Sami Bouajila

Though he may not be a household name in the United States, Sami Bouajila has appeared in dozens of films in his native France. He has achieved notable critical acclaim, including winning the French equivalent of an Academy Award, the César, for his role in 2007's "The Witnesses," a film which heartbreakingly details the turmoil inflicted on a group of tight-knit friends by the AIDS epidemic, as well as a Best Young Actor award for his portrayal of the title character in the 2000 romantic comedy "The Adventures of Felix."

Bouajila is of North African descent, his father emigrating from Tunisia to France after his Berber grandfather had emigrated from Libya to Tunisia. He is not afraid to take risks in his work (playing a gay man in "The Adventures of Felix" and a bisexual cop in "The Witnesses") or in his politics (openly supporting the presidential bid of Lionel Jospin in 2002).