Mischa Anne Barton was born in London, England, on January 24, 1986, to an English father and Irish mother. By the time she was 4 years old, the family moved to New York City, where her father continued to work in the world of finance.

This allowed Mischa Barton to have a privileged upbringing, which consisted of traveling across the globe and sampling the best things in life. She grew up with American values that often made her clash with her parents; they hadn't yet adjusted to the culture shock. Nevertheless, the Bartons were always a tight family.

Mischa Barton in where the truth lies and other plays

At the age of 8, Mischa Barton and one of her two sisters were sent to summer camp. One of the activities had the children writing their own monologues, which they performed for their parents.

Mischa Barton wrote a piece about turtles, and her delivery was so impressive that an agent who was scouting for talent told her parents they had a star on their hands.

Her parents were thrilled of course, but at the same time wondered if it was an appropriate path for their daughter. When she was 9 and in the fifth grade, Mischa Barton decided that acting was something she definitely wanted to try.

She got her start after auditioning for the lead role in Tony Kushner's play Slavs!. Since the part required her to have a Russian accent, she got herself an acting coach to master it. Not only did she get the role, but she also got to share the stage with future Oscar winner Marisa Tomei.

Mischa Barton's rave reviews led to other theatrical productions, such as James Lapine's Twelve Dreams, which was produced at the celebrated Lincoln Center, and Where the Truth Lies and One Flea Spare, which were both part of the New York Shakespeare Festival.

Mischa Barton in Notting hill

Doing theater was rewarding, but Mischa Barton was hungry for more. In 1994, she became a recurring character on the long-running ABC soap opera All My Children, a job she held for a year. In the meantime, however, her beauty was also attracting interest.

Before she entered her teens, Mischa Barton was signed to the Ford Modeling Agency. In that capacity, she modeled in a Calvin Klein campaign. Mischa Barton admits that while the work was difficult it was also very rewarding, since "it's every teenager's dream."

It was Mischa Barton's acting skills that gave her the most recognition. One of her first roles in a feature film was in Lawn Dogs opposite Sam Rockwell.

In 1999, she appeared in Pups (a modern take on Bonnie & Clyde), the summer hit Notting Hill with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant, and the international Bruce Willis blockbuster The Sixth Sense, in which she played a young ghost-seeking reparation.

In the years that followed, Mischa Barton appeared with Jennifer Jason Leigh and Drew Barrymore in Skipped Parts (2000), costarred with Jessica Alba in Paranoid (2000), starred alongside Melanie Griffith and Dominique Swain in Tart (2001), appeared with Courtney Love and Lili Taylor in Julie Johnson (2001), and starred in Lost and Delirious (2001), a film that explored lesbianism at a private boarding school.

Mischa Barton on the O.C.

Mischa Barton demonstrated her talents once more as she returned to television with a recurring role in the critically acclaimed ABC show Once and Again during its 2001-'02 season. In 2003, she acted with Madeleine Stowe in the horror thriller Octane.

What was sure to make her popular was her role on the FOX television show The O.C. In this prime-time melodrama geared toward young adults a Beverly Hills, 90210 clone as some have branded it Mischa Barton portrayed a wealthy and popular Orange County high school student who has difficulty adjusting to her surroundings. She was on the show from 2003 to 2006.

In addition to being the subject of magazine pictorials, she also appeared in Neutrogena print ads and the new Enrique Iglesias video "Addicted," which sure helps us get our "Mischa fix."

Mischa Barton in assassination of a high school president

In 2007, Mischa Barton appeared in three flicks: Closing the Ring, St. Trinian's and Virgin Territory.

At the end of that year, she also got into trouble with the law when she was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence, possession of marijuana and driving without a valid license. She was released just hours later on bail.

In 2008, Mischa Barton had movie roles in Assassination of a High School President alongside Bruce Willis, Don't Fade Away and You and I (Finding tATu), a film produced by the Russian band t.A.T.u. She was also in the '08 films Walled In, Malice in Sunderland and Homecoming.

Benjamin McKenzie Biography

Birthplace: Austin, Texas
Birthday: September 12, 1978

James Dean. Russell Crowe. Benjamin McKenzie…? At first glance, Benjamin McKenzie doesn’t belong in the same league, let alone ballpark, of two of Hollywood’s more enigmatic heartthrobs.

But McKenzie has been compared quite a bit to both Crowe and Dean, if only because the Austin, Texas native didn’t have name recognition before landing a role on the Fox drama, “The OC” (2003). In fact, it was never clear to McKenzie that he would even be an actor at all.

Born Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan on September 12, 1978, McKenzie didn’t consider acting until he got to the University of Virginia, where he majored in Foreign Affairs and Economics. Performing on stage was an afterthought, more of an extracurricular activity than a career goal.

Both his father and grandfather also attended UV his father Pete Schenkkan is a lawyer so McKenzie, being the eldest child, became a legacy. However, the arts were not completely foreign to McKenzie growing: his mom, Frances Schenkkan, was a poet and writer, and his uncle, Robert Schenkkan, was a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, as well as a co screenwriter on “The Quiet American” (2002).

After graduating Austin High School in 1997, McKenzie went to Virginia and earned his degree. Caught between his newfound desire to act and need to make a living, McKenzie chose the former and moved to New York City just weeks before the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

McKenzie waited tables and shared a bunk bed in a cramped apartment while performing off-Broadway in “Life is a Dream.”
McKenzie also performed in numerous productions at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, including “Street Scene”, by Elmer Rice and “The Blue Bird”, by Maurice Maeterlinck.

McKenzie moved to Los Angeles after his short stint in NYC and quickly landed the role of Ryan Atwood on “The OC”. Also starring Peter Gallagher and Tate Donovan, the Fox show depicted the struggles of high school students in Newport Beach, CA. McKenzie played the perennial outsider struggling with the social and economic hierarchy of Newport Beach.

Though only his first role, McKenzie became a known commodity practically overnight, and may someday yet be seen in the same light as James Dean or Russell Crowe.

McKenzie then starred in his first feature film, “Junebug” (2005), an entrancing and beautifully acted drama about a North Carolina family meeting their son’s art dealer wife, Madeline, (Embeth Davidtz) for the first time.

He played the hostile younger brother married to his high school sweetheart (Amy Adams) who’s afraid of impending fatherhood and physically sickened by his wife’s pregnancy, making him feel trapped and humiliated by life.

Meanwhile, old resentments are reborn and new anxieties arise, as the fragile family dynamic starts to split apart under the weight of Madeline’s presence.