Uma Thurman

Born on April 29 1970, Uma Thurman was raised in an offbeat, bohemian household by intellectual parents. Her Swedish-born mother, Nena, was a psychotherapist who was briefly married to psychedelic guru Timothy Leary-that's about as offbeat as a person can get-before marrying one of his prized students, Robert A.F. Thurman. Uma's father has the distinction of being the first American's to be ordained a Tibetan Buddhist monk (he has long since renounced his monastic life and is currently head of the religion department at Columbia University). Steeped in Buddhist faith and encouraged to be free thinkers, Uma and her three brothers, Dechen, Ganden, and Mipam (all four children were named for Hindu deities; "Uma" translates into "bestower of blessings"), developed a multicultural worldview, to say the least. The family lived for extended periods in India (while the children were in grade school), Amherst, Massachusetts, and Woodstock, New York. Even Stateside, the Thurman household had an international feel, as her father hosted monks from around the globe, and entertained his personal friend, the Dalai Lama, when he visited America.