Elizabeth Banks

Before she was a recognizable name, Elizabeth Banks was a familiar face in scene-stealing comic cameos and memorable dramatic roles opposite high-profile actors like Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeff Bridges and Mark Wahlberg. Her fresh-scrubbed New England looks and girl-next-door appeal were refreshingly countered with her adventurous tomboy spirit and fearless embrace of over-the-top goofiness. A stage-trained actress with a fun-loving attitude towards a big screen career, Banks' energy and versatile talent were finally featured front and center in the popular but very different comedies "Slither" (2006) and "Definitely, Maybe" (2008). Prior to those two roles, she gained widespread recognition for playing Betty Brant in "Spider-Man" (2002), which she reprised for the second (2004) and third (2007) installments. After returning to comedy opposite Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti in "Fred Claus" (2007), Banks was surprisingly convincing as former First Lady Laura Bush in Oliver Stone's "W" (2008) and Effie Trinket in "The Hunger Games" (2012) and its blockbuster sequels. While continuing her string of hits with films including "The Lego Movie" (2014), Banks also moved behind the camera, making her directorial debut with the hit sequel "Pitch Perfect 2" (2015) after co-starring in the 2012 original. Whether comedy or drama, Banks always delivered a quality performance while continually broadening her appeal.