Harris Yulin

You'll probably recognise Harris Yulin (left) by his furrowed brow. The veteran American actor has been around filmsville since the early 1970s and has appeared in countless movies, usually playing a concerned administrator, conservative boss or government heavyweight - a role he has taken on most recently in Rush Hour 2.

Yulin was born on November 5, 1937, in Los Angeles, California, to a dentist father and a mother who was a shop assistant. He claims he was led into show business by his cousin, Linda Stirling, known as the Serial Queen of America after she starred in a string of film series in the 1940s.

After leaving college, Yulin dabbled in art, spending time in Florence and Rome, but it was a short-lived affair. Lacking the talent to make a living, Yulin turned his hand briefly to architecture, with the same result.

He moved from Italy to Tel Aviv in the 1960s and it was there that he became an actor with small theatre groups, while also turning his hand to directing.

By 1963, with his true calling finally found, Yulin had made his debut on Broadway in Next Time I'll Sing For You and after its success, he headed back home to LA where he founded the Los Angeles Classic Theatre.

By 1970, Yulin had moved into the film world and he's been pumping out the product ever since.