Celebrity portraits by The Times

Actor Hugh Jackman is photographed at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Manhattan, in advance of his new film, “Les Miserables, “ Nov. 30, 2012.   (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Walton Goggins’ busy year has included the TV series “Justified” and “Sons of Anarchy” and films “Lincoln” and “Django Unchained.”
More: Walton Goggins talks ‘Django Unchained,’ ‘Justified’  (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Marion Cotillard portrays a trainer of orcas struggling to recover from the loss of her legs in “Rust and Bone.”
More:‘Rust and Bone’s’ Marion Cotillard dives head-first into roles  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Matt Damon, left, has returned to screenwriting. His “Promised Land” pen pal: John Krasinski.
More: Matt Damon and John Krasinski’s zigzag path to ‘Promised Land’  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Omar Sy won the Cesar actor prize for his role as a rambunctious caretaker in the French film “The Intouchables.”  (Ricardo DeAratanha/ Los Angeles Times)

Samantha Barks makes her film debut in the role of the lovelorn street waif Eponine in “Les Miserables.”  (Jay L. Clendenin/ Los Angeles Times)

Eddie Redmayne plays Marius, the student revolutionary and object of Eponine’s unrequited love in “Les Miserables.”   (Jay L. Clendenin/ Los Angeles Times)

Michael Haneke, known for tales of families in distress, approaches the topic from a somewhat different angle in “Amour.”  (Genaro Molina/ Los Angeles Times)

An Oscar nod gave Aussie star Jacki Weaver a boost. Now she’s starring with Robert De Niro in “Silver Linings Playbook.”  (Ricardo DeAratanha/ Los Angeles Times)

The Screen Actors Guild will give veteran entertainer Dick Van Dyke its Life Achievement Award, honoring his storied career and humanitarian work.  (Jay L. Clendenin/ Los Angeles Times)

Never one to shy from a risky role, Nicole Kidman adds to her derring-do with “The Paperboy.”  (Robert Gauthier/ Los Angeles Times)

Sally Field says Steven Spielberg had told her she wasn’t a good fit to play opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln,” but she fought for the role.  (Robert Gauthier/ Los Angeles Times)

Veteran actor Hal Holbrook, 87, appears in “Lincoln” and can soon be seen in “The Promised Land.”  (Mel Melcon/ Los Angeles Times)

Actors Garrett Hedlund and Kristen Stewart and director Sam Riley with a 1941 Hudson, similar to the one used in their new movie, “On the Road.”   (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

English actress Rachel Weisz at the Beverly Hills Hotel.  (Kirk McKoy/ Los Angeles Times)

Tommy Lee Jones, who plays a supporting role in Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” is photographed in the Sunset Ballroom at the Beverly Hills Hotel.  (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

“Anna Karenina” star Keira Knightley has backed off from taking things “far too seriously.”  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Actor Suraj Sharma, shown at Fox Studios, seems unfazed by events that led him from a hoped-for lunch date with his brother to stardom thanks to “Life of Pi.”  (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

Actor Daniel Day-Lewis spent months perfecting a reedy, Middle American twang for the performance he was about to deliver in “Lincoln” as the 16th American president.  (Robert Gauthier/ Los Angeles Times)

Ewan McGregor finds emotional depth and “a great deal of understanding” as a distraught father in “The Impossible.”   (Genaro Molina/ Los Angeles Times)

In “The Impossible,” actress Naomi Watts was expected to convey a range of complexly emotions, with little dialogue, in her role as a mother struggling after a tsunami splits her family.  (Jay L. Clendenin/ Los Angeles Times)

With 20 years of screen credits behind him, Jake Gyllenhaal is a 31-year-old actor with a résumé that defies expectations.  (Carolyn Cole/ Los Angeles Times)

Academy Award-winning director Oliver Stone’s latest series of documentaries, “Oliver Stone’s Untold History of the United States,” premiered Nov. 12 on Showtime. Stone was photographed at the Showtime offices in Westwood. The series is an alternative history of the U.S. from World War II to the present.  (Genaro Molina/ Los Angeles Times)

French actress Berenice Marlohe is the latest Bond girl, Severin, in the 23rd Bond film, “Skyfall,” starring Daniel Craig.   (Brian van der Brug/ Los Angeles Times)

