Matt Dallas

While some emerging talents are forced to labor for years onscreen before getting noticed, others like Kyle XY star Matt Dallas are fortunate enough to land the kind of star-making roles needed to ignite their careers fresh out of community theater.

It was at the tender age of 12 that Phoenix native Dallas first recognized his affinity for the spotlight, with his role as the Gander in a local production of The Ugly Duckling providing a thrilling introduction to the excitement of live theater. In the years that followed, Dallas became increasingly active in community theater, and as with many emerging stars, Dallas was soon setting his sights on the West Coast. While, up to this point, Dallas had established himself as a serious actor, it was as a model that the emerging star made his first mark. Appearances in such high-profile publications as Glamour and Vanity Fair served well to get the longtime theater actor acquainted with life in front of the cameras, and in 2005 Dallas caught the eye of television viewers with a supporting role as a male model in the hit HBO series Entourage. Of course, as with any emerging talent, Dallas was eager to get a feature career started as evidenced by roles in Camp Daze, Way of the Vampire, Wannabe, and Living the Dream, but some actors are just naturally suited to the small screen. With the premiere of Kyle XY, that is precisely what the case seemed to be with Dallas, and his breakthrough role as the titular teen of mysterious origins helped to make ABC's innovate sci-fi drama an unexpected hit. Cast as a boy with no background and no bellybutton who is taken in by a kindly foster family, Dallas was nominated for a Saturn Award as a result of his performance in Kyle XY. He could next be seen on the big screen as a troubled teen reconnecting with his shady, long-lost father in The Indian. - Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide