Though she had been a model and performed in over a dozen movies since she was 12 years old, actress Jennifer Connelly spent most of her early life trying to make a name for herself. While certainly known in Hollywood, Connelly remained relatively anonymous to the public at large until her major breakthrough with a gutsy performance in “Requiem for a Dream” (2000). Prior to that role, Connelly had several brushes with potential stardom, especially with her turns in “The Rocketeer” (1991) and “Inventing the Abbotts” (1997), both of which could have seriously launched her career had they been hits. But it was her Oscar-winning performance as the tortured wife of a brilliant mathematician suffering from schizophrenia in “A Brilliant Mind” (2001) that put Connelly on the map for good. Since that time, she churned out other award-worthy performances – notably “House of Sand and Fog” (2003) and “Reservation Road” (2007), while taking on the occasional blockbuster like “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (2008), certainly making Connelly one of the most compelling, yet underrated actresses of her time.