Trivia: Born in Los Angeles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt grew up in front of the camera as a child and teen actor. Winning his first major role at age seven in the TV movie Stranger on My Land (1988), Gordon-Levitt appeared in a number of TV movies and series during the late '80s and early '90s, including a recurring role on the hit sitcom Roseanne from 1993 to 1995. After making his feature film debut as the young version of Craig Sheffer in A River Runs Through It (1992), the young actor garnered further notice as the boy whose prayers are answered in the sleeper Angels in the Outfield (1994) and as Demi Moore's son in The Juror (1996). Gordon-Levitt achieved considerable TV fame, though, when he was cast in NBC's critical and popular hit Third Rock From the Sun (1996-present). As old/young alien Tommy Solomon, he cracked wise with multiple Emmy-winner John Lithgow and attracted teen fans. Making the most of the late-'90s teen movie resurgence during the series' hiatuses, Gordon-Levitt appeared in the teen slasher sequel Halloween: H20 (1998) and starred as one of the romantic schemers in the popular Shakespeare-via-high school comedy 10 Things I Hate About You (1999). After voicing the lead in the expensive animated flop Treasure Planet, Levitt made a conscious decision to shed his TV image. He appeared in a series of challenging indie films including Mysterious Skin, Brick, and The Lookout, and succeeded in redefining his public image. He appeared in Spike Lee's Miracle At St. Anna and the Iraq War drama Stop-Loss in 2008. The next year he starred in the big-budget action film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, but earned better reviews and more respect as the lead in the hit indie romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer. He was cast opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception the next year, and earned arguably the best reviews of his career in 2011 when he starred in the cancer comedy 50/50 as a young man learning to cope with an unexpected, and possibly lethal, illness. He would team with director Chriotpher Nolan again in 2012 as part of the cast in The Dark Knight Rises, and Steven Spielberg cast him as Robert Todd in the director's long gestating biopic Lincoln. Levitt made his feature-length directorial debut in 2013, with Don Jon, which he also wrote and starred in.

Trivia: Canadian-born actor Seth Rogen tapped into his skills as a comedian when he was only 13, signing up for comedy classes and honing his deadpan style. He tooled around as an amateur for a few years but eventually took his act down south, hoping to find success as an actor and standup comedian in the U.S. He was soon discovered by Judd Apatow and was cast in his short-lived series Freaks and Geeks. After its cancellation, Apatow cast Rogen in his next series, Undeclared -- for which Rogen significantly contributed as a writer. Undeclared met the same fate as Freaks and Geeks and was canceled mid-season, but both series became surprisingly hot cult hits upon their DVD releases. Rogen went on to write for Da Ali G Show and take minor roles in Donnie Darko and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy before being tapped by Apatow once again for a new project, this time on the big screen. The film was 2005's The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Rogen's role as Steve Carell's well-meaning friend Cal finally brought him the large-scale success that made his comic skills a valuable commodity. Rogen also acted as co-producer on the film, which was touted as the funniest movie in years by critics and audiences alike, eventually grossing well over a hundred million dollars. There was obviously good chemistry on the set of The 40 Year Old Virgin, so Rogen signed on to appear in Apatow's 2007 comedy Knocked Up. Appearing alongside his old cast mates Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, Rogen starred as a man who is forced to deal with serious unforeseen consequences when his one-night stand becomes pregnant. After the filmmakers' initial plans to cast Anne Hathaway in the opposite role fell through, Grey's Anatomy star Katherine Heigl signed on to star as the female lead. The smash success of Superbad made him one of the biggest comedy stars of his generation and led to Pineapple Express, a pot comedy opposite James Franco. He was Zack in Zack and MIri Make a Porno, and took a screenwriting credit on Drillbit Taylor in 2008. He lent his distinctive gravelly voice to a number of animated films including Kung Fu Panda and Monsters vs. Aliens. In 2009 he stretched himself, reteaming with Apatow for Funny People, and taking the lead in the black comedy Observe and Report. In 2011 he was The Green Hornet, but he also appeared as the best friend to a young cancer victim in the comedy 50/50. He also played the husband of Michelle Williams in Sarah Polley's Take This Waltz.

