» Connie Booth

Connie Booth is an American-born actress most famous for her role as Polly Sherman, the sensible maid and problem-solver in TV show Fawlty Towers, which she co-wrote with her then husband, John Cleese.

Critically acclaimed for her role as the schizophrenic daughter of an abusive father in the Story of Ruth (1981), this was followed by a part in the British film Leon the Pig Farmer (1992).

She appeared in And Now for Something Completely Different, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and episodes of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. She also played Mrs Hudson in Cleese’s Sherlock Holmes spoof, The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It.

Booth has not acted since 1995. She has a daughter, Cynthia, to John Cleese and currently works as a psychotherapist in London. » Return to celebrity index

» Rose Byrne

Rose Byrne was born in Balmain, Sydney in July 1979, and is of Irish and Scottish descent. She began acting lessons aged eight and was cast in her first film role (in the Australian movie Dallas Doll) when she was 12 years old. She studied acting at the Atlantic Theatre Company and appeared in a variety of Australian television shows such as Heartbreak High, Echo Point and the film Two Hands.

She won a Best Actress award at the 2000 Venice Film Festival for her role as a blind girl in The Goddess of 1967 and has also acted on stage and in music videos.

In 2001 she appeared in I Capture the Castle, a performance that launched her Hollywood career.

She was the face of Max Factor from 2004 – 2006 and featured in the ‘Most Beautiful People of 2007’ list in Who magazine.

She has since starred in many films and plays and has been dating Australian actor Brendan Cowell for 5 years. She currently lives in New York where she appears in the TV series Damages with Glenn Close. » Return to celebrity index

» Simon Pegg

Simon Pegg is a British actor, writer and comedian who began his career in stand-up comedy before moving into television.

Pegg first appeared in the 1995 comedy series Six Pairs of Pants, followed by the sitcom Spaced for which he was nominated for the 1999 British Comedy Award as Best Male Comedy Newcomer. In 2001 he was cast in a small role in the mini-series Band of Brothers, produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.

Pegg co-wrote and starred in Shaun of the Dead, a zom-rom-com about an apocalyptic uprising of zombies. This movie won the award for Best Screenplay at the 2004 British Independent Film Awards.

Pegg narrated the first series of Doctor Confidential and appeared as the character of the Editor in the Dr Who episode, The Long Game in 2005.

In 2007 Pegg played Nicholas Angel, a London policeman who has been transferred to Gloucestershire in the award-winning film Hot Fuzz.

Pegg was quoted as saying: “I once showed a holiday video to my entire family and forgot there was a point where I flashed. I only realised about one second before it happened and couldn’t get to the remote in time to stop them all from seeing me pull down my trousers and reveal myself. My sister screamed and my mum said, “Ooh, that’s changed.” » Return to celebrity index

» Eric Roberts

Eric Roberts was born in April 1956 in Biloxi, Mississippi and is the older brother of actresses Julia Roberts and Lisa Roberts Gillan.

He received Golden Globe nominations for his starring roles in King of the Gypsies and Star 80. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1985 for his role as the escaped convict Buck in the film Runaway Train. In 1988, he won the Theatre World Award for his Broadway debut performance in Burn This. The only film he appeared in with his sister, Julia was the 1989 action western Blood Red.

Roberts went on to play a number of villainous roles in movies including Final Analysis and The Dark Night before being cast as a man dying of AIDS in It’s My Party, in 1996. Most recently he has appeared in the television series’ In Cold Blood, Law & Order, Less Than Perfect and Heroes. He was the sixth actor to play the Master, Doctor Who’s greatest enemy.

Roberts is quoted as saying “I’ve had people say to me, ‘It’s such a shame what happened to your career.’ I just smile and say I’ve had a blast. I really have”. » Return to celebrity index

» Rupert Friend

Rupert Friend is a British actor born October 1, 1981. He is best known for his role as Mr Wickham in the 2005 critically acclaimed Pride and Prejudice in which he co-starred with Keira Knightley.

Friend made his 2004 film debut in The Libertine as the lover of John Wilmot, played by Johnny Depp. He was nominated for ‘Most Promising Newcomer’ for this movie.

In 2005 he was named ‘Outstanding New Talent’ at the Satellite Awards.

Other notable film appearances include The Moon and the Stars and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.

Most recently he was cast in the title role opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in Chéri, directed by Stephen Frears. » Return to celebrity index