Ellen Page

Page's performance as the titular spitfire earned rave reviews and an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Despite the massive attention she received from "Juno," Page chose to stay in the indie world, appearing alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and Thomas Haden Church in "Smart People" (2008), and starring in Drew Barrymore's directing debut "Whip It" (2009). From there, she starred opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in a major blockbuster, "Inception" (2010), a mind-bending action thriller from Christopher Nolan that earned widespread praise and amassed a serious amount of worldwide box office. But true to form, the indie-minded Page returned to the small films with the superhero comedy "Super" (2011), proving that she was an actress as talented as she was unpredictable.

Born on Feb. 21, 1987 and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Page developed an early interest in performing. She attended the Neptune Theater School, performing in a stage version of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" in the fifth grade. By age 10, she had landed an agent and soon after snagged her first role as Maggie MacLean in the popular Canadian family television movie, "Pit Pony" (1997), as well as a part on the 1999 spin-off television series of the same name. Just 10 years old, her performance garnered her a Young Artist Award nomination, as well as a Gemini (the Canadian equivalent of an Emmy) nomination. In 2002, Page continued her busy schedule. She appeared on the Canadian TV series "Rideau Hall" and "Trailer Park Boys," which received a Gemini nomination for Best Ensemble Cast, and as well as in the Canadian feature films "Marion Bridge" and "The Wet Season." The following year, after appearing in "Touch & Go" and the Canadian TV movie "Mrs. Ashboro's Cat," she made her U.S. television debut in the Lifetime TV movie "Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story." For her performance as Emily Anderson in the 2004 film, "Wilby Wonderful," Page won a Best Actress award at the Atlantic Film Festival. She also appeared as a regular that year on the popular Canadian sci-fi series "ReGenesis" (2004-08).

Page's next film brought the young actress her first major American publicity: "Hard Candy" (2006), a provocative film in which she portrayed a strong-willed 14-year-old who is targeted by an internet predator but who turns the tables by exacting revenge on her would-be attacker. Her searing performance caught the eye of Brett Ratner, the director of "X-Men: The Last Stand," who called her up to offer her the part of Kitty Pryde, a.k.a. Shadowcat. Reluctant at first, Page accepted the role of the beloved mutant who has the uncanny ability to walk through walls and "phase" through solid objects. The character had appeared briefly in the previous two "X-Men" films, but was played by two different actresses. Following the "X-Men" publicity juggernaut, Page added a fake tummy to play a sardonic pregnant teen in the indie comedy "Juno" (2007), one of the year's most talked about films. Her bright, quirky and funny performance earned Page kudos from many critics and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actress, paving the way for a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and an Oscar nod for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.

Continuing the indie trend, Page was the lonely, overachieving daughter of a college professor (Dennis Quaid) in the comedic drama "Smart People" (2008) and starred as a small town misfit-turned-ruthless roller derby racer in Drew Barrymore's directing debut, "Whip It" (2009). Page went on to star in one of her biggest films to date, playing a gifted architect helping to construct worlds inside a mark's subconscious for a professional thief (Leonardo DiCaprio) who uses shared dreaming for corporate espionage in Christopher Nolan's blockbuster hit "Inception" (2010). After that film's incredible success, Page co-starred in the indie comedy "Super" (2011), playing the sidekick Boltie to a loser-turned-superhero (Rainn Wilson).