Trivia: As Saturday Night Live's first-ever female head writer, quick-witted comedian Tina Fey not only shattered the glass ceiling at SNL, but also succeeded in proving that she is one of the most talented comedy writers in the entertainment industry. The Upper Darby, PA, native quickly made her way to Chicago's famed Second City after finishing drama studies at the University of Virginia in 1992, maintaining her livelihood with a job at the local YMCA and rapidly excelling through Second City's exhausting course load. Advised by her instructor to skip forward to the more selective Second City Training Center, Fey took him up on his advice and, though rejected at first, she was eventually accepted into the fold. When Saturday Night Live came to Second City seeking some fresh new talent in 1995, Fey and friend Adam McKay stood out from the pack. It was McKay's prompting that eventually found Fey hired as a writer for the enduring sketch comedy series. In addition to opening the door for her entrance into SNL, her tenure at Second City also found Fey making the acquaintance of future husband Jeff Richmond, who served as director for the Chicago comedy troupe. After joining the cast as a staff writer in 1997, Fey soon made history as SNL's first female writing supervisor two short years later. She was Emmy-nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program three years in a row from 2001-2003, and her mark both behind the scenes and as one-half of the Weekend Update crew (opposite SNL favorite Jimmy Fallon) was unmistakable. When Fallon left SNL in 2004, Amy Poehler took over his position at the news desk, making her and Fey the first two-woman news team in Weekend Update history.In the midst of her hectic schedule at Studio 8H, Fey somehow found time to perform the critically praised two-woman comedy show Dratch and Fey in both Chicago (1999) and New York (2000). Fey's other work has included writing for such programs as the confrontational comedy series The Colin Quinn Show, shown on pay-cable mainstay Comedy Central. If fans had wondered when -- as all high-profile SNL cast members eventually do -- Fey would set her sights on feature films, their curiosity would soon be answered when it was announced that Fey would be writing and appearing in Mean Girls (2004), an adaptation of author Rosalind Wiseman's popular book Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Boyfriends and Other Realities of Adolescence. The film's combination of high-school realism and smart humor made it a hit with teens and adults alike. As the 2004-2005 season of SNL drew to a close, Fey announced that she wouldn't be returning for the next season, but fans of the writer and comedian didn't stray too far. She would leave the show only to become a bigger star in her own right, creating, writing, and starring in the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, which she both wrote and starred in as the head writer for a popular sketch comedy series. Additionally, Fey would cement her role as the queen of comedy with roles in feature films like Baby Mama and Date Night.

Trivia: Equally at home playing leads and character roles, actor Alec Baldwin is known for his work in just about every genre, from action thrillers to comedies to dramas. Born April 3, 1958, in Massapequa, Long Island, he was the second of six children (brothers William, Daniel, and Stephen would also become actors). Baldwin was a political science major at George Washington University before he decided to become an actor; following his change in vocation, he studied drama at NYU and the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Early in his career, Baldwin was a busy man, simultaneously playing a role on the TV daytime drama The Doctors and performing in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream on-stage in the evenings. A few years after making his 1980 Broadway debut, the actor moved to Los Angeles, where he landed a part in the television series Knots Landing. He made his film debut in 1987 with a starring role in Forever, Lulu, which led to work in a number of major films. From 1988 to 1989 alone, Baldwin appeared in no less than seven films, including Tim Burton's black comedy Beetlejuice, Mike Nichols' Working Girl, Jonathan Demme's Married to the Mob, and Oliver Stone's Talk Radio. In 1990, Baldwin achieved big-budget success playing ace CIA agent Jack Ryan in the undersea thriller The Hunt for Red October. The film's popularity won him acclaim, so Baldwin surprised many by foregoing the opportunity to reprise his role in the sequel Patriot Games (he was replaced by Harrison Ford) in favor of returning to Broadway to star as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire. Although his decision paid off -- he received a Tony nomination for his performance -- it also marked the point at which Baldwin's star wattage began to flicker. His 1991 film, The Marrying Man proved to be an all-out flop (although it did provide him an introduction to co-star Kim Basinger, whom he would marry in 1993), and the critical success of his next two films, Prelude to a Kiss and Glengarry Glen Ross was overshadowed by a subsequent string of flops, including Malice (1993), The Getaway (1994), and The Juror (1996). The actor rebounded a bit with his role in Al Pacino's acclaimed documentary Looking for Richard (1996) but then had the unfortunate luck of starring in the 1998 Bruce Willis disaster Mercury Rising. However, the following year proved more fortuitous for Baldwin, as he starred in the coming-of-age comedy Outside Providence, as well as in the crime drama Thick As Thieves and the ethical drama The Confession, appearing alongside Amy Irving and Ben Kingsley. In addition, the actor made an uncredited appearance in Notting Hill, sending up his macho Hollywood persona as Julia Roberts' piggish actor boyfriend.Baldwin started off the 2000s by re-teaming with David Mamet on the Hollywood satire State and Main as a lecherous leading man with a weakness for underage girls. He provided narration for Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums, and was one of the few people to escape unscathed from Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor. Although he continued to make headlines because of his politics, as well as his ongoing legal scuffles with now ex-wife Kim Basinger, Baldwin continued to do strong work in the comedies Along Came Polly (2004) and Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), and scored his first-ever Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor playing a menacing casino manager in 2003's The Cooler. He became a part of Martin Scorsese's stock company playing Juan Trippe in 2004's The Aviator, following it up as a federal agent in love with the Patriot Act in 2006's The Departed.Baldwin's longstanding association with the venerable sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (he has hosted over ten times) paid great dividends when he was hired to play the part of the boss on former SNL head writer Tina Fey's fall 2006 sitcom 30 Rock. He earned universal raves for his work on the show, and would earn a Golden Globe nomination every single year of the show's run, winning the award three times. He'd also pick up no less than five Emmy nods, winning that award twice as well. Baldwin was positively beloved on the series, but he would also continue to work in film as well, most notably in the 2009 romcom It's Complicated, which he starred in with Meryl Streep, and the 2012 Woody Allen ensemble film To Rome with Love.

