Jim Parsons

Thanks to the intense popularity of nerds in entertainment culture, actor Jim Parsons emerged as the poster boy of geek chic, thanks to his winning portrayal of Sheldon Cooper on “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS, 2007- ). His performance as a neurotic and socially maladjusted physicist made Parsons the hit sitcom’s breakout star, turning the Texas-born actor into a frontrunner for an Emmy Award. While his character was stand-offish, calculating and arrogant – as one would expect from a brainiac with two PhDs and a master’s degree – Parsons gave his character a healthy dose of charm and leading man