Chiwetel Ejiofor

Young British actors are landing coveted roles in major movies. John Hiscock reports, and identifies the stars with the biggest Hollywood potential

It began more than 80 years ago, when Ronald Colman became one of the first British actors to settle in Hollywood. Since then, a steady stream of talent has been crossing the Atlantic to make a name in American films. The Brit Pack The Brit pack: ’something different and exotic ... that makes them ready-made for American cinema’

After the initial influx of Colman, C Aubrey Smith and Basil Rathbone came the hell-raisers: Richard Burton, Richard Harris and Peter O’Toole. Later exports included Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Michael Caine and Julie Christie.

Now a new breed of Brits are making their mark on Hollywood, winning Golden Globe and Oscar nominations and landing coveted roles in major movies.

Keira Knightley is already well established, having earned an Oscar nomination this year for her very English performance in Pride and Prejudice, but Sienna Miller, Kate Beckinsale, Lena Headey and Sophia Myles are all making their presence known with roles that previously would have gone to Americans.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who starred in Woody Allen’s Match Point, won a Golden Globe this year for his portrayal of Elvis Presley, while Ioan Gruffudd is becoming a well-known face to American audiences.

Their impact has come as no surprise to veteran Hollywood publicist and Oscar campaigner Tony Angellotti. "Ever since the first days of cinema, American filmmakers have prized the talents of British actors and actresses because of their background and training, which most Americans don’t have," he says. "There is something different and exotic about the Brits that makes them ready-made for American cinema, and it helps that an American accent isn’t a problem for them.

"Actresses like Sophia Myles, Sienna Miller and Lena Headey have a sophistication that reminds you of Audrey Hepburn. They appear statuesque and unattainable and they always seem to be just a little ahead of the game and ahead of the men who are pursuing them.

"Kate Beckinsale is drop-dead beautiful and the camera absolutely loves her. Keira Knightley is the same, and brings a wonderful English look to her roles - although I think she made a mistake with Domino. She isn’t a tough, Bond-type girl.

"Jonathan Rhys Meyers has a magnetism about him that shines through, while Ioan Gruffudd is a fine actor capable of taking on vastly different roles."

Sir Ian McKellen, who was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of the 1930s British film director James Whale in Gods and Monsters, and can soon be seen in X-Men 3, says: "Hollywood has always been a lure to the British. People are very open and welcoming and that tradition continues now."

Sienna Miller

She has been subjected to a barrage of unwanted publicity in the UK because of her off-screen relationship with Jude Law, whom she met when co-starring with him in the film Alfie, but on-screen Sienna Miller is establishing herself in Hollywood as a talented and reliable actress. Sienna Miller

Born in New York and brought up in England, Miller, 25, has no difficulty with different accents.

Breakthrough: playing a Londoner in the US television series Keen Eddie.

Biggest film: Casanova, starring opposite Heath Ledger.

Coming next: Factory Girl, in which she adopts an American accent to play Andy Warhol muse Edie Sedgwick opposite Guy Pearce’s Warhol.

She says: "It’s an extraordinary challenge," she says of her role in Factory Girl. "It’s going to be tough making the audience sympathise with a drug addict but it’s really something to get my teeth into."

Jonathan Rhys Meyers

The Irish-born Jonathan Rhys Meyers’s androgynous good looks and some well-received performances have helped propel him to the fringes of Hollywood’s A-list. Jonathan Rhys Meyers

His first role (an ad for Knorr soup) led to film roles on both sides of the Atlantic. He co-starred with Anthony Hopkins in Julie Taymor’s Titus, with Christina Ricci in Prozac Nation, and he won a Golden Globe this year for his lead role in the TV mini-series Elvis.

Breakthrough: playing an iconic pop singer in Velvet Goldmine.

Biggest film: Match Point

Coming next: Mission: Impossible III

He says: "I’ve never been comfortable with the glamour part. I’ve gone to awards ceremonies and premières and I always feel kind of awkward and wonder whether I deserve to be there or not."

