Adam Brody

Biography: He may have started out playing Barry Williams in a TV-movie, but Brody is nothing like Greg Brady in real life. After years of small parts in big movies (American Pie 2, The Ring) and a stint on MTV's cult high-school series Now What?, this nerdy-sexy brunette shot to fame on The O.C. sporting Penguin shirts and an awkward charm. He instantly earned legions of fans—particularly young female ones, such as his O.C. costar Rachel Bilson, who played his love interest both on and off screen for a time. A fan of indie bands, Brody is also a member of one: He's the drummer in Big Japan. A self-declared geek, this avid comic-book reader cowrote the comic-book series Red Menace with Paul DeMeo and Danny Bilson (Rachel Bilson's father). After The O.C. ended in 2007, he shifted his focus to films. Though he lost the lead in the big-screen adaption of Speed Racer to Emile Hirsch, he appeared in the horror comedy Jennifer's Body and the action comedy Cop Out.