THE OXFORD SHIRT Oxford by BURBERRY LONDON, $165; pants, $199; and tie, $99, by FILIPPA K; cuff links by BROOKS BROTHERS, $85; sneakers by NIKE, $90; watch by ORIS, $2,325

AGE 27 HOMETOWN St. Paul, Minnesota

Ugly doesn't play in front of a camera, but it takes more than good looks to sustain a career in Hollywood. Chiseled actor Ian Anthony Dale, who's half Japanese, half French-English, has been one of many striking faces to grace television shows like Charmed, Las Vegas, and Fastlane, but it's a strong work ethic that helped him land the part of investigator Davis Lee on NBC's sci-fi hit Surface. "I take a lot of pride in preparation," he says. "My friends are always giving me shit because I won't go out on a Friday if I have an audition, like, the next Thursday." In addition to his concern for craft, Dale consciously attempts to provide real, human characters that won't offend his fellow Asians. "Coming to Hollywood, I vowed never to do anything stereotypical, like the funny Asian store clerk or the kung fu ninja dude," he says. His vow was tested in 2004, when he played Fukuda, a Japanese pitcher who curses incorrectly in Bernie Mac's Mr. 3000. "Instead of being slapstick, I tried to make the funniness come out of his conviction that what he's saying is right." Prepared and principled? That is a good look.

WHERE YOU CAN SEE HIM NEXT: In upcoming episodes of Surface.