Trivia: Dedicated film buffs will remember Tichina Arnold as Crystal, one of the three black girls who perform R&B numbers as a Greek chorus, in Frank Oz's imaginative movie musical Little Shop of Horrors (1986). Arnold was only 15 at the time; her career continued steadily after that, with a role or two almost every year. Though the actress' cinematic efforts -- such as How I Got Into College (1989) and the Paul Mazursky/Woody Allen collaboration Scenes from a Mall (1990) -- were typically disappointing, she delighted fans with her neat comic turn as Pam James (opposite Little Shop collaborator Tisha Campbell) in the Martin Lawrence sitcom Martin (1992-1997), and -- on a similar note -- waxed hilarious as housewife and mother Rochelle on the nostalgic Chris Rock sitcom Everybody Hates Chris (premiering in 2005). In 2007, Arnold reunited with Lawrence (as his "straight man" wife) in the big screen road comedy/buddy film Wild Hogs. She next took a decidedly serious turn, playing the lead in the period drama The Lena Baker Story, about the first woman to be executed via the electric chair in Georgia. Arnold continued to make guest appearances on shows like Raising Hope and Hit the Floor, and took a main role on Happily Divorced, beginning in 2011. In 2014, she had a small role in Top Five.

Trivia: A native of Flint, MI, who played in the NFL for seven years before segueing into film, athlete-turned-actor Terry Crews made his television debut on the small-screen sports entertainment show Battle Dome and has since moved on to appear in films by such disparate directors as David Lynch, Mike Judge, and David Ayer.During high school, Crews studied at Interlochen Art Academy, and he continued on to Western Michigan University for college; it was during his freshman year that he first took to the gridiron, and after making an impression as a Mid-American Conference defensive end, he solidified his reputation as a star player by leading his team to the Mid-American Conference championship in 1988. Crews married longtime wife Rebecca the day before his 21st birthday, and later went on to have an impressive professional football career while playing for the L.A. Rams, the San Diego Chargers, and the Washington Redskins. Though he had originally intended to become a special-effects artist, Crews gradually became aware of the power of his onscreen charisma when he accepted a role in the short-lived television series Battle Dome in 1999. Despite the fact that only a few episodes of the seires ever made it to the airwaves, the experience left Crews convinced that he had found his calling.Few lifelong actors could even dream of landing roles in such major motion pictures as The 6th Day, Training Day, and Friday After Next so early in their careers, but that's precisely what Crews did, and he has never looked back since. The actor's hulking frame made him an ideal candidate for intimidating onscreen figures, and his disarming sense of humor has found him developing a distinct comic persona in such films as Starsky & Hutch, Soul Plane, White Chicks, and The Longest Yard while also winning over viewers on the small screen with his role as Chris Rock's father on Everybody Hates Chris. As a supporting player, Crews consistently impresses, with his little-seen role as former professional wrestler-turned-President of the United States in Beavis and Butt-Head creator Judge's Idiocracy (2006) offering a telling example of how far he is willing to go to get a laugh. That same year, Crews showed his impressive range by making a brief appearance in surrealist specialist Lynch's Inland Empire, with comic roles in Norbit, Who's Your Caddy?, and Balls of Fury following in short order.2008 proved a busy year for Crews. In addition to his continued work on Everybody Hates Chris, he co-starred in the police drama Street Kings, as well as director Peter Segal's revamp of the classic comedy series Get Smart. Crews played a member of a motley gang of mercenaries in 2010's action blockbuster The Expendables (he reprised this role for the film's sequel in 2012).

Trivia: While some youngsters may have been intimidated at the prospect of playing one of the most successful comedic figures in the entertainment industry, emerging actor Tyler James Williams seemed perfectly comfortable playing a teenage Chris Rock in the hit CW series Everybody Hates Chris. A Sesame Street veteran who became a regular on the popular children's series at the age of four, New York native Williams continued his small-screen adventure with roles on the animated Bill Cosby series Little Bill and Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit. Subsequent voice roles in the feature films Everyone's Hero and The Ant Bully helped to prepare Williams for a movie career, with his role as a stranded adolescent traveler in Unaccompanied Minors serving to become his first proper feature appearance. Of course, it's his television work that has drawn Williams the most praise, with his role as Chris Rock perfectly capturing the comic essence of the character's real-life counterpart.

Trivia: African-American actor Tequan Richmond launched his career on two highly promising notes during his mid-adolescent years: he portrayed Ray Charles Jr., the revered R&B and soul singer's son, in Taylor Hackford's much-lauded biopic Ray (2004), and then joined the cast of the hotly anticipated sitcom Everybody Hates Chris in 2005, as Drew, the chick-magnet younger brother of Chris Rock's teenage alter ego. During this period, Richmond also landed occasional guest appearances on such series dramas as CSI, ER, and The Shield.

