Christopher Egan

Chris Egan was always intrepid when choosing roles -and it paid off in a big way. The Australian-born actor was a teen heartthrob in his native country after starring on the popular soap, "Home and Away" (7 Network, 1988- ) as one of the show's resident bad boys. After moving to Los Angeles, Egan landed guest roles on television series like "Vanished" (Fox, 2006), a political drama about the disappearance of a senator's wife, and a lead role on the short-lived drama, "Kings" (NBC, 2009).

On the big screen, Egan's battled dragons in the blockbuster film "Eragon" (2006), and played a computer geek searching for survivors in the sci-fi thriller, "Resident Evil: Extinction" (2007). But it was his turn as Amanda Seyfried's love interest in "Letters to Juliet" (2010) that made Egan an A-list movie star. A modern interpretation of Shakespeare's classic love story, the film provided Egan with the perfect vehicle to showcase his range and prove that he was undoubtedly one of the most talented, charismatic leading men on the rise.

Christopher Andrew Egan was born on June 29, 1984 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The future thespian attended Sydney's McDonald College School of Performing Arts and was a member of Kick Performance Group. Egan got his start acting in television commercials for Nesquik and Kentucky Fried Chicken. At 16, he landed his first big break - a role on the Australian soap opera "Home and Away," which also launched the careers of Naomi Watts and Heath Ledger. Egan quickly gained a huge fan base of teenage girls smitten over his portrayal of Nick Smith, Summer Bay's usually shirtless and spiky blond ladies man. After three years on the show, Egan moved to Los Angeles to try his luck in Hollywood, making his American television debut with a minor role in the epic miniseries, "Empire" (ABC, 2005), before landing a featured role in the 2006 British independent film, "Alpha Male," about a family torn apart in the wake of its patriarch's death.

That same year, Egan co-starred opposite Rebecca Gayheart and Ming-Na in the short-lived television series, "Vanished," about the sudden disappearance of the wife of a Georgia senator.

Next up, Egan appeared in the fantasy adventure film, "Eragon," an adaptation of Christopher Paolini's best-selling novel in which he portrayed Eragon's (Edward Speleers) brave cousin, Roran, who leads an army of soldiers who end up killing half of the Ra'Zac soldiers. He also appeared in the cult horror movie "Resident Evil: Extinction" as a computer junkie in charge of the sensor cameras that search for survivors, and co-starred in Dino De Laurentiis' film "Virgin Territory" (2007) opposite Hayden Christensen and Mischa Barton. Egan continued to book work, starring in the drama series, "Kings" (NBC, 2009), a modern-day version of the Biblical story of David and Goliath set against a monarchy in New York.

He played David Shepherd, a young soldier whose rise to fame breeds resentment and jealousy from the king. In 2010, Egan was cast in the romantic comedy "Letters to Juliet," a retelling of Shakespeare's story of star-crossed lovers. The film starred Amanda Seyfried as Sophie, an American fact-checker on vacation in Verona, Italy with her fiancé Victor (Gael Garcia Bernal). When Sophie discovers a 50-year-old love letter written by a girl named Claire (Redgrave), she makes it her mission to play cupid. Egan played Claire's uptight grandson - the only character who is skeptical about his grandmother seeking out a man she has not seen in 50 years.