Trivia: New York-born Saturday Night Live cast member Tracy Morgan memorably spoofed everyone from Fat Albert to Tiger Woods' father during his time on the long-running comedy television staple. Working in mostly bit roles until a scathingly incisive skit in which he claimed that his biggest role each week was the guy waving in the background during the closing credits, Morgan then began a streak of standout characters that quickly placed his distinctive mark among his fellow cast members. Morgan appeared on television's Martin before joining the cast of SNL in September 1996, later appearing in 3rd Rock From the Sun and in such films as Half Baked (1998) and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001). With his film career picking up momentum with such comedies as 30 Years to Life and Frank McKlusky, C.I., it appeared that Morgan would enjoy a healthy career away from his Saturday Night Live home. Morgan appeared in the Chris Rock-directed comedy Head of State, and was the star of the short-lived sitcom The Tracy Morgan Show. He also contributed regularly to the prank-phone-calls-with-puppets series Crank Yankers. In addition to a video release compiling his most memorable moments from Saturday Night Live, Morgan appeared in Adam Sandler's remake of The Longest Yard, and played a role in the Wayans brothers comedy Little Man. Morgan was one of many contributors to Bob Saget's spoof Farce of the Penguins. In the fall of 2006, he joined the cast of 30 Rock, former SNL head writer Tina Fey's new sitcom about the backstage antics at a similar live sketch comedy show. A major hit for NBC, 30 Rock earned Morgan an Emmy nomination in 2009, and was still going strong three years later. Meanwhile, when he wasn't cracking up television viewers, Morgan could frequently be seen on the big screen in such films as the Kevin Smith buddy cop comedy Cop Out, and the Neil LaBute remake Death at a funeral. Though in 2011 Morgan received a verbal lashing from GLAAD following a stand-up routine that the organization viewed as homophobic, the quick witted writers at 30 Rock wasted no time turning versy into comedy gold by poking fun at the incident in primetime.

