Sophia Myles

Whether leaping to ceilings as a decidedly beautiful vampire in the "Underworld" film franchise; posing nude in front of a drawing class in "Art School Confidential" (2006); or steaming up the screen in period trysts with James Franco in "Tristan & Isolde" (2006), British actress Sophia Myles managed a diverse array of roles in her still-blossoming career. With the television series "Moonlight," debuting as part of the CBS fall 2007 schedule, she returned to her supernatural roots, playing a mortal woman, Beth Turner, who falls into a relationship with a private investigator (Alex O'Loughlin) - a man who just so happens to be an immortal bloodsucker.

Myles was born March 18, 1980, in London, England and grew up in the famed Notting Hill district. Her father was a church vicar, while her mother worked in publishing. Myles was never interested in performing, and might never have pursued acting at all, had she not had a crush on her school drama teacher. But it turns out she had more than a knack for the craft, and after appearing in a school production of "Teachers," she was discovered and cast in a BBC production of "The Prince & the Pauper," (1996) at the age of 16. She dropped her planned That led to a role in the British miniseries, "Big Women," (Channel 4, 1998) and a small part in the feature film "Mansfield Park" (1999). She appeared in a series of bit parts in British-made television, including the miniseries "Oliver Twist" (PBS, 1999) and "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby" (Bravo, 2001), before being cast in the small role of Victoria Abberline, wife of Johnny Depp's Inspector Frederick Abberline, the pursuer of Jack the Ripper in the moody and atmospheric "From Hell" (2001), based on British writer Alan Moore's acclaimed graphic novel.

Staying close to the horror genre, Myles' next major feature film was "Underworld," (2003), a sleeper hit about a secret but bloody war between vampires and werewolves being waged in the sewers, alleys and rooftops of present-day Europe. Myles played Erika, a bloodthirsty rival to leading vampiress Selena, played by Kate Beckinsale, and went on to reprise her role in a flashback sequence in the sequel, "Underworld: Evolution," (2006). She next starred in the thriller "Out of Bounds" (2004) and the science fiction film, "Thunderbirds" (2004), based on the cult British television series of the same name.

Myles returned to period drama with the title role opposite James Franco in "Tristan & Isolde," the story of doomed lovers hailing from opposite sides of the long-running feud between the British and the Irish. She moved back to the present as Audrey, the cool object of affection of Max Minghella in the dark and quirky "Art School Confidential," from director Terry Zwigoff and writer Daniel Clowes. She moved on to television roles in Ricky Gervais' "Extras," (HBO, 2005-07), the re-imagined "Doctor Who" (Sci-Fi Channel, 2005- ), and the "Masterpiece Theater" production of "Dracula" (BBC, 2006), before landing the role of Beth in "Moonlight." The show, from veteran action producer Joel Silver, was heavily anticipated for the fall 2007 season.