Lauren Lee Smith

Gorgeous Canadian actress Lauren Lee Smith carved out a healthy onscreen career with recurring roles on Showtime's "The L Word" and the wildly successful "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." With a stepfather working as a documentary filmmaker, Smith spent a good part of her childhood moving from place to place in Europe, Central America, the United States, and Canada. Finally her family landed in Los Angeles where she soon launched a modeling career. By 19, she began dabbling in acting--first in the remake of "Get Carter" with Sylvester Stallone and later in "Christy: The Movie," which followed the adventures of a 19-year-old schoolteacher in the mountains. The latter film, based on Catherine Marshall's novels, became a made-for-TV franchise, which spawned two sequels.

Smith then landed one of the lead parts on "Mutant X," as the genetically engineered Emma DeLauro. Following the show's two-season run, she landed a recurring part on the lesbian-themed series "The L Word," where she portrayed the much sought-after sous chef Lara Perkins. After a 20-episode arc, Smith moved on to work on several of indie features, including an award-winning turn opposite Ashley Judd in the clinical depression drama "Helen." Her profile significantly raised, Smith soon joined the cast of the megahit "CSI" as the rebellious Riley Adams in 2008.