DENZEL WASHINGTON

Denzel Washington

December 28, 1954

Mount Vernon, NY

For an actor who seemed so right playing strong, principled men in Malcolm X and Crimson Tide, it was ironic that Denzel Washington won his Best Actor Oscar for playing a corrupt cop in 2001's Training Day.

Washington, the son of a minister, graduated with a degree in journalism from Fordham University, but pursued his interest in acting, earning his first Oscar nod in 1988 for the political drama Cry Freedom, and landing a Best Supporting Actor statue for Glory in 1990.

Over the years, PEOPLE's 1996 Sexiest Man Alive has amassed an impressive body of work including collaborations with director Spike Lee, his own directorial efforts in Antwone Fisher and The Great Debaters, and Ridley Scott's American Gangster.

A graduate of Disney's Kids Incorporated, Stacy Ferguson elevated the once all-male underground rap group the Black Eyed Peas to new pop heights. She cut her last name in half, dropped the Stacy (and most of her clothing), and became the Peas' gyrating, belly-baring, real-life Bratz doll songstress.

Before the "humps" and "lady lumps," Fergie formed the girl group Wild Orchid. But, when the group fell apart, so too did Fergie; her escalating drug use spiraled into a crystal-meth addiction. With her mother's help, she rehabbed and joined the Black Eyed Peas.

After winning a Grammy with the group, Fergie went solo, releasing her debut album The Dutchess in 2006. As it topped the charts, so did her personal life with hunky actor Josh Duhamel, whom she married in a white fantasy Malibu wedding in January 2009.