Ewan McGregor

Scotland's biggest acting export since Sean Connery, Ewan McGregor exudes an easygoing likability, whether he's portraying a heroin junkie or a Jedi master. The nephew of actor Denis Lawson, who appeared in the original Star Wars trilogy, McGregor decided to follow in his uncle's footsteps, first starring in British TV productions before scoring one of the lead roles in director Danny Boyle's morbidly humorous 1994 thriller, Shallow Grave. The next darkly comedic Boyle/McGregor collaboration, the big-screen adaptation of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting, was an international hit, and the actor's charismatic turn as restless drug addict Mark Renton propelled him to stardom. Soon McGregor was appearing in a steady stream of indie films, notably channeling Iggy Pop in the Todd Haynes glam-rock opus, Velvet Goldmine. In 1999, McGregor's career neatly overlapped with that of his uncle's when he portrayed the heroic young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels, proving to be a consistently positive presence in the three uneven, if entertaining, sci-fi movies. Determined to stay involved in quirkier fare, he impressed audiences in the sweeping Baz Luhrmann musical Moulin Rouge!, and has kept things unpredictable by working with everyone from Tim Burton to Woody Allen to Roman Polanski. In 2010, McGregor reinforced his innate appeal by playing an exceedingly normal guy in the indie comedy-drama Beginners, turning even a low-key role into a memorably endearing performance.