Trivia: Like many small-screen veterans who headline a hit network series for multiple seasons, the fresh-faced, genial American actor Richard Dean Anderson will forever be associated with one role -- that of Angus MacGyver, the multilingual, crack Special Forces agent and science expert capable of using common household substances and implements to perform feats of wonder, on the Henry Winkler-produced action-adventure series MacGyver. Although Anderson's resumé packs in a number of key telemovies and a recurrent starring role on the popular Stargate SG-1, the actor is best known for turning MacGyver into a veritable American icon for Gen-Xers during the mid- to late '80s and early '90s.Anderson was born on January 23, 1950, in Minneapolis, MN, to a schoolteacher father, Stuart Anderson, who taught English, humanities, and drama at an area high school, and an artist mother. During middle school and high school, Anderson's plans to embark on a career as a professional hockey player were curtailed by two unfortunate accidents in which he broke both arms, encouraging the young man to pursue drama as an alternate option. After high school, Anderson enrolled in both St. Cloud State University and Ohio University, where he studied acting, but -- feeling listless -- he dropped out before receiving his degree, and spent time in San Francisco and Manhattan, then moved permanently to L.A. In Southern California, Anderson held down gigs as a street mime, juggler, and aquatic performer at Marineland, then appeared in the stage production Superman in the Bones at the Pilgrimage Theatre.Aficionados of 1970s American television might recall that Anderson's "breakthrough" arrived not as MacGyver, but as Dr. Jeff Webber on the long-running ABC soap opera General Hospital, circa 1976 -- then in production for 13 years. Not long after two failed series attempts on CBS -- the adventure drama Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in 1982 and the Dennis Weaver-headlined military drama Emerald Point, N.A.S. in 1983 -- Anderson auditioned for Henry Winkler and others to portray MacGyver on that character's eponymous action series. The premise found MacGyver enlisting as a member of a "think tank" called "The Phoenix Foundation," devoted to traveling around the world and thwarting criminal activity. The program's gimmick revolved around scientist MacGyver's abhorrence of guns, and his ability to use seemingly innocent, harmless objects -- such a candy bar, a paperclip, a toothpick, and (of course) his ever-present Swiss Army knife -- to blow up buildings, escape from deathtraps, save lives, etc. Winkler and his co-producers purportedly gave Anderson the part because of his request to wear eyeglasses during the reading -- an act that suggested humility to them and thus meshed perfectly with the character. MacGyver debuted on ABC on September 29, 1985, and lasted seven seasons, retaining a faithful audience despite at least 11 shifts in its night and time slot. It finally wrapped on August 8, 1992. Two telemovies, MacGyver: Trail to Doomsday and MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis, aired in 1994, both produced by Anderson.Alongside the MacGyver series run and shortly thereafter, Anderson signed for key roles in several network telemovies, including Ordinary Heroes (1985), Through the Eyes of a Killer (1992, which uncharacteristically cast him as a psychotic stalker), Beyond Betrayal (1994), and the epic-length disaster miniseries Pandora's Clock (1996). These proved moderately successful, but Anderson's two additional attempts to produce a network series through his Gekko film production company during the early '90s (Firehouse and Legend) died quick deaths.Anderson nevertheless caught his second wind and returned to series television (garnering a loyal cult following among sci-fi buffs) as Col. Jack O'Neill in the 1997 series Stargate SG-1, which originated on Showtime. Adapted from the hit 1994 movie Stargate, the program found O'Neill emerging from semi-retirement and continually traveling to interstellar "stargate" portals to protect the universe from hostile alien invasions. Stargate SG-1 bowed to extraordinary reviews and ratings and became a permanent hit; Anderson stayed with the series through its eighth season, and appeared as a guest star occationally during the rest of its run. He would go on to appear on the spin off SGU Stargate Universe, as well as the dramedy series Fairly Legal.Though Anderson has never married, he has been romantically linked with such actresses as Marlee Matlin, Deidre Hall, Sela Ward, Teri Hatcher, and Lara Flynn Boyle, and the champion skater Katarina Witt. In 1996, Anderson entered an ongoing romantic relationship with Apryl Prose, and the two had a daughter, Wylie Quinn Annarose Anderson, born in August 1998. Anderson divides his time between residences in Vancouver, Los Angeles, and northern Minnesota.

Trivia: Dreamed of playing professional hockey as a teen. Studied business in college but switched to theater after failing a calculus course. Was inspired to pursue an acting career after seeing future Stargate SG-1 costar Richard Dean Anderson shoot a scene from MacGyver on a Vancouver beach. Performed at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival for two seasons. Met his wife, Lexa Doig, while guest-starring in an episode of her sci-fi series, Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. Played hockey on the Stargate SG-1 team that competed against other productions, such as Smallville, that also shot in British Columbia.

Trivia: Parents wanted her to pursue a career in science. Appeared in stage productions of Steel Magnolias, Children of a Lesser God and Noises Off. First TV job was an appearance in a 1989 commercial for the Canadian coffee-and-doughnut chain Tim Hortons. In the early 1990s, cofounded the Canadian comedy group Random Acts, with Katherine Jackson and Anne Marie Kerr. Won a Canadian Comedy Award for Best Actress in the 2006 film Breakdown. Received Gemini Award nominations for her work on Stargate SG-1 (2001) and Sanctuary (2009). The Gemini Awards honor excellence in Canadian TV.

Trivia: Played football for the University of Oregon. Had guest-starring roles on MacGyver and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air before becoming a regular on Sirens. Voiced characters in the series X-Men: Evolution and Action Man. Wrote four episodes of Stargate SG-1 while appearing on the series as Teal'c.

