Trivia: As an actor, writer, producer, and director of films and stage plays, the New Orleans-born Tyler Perry began his career as a dramatist in 1992. When inspired by Oprah Winfrey to channel his creativity through writing, Perry put pen to paper as a method of healing the wounds that lingered from a painful childhood. His first production, entitled I Know I've Been Changed, hit the stage to rapturous reviews in 1997, and following a collaborative period with Bishop T.D. Jakes that resulted in the plays Woman, Thou Art Loosed and Behind Closed Doors, Perry flew solo to create cantankerous 68-year-old grandmother Mabel "Madea" Simmons (whom Perry played, in full drag) in I Can Do Bad All by Myself around 2000 A slew of Madea-based projects were quick to follow, and shortly thereafter Perry joined Grammy Award-winner Kelly Price for the play Why Did I Get Married?. His plays garnered countless fans thanks to Perry's trademark practice of releasing them on home video. Throughout this period, many credited Perry with resuscitating (and reinventing) African-American theater; in the process, Perry's first eight plays reportedly earned a cumulative gross of over 75 million dollars in ticket and video sales.Perry didn't fully enter the public spotlight, however, until he cropped up in mid-2005 with the oddball A-lister Diary of a Mad Black Woman, self-adapted from his own hit play. This story of an African-American woman Helen McCarter (Kimberly Elise) struggling to rebound after a painful separation, whose life is invaded (in more ways than one) by the obnoxious, loudmouthed, chainsaw-wielding (!) Madea, Diary -- a bizarre combination of domestic melodrama, violent, racially-oriented farce, and Christian proselytizing -- understandably left many critics running for the exit, but, of course, ticket buyers prevailed. The film scored with its intended African-American audience and grossed a healthy 50 million dollars (it ranked as number one at the box office during February 2005), leading to an early 2006 sequel, Madea's Family Reunion, this one written and directed by Perry. Either because Perry's talent had matured within a year or because the press had grown accustomed to the playwright-cum-filmmaker's defiantly unconventional style, critics were slightly kinder about the sophomore Madea outing, which benefits from finely-felt supporting turns by the legendary Cicely Tyson and Maya Angelou. Like its predecessor, Reunion struck box office gold, and even topped Diary's net, reeling in an estimated 63.3 million dollars in international grosses. Perry then scrapped the Madea character for a tertiary cinematic outing, Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls. This romantic dramedy concerns Monty (Idris Elba), a financially strapped African-American mechanic who loses custody of his children to his drug-pushing ex-wife, and then falls in love with the beautiful attorney (Gabrielle Union) whom he hires to get the children back. Increasingly prolific on stage and screen in the following years, Perry continued packing fans into theaters with Madea Goes to Jail (2009), I Can Do Bad All By Myself (also 2009), Good Deeds (2012) and Madea's Witness Protection while simultaneously making a mark on television as creator of the hit sitcom Tyler Perry's House of Payne. Perry also began to take some acting roles in films that he didn't write/direct/producer, like the titular character in Alex Cross (2012) and a supporting role in David Fincher's Gone Girl (2014).

Trivia: Gabrielle Union had planned on attending law school, but began acting after the modeling agency she interned with as a college junior asked to represent her. She then won a series of small roles in television and film, including Love and Basketball, 10 Things I Hate About You (both 1999), and a part on the short-lived series City of Angels (2000). But her career really took off after her breakthrough portrayal of a sassy cheerleading captain from Compton in the late-summer surprise hit Bring It On (2000).It's ironic that cheerleading would be the activity that helped launch Union's star. The Omaha, NE, native was born October 29, 1973, and spent much of her youth playing sports, from soccer to basketball to track. She attended high school in Nebraska, where she was an all-star point guard, and, after graduating, moved to Los Angeles to attend school at U.C.L.A.After graduating with honors, Union chose to forego law school, stay in L.A., and concentrate on her acting career, which took off after her sparring with cheerleading rival Kirsten Dunst in Bring It On. After that film's release, Union won a substantial role in The Brothers and was slated to appear with an all-star cast in Welcome to Collinwood, as well as in Oscar-winner Stephen Gaghan's directorial debut Abandon. Her future film line up looking ever more impressive, Union took her biggest role to date as the acerbic titular character in the comedy Deliver Us from Eva, and continue to perform in films including Cradle 2 the Grave and Bad Boys II.In 2012, Union took on a supporting role in the comedy Think Like a Man, an adaptation of author and comedian Steve Harvey's self-help book of the same name.