Trivia: Tony-nominated, Drama Desk award-winning actress Anna Kendrick got her start on the stage before segueing into film with roles in the Todd Graff musical comedy Camp and Spellbound director Jeffrey Blitz's post-Napoleon Dynamite teen misfit comedy Rocket Science. Cast in the latter as the love interest of a stuttering high-school student seeking to steady his voice by joining the debate team, Kendrick charmed viewers with her effervescent radiance before taking the lead as a teen desperately searching for her missing best friend in cinematographer-turned-director Nathan Hope's 2007 thriller Elsewhere. Later that same year, Kendrick could be seen opposite Ben Stiller and Jason Schwartzman in director Todd Louiso's arrested-development comedy The Marc Pease Experience. In 2008 she landed a recurring part in the highly successful Twilight series, but her real breakthrough came in 2009 with her Oscar-nominated turn opposite George Clooney in Up in the Air. In 2010 she appeared in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and a year later she earned strong reviews playing a psychiatrist counseling a young cancer victim in 50/50. In 2012 she was in the ensemble pregnancy comedy What to Expect When You're Expecting, lent her voice to the animated film ParaNorman, and scored a huge hit with the a capella comedy Pitch Perfect.

Trivia: Occasionally billed as Bryce Howard Dallas, this promising young talent is the daughter of director Ron Howard and actress Cheryl Howard. Rather than simply using her admittedly well-connected status to break into the acting world, Howard opted to study the craft at New York University's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, and would continue to act at the Stella Adler Conservatory. After landing roles in several off-Broadway productions, Howard made her feature-film debut in director Alan Brown's Book of Love (2003), which premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival as part of the drama competition. In 2004, Howard broke into the mainstream with her performance in M. Night Shyamalan's The Village, which also features Hollywood heavy-hitters William Hurt, Adrien Brody, and Joaquin Phoenix, among others. For Lars von Trier's Manderlay, Howard took over the role of Grace first played by Nicole Kidman in Dogville. In 2006 she reteamed with Shyamalan playing the title character in The Lady in the Water. That same year she was cast alongside Kevin Kline and Alfred Molina in Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Shakespeare's As You Like It. She then scored the plum role of Peter Parker's love interest Gwen Stacy in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3. Howard would henceforth remain a consistent presence on screen, appearing in films like Terminator Salvation, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Help, and 50/50.

Trivia: Born July 8th, 1961, he daughter of director John Huston and his fourth wife, ballerina Ricki Somma, Anjelica Huston spent a privileged but troubled childhood in Ireland. Although her father didn't really want her to be an actress, he gave her substantial roles in his films Sinful Davy and A Walk With Love and Death (both 1969). The actress did little movie work during the '70s, choosing instead to pursue a successful, albeit short-term, career as a model before returning to films with a vengeance in the '80s, diligently studying with famed drama coach Peggy Feury.In 1985, Huston earned an Oscar for her performance as the vengeful girlfriend of hit man Jack Nicholson in Prizzi's Honor, making her the first third-generation Academy winner in history. Other worthwhile roles followed in her father's final directorial effort, The Dead (1987), and Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). She was also rewardingly directed by her half-brother Danny Huston in Mr. North (1988). Huston earned additional Oscar nominations for her outstanding dramatic work in Enemies: A Love Story (1989) and The Grifters (1990). On a lighter note, she was ideally cast as Morticia Addams in the two Addams Family movies in the early '90s; neither was recognized by the Academy, although both earned her Golden Globe nominations. Despite her breakup with long-time companion Nicholson (she went on to marry Robert Graham in 1992), Huston still occasionally acted opposite him, most notably in Sean Penn's The Crossing Guard (1995). Other notable roles for the actress during the late '90s included her turn as the wicked stepmother in Ever After (1998) and a hilarious portrayal of a football-obsessed, dysfunctional mother in Buffalo '66.In addition to her work on film, Huston accumulated an impressive roster of television credits during the 1980s and '90s, including her powerful performances as frontier woman Clara Allen in the 1989 miniseries Lonesome Dove and the beleaguered mother of an autistic child in the two-part Family Pictures (1993). She also had a supporting role in the widely acclaimed 1993 production of And the Band Played On. In 1996, Huston made her directorial debut with Bastard out of Carolina, a praised adaptation of Dorothy Allison's novel of the same name, and followed that up with another behind-the-camera effort, Agnes Browne, in 1999. She played Gene Hackman's estranged wife in the critically-acclaimed The Royal Tenenbaums in 2001. She appeared opposite Clint Eastwood in his police drama Blood Work. She continued to appear in a wide variety of films including an officious antagonist in Daddy Day Care. In 2004 she reteamed with Wes Anderson for The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and played in the made for cable historical drama Iron Jawed Angels. In 2006 Huston took on a small role in Terry Zwigoff's Art School Confidential, and appeared in Martha Coolidge's Material Girls opposite Hilary and Haylie Duff.In 2008, Huston joined the cast of the made-for-HBO period film Iron Jawed Angels, in which she played an activist opposed to the National Woman's Party, which encouraged rewarding American women with the right to vote and hold citizenship. After participating in several films throughout 2006 (Material Girls, Art School Confidential, Seraphim Falls), Huston reunited with Wes Anderson to play a supporting role in the multi-award winning comedy The Darjeeling Limited in 2007. The actress took on another supporting role in the critically acclaimed psychological drama The Kreutzer Sonata (2008). In 2011, she co-starred in the complex comedy drama 50/50, in which she played the overbearing mother of a public radio employee diagnosed with cancer at 27-years-old.

