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: Made his debut as a baby in the 1983 sci-fi film Brainstorm.Moved to New York after graduating high school to study photography.Learned to play guitar for the Disney series So Weird in which he played Carey Bell.Played Pink's onscreen boyfriend in her 2009 music video for "Please Don't Leave Me."

Trivia: Possessing the sort of moody good looks that can melt the hearts of teenage girls everywhere, actor Chad Michael Murray impressed television audiences early on with his role on the popular family drama series Gilmore Girls. Later breaking into feature territory with roles in the apocalyptic Megiddo: Omega Code 2 and Freaky Friday, the up-and-comer seemed poised to become the next Josh Hartnett. Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Murray gave his family a taste of his talent early on when the assured young entertainer kept them in stitches with a series of amusing skits and songs. A career in high-school athletics was cut short when the gridiron runner was sidelined with a serious football injury, and it was during his recovery that a nurse persuaded Murray to pursue a career in modeling. Subsequently awarded a modeling scholarship from a nearby Buffalo agency, Murray was spotted by a Hollywood talent scout during a convention in Orlando and convinced to try his hand at acting. With high school behind him and stars in his eyes, the handsome young model made for the West Coast while supporting himself with a series of modeling jobs. As with many L.A. newcomers, Murray's early career consisted mainly of supporting performances in such shows as Diagnosis Murder, and in 2001, his profile was given a considerable boost with roles on both Dawson's Creek and Gilmore Girls. A feature debut in Megiddo was quick to follow, and in 2003, Murray strapped on the famous identity-concealing mask for the lead in the made-for-TV remake The Lone Ranger. A role opposite teen sensation Lindsay Lohan in the Disney remake Freaky Friday offered Murray some prime exposure, with One Tree Hill finding him returning to the small screen as a basketball-playing teen who shares a dark secret with his estranged brother. After appearing opposite Lizzie McGuire star Hilary Duff in the romantic teen comedy A Cinderella Story (2004), Murray moved into darker territory with the horror remake House of Wax (also 2004). With One Tree Hill a hit, Murray focused on his TV show, starring on the show until 2009 and making occasional guest appearances in later seasons. He starred in Day One (2012) and had a supporting role in the Sundance hit Fruitvale Station (2013). In 2014, he starred in Left Behind opposite Nicolas Cage. The following year, he returned to television, with a lead role in the Marvel series Agent Carter.

Trivia: With a look, attitude, and signature catchphrase as memorable to some as they were repellant to others, standup comic Larry the Cable Guy hit it big in the early 2000s by taking advantage of the red state/blue state culture wars of the time. As the decade lumbered on, the comedian -- like so many before him -- took advantage of his popularity on the live circuit to make inroads into film and television.The man who added the catchphrases "Git-R-Done" and "Lord, I Apologize" to the American lexicon claims he was born in the back of an El Camino during a Foghat concert, but was actually born Dan Whitney in Pawnee City, NE. His upbringing was conservative, traditional, and churchgoing, but that didn't mean that strip bars were out of the question when Larry reached 18 (maybe even a little earlier). Fascinated by this redneck life -- "redneck" being a term he is not only fine with, but endorses -- and always looking to comment on it, Larry used his humorous observations to captivate his friends, who dared him to try his hand at standup. He did in 1986 and the fans' reaction to his slow, approachable style had him hooked. Two years later, he relinquished his title as funniest bellhop at the Ramada Inn and set out for a career in comedy.His one-liner-filled act soon caught word-of-mouth fire in the South and brought him to the attention of television. Appearances on An Evening at the Improv and Comic Strip Live increased his fan base past rural America, but it was on the nationally syndicated Bob and Tom Show on radio that Larry got the most exposure. His success with radio continued when he became a regular on Jeff Foxworthy's country countdown show, The Foxworthy Countdown, and Larry soon started syndicating his "commentaries" to 14 markets across the country. In 2000, Foxworthy invited the comic to join his Blue Collar Comedy Tour, along with Bill Engvall. The successful tour grossed 15 million dollars, sold more than one million copies when released on DVD, and turned Larry into a superstar. His debut CD, Lord, I Apologize, appeared in 2001 and became the Dark Side of the Moon of the comedy charts -- sticking in the Top 20 for two years running.In 2002, a Comedy Central airing of Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie became the network's highest-rated movie in its 12-year history, even with the DVD widely available. Larry the Cable Guy: Git-R-Done became his first solo DVD in 2003, and a year later Larry, Foxworthy, and Engvall turned their tour into the highly rated television show Blue Collar TV. Wearing his redneckness as a badge of honor while hating political correctness and racism equally made Larry a hard target for detractors.The year 2006 was devoted mostly to film, with Larry starring in his own feature film, Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, and supplying the voice of Mater in the animated Disney/Pixar film Cars. The former stalled at the box office as the latter, predictably, became one of the biggest hits of the year. He also appeared on the CD and DVD Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One for the Road that year, before trying his hand once again at headlining a film with the Iraq comedy Delta Farce.

