Hollywood loves its hot young-ish stars, from the Ryans (Gosling and Reynolds), to Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Pattinson, Johnny Depp, even Zac Efron -- and my future second husband, James Franco. Together, these fine fellows have returned billions in box office earnings, not to mention an Oscar nomination or two.

But what about the boys who labor on screen, but whose popularity is more than a smidge less than their superstar brethren? After all, for every super-hot Bradley Cooper, there’s an equally hot but underused Justin Bartha. And for every magnificent specimen like Chris Evans, there’s, well, Chris Evans.

Here are 12 Hollywood actors whose presence on big and little screens is a great mixture of talent, brains and a beautiful expanse of brawn. Their careers may not curently have the luster they deserve, but with luck, timing, and the right part, they could be on the verge of superstardom.

Tom Welling

A teenage model who maneuvered his boyishly handsome looks into TV roles, Welling spent a hugely lucrative decade playing young Clark Kent in the popular Smallville. Though he’s appeared in only three films so far – in big screen remakes of The Fog and Cheaper by the Dozen and a sequel – the intensely private Welling has time (and good looks) on his side as he searches for what hopefully will be a big screen breakthrough.

Colin Farrell

Look up “faltering career” in the dictionary and there you’ll find Colin Farrell’s beautiful face. After a few spectacular seasons on British TV, Farrell exploded on American movie screens like a thousands points of McConaughey, only to see his film career turn to dust faster than you can say, “Christian Slater.” A decade of woeful screenplay choices later, Farrell has cleaned up his act and signed up for several servings of lighter, comedic fare. Nothing yet can top that sex tape, though.

Matt Lanter

This beautiful boy played President Geena Davis’s son for a TV season, then took his dreamy eyes and ripped physique to the relaunch of 90201, where he was featured in an amazing stripping scene. In between, he’s appeared in some truly terrible films. (Did anyone see Vampires Suck?) For the sake of seeing much more of young Mr. Lanter on the big screen, we can only hope he has the kind of talent that has been glimpsed from time to time. Let’s hope he finds a script worthy of those gorgeous eyes.

Idris Elba

The most handsome man never to have a starring role in American movies or TV is the Golden Globe winning star of Luther, a British hit available on BBC America. He also has a growing list of stateside TV credits, from The Office to The Wire to The Big C. You’ve seen him, and if you’re lucky, he’s taken off his shirt. After a few movie roles, the incredible Elba graced the big screen in the blockbuster Thor. Coming up next could be his big breakthrough: a lead role in Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim.

Kevin Zegers

A Canadian model and actor, Zegers appeared in his first movie in 1993 and went on to complete 35 more. Some, like Air Bud run constantly on premium cable networks, though most are quite forgettable. Zegers’ big breakthrough, though, was starring as Felicity Huffman’s son in the road-trip-transgender dramedy Transamerica that won festival awards and Oscar nominations. Faster than you can say “Timothy Hutton,” Zegers’ career went nowhere. He’s currently got a Gossip Girl arc and a vampire movie.

Timothy Olyphant

Pegged by most to be a handsome young actor who specialized in offbeat character roles, Olyphant has recently matured and grayed into a talented lead actor who can play young men who are wise beyond their years. With a long string of movies behind him (his best role was drug dealer Todd Gaines in the highly under-rated and very watchable Tarantino tribute, Go). Olyphant was magnificent in HBO’s curse-laden Deadwood and is even better in FX’s Justified. He has developed a grown-up handsomeness that is excruciating. Why is he not in George Clooney movies?

Parry Shen

We predict a bigger acting career for Parry Shen. With more than 50 TV and movie credits on his resume, Parry Shen’s first big break came as an honor roll high school student falling into a downward spiral of crime in Better Luck Tomorrow. After roles on series including Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Brothers and Sisters, and NCIS Los Angeles, he’s now got three movies about to open. Parry is also the co-creator of the graphic novel Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology.

Chris Pine

A son of Hollywood (a generation ago, his father played Sgt. Joseph Getraer in Chips), Pine has appeared in fewer TV and film projects than most Tinseltown tots. He started in CSI Miami and Six Feet Under before slipping into the awful Surrender Dorothy and the sublimely bad Bottle Shock. Then, faster than a locked-on-stun phaser came the role of James T. Kirk in the re-jiggered Star Trek. With equal parts homage and snark, Pine channeled his inner Shatner and commanded the film, at the same time making you wonder how he managed to stuff a family of Tribbles down his tight pants. What’s up next? Star Trek 2 of course!

James McAvoy

A diminutive British import with scads of important, award-winning TV roles behind him, pocket-sized star McAvoy hit American screens in The Chronicles of Narnia and The Last King of Scotland, showing he could specialize in tormented-sprite parts. His next role as a doomed soldier received a major Hollywood-style launch, but the heart-wrenchingly sad Atonement never picked up speed at the box office. A darling young man with a beautiful face, McAvoy’s short film career slowed, even with a starring role in X-Men: First Class and now, faster than you can say “Emilio Estevez”, his next film is a cartoon voice-over.

Justin Bartha

At age 33, Bartha’s acting resume is rather slim, but there are enough credits so your chance of seeing him a supporting role is greater than spotting him at the Beverly Center. One of his first roles is in a movie that is not much better than its reputation: Gigli, where he plays Ben Affleck’s brain-challenged kidnap victim. The same year, he played Nicolas Cage’s assistant in National Treasure, then appeared as the missing groom in the massive multiplex moneymaker The Hangover and its less exciting sequel. He’s also done Broadway in a Tony nominated play, and dated an Olsen twin.

Kevin Alejandro

At age 35, it seems like the acting opportunities of a lifetime are finally arriving for San Antonio, Texas native Alejandro. After TV appearances in Crossing Jordan, CSI, 24, JAG, Alias and others, Alejandro landed a splashy, recurring role in Ugly Betty, then a role on Southland and, most spectacularly, as magic man Jesus Velasquez on True Blood. Though his future with True Blood may be uncertain, we’d like to see much more of those beautiful eyes.

Nick D’Agosto

Viewers of the new indie hit Dirty Girl perk up during the zippy road comedy when D’Agosto slinks on screen as an exotic dancer hitchhiking to Vegas. In a deserted drive-in movie he displays his talent, all of it, in a seductive, adult cowboy striptease. Hard to believe that, just a few years ago, D’Agosto was discovered in a classroom in the high school where the Reese Witherspoon movie Election was filmed. For a season, he played Hayden Panettiere’s flying friend on Heroes. But we’ll always remember that striptease.

Josh Duhamel

Who’s the best actor working in Hollywood that hasn’t seemed to get a real break? I say it’s Josh Duhamel. What more proof does Hollywood need? He’s gorgeous, really tall, and built like a marble statue. He played in daytime soaps (and won an Emmy) and got stuck in a five year TV contract doing that miserable Vegas TV show with James Caan. He’s been in all of the Transformer movies, and he managed to make it through an entire Katherine Heigl romantic comedy without throwing up. And then there’s Win a Date with Tad Hamilton where he spends most of the movie sans shirt, or at least wearing tight jeans. The year Tad Hamilton was released, Jamie Foxx was given the Best Actor award for Ray. Josh, my friend, you were robbed.