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When then-Russian president Boris Yeltsin appointed little-known former spy Vladimir Putin as prime minister in 1999, newspaper headlines dubbed him "Putin The Great Unknown" and "Russia's Mystery Man". The You're Beautiful singer was a military man... The British-born, Australia-raised actress wasn't just your average overnight
success. The shelf life of a popstar particularly a <em>manufactured</em> one is brief at the best of times. But some stars, such as Madonna and Robbie Williams, have an acute sense of their own marketability, not to mention a hardcore following of fans to keep them at the cutting edge of pop culture. Kylie is another such artist; but what she has - in spades that neither Robbie nor Madonna can lay claim to is innocence. Tobey Maguire is most famous for his title role in Marvel's Spider-Man trilogy Raised by a single mum on a Southampton council estate, Craig David says he was never tempted by the vices he was surrounded by. "Music had such a passion there was no drug that could ever have gotten me that high," he says. "And then to go and step out in Wembley Arena
I was like, what drug could ever give you a buzz like this?" The American fashion designer founded his eponymous label in 1967 The Lone Star actor came from humble beginnings... Not since Elvis has a pair of hips caused such a stir. Former Menudo cherub Ricky Martin went into the February 1999 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles an unknown, shook his bon bon, and came out a bona fide celebrity. The actor is known for playing the iconic role of Chandler Bing in Friends <br><br>On Oscar night 2000, new mum and best supporting actress nominee Samantha Morton found her planned outfit was a bit tight, thanks to her curvaceous post-pregnancy figure. So instead, she donned a Sex Pistols t-shirt because, well, it was the only clean thing that fitted. <p>"New facts keep coming into one's life, new feelings," Jane Fonda once said. "As long as I'm changing, there's hope for me." The actress who paved the way for every female power player from Meryl Streep to Julia Roberts has been through myriad incarnations: bombshell, revolutionary, film producer, workout queen, billionaire's wife. The former sex kitten obviously has more than nine lives so what's next?</p> Anna Nicole Smith's rise to fame was one of America's highest profile
rags-to-riches stories Salma Hayek is a Mexican-American actress known for her roles in Frida, From
Dusk Till Dawn, House of Gucci, and more Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent was born in 1936 in Algeria to a well-to-do French family. His father Charles was an insurance company manager, his mother Lucienne a prominent socialite. The comic is known for hit sitcom Little Britain When Bill Clinton landed the US presidency he did so under the slogan of "two for the price of one" a reference to the skills and political acumen embodied by his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton. During their time in the White House they proved a formidable team, and since leaving Washington Hillary has come into her own with the former US leader shifting into a support role. Naomi Campbell is not only one of the world's most omnipresent and enduring supermodels, she's also a marketing maestro The Hollywood bombshell has had a very successful career... International singing sensation Chantal Kreviazuk was just three years old when her musical gifts became evident, but it took a near-fatal accident in her early 20s to make her realise where her future lay. When Robert Redford offered a young Kate Bosworth a supporting role in his
equestrian movie The Horse Whisperer the fledgling actress was flabbergasted.
"Acting was so strangely accidental in my life at that point," she reflected
later. "I was this 14-year-old horseback rider from Connecticut. A bunch of
girls from the barn went to New York to audition, and I went along. Then I was
called back." The 14th Dalai Lama is the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibet The supermodel's disarming nature and pragmatic joie de vivre have proved considerable assets when it comes to navigating the spotlight Richard Gere is an actor known for his roles in Pretty Woman, American Gigolo,
An Officer and a Gentleman, and others, plus his passion for Buddhism, advocacy
for Tibet's independence, and AIDS awareness
