Hannah Ware

An intellectual beauty reminiscent of fellow British import Rachel Weisz, Hannah Ware launched her career as a teen model and blossomed into a Hollywood scene-stealer.

Ware signed with a modeling agency when she was just 12 years old and spent her formative years landing major campaigns while staying on top of her education. When she discovered her love for acting, Ware set aside plans of studying architecture and moved to New York City to pursue an entertainment career.

The classically trained Ware made her film debut in the lighthearted comedy "Cop Out" (2010) opposite Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, and followed it up with an appearance in the acclaimed drama "Shame" (2011), starring Michael Fassbender as a troubled sex addict.

Yet it was on the dark political drama series "Boss" (STARZ, 2011-12) where the English actress gave her breakout performance as the daughter of Kelsey Grammer's crooked Chicago mayor. The role showcased Ware's talent for more than holding her own alongside more seasoned performers, but also established her as a rising talent with potential to headline film and television projects as a viable leading lady.

Born and raised in South London, England to a working-class family, Hannah Ware first stepped into the spotlight when she began modeling at age 12. The daughter of a journalist and a social worker, the future star was reportedly the youngest model signed with Storm Modeling Agency at that time.

Ware successfully modeled into her late twenties, appearing in ad campaigns for L'Oreal cosmetics and Polaroid, yet she always kept up diligently with her studies. An art history buff, she enrolled and was accepted to several schools such as The Architectural Association and The Bartlett to study architecture. However, a growing passion for acting eventually landed Ware in New York City, where she spent two years studying at the famed Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

Having found her true calling, Ware made her big screen acting debut in the action comedy "Cop Out," a Kevin Smith-directed film starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan as New York police officers tracking down small time thieves. In the film, Ware was cast as the wife of a Russian lawyer, played by "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975- ) cast member Fred Armisen.

In 2011, Ware appeared in the controversial independent drama "Shame," starring Michael Fassbender as a sex addict and Carey Mulligan as his sister. That same year, Ware landed her breakthrough role on the STARZ original series "Boss," where she played Emma Kane, a former drug addict and the estranged daughter of crooked Chicago mayor Tom Kane (Kelsey Grammer), who secretly suffers from a degenerative neurological disorder.

The cast also included Connie Nielsen as Kane's wife and Kathleen Robertson as his political advisor, but it was Ware's character who came closest to learning about her father's illness during the show's critically acclaimed first season.

By Candy Cuenco