Born: April 14 1977

Famous for: wielding the stake and crucifix as the title character of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Other work: includes Kathryn in Cruel Intentions, the teeny version of Dangerous Liaisons, and appearances in Kevin Williamson’s Scream 2 and I Know What You Did Last Summer.

If any one of these 30 has the word ‘star’ written right through them in bright shining letters surrounded by flashing neon lights, it’s Sarah Michelle Gellar. And she had it from an early age: when she was only four, an agent noticed Gellar in a restaurant and set about looking for work for her. Her first film, An Invasion of Privacy, was released in 1983 (she was six).

Now at 22, she’s the real deal. Buffy The Vampire Slayer is one of the most successful shows on television, and her appearances in two Kevin Williamson films shows that she can choose her projects with a shrewd sense of what the public wants. And Cruel Intentions and Simply Irresistible prove that she’s successfully made a George Clooney-like transition from TV player to genuine movie star.

One has to wonder how long it can last. As the makers of ER know well, that kind of success is good news and good publicity in the short term, but bad news when your star can make more money elsewhere. Gellar’s name has been splashed all over the film magazines of late in connection to the role of Clarice Starling in the film of Hannibal, the sequel to The Silence of the Lambs.

On this occasion, there was no truth in the rumors, but who knows whether some future offer might tempt her away from Buffy? And if that happens, who will protect us from the forces of evil? I’d rather not think about it.

© Visual Imagination Ltd 1999

Born: December 13 1967

Famous for: taking the role of Earth: Final Conflict’s second leading man, Liam Kincaid.

Other work: comprises a mix of shows like Beverly Hills 90210 and Loving and arty films like Veronica and Me.

Fans of Earth: Final Conflict have had a bumpy year, and not least of their problems has been getting used to a new lead character. But most of them will agree that the actor chosen to play him, Robert Leeshock, has made the transition smoother than could have been expected.

The handsome 31-year-old hasn’t always had his sights set on acting, though. He went off to Cornell University in New York after leaving high school, and left with a degree in the precise-sounding field of semi-conductor electrical engineering (rather him than me). Leeshock has always been a good athlete, and played lacrosse for Cornell. His co-star Lisa Howard, who plays Lili Marquette, has also mentioned that his salsa dancing is a wonder to behold.

His acting career has been one full of seemingly odd choices and decisions. Leeshock has said that he wants a career like Dustin Hoffman’s, playing a variety of unusual and unpredictable roles rather than getting stuck in a rut of heroic leading men. But – perhaps due to his good looks – it was jobs as leading men that always came knocking on his door, and he thought he ought to accept one of them before the offers stopped. So Earth: Final Conflict fans should feel lucky to have him around!

© Visual Imagination Ltd 1999

Born: in 1966 or 1967, as far as anyone can guess – she’s keeping it secret!

Famous for: playing feisty Sam Carter in Stargate SG-1.

Other work: includes appearing in The X-Files (Avatar), Millennium and The Outer Limits.

Paths to stardom on American television can be strange and surprising, but few of them begin, as Amanda Tapping’s did, in the decidedly undramatic setting of Rochford in the south-east corner of England. Admittedly, it wasn’t long before her family upped and moved to Toronto, but there are probably many Stargate SG-1 fans in Essex who have no idea that Tapping was born just around the corner.

Although you might not think it from her dramatic role on Stargate, Tapping’s forte is comedy and that’s where she did much of her early work. She even set up her own comedy troupe, Random Acts, which is still active today. But it was her numerous guest appearances on American television that propelled her into the limelight. Her credits in the world of cult TV are impressive: apart from the series listed above, she’s also been in Forever Knight, Due South and even an episode of Goosebumps.

Fans may speculate on the “Will they, won’t they?” aspects of Carter and O’Neill’s relationship, but in real life Tapping is happily married. However, she’s as busy adventuring as Carter would be: she likes skiing, camping, hiking, horse riding... Good job she doesn’t still live in Essex, really.

© Visual Imagination Ltd 1999

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