Though she has been working steadily most of her adult life, Connie Britton didn’t become a household name until she became the coach’s wife in the film and TV adaptations of “Friday night Lights” in 2004 and 2006 respectively. She followed up her Emmy-nominated role with a stint on the first season of “American Horror Story” in 2011 (also earned her an Emmy nod) and the currently airing musical nighttime soap “Nashville”. While she wrote plays and did some local theater, she left her home in Lynchburg, Va., where she moved at 7 with her fraternal twin Cynthia, she studied Asian studies at Dartmouth and learned to speak Chinese while living in Beijing. Post-college she gravitated back to boards and spent two years training with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse. She worked in off-Broadway shows before landing a part in Ed Burns’ seminal 1995 indie “The Brothers McMullen”. After losing a pat in Jerry Maguire to Renee Zellweger, she found parts on “24”, “The West Wing” and “Spin City”. “Nashville”, which debuted in 2012 and showcases her singing voice each week, earned her Best Actress Golden Globe and Emmy nominations. She plays the doting wife on TV, but in real life she divorced investment banker John Britton after less than four years. She has however found happiness as a mom. She adopted son Eyob from Ethiopia in 2011.