Summer Bishil

With an uncanny ability to portray emotionally tragic characters, Summer Bishil was one Hollywood ingénue who stood out among a sea of cookie-cutter starlets. Bishil's stellar performance in "Towelhead" (2008) as Jasira Maroun, a biracial 13-year-old who gets caught up in a twisted affair and eventually raped by an adult male, was so unsettling, critics everywhere took notice. Like her film character, Bishil was a unique cultural blend - part Indian, part Hispanic and part Caucasian. It was no surprise when Variety chose the exotic beauty as one of the "10 Actors to Watch" in 2007. She also appeared in the L.A. immigrant narrative "Crossing Over" (2008) with Harrison Ford, Sean Penn, Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd - yet another milestone for a young actress on the rise.