Trivia: A musical theater veteran, Jane Krakowski is best known for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of scheming law secretary Elaine on the Fox TV hit Ally McBeal. Raised in Parsippany, NJ, Krakowski began taking dance lessons at age three. After making her movie debut as an orally skilled teenager in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), she garnered two Emmy nominations during her 1984-1986 stint on the serial Search for Tomorrow. Though she acted in several TV productions, including Men and Women II (1991) and Queen (1993), and had small feature film parts in Fatal Attraction (1987) and Stepping Out (1991), Krakowski found more success on Broadway in the first half of the 1990s. After she earned a Tony nomination for her work in the 1990 musical Grand Hotel, the actress was featured in several shows, including the revival of Once Upon a Mattress starring Sarah Jessica Parker. Krakowski became a TV star, however, when she was cast in Ally McBeal in 1997. As ambitious busybody Elaine, Krakowski became a bombshell comic foil to Calista Flockhart's neurotic Ally, asserting her power over the series' law office with her well-honed observational skills. The actress also displayed her versatile talents in the show's whimsical song-and-dance interludes. Bolstered by her TV success, Krakowski played a supporting role in the dance romance Dance With Me (1998), appeared as the seemingly lascivious wife of William Fichtner's bizarre narc in Go (1999), and starred as Betty in the sequel The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000). After Ally McBeal went off the air in 2002, Krakowski continued to divide her time between TV, features and the stage. Along with voicing one of the female sloths in the hit animated movie Ice Age (2002), Krakowski starred in the made for TV romantic comedy Just a Walk in the Park (2002) and played a supporting role in the Lisa Kudrow comic vehicle Marci X (2003). As in the early 1990s, though, Krakowski wound up attracting more attention on Broadway. Drawing positive notice for her acrobatic entrance via a bed sheet as well as her musical gifts, Krakowski earned another Tony nomination for her sexy supporting performance as Antonio Banderas's mistress in the acclaimed revival of Nine, the musical version of Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 (1963).She was one of the female conquests for Jude Law in the remake of Alfie in 2004, and had a great success starting in 2006 when she was cast as Jenna Maroney, the oversexed, undereducated, deeply vain, and paranoid actress at the center of the fictional show within the show on the highly-respected sitcom 30 Rock. She provided a voice for the animated flim Open Season, and its sequel.

Trivia: Comedic actor Scott Adsit got his start performing at Chicago's Second City in the mid-'90s, where he met and befriended Tina Fey. He transitioned from stage to screen with a handful of appearances on HBO's Mr. Show with Bob and David and went on to take on guest roles on several TV shows, including Friends and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Adsit got his first taste of steady work with Cartoon Network's Moral Orel, which he wrote, produced and provided voices for. With his career on a roll, Adsit reunited with Tina Fey in 2006, when he was cast opposite her on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. During the run of 30 Rock, he appeared in a number of animated and live-action projects including The Informant, The Music Never Stopped, and Arthur.

Trivia: After supporting roles in such films as Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Georgia-born actor Jack McBrayer found notoriety in 2006 as the naïve NBC page Kenneth on 30 Rock. That memorable, outrageous role launched McBreyer, a Second City alumnus, and led to him landing small but memorable parts in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and The Campaign. He also found steady work as a voice-over actor in projects such as Despicable Me and Wreck-It Ralph.

Trivia: Katrina Bowden got her start in show business working as a model in her hometown of Wyckoff, NJ. Within a few years of beginning her acting career, she landed a role on the daytime soap One Life to Live, but problems arose when she soon later won the role of Cerie on the comedy series 30 Rock, and the two shows had conflicting shooting schedules. Opting to stick with 30 Rock, Bowden became a favorite character of fans, and later appeared in films as well, like Sex Drive and American Reunion.

Trivia: In his public appearances, standup comedian Judah Friedlander usually wears big glasses and a trucker hat over his shaggy head of dark hair. He's one of those guys who has the decency to appear untainted by his own mediocre brand of stardom. In other words, he can play in Hollywood movies that show at major theaters, yet still maintain a safe comedic distance from slimy show business. This has mostly been accomplished by doing short scenes in smallish comedies, starting with Meet the Parents (starring Ben Stiller). Friedlander then did the walk-on role of no-good husband Ron in the hilarious spoof Wet Hot American Summer. (He was the guy with sideburns to trying to win back his wife [Molly Shannon].) Other bit parts came about in the mock documentary Endsville and the MTV movie Spring Break Lawyer. He worked with Stiller again in Zoolander and had a small part in the stoner comedy How High. In 2002, he had a brief speaking role in the terrible action comedy Showtime, starring Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro. Friedlander is perhaps best known for his unforgettable portrayal of Genuine Nerd Toby Radloff in American Splendor, the innovative documentary/biography about comic book author Harvey Pekar. The film was a festival success and earned Friedlander a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Independent Spirit Awards. Television audiences may remember him as the guy who gives out hugs in the popular Dave Matthews Band video for "Everyday." He's also made numerous appearances on late-night variety shows and various sitcoms. Projects for 2004 include Along Came Polly (starring Stiller again) and Palindromes (directed by Todd Solondz).In 2006 he began work on the award-winning sitcom 30 Rock playing Frank Rossitano, the ball-cap wearing, most vulgar member of the TGS writing staff. This was his most high-profile success to date, but he continued to land pars in big-screen projects like the Project Greenlight horror film Feast, The Wrestler, Meet Dave, and Beware the Gonzo.

