Eliza Dushku

An alluring lead with a knack for playing dangerous women, actress Eliza Dushku rose to popularity on the strength of her performances on youth-oriented television series like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (The WB, 1997-2003) and features like "Bring It On" (2001) and "Wrong Turn" (2003). Dushku began her professional career as an adolescent with supporting roles in "True Lies" (1995) and "Bye Bye Love" (1996), but "Buffy" producer Joss Whedon gave her a defining role as rebellious Slayer Faith on his popular horror-adventure show. Its success translated into a string of features in the early part of the new millennium, but television appeared to hold more interest for the actress. However, both of her turns as series star struggled mightily to find audiences; "Tru Calling" (Fox, 2003-05) folded after just two seasons, while "Dollhouse" (Fox, 2009-10), which marked her reunion with Whedon, barely escaped cancellation after its debut. Despite these setbacks, Dushku remained exceptionally popular with audiences, and assured her status as one of Hollywood's most appealing young performers.