Actor Brian Austin Green, at Mo’s restaurant in Burbank, is set to star in a new comedy on TBS called “Wedding Band.” In it, the former “Beverly Hills, 90210” star plays a perma-bachelor and frontman for a scrappy wedding band that hopes to hit the big time.   (Gary Friedman/ Los Angeles Times)

Swedish actress Alicia Vikander photographed in Los Angeles. Vikander stars in the Danish film “A Royal Affair” opening Nov. 9, 2012, and she plays Kitty in “Anna Karenina.”  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Alan Arkin, photographed in Toronto, plays a little comic relief in the hostage rescue drama “Argo,” starring as a movie producer.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Quvenzhane Wallis stars in the movie “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” about a father and daughter who eke out a living in the Louisiana delta. Willis is photographed at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Golden Globe-winning actor Richard Gere is photographed at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Gere can be seen in the suspense thriller “Arbitrage.”   (Jay L. Clendenin/ Los Angeles Times)

Singer and actress Kristin Chenoweth performed at Lehigh University Zoellner Arts Center after a suffering a serious head injury in July 2012 on the set of “The Good Wife.”   (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

Actress Laura Linney stars in the upcoming movies “The Details” and “Hyde Park on the Hudson.”  (Carolyn Cole/ Los Angeles Times)

In the NFL, Michael Strahan was an imposing figure, but now paired with Kelly Ripa on “Live!”, he’s become morning TV’s gentle giant.
MORE: Michael Strahan is morning TV’s big guy  (Carolyn Cole/ Los Angeles Times)

Felicity Huffman is filling time after “Desperate Housewives” with the David Mamet play “November” and a mothering website.
MORE: It’s no easy act for Felicity Huffman  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Alfre Woodard plays Ouiser in the Lifetime channel’s remake of “Steel Magnolias,” but her work in politics and education is stellar as well and keeps her just as busy.
MORE: ‘Steel Magnolias’: Alfre Woodard, an activist who acts  (Carolyn Cole/ Los Angeles Times)

Alec Baldwin has seen his career take an unexpected turn at “30 Rock.” Television was once seen as a demotion for fading movie stars; Baldwin has proved it can be a viable -- even desirable -- career choice.
MORE: ‘30 Rock’ survives and should endure  (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

With her sixth album, “The Truth About Love,” Pink is offering more of her classic self: thrashing pop-rock anthems brimming with brash lyrics and confessional ballads.
MORE: Pink brashly tells ‘The Truth About Love’  (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

Rachel McAdams stars in the new movie “To the Wonder.”

MORE: Terrence Malick’s ‘To the Wonder’ headed to theaters  (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

Ezra Miller, a rising young Hollywood actor, who stars in the upcoming movie “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” is photographed in Los Angeles.

MORE: Ezra Miller finds some ‘Perks’ but some drawbacks  (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

Olga Kurylenko stars in the movie “To the Wonder.”
MORE: Not all see the ‘Wonder’ of Terrence Malick, but his actors do  (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

Scoot McNairy is starring in three upcoming films: “Argo,” “Killing Them Softly” and “Promised Land.”  (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

Matthew Perry stars in the NBC comedy “Go On.”
MORE: Matthew Perry is ready for ‘Go On’ — and for it to go on  (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

Ricki Lake has a new talk show on Fox.   (irk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

No Doubt’s Tony Kanal, left, Tom Dumont, Gwen Stefani and Adrian Young have their first new album in 11 years.
MORE: No Doubt may ‘Push and Shove’ its way back to the top’  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Georgia King who plays a single mom on the new NBC sitcom “The New Normal.”
MORE: Television review: ‘The New Normal’ is a sunny take on family  (Kirk McKoy/ Los Angeles Times)

Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora worked with Silver Lake indie label Dangerbird Records on his new solo album.
MORE: For Richie Sambora, a hard-won road to ‘Aftermath of the Lowdown’  (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

Actress Connie Britton plays a fading country singer on ABC’s “Nashville.”
MORE: Connie Britton heads to ‘Nashville’  (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

Writer and director J.J. Abrams is executive producer of NBC’s new drama “Revolution.”
MORE: ‘Revolution’ gives NBC a flicker of hope  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Ben Affleck directs and stars in the political thriller “Argo.” The movie is based on the true story of the covert operation to rescue six Americans during the Iran hostage crisis.
MORE: Ben Affleck goes for real-life drama in ‘Argo’  (Kirk McKoy/ Los Angeles Times)

