ELIJAH WOOD
AGE 27

BROKE OUT IN... Radio Flyer (1992), showing talent beyond his years.

WHY HIM The Lord of the Rings franchise made Wood a megastar, but the actor has used his box office power for good instead of evil in off-beat movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and Everything Is Illuminated (2005).

WHAT'S NEXT Wood lends his voice to an upcoming feature-length version of 9 (2005), an award-winning animated short set in a post-apocalyptic world. Why there's not more is beyond us.