Trivia: While still in high school, American actor Timothy Hutton, son of actor Jim Hutton, toured with his father in a stage production of Harvey. After high school he moved to southern California and managed to land roles in several TV films, notably Friendly Fire and Young Love, First Love (both 1979). He debuted onscreen as a troubled teenager in Robert Redford's first directorial effort, Ordinary People (1980). For his work in that film he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, at the time the youngest actor to earn such an honor. Hutton soon became typecast as sensitive, somewhat wimpy youths in a string of major films, a mold he didn't break out of until the late '80s. Despite his auspicious beginning, most of Hutton's films have been financially unsuccessful. In 1984 he made his New York stage debut in Orpheus Descending, and in 1990 starred on Broadway in the hit romance Prelude to a Kiss. He has also done some directing, including an episode of the TV show Amazing Stories and a rock video made by the band The Cars. He married and divorced actress Debra Winger.

Trivia: Blonde actress Beth Riesgraf made the majority of her on-camera appearances in a guest capacity on various television series, then took her debut feature bow with a bit role in the CG-animated Jason Lee-starrer Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007). Riesgraf was engaged Lee for a time, and the couple had a child together in 2003. In 2008, the actress signed to star opposite Timothy Hutton in Leverage, a TNT original series about an insurance investigator-turned-high-tech outlaw.

Trivia: When he initially surfaced as an on-camera presence during the 1990s and 2000s, supporting actor Aldis Hodge recalled a young Will Smith, with his looks, his relaxed charm, and easygoing manner; like Smith, Hodge made one of his first significant impressions on the small screen, yet he maintained a lower profile. Parts included guest starring appearances on such series programs as ER, CSI, NYPD Blue, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Around 2005, Hodge broke into big-screen features, first with small-scale roles, such as an appearance in the David Mamet-Stuart Gordon thriller Edmond, then in that same year's Snoop Dogg-headlined urban drama The Tenants. Hodge also provided one of the adorable penguins' voices in George Miller's animal picture Happy Feet (2006). One the small screen that year, Hodge could be seen in a recurring role on the critically acclaimed sports drama series Friday Night Lights as Ray "Voodoo" Tatum. He enjoyed a healthy run on the hit cable program Leverage as part of a group of criminals who take revenge against other scammers in order to help out those who have been victimized. Aldis Hodge is not to be confused with Al Hodge (Captain Video and His Video Rangers), a television actor from the '50s and '60s -- nor are they related.

Trivia: Versatile performer Christian Kane posed a dual threat in Hollywood, juggling multiple careers as an actor and vocalist/guitarist. Born to a prosperous oil-industry family in Dallas, TX, Kane relocated frequently with his family as a youngster, but ultimately settled in Norman, OK. From early boyhood, he nurtured dreams of Hollywood stardom -- dreams that eventually prompted him to leave college and head to the lights of Los Angeles; he also possessed an ingenuity that helped him find an "in" to the seemingly impenetrable entertainment industry, by approaching a prestigious Hollywood production company and offering to deliver scripts in exchange for talent consideration. It marked a bold but innovative move; significantly, the bid worked and Kane got his foot in the proverbial door. He soon landed his premier on-camera role, as one of the leads in the late '90s television series Fame L.A. Meanwhile, he jump-started a career as a musician on the side, by meeting the man who quickly became his songwriting partner, Steve Carlson. The two formed a band, christened KANE and started turning heads via Christian's unique country & western-infused vocals; with that outfit they headlines numerous Southern California hotspots including The Mint and The Viper Room.Unfortunately, Fame L.A. only lasted a short time, but Kane connected with much greater success via a recurring run on the vampire-themed fantasy series Angel, as attorney Lindsey McDonald. He then moved into feature roles and racked up a series of supporting turns in A-listers including the gentle Disney drama Secondhand Lions (2003), the dismal Ashton Kutcher sex farce Just Married (2003), and the critically acclaimed Billy Bob Thornton sports drama Friday Night Lights (2004). In the years that followed, Kane returned to television on two high-profile series: he played prosecutor's husband Jack Chase on the acclaimed Jerry Bruckheimer procedural drama Close to Home (2005-2006), then signed to star opposite Timothy Hutton and Beth Riesgraf in Leverage (2008), a TNT original series about an insurance investigator-turned-high-tech outlaw. While continuing to work on that successful program, he appeared in The Donner Party and Universal Squadrons.

Trivia: From the outset of her career, sloe-eyed British actress Gina Bellman exuded an alluring, exotic appeal that recalled the glamorous screen sirens of Hollywood's Golden Age. She first achieved fame by virtue of her collaboration with the English playwright-cum-scriptwriter/director Dennis Potter, in whose overtly sexual and explicit Blackeyes she starred. In that controversial outing, Bellman played the sexual abuse victim of the title -- an imaginary character within the context of the film. The choice of project (given its content) marked a bold move for the actress, but an intelligent one given Potter's peerless reputation and the respect afforded him in the English film industry. More importantly, it succeeded in turning spectators' and critics' heads toward Bellman in the very best way.Intriguingly, Bellman had no educational or industry experience as an actress when she auditioned for Blackeyes (1990), shy of a role as King David's daughter in Bruce Beresford's critically maligned Biblical epic King David (1985). The daughter of Russian-Jewish-Polish parents, born in New Zealand, Bellman grew up with a father who worked in retail and a homemaker mother. The family immigrated to London before Bellman's 11th birthday, and within a year, she discovered a passion for acting and soon began attending auditions. After Blackeyes, parts came quickly and furiously, marked by the actress' intriguing, distinguished choice of projects on-stage, in features, and on television. Some of her higher-profile endeavors included the eccentric Jewish-themed feature comedy Leon the Pig Farmer (1992), a theatrical role in David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow, and an ongoing turn as the flighty, hare-brained man-hunter Jane Christie on the BBC's wildly popular (and extremely explicit) sex comedy series Coupling (2000).In 2006, Bellman signed for a supporting role in director Martin Curland's raunchy sci-fi comedy Zerophilia, while the following year, she co-starred opposite James Nesbitt in the BBC miniseries Jekyll, an unusual revisionist version of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In the years to come, Bellman would remain an active force on screen, most notably on shows like Leverage.