Trivia: After earning his BFA in drama from the Tisch School of Arts at New York University in 2001, Keith Powell got to work founding the Contemporary Stage Company in Wilmington, DE. In addition to helping direct and produce several successful stage productions, Powell also set to work cultivating an acting career, making several small appearances on shows like Law & Order before landing the supporting role of comedy writer Toofer on the popular series 30 Rock.

Trivia: Spent six years traveling around the world after graduating college. Was a New York City bartender before landing his first acting role. Joined the Workhouse Theatre Company while studying with Will Esper. Nearly died from a bacterial infection in 2009; he spent three weeks in the ICU and had to have two toes and half a thumb amputated. In 2010, began playing Mayhem in a long-running series of Allstate Insurance ads.

Trivia: A native of Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he was born on September 18, 1973, Marsden grew up with a sister and two brothers. Following a short stint at Oklahoma State University, he dropped out of school to move to Los Angeles and pursue his interest in acting. Marsden's move led to work as a Versace model and to a brief role as the original Griffin on Fox's Party of Five (the part would later be taken over by Jeremy London), as well as brief stints on a variety of other TV series. Marsden's growing fan base got another boost when he was cast alongside Katie Holmes and Nick Stahl in David Nutter's Disturbing Behavior; despite the film's lackluster performance, in part abetted by an overabundance of teen horror films, Marsden was able to nab the plum role of Cyclops in Singer's X-Men. One of the most highly anticipated films of 2000, it allowed the actor to work alongside the likes of Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Anna Paquin, and Famke Janssen. Marsden's rising popularity was reflected in his busy schedule the following year; among his projects was Sugar and Spice, a black comedy that cast him opposite fellow up-and-comer Mena Suvari. In 2003 Marsden would once again appear as Cyclops in the big-budget X-Men sequel, X2. Marsden continued to work steadily insuch films as The Notebook and Heights before returning for trhe third installment of the X-Men franchise. Although he appeared again as Cyclops, he in fact scored more screen time in Bryan Singer's Superman Returns playing Lois Lane's husband who must contend with the fact that his wife is in love with the man of steel. He also played opposite Amy Adams in Enchanted a romantic fable that combined live-action with animation. Marsden would go on to enjoy a growing leading-man status, appearing in movies like The Box, Death at a Funeral, and a remake of Straw Dogs. Marsden would also appear in a memorable arc on 30 Rock.

Trivia: Writer, actress, and comedian Kristen Schaal honed her skills working in the New York improve and stand-up scene in the early 2000s. In addition to winning the Best Alternative Comedian Award at the 2006 HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, along with a number of other awards, Schaal began cultivating a career onscreen, appearing on shows like The Education of Max Bickford and Ugly Betty, and in movies like Norbit. Her notoriety increased in 2007, when she took on the role of obsessive fan Mel on the comedy series Flight of the Conchords. Schaal would soon find herself part of the Hollywood comedy scene, appearing in numerous movies over the next few years, including Shrek Forever After, Get Him to the Greek, Toy Story 3, Dinner for Schmucks, and Going the Distance. She appeared in The Muppets in 2011, then was cast to voice one of the main characters in the animated series Bob's Burgers.

Trivia: Born August 20, 1954, New York native Al Roker double majored in graphic design and broadcast journalism at State University of New York at Oswego. After graduating, he found work as a weatherman at WNBC in New York City, and would continue to work in meteorology for years to come. He began working as the weatherman for Weekend Today, and eventually began filling in for Today Show weatherman Willard Scott on occasion. In 1996, Scott announced that he would be going into semi-retirement, and Roker's position on the Today Show became much more prominent, making him a familiar name and face to millions of Americans. In 2001, Roker underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost 100 lbs. off his 300 lb.-plus frame, and spoke publicly about his decision, hoping to spread awareness about just when and how the operation should be considered. Roker also explored other areas of journalism, hosting the series Al Roker Investigates, as well as the travel series Going Places. Roker lent his voice to several films throughout the 2000s, including Robots (2005), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009), and The Pirates! Band of Misfits! (2012).