Trivia: Fred Dryer has spent the bulk of his acting career on television, but he has also appeared in a few feature films, beginning with The Starmaker (1981). Prior to becoming a performer, Dryer had been a professional football player. On television, he is best remembered for two roles, that of Sam Malone's irritating buddy, Dave Richards, in three episodes of the NBC sitcom Cheers and as fearless Detective Sergeant Rick Hunter in the series Hunter (1984). Other film appearances include Cannonball Run II (1984) and Day of Reckoning (1994).

Trivia: An actor with hulking presence and a stern countenance, John Amos undercuts his ominous appearance with the kind of warm grin and fun-loving attitude that makes him a natural for comedy. More recognizable as a television actor, the former pro football player has made enough visible forays into film to earn him a reputation in both arenas.After stints in a variety of divergent career fields -- pro sports, advertising, commercial acting, stand-up comedy, comedy writing -- Amos got his big break with the role of Gordy the weatherman on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970. After three years as a side player next to Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner, and Ted Knight, Amos thought he'd get the chance for top billing by signing on to the gig for which he is best known: James Evans, the temperamental patriarch of Good Times. But Jimmie Walker, who played son J.J. Evans, soon gave the show a sassy youthful focus with his catchphrase "Dy-no-mite!" stealing the spotlight from Amos and Esther Rolle, who played wife Florida. Amos asked out of his contract after three years, and in 1976, James Evans was killed off in a car accident.The decision to leave a hit series did not squash Amos, as it has some others who have made that bold decision. Instead, Amos stepped into the highly celebrated and widely seen role of the adult Kunta Kinte in the 1977 miniseries Roots. The role challenged the actor's dramatic abilities like none of his previous work had, and he won praise for documenting the travails of a captured African who resists his enslavement.While continuing to turn up in TV series such as Future Cop and Hunter, Amos began making regular appearances in film in the 1980s. Among his more prominent roles were as Seth, companion to Marc Singer's title character in the sword and sorcerer film The Beastmaster (1982); Cleo McDowell, owner of a McDonald's knockoff burger chain and employer of Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall's transplanted dignitaries in Coming to America (1988); and the double-crossing Major Grant, who becomes one of the villains opposite Bruce Willis in Die Hard 2 (1990). Settling back into a career of guest shots on TV shows, Amos occupied himself during the 1990s and beyond with recurring roles on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace on NBC's The West Wing.

Trivia: Tall, deceptively distinguished-looking Tim Thomerson first gained attention as a comedian, and it was in this capacity that he was hired as an ensemble player for the 1976 Bill Cosby TV variety series Cos. That same year, Thomerson made his first film appearance as Ken in Car Wash (1976). He made several additional movies under the watchful eye of producer/director Robert Altman. Latter-day filmgoers will recognize Thomerson as the Bogartlike adventurer Jack Deth in the three Trancers movies, and also as Brick Bardo in the brief Doll Man cinema series. In the final analysis, Thomerson is probably best known for his prolific TV-series work. He played lascivious hairstylist Gianni in Angie (1979), horny mailboy Johnny Danko in The Associates (1979), egotistical Regis Philbin takeoff Reggie Cavanaugh in The Two of Us (1981), bumbling bandit Theodore Ogilvie in Gun Shy (1983), philosophical derelict Jerry in Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1987), and Sgt. James "Buddy" Zunder, confined to a desk job because of his irregular heartbeat, in the first two seasons of Sirens (1993-96). Video cultists are fondest of Tim Thomerson's fascinatingly funny portrayal of transmuted male-female Gene/Jean on the brief sci-fi spoof Quark (1978).

Trivia: From the outset of his career, towering, grim-visaged actor Jack O'Halloran excelled in brutish roles. O'Halloran was impressively menacing as the nonverbal space criminal Non in the first two Superman movies. He was equally adept with dialogue as the hulking Moose Malloy in 1978's Farewell My Lovely. Jack O'Halloran continued to grunt and glower his way through the 1990s, essaying such fearsome roles as Yeti in The Flintstones (1993).

Trivia: The memorable but fleeting appearance of American actor Tracey Walter as "Bob the Goon" in Batman was typical of Walter's career. In the grand tradition of such Hollywood character actors as Percy Helton, Dick Wessel and Louis Jean Heydt, Walter is in the "who is that?" category--familiar yet anonymous--and has developed a cult following amongst cinema buffs. The stage-trained Walters can be seen in such films as Repo Man (1984) City Slickers (1991), Pacific Heights (1992), and Philadelphia (1993). As far back as the 1984 critic's-darling sitcom Best of the West, Walter played Frog, the knuckle-dragging henchman of villain Leonard Frey.

Trivia: Supporting actor Billy Drago first appeared onscreen in the '80s.

Trivia: Michael Fox played character parts--usually villains--in scores of television shows and in more than 100 films, mostly during the '50s and '60s. Fans of the CBS daily serial The Bold and the Beautiful will remember him for having played Saul Feinberg from 1987-1986. Born and raised in Yonkers, New York and first made his name on Broadway starring opposite Lillian Gish in The Story of Mary Stuart. Fox made his film debut in films such as Voodoo Tiger and Backhawks (both 1952). Later in his career, Fox founded the Theater East actors organization. Fox passed away at the Motion Picture Home, Woodland Hills, California. The 75-year-old was suffering from pneumonia at the time.

Trivia: Former company member of The Guthrie Theatre in Minnesota.Won a Fringe First Award at The Edinburgh Festival for his work in Tea With Dick and Gerry.Was recognized with a Bush Fellowship and a Distinguished Alumnus Award by the University of Minnesota.Acting coach and teacher at The Michael Laskin Studio in Los Angeles, California.Author of the book The Authentic Actor - the Art and Business of Being Yourself.