Aiden Turner

A popular performer on "All My Children" (ABC, 1970-2011) for six years, English actor Aiden Turner brought a degree of continental charm and derring-do to his role of spy-turned-private eye Aiden Devane. Born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England on April 2, 1977, Turner was a young man of many interests; rugby was the initial passion, but cooking soon supplanted it as his sole focus. After attending culinary school from the ages of 16-18, he worked as a chef, but soon found himself drawn to mixing music as a DJ. He taught himself the basics of the job and soon made a living from it, which earned him enough funds to travel throughout Southeast Asia and Australia. While Down Under, he tried his hand at modeling while tending bar to make ends meet. A year later, he returned to England, where he continued to model while taking acting classes. Bit parts in commercials and television shows like "Eastenders" (BBC, 1985- ) soon followed. But a romance with American writer Megan Marshall brought him to the States, where he auditioned for and won the role of Aiden Devane in 2003.

Though a popular character thanks to his physical appeal and penchant for intrigue, Aiden Devane never quite found himself on the receiving end of a major storyline. He served as something of a utility player during his six years on the show; a nephew of Anna Devane (Finola Hughes), he was a Special Ops soldier in his native England and used his skills to conduct spying missions on other characters, while at one point becoming a private investigator. A lengthy and tumultuous romance with Greenlee Smythe (Rebecca Budig) provided some much needed suds for his role. Despite a nomination for a Daytime Emmy in 2003, the producers decided to write him out of the series, filming his final episode in December of 2009. Turner was quickly snapped up as a contestant on season 10 of "Dancing with the Stars" (ABC, 2005- ), hoofing his way through the Fox Trot and Paso Doble alongside celebrities like Pamela Anderson, Buzz Aldrin and sportscaster Erin Andrews.