Okay, right away, let us call this gorgeous guy by his right name. Ioan (pronounced like Yo-han) is Welsh and his last name is pronounced Griffith. When he went into show biz, the actor decided to never change his name and we admire him for that. Whether it's those puppy-dog brown eyes, that curly black hair, his friendliness or the posh Brit accent that draws you in, this is one adorable fellow.

Ioan Gruffudd stars as William Wilberforce Credit: Samuel Goldwyn Films

Enough gushing.. Ioan has tackled everything from Brit costume drama in the "Hornblower" and "The Forsythe Saga" TV series, to playing Mr. Fantastic.. the stretchy super-hero in the popular Fantastic Four films. Now, you can catch the versatile actor playing an amazing historical character in Amazing Grace. William Wilberforce, a British politician and philanthropist, almost single-handedly abolished slavery in the British Empire almost 30 years before it was ended in the U.S. by Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1862.

Wilberforce was one cool dude! He also started the Royal version of the SPCA because he didn't like the horrible way animals were being treated. You can learn all this in a history book but why not see a well-made, well-acted film version of the story? We spoke with Ioan in Beverly Hills about period films versus big popcorn movies, his happiness at finally having an action figure in his image and all about Amazing Grace and the new Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer films!