Chris Pine

Chris Pine was born in Los Angeles, California, on August 26, 1980. He was no stranger to show business as a child, having a grandmother, Anne Gwynne, who starred in Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942) and House of Frankenstein (1944), and a father, Robert Pine, known for playing Sergeant Joseph Getraer on the popular police-drama CHiPs. Pine's mother, Gwynne Gilford, and sister, Katie, also enjoyed minor acting careers.

Pine often spent time on Hollywood sets while growing up, though he was mainly interested in sports throughout his youth. He decided to go into the family business while attending the University of California, Berkeley, where he took acting classes before graduating with a degree in English literature.

Chris Pine began his acting career on television with appearances on ER, The Guardian and CSI: Miami. With his boyish good looks and striking blue eyes, it was only a matter of time before he was tapped for the lead in a romantic comedy; sure enough, he made his feature-film debut in 2004, starring opposite Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Pine returned to the genre two years later, this time co-starring with Lindsay Lohan in Just My Luck. He was later given the opportunity to branch out as a villainous neo-Nazi in the ensemble crime flick Smoking Aces (2007).

In 2008, Pine landed the coveted role of Captain James Kirk in the J.J. Adams-directed reboot of the famed Star Trek franchise. Starring fellow up-and-coming actors Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana as Spock and Uhura, respectively, Star Trek was both a critical and box-office success upon its 2009 release, and Pine became an overnight star.

The success of Star Trek opened more doors for Pine, as he went on to earn additional prominent film roles. He starred alongside Denzel Washington in the Tony Scott thriller Unstoppable (2010), and was ensnared in a love triangle with Reese Witherspoon and Tom Hardy in the action rom-com This Means War (2012). In 2013, Pine reprised his role of Captain Kirk for the film Star Trek Into Darkness, Abrams's follow-up to 2009's Star Trek. That same year, the actor was cast in the titular role of CIA agent Jack Ryan, based on the character from the Tom Clancy series, in the Kenneth Branagh-directed film Jack Ryan.

A long career seemingly ahead of him, Pine stated in an interview that he viewed legendary actor Paul Newman as a role model, both for his artistic success and his impact as a philanthropist. The actor also professed admiration for George Clooney's bachelor lifestyle.

Pine has been romantically linked to several starlets, though he has admitted to enjoying more of a low-key personal life as a bookworm.

His recent roles included Z for Zachariah (2015), The Finest Hours (2016), and the third film in the new Star Trek series.