Simon Baker turned heads in a mere handful of minutes onscreen as the earnest, ill-fated aspiring actor in the neo-noir thriller “L.A. Confidential” (1997), and since became a deft specialist at rapier-edged television heroes with distinct antiheroic tendencies, as well as a go-to hunk for smarmy lothario film roles. A native of Australia, once bound for stardom there, he had rarely been seen in his many U.S. roles speaking in anything but an American accent. He utilized this skill with his role on CBS’s crime drama hit, “The Guardian" (2001-04) which helped solidify his celebrity stateside.
