The 2004 audiences who "discovered" Sophie Okonedo via her intense performance as Tatiana in Hotel Rwanda may be amazed to learn where they've seen her before: as Jim Carrey's African girlfriend in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.

Born in London to a Nigerian father and an English mother on January 1, 1969, Okonedo was an avid reader as a child and eventually joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. Acclaimed stage work led to numerous BBC appearances and small British films such as Young Soul Rebels and Cross My Heart. After the Ace Ventura sequel, she wasn't widely seen by U.S. audiences again until a bit in The Jackal and 2002's Dirty Pretty Things, in which she gave memorable support as a wisecracking hooker.

Now boasting wide recognition, star status and a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for Hotel Rwanda, Okonedo will make her action debut in the 2005 release Aeon Flux.