Chad Michael Murray

At the age of 17, on the advice of a nurse in the hospital where he was recuperating from minor surgery, Chad began modelling part time. A few months later he was sent by his Buffalo agency to a modeling convention in Orlando. Here an agent from LA spotted him. The teenager was persuaded to move to Hollywood after graduating from high school.

When he arrived on the West coast, Chad continued his modeling, working on advertising campaigns for Gucci, Tommy Hifilger and Sketchers, at the same time as auditioning and networking for acting parts.

His big break came when he was awarded a part in the successful Warner Brothers TV series Gilmore Girls. Next Chad continued to climb the ladder of acting success with a substantial role in Dawson's Creek. Then came a lead role in the smash hit TV series One Tree Hill, where he plays Lucas Scott, the good son of the basketball coach.

His movies career has been slow to take off. A memorable peformance in House of Wax was perhaps overshadowed by the press concentrating on the debate about the acting skills of Paris Hilton.