Kerry Washington

Though she had her start in the indie film world, actress Kerry Washington scored her first big breakthrough role as a street-smart mom in the surprise mainstream hit, "Save the Last Dance" (2001). Seemingly emerging out of the blue, Washington actually paid her dues on the stage and in a number of small films before her breakout performance, which paved the way for another acclaimed turned in "The United States of Leland" (2003). But it was …