Tom Welling

Biography: A former construction worker, Tom Welling was first discovered by a photographer's scout at a bar in Nantucket, Mass. That providential meeting led to high-profile modeling assignments for Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. But Welling had aspirations beyond modeling and began going on acting auditions, which landed him several commercials. In 2001, he made his TV acting debut on Judging Amy as Amy Brenneman's much-younger beau. His initial three-arc story quickly turned into six episodes after favorable viewer responses. That same year, Welling was offered the role of a young Clark Kent on Smallville. But he was wary of typecasting and turned down the role twice before finally accepting the iconic part of the future Superman. A couple of big-screen roles followed, most notably as Steve Martin's eldest son in Cheaper by the Dozen, but Welling remains inextricably linked to his small-screen alter ego.