Julia Stiles Pictures

The turn of the millennium saw teen flicks dominate the box office charts. After the massive success of Dawson's Creek on TV, producers finally recognised the renewed power of the youth market and milked it with gusto. Horror movies, psychological dramas, comedies, even Shakespearian tragedies - all of them made millions when set in a High School. And it was this period that saw the rise of Julia Stiles. Just as she was beginning to make a mark as an actress, suddenly she was able to surf this new wave to the very top. With 10 Things I Hate About You, Down To You, Hamlet, O and Save The Last Dance, she became the undisputed Queen of Teen. But, no squeaky cutie and hugely ambitious, she had all the equipment to grow into a serious adult actress.

She was born Julia O'Hara Stiles on the 28th of March, 1981, in New York City, and is of Irish, Italian and English heritage. Her mother, Judith, was an artist, working in ceramics, and ran a ceramics store in Greenwich Village. Her father, John, was a Second Grade teacher in Harlem, who helped in selling Judith's work. There would be two more children - Jane, nine years Julia's junior, and Johnny, born three years after Jane.