Julia Roberts

A leading leading lady, this effervescent beauty had a handful of supporting parts before rocketing to fame as a hooker with a heart of gold in 1990's Pretty Woman. Soon a superstar, she subsequently tackled diverse roles in a variety of films, but fared best in romantic comedies. She had a steamy love life off-screen as well, with a succession of high-profile relationships (Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric, Benjamin Bratt) and a brief marriage to Lyle Lovett. In 2001 Roberts made headlines twice: when she won an Oscar as a gutsy ex-beauty queen in Erin Brockovich and when she married cameraman Danny Moder. After the birth of the couple's twins in 2004, Roberts took a hiatus from acting, sparking rumors of retirement. But she resurfaced in 2006 in the Broadway revival of Three Days of Rain. In June 2007, she gave birth to her third child, Henry Daniel Moder. She continued to successfully mix work and motherhood, striking a praiseworthy balance, through the rest of the decade, as her film grosses passed the $2 billion mark in the U.S. alone.  ~ Rovi