1. ROBERT DOWNEY JR.
Robert Downey Jr. has pulled off one of the smartest second acts in recent showbiz history. He's at the red-hot center of a humongous new action franchise, Iron Man. He followed that by doing something few actors have dared since Jolson — blackface — in Tropic Thunder, which grossed $110 million. After doing just about everything humanly possible to destroy a once-promising career, he's finally fulfilling his potential. He's become a movie star. At 43. —Benjamin Svetkey
Excerpt from EW's Entertainer of the Year issue. See the full feature on Robert Downey Jr.
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