Eric Bana

Like his American contemporaries Tom Hanks and Jim Carrey, actor Eric Bana started his career as a comedic performer on television before striking out in films. In his native Australia, Bana starred in several sketch-comedy shows, including "The Eric Bana Show" (1997). But it was his turn in the dark and twisted drama "Chopper" (2000) that launched his standing as a viable actor of considerable worth, while earning him the opportunity to break into Hollywood features. From there, he had a noticeable supporting turn in "Black Hawk Down" (2001) and starred as the titular green superhero in Ang Lee's "Hulk" (2003). Following a respectable performance in the otherwise derided sword-and-sandal epic "Troy" (2004), Bana took a decisive turn to more thought-provoking films like Steven Spielberg's 1970s-style thriller, "Munich" (2005), which earned the actor considerable acclaim and solidified his standing as a gifted actor.