Trivia: American character actress Kathy Najimy specializes in offbeat, theatrical characters. A substantial and energetic woman with distinctive curly hair and exotic features, Najimy has appeared on-stage, in feature films, and on television. She has also voiced cartoons. Film credits include The Fisher King, Soapdish (both 1991), Sister Act (1992), and Jeffrey (1996). In 1996, she appeared -- over 100 pounds thinner -- for a brief but memorable recurring role as a manic-depressive psychiatrist on the CBS TV series Chicago Hope. In 1997, she became a regular on the Kirstie Alley sitcom Veronica's Closet. Beginning in 1997 she spent thirteen seasons voicing Peggy Hill, the wife to tried and true Texan Hank Hill on the animated series King of the Hill. During the run of the show she appeared in a variety of big-screen projects including Bride of Chucky, Rat Race, Scream Team, and Say Uncle. She landed a recurring role on the TV series Numb3rs, and joined the Pixar family when she lent her vocal talents to WALL-E in 2008.

Trivia: Black supporting actress, onscreen from the late '70s.

Trivia: Was the first African American cheerleader at her high school. Worked as a waitress in New York City before beginning career as a model at 17 and appearing in commercials and educational films. Co-founded and performed with R&B/hip hop duo Twise with Marcella "Precise" Brailsford; contributed the track "Paint the World (America's Theme)" to the One Life, Many Voices for Hurricane Relief CD to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. First regular TV work came in 2004 when she was named co-host of Best Friend's Date on the N Network. Big break came in 2005 when she was cast as Layla Williamson on One Life to Live. Made big screen debut in 2010's Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming. Made the leap into producing with the 2016 movie Southside With You, in which she plays a young Michelle Obama.

Trivia: Was drafted as a running back for the Oakland Raiders after graduating from college. Began acting after being cut from the Oakland Raiders. Trained at the Joanne Baron DW Brown Studio in Santa Monica. Does motion capture for the Madden NFL video game series.

Trivia: Since making her film debut in 1984's Dune, Alicia Witt has matured into one of the more steadily employed young actresses in Hollywood. With a resumé that includes both film and television work, the flame-haired Witt has become known for her roles in projects as varied as the TV sitcom Cybill and 1998's teen horror flick Urban Legends.Born August 21, 1975, in Worcester, MA, Witt displayed a remarkable precocity from an early age. Talking by age two and reading by the age of four, she made her film debut in Dune at the age of nine and earned her high school GED when she was 14. Her next role of any import was on David Lynch's TV series Twin Peaks (1990) and was later followed by a secondary role in 1993's Bodies, Rest & Motion, co-starring Bridget Fonda, Phoebe Cates, Eric Stoltz, and Tim Roth. In 1994, Witt earned Sundance credibility with her turn as a murderous teen in Fun and the following year was introduced to a wider audience with her role as Cybill Shepard's daughter on Cybill. A variety of roles followed in films ranging from the desultory (1995's Four Rooms) to the delightful (Alexander Payne's 1996 satire Citizen Ruth). 1996 also saw Witt in one of her more recognizable roles, as one of Richard Dreyfuss' struggling band students in Mr. Holland's Opus. Her recognition was further heightened with her appearance in 1998's Urban Legends, in which she co-starred with a number of other nascently twinkling stars, including Jared Leto, Joshua Jackson, and Rebecca Gayheart. She had a memorable part in John Waters scathing satire Cecil B. Demented, and went on to appear in Vanilla Sky, Two Weeks Notice, The Uspide of Anger, the Al Pacino thriller 88 Minutes, Peep World, and Cowgirls 'n Angels.

Trivia: A former Mouseketeer, Lisa Whelchel is best remembered for playing spoiled, little rich girl Blair Warner on the long-running sitcom Facts of Life (1979-1988).