Trivia: Served three years in the Army, including a stint in Korea during the Vietnam War. Taught at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C. during the 1980s; left teaching to pursue acting. Worked as a stunt double for Dana Elcar on the TV series MacGyver; there he met star Richard Dean Anderson, with whom he would later costar on Stargate SG-1. Best known for his roles as base commander Gen. George Hammond on Stagate SG-1 and Maj. Garland Briggs in the series Twin Peaks. His artistic endeavors included set design, painting and woodcarving; his pieces reflected his love of the Missouri Ozarks, where he grew up.

Trivia: Supporting actor Alan Rachins is best known for playing the insufferable legal eagle Douglas Brackman Jr. on the long-running drama L.A. Law (1986-1994), but he has also appeared in a few feature films. Born in Boston, Rachins studied at the prestigious Wharton School of Finance until he decided to be an actor in New York. While in the Big Apple, he studied under such acting teachers as William Ball, Kim Stanley, and Harvey Lembeck. Rachins made his professional debut on-stage and for ten years appeared frequently on and off-Broadway before leaving acting in 1972 to study writing and directing at the American Film Institute. From there he became a script reader and then a writer for shows ranging from The Fall Guy to Quincy to Hill Street Blues. He also occasionally directed television episodes. Rachins had his first major feature-film role in Henry Jaglom's Always (1985). Largely due to his work in this film, Rachins and his real-life wife, Joanna Frank, were cast as the Brackmans on L.A. Law. While on the series, Rachins occasionally branched out into television movies. He did not make another feature film until Heart Condition (1990). Since the demise of his series, Rachins continues to occasionally appear in feature films such as Leave It to Beaver (1997). On television, he was seen as a regular on the popular ABC sitcom Dharma and Greg and also continued to appear occasionally in regional theater.

Trivia: The son of actor Lloyd Bridges, Beau Bridges (born Lloyd Vernet Bridges III) was actually named for his father; the nickname "Beau" was borrowed from Ashley Wilkes' son in Gone With the Wind. Beau received good billing for his secondary juvenile role in The Red Pony in 1949, although he was primarily seen in bit parts during the late '40s. This suited him fine; not all that interested in films, young Bridges had aspirations of being a basketball star. Despite being only 5'9", he played on the U.C.L.A. basketball team and at the University of Hawaii. But realizing that his height would always hold him back in professional sports, Bridges returned to acting via a small role on his father's TV series Sea Hunt. He made his stage debut in 1966's Where's Daddy and continued appearing in leading film roles throughout the 1960s and '70s, easing into character leads. Bridges directed two feature films, The Wild Pair (1987) and Seven Hours to Judgment (1988), in addition to the TV special The Thanksgiving Promise, in which virtually the entire Bridges clan (including his mother Dorothy) was cast. Bridges received Emmy and the Golden Globe awards for his portrayal of the title character in the 1992 TV movie Without Warning: The James Brady Story (1991), and won awards for his participation in the gloriously-titled made-for-cable The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (1993). He would continue to appear prominently both on the big and small screens over the coming decades, on shows like The Agency and Stargate: Atlantis and in films like The Good German and The Ballad of Jack and Rose.

Trivia: Best known for playing Cdr. John Crichton on Farscape (1999-2003) and Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell on Stargate SG-1 (2005-07). Family owns and operates NASCAR race cars. Wanted to be an astronaut while growing up. Studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Played Leonardo in a 1989 London production of The Merchant of Venice that starred Dustin Hoffman; in 1990, the production moved to Broadway. Made his movie debut with a small part in 1990's Memphis Belle. Had a recurring role on Party of Five as Sam Brody during the 1996-97 season. Was originally cast to play football coach Red Raymond on the CW drama Hellcats in 2010, but dropped out so he could focus on films.

Trivia: James Earl Jones is a distinguished African American actor instantly recognizable for his deep, resonant Shakespearean voice and wide smile. The son of prizefighter and actor Robert Earl Jones, he was raised on a farm. In college, he briefly studied medicine but switched to drama. After serving with the Army he enrolled at the American Theater Wing in New York. He made his Broadway debut in 1957, then went on to appear in many plays before spending several seasons with Joseph Pap's New York Shakespeare Festival. Jones' biggest success onstage was as the star of The Great White Hope on Broadway (1966-68); for his work (portraying heavyweight champion Jack Jefferson) he received a Tony award. He had a small part in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove (1964), but did not begin to appear onscreen much until the '70s. In addition to stage and occasional film work, he also appeared as an African chieftain in the TV series Tarzan and was one of the first black actors to be cast as a regular on the soap opera The Guiding Light in 1967. Reprising his stage role, he received a Best Actor Oscar nomination and won a Golden Globe award for his work in the screen version of The Great White Hope (1970) and went on from there to have a busy screen career. He starred in the TV series Paris in 1979-80. Beginning in 1977, he provided the melodiously wicked voice of the villainous Darth Vader in the three Star Wars films. Since then he has continued to appear on screen (over 40 films to date), stage, and television. He also continues to provide voiceovers (he can frequently be heard on the CNN television network). His portrayal of the grouchy, reclusive writer opposite Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams (1989) is among his most notable turns. In 1987 he won another Tony Award, this time for his portrayal of a frustrated baseball player in August Wilson's Fences. Most recently, Jones provided the voice for Mufasa, the regal patriarch in Disney's animated film The Lion King (1994).