2000: RUSSELL CROWE

WHAT WE SAID THEN ''Gladiator was only one vehicle in the star's multi-chariot pop-culture ride during year 2000: Whether he was waddling his way to an Oscar nomination as a pudgy, morally conflicted whistle-blower in The Insider, barking out rock lyrics in Austin as the swaggering frontman for 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, or turning in a skillfully controlled performance as a gruff kidnapping expert in Proof of Life (not to mention dodging pararazzi around the globe once l'affaire Ryan broke), the strapping, gravel-voiced actor thrilled a Colosseum full of onlookers.'' —Clarissa Cruz