Trivia: Born in Cleveland, OH, on August 12, 1993, Imani Hakim landed a recurring role on the Chris Rock sitcom Everybody Hates Chris as the younger sister that was one of the many people who gave the young Chris lots of trouble. Thanks to her work on that show, Hakim was cast as one of Don Cheadle's daughters in Mike Binder's Reign Over Me.

Trivia: After becoming one of the stars of the series Everybody Hates Chris at the age of 12, Vincent Martella would seem like a born actor, but in fact the performer's first love has been dancing since the time he was three. His first performance was in a stage production of The Nutcracker, and by the time he was six, he was appearing in commercials and print ads. He moved with his family to Los Angeles at age ten, and soon won roles on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and in Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo before auditioning for the part of Greg, the best friend of the young Chris Rock (Tyler James Williams), on Everybody Hates Chris.

Trivia: When the sensual and alluring African-American actress Keesha Sharp first came to national attention in the early 2000s, she did so via a series of bit roles in urban comedies and dramas, such as the goofy Lance Crouther-headlined superhero farce Pootie Tang (2001) and Laurice Guillen's ethnic ensemble piece American Adobo (2002). Following small appearances in the 2003 duds Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood and Malibu's Most Wanted, Sharp signed for her most prominent turn, that of Monica in the syndicated series Girlfriends. She could also be seen in a recurring role on the family sitcom Everybody Hates Chris starting in 2005.

Trivia: Is of Italian descent.Played volleyball, baseball, field hockey during her high school years.Wanted to pursue a career as a lawyer.Started her acting career in New York City theaters.Has been a writer for the University of South California.Created and wrote the online series The Oversharer.Is a fan of the New York Yankees.

Trivia: Black supporting actor Antonio Fargas first appeared onscreen in the '70s.

Trivia: Thin, jug-eared, and rubber-faced black comedian Jimmie Walker is best remembered for playing J.J. on the sitcom Good Times (1974-1979). His exuberant "Dyno-mite!!" was briefly a popular catch phrase back then. Walker made his feature film debut in Sing Thanksgiving (1974). Following the demise of his show, Walker embarked upon a modest film career and carried on with his standup career. He occasionally showed up on television talk shows and in 70's retrospectives, not afraid to poke fun at his '70s persona.

Trivia: Born in Houston in 1949, actress Loretta Devine rose to fame on-stage in the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls before parlaying her acclaim into a career in film and television. Her first major onscreen role came in 1987, when she was cast as a resident advisor on the Cosby Show-spin-off A Different World. Though she left the series after the first season, it was far from her final gig as a TV series regular.Throughout the early '90s, Devine appeared in small supporting roles in features films such as Class Act and Amos & Andrew as well as a number of TV guest spots on shows ranging from Roc to Picket Fences. In 1995, Devine's career was given a shot in the arm when she was cast as one of the leads in Waiting to Exhale, an ensemble film that proved to be a success with both critics and audiences. More supporting work followed, and in 2000 she was cast as a lead on David E. Kelley's Fox drama Boston Public, a show that would go on to be nominated for multiple Emmys over the course of its four seasons on the air.Devine's career came full-circle in 2006 when she was cast in a small role in the film adaptation of Dreamgirls, the stage musical that launched her career. The following year, she was cast as a regular on ABC's supernatural legal drama Eli Stone.In 2010 she appeared in the American remake of Death at a Funeral, the comedy Lottery Ticket, and Tyler Perry's ambitious For Colored Girls. In 2011 she appeared in Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family, and the next year she had a role on the TV series The Client List.

Trivia: Born Nathaniel Martin Stroman, comedian Earthquake began his professional life with an 11-year tenure in the U.S. Air Force. During that stint, he found his life's true calling by impetuously performing at a talent night called "Tops and Blues," held at Elgin Air Force Base in the Florida community of Ft. Walton Beach. Earthquake (or "Quake" as he was frequently known) subsequently headlined engagements at Atlanta's Uptown Comedy Corner to enthusiastic response, and thus discovered that comedic delivery came naturally to him. He spent the next several years (during the late '90s) establishing a unique comic presence, distinguishing himself via inventive routines that blithely and colorfully commented on the African-American experience while projecting undercurrents of tremendous anger, sadness, and frustration. This combination of emotional complexity and raw wit made him a tremendously popular figure on the club circuit, particularly among black audiences, and helped him secure appearances in such filmed venues as Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam, BET's ComicView, and Laffapalooza. Earthquake moved into feature roles with a bit part as a husband in Kevin Smith's Clerks II, then joined Ice Cube, Keke Palmer, and Tasha Smith for the Fred Durst-directed sports comedy The Longshots (2008).