Trivia: Cuban-American actor Eddie Cibrian was born in California, where he got a taste for show business early on. Like a lot of good-looking young actors, he got his feet wet in the business with a role on a soap opera, playing Matt Clark on The Young and the Restless. He'd eventually take on the starring role of Griff Walker on the tawdry show Baywatch Nights before rounding out the '90s with a three-year stint on Sunset Beach. The new millennium found Cibrian's career on a continual upward trajectory, most prominently assuming the role of Jimmy Doherty on the series Third Watch between 1999 and 2005. He went on to spend most of 2006 playing Russell Varon on the sci-fi series Invasion, and Agent Daniel Lucas on the show Vanished, and in the years following, Cibrian found his way onto myriad popular shows, appearing on Dirty Sexy Money, Ugly Betty, Samantha Who?, CSI: Miami, and The Playboy Club.

Trivia: Actor Brian J. White eked out an unusual path to showbusiness. A Massachusetts native and the son of Boston Celtics player JoJo White, Brian attended the Ivy League Dartmouth College, majoring in poly sci, theater arts, and psychology, but his athletic prowess yielded two offers to go professional: one with the NFL and another with the National Lacrosse League. White opted for the NFL, and signed with the New England Patriots, but a sporting injury derailed his career and found him forking off into professional modeling, and then acting. Within the latter arena, White began to specialize in onscreen portrayals of intelligent, polished, and urbane men. The actor took his earliest screen bow with a lead role: that of Tracy Wainwright, a young executive who strikes up an ill-advised affair with his boss, only to find his career jeopardized when he falls in love with another woman, in the 2001 workplace drama Me & Mrs. Jones. Unfortunately for White and his co-stars, that film failed to achieve wide theatrical release in the United States (despite touring the festival circuit), but the actor achieved greater recognition with a multi-episode role on the small-screen police drama The Shield (as Detective Tavon Garris) and supporting turns in the features Mr. 3000 (2004), The Family Stone (2005), and Stomp the Yard (2007). He returned to the small screen in fall 2007, playing Lieutenant Carl Davis in a recurring role on the vampire detective series Moonlight.

Trivia: A talented Broadway actress who shot to fame with her portrayal of loving mother-of-five and high-powered attorney Claire Huxtable in television's The Cosby Show, Phylicia Rashad's strong television presence has lent itself to numerous dramatic roles in the years since her role as the member of one of the most famous families in television history. Born the daughter of a dentist in Texas in 1948, Rashad's (born Phylicia Allen) continual focus on her potential as an actress has attracted her to roles of integrity and honesty, with generally family friendly fare that can be enjoyed by young and old alike. After making her television debut in the 1978 production of The Wiz, Rashad appeared in such soap operas as One Life to Live and Santa Barbara before settling into an eight-year run as mother to one of television history's most beloved families (during which period she would also star with television daughter Keshia Knight Pulliam in a pair of television movies based on the popular children's character Polly). Married to Village People member Victor Willis in 1975, Rashad would later wed former Minnesota Viking and sports announcer Ahmad Rashad (who extravagantly proposed to her during a televised football game) in 1985. Continuing her television career following the end of The Cosby Show's run, Rashad would also turn up in such made-for-television thrillers as The Possession of Michael D. and The Babysitter's Seduction (both 1995) before once again joining television husband Bill Cosby in 1996's Cosby. A well-known member of numerous charities including the Diabetes Association African-American Program and the Educational Teacher's Association, Rashad has strived to bring social issues to the small screen with roles in such thoughtful productions as Uncle Tom's Cabin (1985) and Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored (1996). Though many female actors lament the glass ceiling that prevents them from obtaining roles in their later years, Rashad's maturity brings a distinctive presence to her roles in such dramatic television productions as Free of Eden (1999) and The Old Settler (2001). Over the next several years, Rashad would prove as consistent a force on screen as ever, appearing in movies like For Colored Girls and Good Deeds, as well as on TV series like Psych and Everybody Hates Chris.

