When gauging his chances of success on the Big Screen, one name strikes fear into the hearts of David Duchovny fans. No, not The Smoking Man. Rather, it's David Caruso - a big TV star who failed wretchedly in a crossover attempt. Duchovny himself, typically, considers the comparison lightly and intelligently. He knows that Caruso, star of NYPD Blue, did not spend long cementing his reputation on TV, while he himself has completed seven seasons of The X-Files. He knows that, as a hitter, he's heavier. And he knows his latest movie vehicle, Evolution, in which he stars alongside Julianne Moore, is close enough in theme and spirit to his TV series to work as a stepping-stone to more varied projects. He's a clever man, this Duchovny.

He was born David William Duchovny on August 7th, 1960, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. His father was Brooklyn-born Amram Ducovny (a man who clearly has no need of extra Hs), a playwright who also worked as publicist for the American Jewish Committee. His mother, Margaret, was a Lutheran Scot, and a teacher. With that heritage, Duchovny jokes, you shouldn't ask him for money. He also says it gave him a "Protestant work ethic combined with Jewish guilt and introspection". He has an older brother, Daniel, and a younger sister, Laurie.

Credit: tiscali.co.uk