Ioan Gruffudd

The handsome Welsh actor landed supporting roles in 102 Dalmatians, Titanic and Black Hawk Down before moving to Los Angeles to star in the TV series Century City, which was supposed to run for six years but folded after only three episodes. Ioan Gruffudd

The likeable 32-year-old Gruffudd (pronounced "Griffith") refused to return home and instead did the round of auditions. His perseverance paid off when Jerry Bruckheimer cast him as Lancelot in King Arthur. He lives in LA with his girlfriend, actress Alice Evans, whom he met while they were filming 102 Dalmatians.

Breakthrough: playing Horatio Hornblower on TV.

Biggest film: Fantastic Four, in which he played Mr Fantastic.

Coming next: two low-budget films, The Gathering with Christina Ricci and The TV Set with David Duchovny. He is also signed up for two Fantastic Four sequels.

He says: "I’m not afraid of being typecast in two sequels. After all, Mr Fantastic isn’t such a bad name to be saddled with."

Chiwetel Ejiofor

In Hollywood, "Chewy" is becoming known as the Next Big Thing to come out of England. Two films in which he is featured, Inside Man and the British-made Kinky Boots, are now on release in the US. Chiwetel Ejiofor

Born in East London to Nigerian parents, he began performing at 13 in school productions and for the National Youth Theatre. Steven Spielberg cast him in Amistad and he was one of Radha Mitchell’s suitors in Woody Allen’s Melinda and Melinda. He proved his versatility by playing a sadistic crime boss in Four Brothers and then followed that as the Operative in Joss Whedon’s sci-fi flick Serenity.

Breakthrough: playing a refugee in Dirty Pretty Things.

Biggest film: Serenity

Coming next: futuristic drama Children of Men.

He says: "I’m enjoying spending time travelling around and filming on different locations. It’s hard to make plans to settle somewhere because every time I have thought about it, the next job that comes up puts me back in the place I have just left."

Kate Beckinsale

Kate Beckinsale, who has become a cult figure among sci-fi fans because of her roles in the vampire films Underworld and Underworld Evolution, has not only moved to California but has married a Hollywood director. Kate Beckinsale

The 32-year-old Oxford-educated daughter of the late comic actor Richard Beckinsale has settled in the Venice area with her six-year-old daughter and husband Len Wiseman, who directed both Underworld features.

She played Ava Gardner opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in the Oscar-nominated The Aviator, and is said to be considering a role on the London stage in the autumn.

Breakthrough: playing the virginal Hero in Kenneth Branagh’s film of Much Ado About Nothing.

Biggest film: Pearl Harbor, in which she was an army nurse in a love triangle with two pilots.

Coming next: Click, a comedy with Adam Sandler, and Snow Angels, a family drama.

She says: "I find shopping in LA really difficult because I don’t drive, so I have to know exactly where I’m going and then I’m stuck, whereas in London I can wander about and find tiny shops."

Lena Headey

After 14 years, Lena Headey has finally become a name in Hollywood, thanks in part to Harvey Weinstein. Lena Headey

When he was heading Miramax, he insisted Headey be given the leading female role in The Brothers Grimm, overriding director Terry Gilliam’s choice. The film was not well received, but she made an impression, and has since been in the US thriller The Cave. Yorkshire-bred Headey, 29, also starred in the recent British-made rom-com Imagine Me and You.

Breakthrough: playing a sexually precocious schoolgirl in Waterland.

Biggest film: The Brothers Grimm

Coming next: 300, about the ancient Battle of Thermopylae.

She says: "I’m ambitious, but I don’t necessarily equate success with being a huge Hollywood star. The dream is to have both a long career and a normal life."

Sophia Myles

Sophia Myles, who has a resemblance to that other British favourite with US audiences, Kate Winslet, is seen as a Hollywood newcomer, although she has been making movies on both sides of the Atlantic for 10 years. Sophia Myles

She gave up a place at Cambridge when Julian Fellowes saw her in a school play and invited her to be Lady Jane Grey in the BBC’s The Prince and the Pauper. She has worked steadily ever since: she was Johnny Depp’s wife in From Hell, and co-starred with Damian Lewis in Colditz.

Breakthrough: playing Lady Penelope in Thunderbirds.

Biggest film: Tristan + Isolde

Coming next: Art School Confidential, in which she stars as an artist’s model.

She says: "The idea of being famous does not sit well with me. It would be frightening."