Kate figured that attending an audition would be a great experience, and the fact that the film focused on horses gave her that extra push to go ahead and attend the casting call. With little more than a role in a community theater production of Annie to her credit, Kate was a natural and charmed her way into the supporting role of Judith, the female lead's best friend, but not before leaving the producers with her impromptu headshot -- a picture of Kate from a Christmas family portrait.

With the doors of Hollywood open to her at such an early age, Kate was met with the age-old dilemma of school versus career. A member of the National Honor Society, she decided to continue her high-school education, as well as her involvement with community sports. After an 18-month hiatus, she was drawn to Hollywood again in 2000, with back-to-back roles in The Newcomers and Remember The Titans, with Denzel Washington.

After landing the role of Bella on the short-lived WB series Young Americans, Bosworth was also a rarity on television, as an actual teen actress portraying a teen.

Two years later, it was director John Stockwell's turn to reintroduce us to America's latest sweetheart with the surfing film, Blue Crush. Easily defined as a blend of Charlie's Angels and Beach Blanket Bingo, 2002's Blue Crush featured Bosworth as a chambermaid/aspiring professional surfer. With the female cast sharing a beach house in Oahu for two months, they were forced to undergo a rigorous training regimen, which included seven hours of running, swimming, weight training, and surfing. According to Bosworth, it wasn't easy; "Standing on a surfboard is like trying to stand on soap. You're going to fall."

But Kate met the challenge head-on, and had the cuts and scars to prove it. She even ended up going to the hospital for a CAT scan after a nasty spill left her unconscious. The film's surprise strong opening meant that Kate Bosworth would have a whole new fan base, especially among the MTV crowd. As the poster girl for this "new wave" of girl power, Bosworth was happy to portray a character she could relate to -- a young woman who was strong-willed, determined, independent, and sexy.

In 2002, she also appeared in Roger Avary's The Rules of Attraction. The film explored the darker side of college life, with Kate portraying a strung-out party girl. Leaving her wholesome prep-school image behind, she attracted the attention of director James Cox, who was in the midst of casting his latest film, Wonderland.

Due for a July 2003 release, the film follows the life of legendary adult film star John Holmes and stars Val Kilmer in the lead role. Dyeing her hair brown for the part, Bosworth portrays Dawn Schiller, the real-life teenage lover of the X-rated king.

Be on the lookout for Bosworth's next appearance as Rosalie Futch in Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!.

Bosworth seems to be choosing roles that have more punch, yet she's in no real hurry to become the next overnight sensation. And to prove that she hasn't been coasting on looks alone, this blonde beauty will be turning heads when she hits campus and pursues a university education at Princeton.

Considering that Kate is the kind of woman who can toss around a football, drink some cold beers and then dazzle you in an evening dress, she's a catch in many ways.

Though Bosworth is relatively new to the business, most of her roles have been relatively edgy. A sports addict in real life (lacrosse and soccer are among her favorites), Kate gravitates toward characters that are strong-willed, determined and independent. And after being bashed around by 20-foot waves in Blue Crush, she managed to get the job done. Even her Blue Crush co-star Michelle Rodriguez says that "[Kate will] bust her ass for what she believes in."

And since she has always been a straight A student, we're not surprised that Princeton agreed to defer her enrollment while she entertained moviegoers for a few years.

For a while, Kate was in true "Lolita" land, portraying the innocent schoolgirl with a hint of rebellion. This babe is up there with the "Joey Potters" (Katie Holmes' character on Dawson's Creek) of the world.

While some casting directors might peg her as "the preppy New England blonde," Kate Bosworth certainly has a fresh, natural, girl-next-door vibe. And yes, her eyes are two different colors (blue and hazel), but not in a freakish, David Bowie sort of way.

With practically no previous acting experience, Bosworth landed her first role in 1998's The Horse Whisperer, after catching the eye of director Robert Redford in what was her first audition ever. A champion equestrian and high-school honor student, she went on to appear in feature films like The Newcomers and Remember The Titans, both in 2000. That same year she was also starring as a gas station attendant in the short-lived prep school TV series, Young Americans.

Bosworth's breakout performance as a female surfer in Blue Crush in the summer of 2002 made male pulses race; we had found our newest big-screen crush. Bosworth used her not-as-innocent-as-she-looks image in Roger Avary's twisted The Rules of Attraction (2002), and will be doing the same in the upcoming Wonderland (about adult film star John Holmes).

Even with her busy schedule, she also finds time to volunteer with various non-profit organizations in L.A. and will be attending Princeton in the fall 2003 semester.

Kate Bosworth's looks are right off the pages of a J.Crew or Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue, thanks to her effortless ability to seem like both a preppy university student and a California surfer chick.

Her charisma and beauty seem perfectly suited to the roles she has chosen; we know the girl's got spunk. A heartbreaker with or without make-up, we're surprised a cosmetics company hasn't approached her for a modeling gig yet.

We could go on and on about how great Kate looks in a bikini, but that would be sexist and wrong -- but come on, did you see her in those bikinis?

For a woman who would look great in a tattered sweat suit or an old pair of jeans, Kate knows how to work it in a sexy cleavage-bearing dress that brings new meaning to double-sided tape (as seen at the premiere of Blue Crush and in the movie itself). She can even bring us to our knees while wearing a turtleneck and skirt, as she adds just the right amount of sex appeal to even the classiest of outfits.

more celebrities...