Bio: Born April 17, 1972, in Houston but raised in Charleston, W.Va., the Southern-bred Jennifer Garner got her start in television miniseries -- including an adaptation of a Danielle Steele romance novel -- before scoring smaller parts in the short-lived TV dramas "Significant Others" (1998) and "The Time of Your Life" (1999-2000).

A recurring role on "Felicity" (1998-2002) and a place in the big-budget World War II epic Pearl Harbor (2001) steered Garner toward "Alias" (2001-06) and bona fide primetime stardom as secret agent Sydney Bristow, a physically demanding role that earned her four consecutive Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe Award.

Amid all the accolades, Garner returned to movies with a small but intriguing role in Catch Me If You Can (2002) and the romantic comedy 13 Going on 30 (2004) before finding work as an action hero in Daredevil (2003) and Elektra (2005).