Dougray Scott

A talented actor who saw two separate star-making roles slip through his fingers, Dougray Scott instead settled for a comfortable career as working actor. Appearances in European projects paved the way for his international breakthrough as the enlightened Prince Henry to Drew Barrymore's empowered Cinderella in "EverAfter" (1998). Hollywood took note, and Tom Cruise personally picked him to play the villain in "Mission: Impossible II" (2000). That film's tumultuous production forced Scott to surrender the role of Wolverine in "X-Men" (2000) to Hugh Jackman. Similarly, widespread industry rumors that Scott would replace Pierce Brosnan as James Bond proved for naught, so the actor moved to television, starring in the short-lived, sticky-fingered series "Heist" (NBC, 2006), and romancing Teri Hatcher for season three of "Desperate Housewives" (ABC, 2004-12). Married to actress Claire Forlani in 2007, Scott appeared as a big screen heavy in the successful video game-to-movie "Hitman" (2007), won praise on the small screen as an ex-con in the family drama/crime thriller "Father & Son" (RTÉ One, 2009; ITV, 2010), and essayed the playwright Arthur Miller among a cast of heavyweights in "My Week with Marilyn" (2011). Although the Hollywood A-list seemed to have eluded him, the actor enjoyed a solid professional reputation, a steadily growing résumé and a quiet but sustained success.