Tobey Maguire

Born in 1975, Tobias Vincent Scott embarked upon an acting career during high school, after his mother persuaded him that he should leave behind his childhood dream of being a chef, and become an actor instead. Following a role in a short-lived TV sitcom, Tobey Maguire's film debut arrived the following year, with a small role in This Boy's Life in 1992 - starring close pal Leonardo Di Caprio. However, it wasn't until 1997 that the yoga-loving vegetarian started to carve a reputation for himself as a thoughtful, talented young performer with his roles in Ang Lee's The Ice Storm, and Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry. Multi-layered performances in The Cider House Rules and Wonder Boys, amongst others, no doubt brought him to the attention of Sam Raimi, who fixed upon Maguire to embody the troubled young superhero Spider-Man. In spite of initial studio resistance, Maguire successfully screen-tested for the part, and ultimately helped break box office records when the first instalment hit the screens in 2002, catapulting the actor into the superstar league. Since then, Maguire has starred in the Oscar-nominated Seabiscuit (2003), produced The 25th Hour and completed the hotly anticipated Spider-Man 2.