Actress Helen Hunt is photographed at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica. Hunt stars in “The Sessions” as a sex therapist.
MORE: Helen Hunt fully invests in ‘The Sessions’  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Actor-director-producer Kevin Costner photographed at his home. Costner has received an Emmy nomination for the miniseries “Hatfields & McCoys.”
MORE: Kevin Costner on the hard work of ‘Hatfields & McCoys’  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Emmy-nominated actress Christina Hendricks, who plays Joan Holloway on AMC’s “Mad Men,” is photographed in the L.A. Times studio.
MORE: Christina Hendricks is at ease with Emmy and ‘Mad Men’  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Comedian Roseanne Barr poses for photos before her roast by Comedy Central at the Palladium in Hollywood.
MORE: Roseanne, presidential candidate, can take the heat of a roast  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Jason Sudeikis stars in the new movie “The Campaign.”
MORE: Jason Sudeikis might bolt ‘Saturday Night Live’  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Jeremy Renner keeps “The Bourne Legacy” going as star of the latest film in the franchise.
MORE: `Bourne Legacy¿ star Jeremy Renner on `Avengers¿ action and more  (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

Harvard-educated tough guy Tommy Lee Jones tries romantic comedy with Meryl Streep in “Hope Springs.”
MORE: Tommy Lee Jones opens up for ‘Hope Springs’  (Al Seib/ Los Angeles Times)

Jesse Tyler Ferguson is an established TV presence, a comic mainstay and two-time Emmy nominee playing a gay parent on “Modern Family.”
MORE: Jesse Tyler Ferguson takes on ‘The Producers’ at the Bowl  (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett, who is co-artistic director with husband Andrew Upton of the Sydney Theatre Company, is photographed at the London Hotel in West Hollywood. Blanchett is bringing the company’s acclaimed production of “Uncle Vanya” to the Lincoln Center Festival in New York.
MORE: In the moment with Cate Blanchett  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Aaron Paul, costar of AMC’s Breaking Bad,” at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood. The Emmy-winning drama launches its fifth season Sunday. MORE: Aaron Paul wil be a ‘sobbing mess’ when ‘Breaking Bad’ ends  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Elizabeth Banks is a single mom who discovers she has a brother (Chris Pine) in “People Like Us.”
MORE: What to expect from Elizabeth Banks? A hunger for more  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Eric McCormack embraces his crime-solving role in TNT’s “Perception.”
MORE: Eric McCormack embraces crime-solving role   (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

Kyra Sedgwick is handing in her badge and gun on “The Closer” for movies and maybe even Broadway. MORE: No more crimes for her to solve

Seth Macfarlane said he wanted a departure from “Family Guy.” The result was the hit film “Ted.” MORE: ‘Ted’ stuffed with classic Seth MacFarlane | Why ‘Ted’ sounds so similar to ‘Family Guy’s’ Peter Griffin  (Barbara Davidson/The Los Angeles Times)

Melanie Griffith returns to the spotlight as a young man’s dysfunctional mother in “No Way Around but Through,” a new play written by and starring Scott Caan.
MORE: The Sunday Conversation: Melanie Griffith returns to the stage  (Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times)

Julianne Moore is always on the top of filmmakers’ lists for juicy roles. Playing Sarah Palin on HBO’s “Game Change,” at first, seemed like a strange choice, though.
MORE: Julianne Moore, the ‘get’ star | Julianne Moore gets inside Sarah Palin’s skin for ‘Game Change’   (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

“Magic Mike’s” Channing Tatum, left, Matthew McConaughey and Joe Manganiello agree that it takes effort to be sexy onstage -- especially when you’re oiled.
MORE: For ‘Magic Mike’ crew, being sexy is a lot of work  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Fiona Apple is back on the road with her first album in seven years, “The Idler Wheel...,” a stripped-down confessional that she can’t wait to unleash onstage.
MORE: Slices of life from Fiona Apple   (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Winning “Celebrity Apprentice” was a step toward the prize Arsenio Hall wants: another shot at late-night. He’ll get it.
MORE: Arsenio Hall says ‘there’s a space’ for his new late-night show  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

From the early-days ignominy of getting bumped from Letterman to the I’ve-made-it moment of having Oprah bathe in his tub, Emmy host Kimmel has been around.
MORE: The Contenders: Jimmy Kimmel’s dogged pursuit | Jimmy Kimmel plans to be an active Emmy host   (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Maroon 5 is PJ Morton, left, James Valentine, Adam Levine, Mickey Madden, Matt Flynn. The band likes having hits and made “Overexposed” to live up to its title.
MORE: Maroon 5 built ‘Overexposed’ to be just that  (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