Trivia: With just as much comic timing as beauty, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos made the transition from model to actress look easy. After a memorable stint on the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me, she parlayed her previous small roles in Dirty Work (1998) and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) into a full-fledged movie career.Born on November 6, 1972, Romijn-Stamos is the daughter of a Dutch father and a Dutch-American mother. Her parents, a custom toy and furniture maker and an English as a Second Language teacher, divorced when she was seven. Romijn-Stamos, whose first language is Dutch, grew up in the hippie counterculture of Berkeley in the '70s. She attended Berkeley High School where her cheerfulness, blonde locks, and long legs earned her the nickname "Jolly Blonde Giant." After graduation, she enrolled in the music program at the University of Southern California at Santa Cruz to study singing. Partially into her freshman year, Romijn-Stamos grew restless. She yearned to travel but could barely afford her tuition. A friend introduced her to a Parisian modeling scout, who convinced her to move to Paris.Within a short time, Romijn-Stamos landed the cover of French Elle and signed contracts with the cosmetics company Biotherm and the famed fashion houses of Christian Dior and Escada. Over the course of her extremely high-profile modeling career she has posed for Victoria's Secret and Sports Illustrated, been the Miller Light "fantasy girl" and the face of Tommy Girl, as well as graced numerous magazine covers. Yet, in 1996, Romijn-Stamos became bored with simply modeling. With the support of boyfriend John Stamos (whom she married in 1998), she took a chance on acting.In the fall of 1997, Romijn-Stamos made her small-screen debut as David Schwimmer's outrageously sloppy girlfriend on NBC's Friends. Shortly afterward, she tried out to replace Daisy Fuentes as the host of MTV's House of Style, but bombed the audition. Romijn-Stamos, who as a child fantasized about becoming an anchorwoman, boldly called the producer from a pay phone to petition for the job. Impressed by her moxie, the station hired her for the two-year gig.The burgeoning actress graduated to movies as the bearded lady in Bob Saget's Dirty Work (1998), before modeling lingerie for Mike Myers in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999). She then returned to television to play David Spade's wife on Just Shoot Me in the fall of 1999. Originally hired to appear in three episodes, Romijn-Stamos was such a big hit that producers asked her to return later in the season.Branching out from comedy, Romijn-Stamos portrayed Hugh Hefner's ex-wife, playmate Kimberly Hefner, in the television drama Hefner: Unauthorized (1999). She rang in the new millennium by donning head-to-toe blue body paint and scales for her role as Mystique in Bryan Singer's X-Men (2000). By then a savvy business woman, Romijn-Stamos negotiated to receive more money per word than any other of the film's cast members (which included Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, and Hugh Jackman) because she knew her role as the taciturn shape shifter required very few lines. Her work in the action-packed comic book adaptation lead to a part in John McTiernan's Rollerball (2002), a remake of the '70s film about the futuristic world of sports. That same year, she earned the title role in Brian De Palma's Femme Fatale (2002).While Rollerball was maligned by critics and Femme Fatale had a mixed reception, Romijn-Stamos returned to the favor of audiences and critics in the 2003 sequel X2: X-Men United with a much meatier role for Mystique than the first film. 2004 found the actress sticking with Marvel comic adaptations as she costarred opposite Thomas Jane in The Punisher. That same year, she starred with Greg Kinnear and Robert De Niro in the thriller Godsend and in 2006, she reprised the role of Mystique once again for X-Men: The Last Stand. Romijn also assumed a recurring role on the series Pepper Dennis, an experience that worked out so well, the actress decided to pursue more television, with a cameo on the series Carpoolers in 2007, and a recurring role on the hit show Ugly Betty in 2008.

