American audiences might know Toronto-born actress Mia Kirshner best for her appearances in 24 or as an uninhibited lesbian in the controversial cable series The L Word, but it was her movie work in her native Canada that first marked her out for us as one of the hottest young actresses to appear in years.

Mia played highly sexed roles under Canadian directors, first as a dominatrix in Denys Arcand's Love & Human Remains, and most temptingly of all as a young stripper in Atom Egoyan's Exotica. She has the looks and talent to easily hit the Hollywood A-list, but Mia's always focused her acting career on challenging roles rather than stardom.

While studying 19th Century Russian Literature with a minor in film at Montreal's McGill University, modest Mia kept her burgeoning film career to herself and avoided answering questions about her future. Despite moving to Los Angeles for work, Mia remains very grounded and stays in close touch with her parents and friends in Toronto. Thankfully for us, this Canadian beauty with the perfect bone structure and beautiful eyes has never been shy of baring all for her art!