Although the “Hollywood” culture is decidedly American, British actors and actresses have always been more than welcome into the elite California club; moreover, Britain has a large enough market for celebrities to thrive in as is, even without help from the west. Jude Law, what many would describe as a crossover, experiences the best of both worlds.

The English actor has been a star in his home country and over in the States for over a decade now, and though his career has slowed down a bit, it certainly hasn't tapered off completely. Jude graces the covers of magazines and pops up in films as regular as the rain. Of course, these days it's more like the California rain - a bit rarer than the UK's.

David Jude Law was born December 29, 1972 in Lewisham, London, England. Jude would start his on-stage career early in life. His parents were both schoolteachers, and at only 13 years of age, he began acting in productions such as Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Unlike many young aspiring actors who graduate, attend drama school, and then claw their way through the ranks until that big break arrives, Jude was plucked out of school, barely a teenager, to act on the British soap Families. After this role garnered some success, Jude quit school altogether at 16.

Jude would land other major roles in on-stage productions, but it was his motion picture and television good looks that landed him on everyone's hot-list. Law's first major film was the British film Shopping, featuring Sadie Frost, Jude's future (ex) wife.

The movie was poorly received, but Law was still a standout. Jude continued to star in big-budget movies, but they were experiencing little success overall. Nevertheless, Law was always heralded as the sultry British actor, and his popularity continued to grow.

He starred in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil alongside Kevin Spacey and John Cusack, as well as Gattaca with Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke. Eventually, he was cast as the leading man in I Love You, I Love You Not and the Wisdom of Crocodiles. But again, Law gave performances worthy of acclaim in movies that received little as a whole.

After teaming with friends to form their own production company, Law landed a role in The Talented Mr. Ripley, with Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow. This was the film that made Jude's career, in so many words, and he was an immediate A-list actor.

Since then, Jude has starred in a variety of blockbuster movies, including Enemies at the Gates, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Cold Mountain, The Aviator, Road to Perdition, and Closer.

Law married Sadie Frost in 1997 and had four children. They divorced five years later, and Jude has since been linked to Sienna Miller - and the occasional nanny - in Hollywood's most famous on-again off-again relationship. Law stars in the recently premiered in London Sherlock Holmes and other highly anticipated movies coming down the pike, including Repo Men, planned for release in April 2010.