Duo favourite for roles

U.S. actor James Marsters and British actress Keira Knightley are favourites to play Romeo and Juliet, according to a poll by Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company on Thursday.

The online poll on the eve of Shakespeare's 440th birthday asked visitors to the theatre company's Web site who they would ideally like to see play the bard's most famous lovers.

Marsters, who plays Spike in the TV series "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" was a clear winner to star as Romeo, the RSC said.

Knightley, star of hit movies "Love Actually" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" pipped Kate Winslet, Nicole Kidman and Scarlett Johansson for the role of Juliet.

Other contenders for Romeo included Orlando Bloom, Ewan McGregor, Jude Law, Johnny Depp, Colin Firth -- and Ozzy Osbourne.

More than 2,000 people voted for over 150 actors.