Trivia: American character actor Andrew Airlie began his career by appearing in bit parts and walk-ons in Hollywood A- and B-listers. Early roles include that of a mall patron in the Andrew Bergman comedy The Freshman (1990), a co-pilot in the sequel Look Who's Talking Now (1993), and a physician in the Alicia Silverstone/Cary Elwes thriller The Crush (1993). Though these constituted small assignments, they did establish Airlie's resumé and Hollywood presence. In time, Airlie rose to slightly higher billing. In 2000, he became one of the first American prime-time actors to play a groom at a gay wedding in the Donna Deitch-directed telemovie Common Ground. Shortly thereafter, Airlie took on a supporting role in Rose Troche's ensemble drama The Safety of Objects (2001) and played another physician in the summer 2005 box-office blockbuster Fantastic Four. Airlie also maintained a presense on the small screen, appearing in recurring roles on such series as the mid-'90s Outer Limits and The 4400, as well as a regular part on the fantasy-comedy-drama Reaper, playing the main character's father, Mr. Oliver, who sold his son's soul to the Devil before he was born.

Trivia: It's likely that nothing American actor Matt Frewer ever did while training with Britain's Old Vic prepared him for the role that would boost him to stardom. In the early 1980s, Frewer began making appearances on a British music video show in the role of Max Headroom, an ostensibly computer-generated "talking head". Decked out in sunglasses and loud preppie clothes, Max Headroom would break into the middle of videos making nonsensical, obtrusive comments, his voice metallicized and distorted; Max' trademark was an electronic stutter, virtually indescribable on paper. In 1985 Max began conducting celebrity interviews, forever digressing from the conversation with self-involved harangues about his favorite subject, golf. So popular was Frewer as Headroom that Britain's Channel 4 devised a one-hour "documentary" titled Rebus: The Max Headroom Story, which alleged that Max had once been a flesh-and-blood TV newsman who was killed by an oppressive government to keep him from divulging secrets: his name, it was explained, was derived from the last words the "live" Max ever saw, a warning on a bridge reading "Maximum Headroom." This premise was modified a bit when Frewer starred on the 1986 American satirical talk show Max Headroom, which first appeared on the Cinemax cable service. Frewer continued the characterization into a local New York program, then played the dual role of Max and futuristic investigative reporter Edison Carter on ABC's brief Max Headroom comedy adventure series. In addition, Frewer essayed Max for a series of widely-imitated Coca Cola commercials. In 1989, Matt Frewer abandoned Max Headroom to seek out roles that didn't require computer enhancement; he subsequently starred in a few sitcoms, and in 1993 provided the voice of the title character in a new series of Pink Panther TV cartoons.