) and series like "24" (Fox, 2001-2010) and "Heroes" (NBC, 2006-2010). Biology was her initial passion, but a chance opportunity to appear in an independent feature in her native Canada turned her towards acting. She appeared in countless television series throughout the early part of the new millennium before breaking big in 2008 with a trio of capable, sexy roles in the Bond picture, Frank Miller's "Spirit" (2008) and "The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice" (TNT, 2008). The following year, Katic got a chance to exercise a sense of humor in the crime series "Castle" (ABC 2009-16), which helped to underscore her growing potential as one of the most watchable and versatile actresses on the scene. Katic starred opposite Nathan Fillion on the series until the end of its eighth season, when her character, NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, was written out of the series, reportedly due to budget cuts.