Trivia: Best known for playing the android Data on the syndicated television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and in its feature film spin-offs, Brent Spiner is also a talented singer. Before agreeing to play Data, Spiner had spent a decade on the New York stage. A native of Houston, TX, he was raised by his mother and her second husband (Spiner's real father died when he was a baby). The Quaid brothers Randy and Dennis were among his high school classmates and the three learned about acting under Cecil Pickett. Eventually Pickett would leave the school to take a teaching job at the University of Houston. Spiner enrolled there soon after graduation, but only remained at the university through 1974 when he decided to become a professional actor in New York City. Like many other aspiring thespians, Spiner had dues to pay in the form of taking a job as a cab driver before launching his career off-Broadway. He made his Broadway debut with Sunday in the Park With George opposite Mandy Patinkin. He made his television debut in a miniseries, The Dain Curse, and first appeared in films with a bit part in Woody Allen's Stardust Memories (1980). Spiner had a rare starring role in Rent Control (1981). He moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and launched a career as a television guest star on series and as a supporting actor in telemovies and miniseries. He most frequently appeared on the sitcom Night Court as the man who establishes a snack bar in the courthouse. He then successfully auditioned for the role of Data. Interestingly, Spiner claims no particular love for science fiction and was not a big fan of the original Star Trek. He says he mainly took the job because he didn't think the new series would last and because he needed to pay a few bills. The show lasted seven years also spawning a successful film series, and from the start, his was the most popular character on the show. In an effort to capitalize and satirize his nonhuman role on the show -- and perhaps to poke fun at actors William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy who capitalized on their Star Trek fame by each recording equally awful albums (can anyone forget Nimoy's bouncy rendition of "Bilbo Hobbitt"?) -- Spiner recorded his own album, Old Yellow Eyes Is Back (1991), with an 80-piece orchestra and fellow castmates Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, and Michael Dorn. Though the bulk of his fame comes from being Data, Spiner is not content to spend the rest of his career typecast and so occasionally plays other characters. His portrayal of prissy singing cruise director Gil Godwin was the funniest thing about Martha Coolidge's waterlogged Out to Sea (1997).

Trivia: American actress Lauren Holly has herself admitted that turning down the female lead in the Jim Carrey vehicle Ace Ventura, Pet Detective (1994) may not have been the wisest career move. Holly was acting on instinct, having co-starred with another highly individual comedian, Andrew Dice Clay, in 1990's forgettable The Adventures of Ford Fairlane. But when profits from Ace Ventura soared, Lauren was more than willing to sign on for the subsequent Carrey vehicle, Dumb and Dumber (1995), during the filming of which she and Carrey became an item. The actress has kept busy ever since her first important TV role as Betty in Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again (1990) and a stint on the ABC soap opera All My Children. Prior to her recent film success, Holly was perhaps best known for her role as Deputy Maxine Stewart on the CBS drama Picket Fences .In 1995 the actress played a doctor in Sydney Pollack's remake of Sabrina, and went a different direction in 1996's comedy Down Periscope, in which she played Lieutenant Emily Lake. Holly took on a supporting role in Any Given Sunday (1999), a rousing sports drama from director Oliver Stone, and joined Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt to play a supporting role in 2000's romantic comedy What Women Want. The following year Holly would voice Chihiro's mother in the US rerelease of the acclaimed anime fantasy Spirited Away the following year, and from 2005 until 2008 became known for her role as Director Jenny Shepard on CBS' long-running police procedural NCIS. Holly voiced the character of Haulie on the Adventures of Chuck & Friends, an animated series for children in 2010, and continues to be active in film and television.

Trivia: British actor Mark A. Sheppard tackled guest spots on such varied small-screen series as CSI, Firefly, Charmed, Monk, and Battlestar Galactica, as well as appearing for a six-episode stint during the fifth season of 24. In 2007, he landed a regular supporting part on the weekly sci-fi drama Bionic Woman (2007) -- as Dr. Anthony Anthros, the father of the title character's boyfriend and the scientist who invented her "bionic" technology. Sheppard's resumé also includes appearances in such features as Boa (2002), Evil Eyes (2004), and Broken (2006).

Trivia: Credits S.E. Hinton's novels, in particular The Outsiders, with helping her focus on acting. Became a star in Canada by appearing on TV and in films, such as The Rez, Power Play, Cube 2: Hypercube, A Colder Kind of Death and Blue Murder. Won a 2001 Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Guest Role for her appearance on Blue Murder and was subsequently invited to join the show as a regular cast member. Broke into American TV with the A&E series Nero Wolfe. Has appeared with Timothy Hutton in three projects: Nero Wolfe, 5ive Days to Midnight and Leverage. A sign in her hometown of Spalding, Saskatchewan, welcomes passing motorists to the birthplace of Kari Matchett.