Trivia: An actor whose name became synonymous with "comic relief" during the late 1990s, Jamie Kennedy made his reputation playing a series of wise-asses in such films as the Scream trilogy and the independent comedy Clockwatchers. Born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, on May 25, 1970, Kennedy showed comedic inclinations from an early age, and first became inspired to pursue an acting career when he was cast as an extra in Dead Poets Society (1989). After high school, Kennedy moved to L.A., where he wanted to have a career as an extra. Unfortunately, Hollywood casting agents had other ideas, and the aspiring actor found himself working odd jobs ranging from a restaurant busboy to a gum-scraper at K-Mart. During this time, he also studied at the American/British Drama Academy and began finding stand-up work at various improv clubs. It was in one of these clubs that he caught the attention of an independent filmmaker and was subsequently cast in the little-seen The Legend of Flin Flon. The actor's bona fide entry into the film industry came with a supporting role in Baz Luhrmann's 1996 William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, in which he played a fuchsia-haired thug. That same year he had a huge breakthrough in Wes Craven's Scream, which cast him as a video store clerk with an unnerving lust for horror movies. The great success of the film opened a number of doors for Kennedy, one of which led to a memorable role as an office boy in Jill Sprecher's well-received independent comedy Clockwatchers (1997), which also starred Lisa Kudrow, Parker Posey, and Toni Collette. The actor also reprised his role for the inevitable Scream 2 (1997) and Scream 3 (2000) and appeared in such slacker extravaganzas as Bongwater and Starf*cker (both 1998).Kennedy got a shot at more grown-up fare with a supporting role in David O. Russell's acclaimed Gulf War drama Three Kings (1999), and a turn as a movie studio gofer in the satirical Bowfinger (1999). His growing popularity was reflected in the number of projects he was involved with in 2000; included amongst them were Ben Younger's The Boiler Room, in which Kennedy played an ambitious young stock broker, and The Specials, an ensemble comedy that cast him as a member of a motley group of superheroes.He appeared in the movies Max Keeble's Big Move and Bug before moving to the small screen to host the series The Jamie Kennedy Experiment. He was the star of the ill-fated sequel Son of the Mask and he was one of the voiceover artists in the comedy Farce of the Penguins. His other projects include Malibu's Most Wanted, Finding Bliss, and Tyler Perry's Good Deeds.

Trivia: In 1994, competed in the Junior Olympics and won a silver medal in the 4x400 meter relay.Attempted four times to win Miss Texas USA pageant and she succeeded in her last attempt.Was a former teacher's assistant for autistic students, in the same high school she studied.Made her debut as a host in the Miss teen USA 2009.Founded her own organization Inside/Out and provides motivational speaking and character development to young girls and women.Has been an advocate for many cancer prevention organizations through the years.Has been involved in the Best Buddies organization to assist individuals who have learning disabilities.

Trivia: Fine-boned and soft-spoken, Thandie Newton displays a deceptive fragility that is betrayed by the strong, resilient characters she often portrays. The actress was born in London in 1972 to a Zimbabwean mother and British father. It was while a student at a private school in North London that the actress met Australian director John Duigan, who was casting his coming-of-age tale Flirting (1991). Newton won a leading role as the smart, worldly girlfriend of the film's protagonist and starred alongside a then-relatively unknown Nicole Kidman. Her next film of any significance was 1994's Interview With the Vampire, in which she had a minor role alongside Kidman's then-husband, Tom Cruise.The same year, Newton acted as part of an ensemble cast in Loaded, a fairly obscure film directed by Anna Campion, sister of The Piano's Jane Campion. She was then reunited with Flirting director Duigan in 1995 for The Journey of August King, a little-seen feature in which she starred with Jason Patric. Greater recognition came in the form of the same year's Jefferson in Paris, a critically maligned but impressively cast film, in which Newton played Sally Hemings, slave and lover of Nick Nolte's Thomas Jefferson. Acting alongside individuals such as Nolte, James Earl Jones, and Gwyneth Paltrow certainly did little to hurt Newton's reputation and the next year she had yet another starring role, this time opposite Jon Bon Jovi in her third film with director Duigan, The Leading Man.Despite her leading status, Newton still hovered on the border of relative obscurity, something that finally began to change with three 1998 films in which she had major roles. The first was Vondie Curtis-Hall's Gridlock'd, a film that won Newton raves for her turn as a heroine-addicted jazz singer opposite Tim Roth and Tupac Shakur. Beloved, Newton's second film that year, won her further recognition, both for her mere presence in the highly anticipated adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel, and for her portrayal of the mysterious, ghostly girl who torments Oprah Winfrey's Sethe. Finally, it was with her third film of 1998, Besieged, that Newton graduated from relative obscurity to the rank of Hollywood Up and Comer. The film, which was directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and co-starred David Thewlis, received stellar reviews, many of which singled out Newton's performance for particular praise. This, along with a coveted spot on the April 1999 cover of Vanity Fair's annual Hollywood Issue, further cemented the actress' well-deserved status as one of the industry's latest Forces to Be Reckoned With.In 2000, Newton further ascended the ranks of recognition when she starred opposite former Interview With the Vampire co-star Tom Cruise in John Woo's Mission: Impossible II; although the film received mixed reviews, Newton earned almost unanimous approval from critics, who praised her strong, dynamic performance.Over the coming decade, Newton would remain a charismatic and beloved force on screen, appearing in films like Crash, The Pursuit of Happyness, W., and Retreat.