Johnny Vegas

When a career in pottery did not quite pan out for Johnny Vegas, he turned to stand-up comedy, which has led to an impressive career in film and television. His early small screen work included "The Johnny Vegas Television Show" and "Attention Scum," on which he also served as writer. These aired during the late '90s and early '00s, and paved the way for the heavyset, oft-unpredictable comedian to branch out from simply playing himself. He subsequently co-starred as Charlie Doyle, a suitably low-brow supporting character, in the sitcom "Happiness." After "Happiness" wrapped up in 2003, Vegas was ready to move on to features, although his '04 comedy "Sex Lives of the Potato Men" was not particularly well-received. Through the end of the '00s, his highest-profile film role was that of Charles Sackville, the real-life nobleman, hedonist, and frequent patron of the arts, in the '04 costume drama "The Libertine" starring Johnny Depp. His television output around this time, however, was as well-received as ever: In the eight-hour adaptation of "Bleak House," which aired in '05, he played Krook alongside an all-star cast. That same year, he began starring in the series "Ideal" as Moz, a drug dealer whose desires for a drama-free existence are consistently dashed. Finally, from '07 to '09, Vegas appeared in the popular ensemble comedy "Benidorm" as Geoff Maltby, an incorrigible braggart and man-child.