Shane West

Actor

Name at birth: Shannon Bruce Snaith

Actor Shane West got his big break on TV's critically-acclaimed family drama Once and Again (1999-2002) and now plays Dr. Ray Barnett on the series ER. A native of Louisiana, he moved to Los Angeles as a boy and got into acting as a teenager. By the time he was 18 he had appeared as a guest star in a number of television productions, and in 1999 he made his feature film debut in Liberty Heights. His role opposite Mandy Moore in A Walk to Remember (2002) put him squarely into heartthrob territory, and he has continued to make feature films while working in television. His other films include Dracula 2000 (2000, with Gerard Butler), Get Over It (2001, with Kirsten Dunst) and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003, starring Sean Connery).

Extra credit: West also plays guitar and is a member of the rock band Jonny Was... He has an uncredited role as one of Topher Grace's poker pals in the movie Ocean's Eleven (2001, with George Clooney and Julia Roberts).