Bryan Cranston, left, and Giancarlo Esposito’s characters squared off in “Breaking Bad,” with deadly consequences.
MORE: ‘Breaking Bad’ and the Gus Fring issue  (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

John Slattery has earned four Emmy nominations playing veteran ad man Roger Sterling on “Mad Men.”
MORE: For ‘Mad Men’s’ John Slattery, another sterling season  (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman’s friendship is easier than their characters’ on “The Killing.”
MORE: Joel Kinnaman gets outside himself for ‘The Killing’ on AMC   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Choosing British actor Damian Lewis as the all-American Marine POW on “Homeland” was risky.
MORE: ‘Homeland,’ Claire Danes could change Showtime’s Emmy picture   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Jon Hamm is the smooth ad man Don Draper on AMC’s Emmy darling “Mad Men.”
VIDEO: Celebrities talk Emmys at Round Table   (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Michael C. Hall is the titular serial killer/forensics expert on Showtime’s “Dexter.”
VIDEO: Celebrities talk Emmys at Round Table   (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

As the driven CIA agent Carrie Mathison on “Homeland,” Claire Danes operates in constant yet controlled motion.
MORE: ‘Homeland,’ Claire Danes could change Showtime’s Emmy picture  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Julianna Margulies plays lawyer and betrayed wife Alicia Florrick on CBS’ “The Good Wife.”
VIDEO: Celebrities talk Emmys at Round Table   (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Tina Fey is contemplating life after her NBC comedy series, “30 Rock.”
MORE: Tina Fey, team queen | Favorite ’30 Rock’ moments  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Michael Pitt immersed himself in HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.” Now he’s moved on to the film “You Can’t Win.”
MORE: The Contenders: Michael Pitt’s new passion project  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Max Greenfield finds it freeing to be “openly humiliated” as Schmidt, his obsessive breakout character on “New Girl.”
MORE: The Contenders: Max Greenfield on the joys of being Schmidt  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Christina Applegate, a familiar face on TV, returned this year in “Up All Night.”
MORE: The view from three TV veterans   (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Actor Taylor Kitsch played troubled high school football star Tim Riggins on NBC’s “Friday Night Lights.” Currently, he is starring in the film “Battleship.”
MORE: Battle tested: Taylor Kitsch has put the ‘John Carter’ disaster behind him   (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Lisa Marie Presley has a new album with T Bone Burnett, “Storm & Grace.”
MORE: Lisa Marie Presley tunes in to her roots with ‘Storm & Grace’   (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

Dustin Lance Black wrote the screenplay for “What’s Wrong With Virginia” as an exercise, focusing on his Mormon childhood in Texas. After the film, his directorial debut, was panned at a film festival, he retooled.  (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

Supermodel Christie Brinkley makes her L.A. stage debut, reprising her Broadway turn as Roxie Hart in “Chicago: The Musical,” at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood.  (Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times)

Benedict Cumberbatch stars in the title role in the BBC series “Sherlock” as well as a villian in the Star Trek sequel that is currently in production.   (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Singer-songwriter Norah Jones has a new album called “Little Broken Hearts.”  (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

Emily Blunt stars in the new movie “The Five-Year Engagement,” about an engaged couple who find themselves sidetracked on the road to marriage.   (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

Dania Ramirez stars in the movie “Premium Rush,” about a bicycle messenger who is chased around New York City by a dirty cop.  (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Writer-director Lorene Scafaria’s new film, “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World”, is a dark romantic comedy starring Steve Carell and Keira Knightley.   (Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times)

Will Ferrell stars as a Spanish-speaking ranchero in “Casa de mi Padre.”  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Ramona Gonzales, a.k.a. Nite Jewel, is one of the young female singer/producers making music that combines the sensibilities of indie rock with dance and contemporary R&B.   (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

Actress Shannen Doherty has been keeping busy with her new reality show, “Shannen Says,” on WeTV and hew own production company, No Apologies.   (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

Lena Headey gets a kick out of the contradictions she embodies as the ruthless queen Cersei Lannister in HBO’s “Game of Thrones.”   (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

James Van Der Beek, the former “Dawson’s Creek” heartthrob, plays a version of himself in the new sitcom “Don’t Trust the B-- in Apartment 23.”  (Bob Chamberlin/Los Angeles Times)