Trivia: Though known mainly for his role as complicated police officer Vic Mackey on F/X's television cop drama The Shield, Massachusetts native Michael Chiklis has been acting professionally since the age of 13, when he made several appearances at the Town and Country Playhouse in Salem, NH. From there, Chiklis enlisted in a variety of classical, occasionally Shakespearian theatrical productions at the prestigious Merrimack Repertory Theatre and ultimately studied acting in the drama program at Boston University's College of Fine Arts. After graduating, Chiklis traveled to New York and began the auditioning process. In 1988, he was picked to portray John Belushi in the feature film Wired, though litigation and controversy delayed the release and proper promotional process, and the picture itself was a wretched mess (not to mention a depressing affair).By 1991, after making guest appearances in some of the most popular sitcoms of the time (Murphy Brown, L.A. Law, and Seinfeld, to name a few), Chiklis was cast as amiable police commissioner Tony Scali on ABC's The Commish. Though a few extra pounds at that time helped him land the role after his audition, his subsequent weight loss required him to wear a "fat suit" to remain in character (though the actor was only in his mid-twenties, series producers created the role for someone much older). When The Commish ceased to be after a five-year run, Chiklis took on a small role in Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995) and starred in the ill-fated NBC sitcom Daddio (2000). Two years later, the series premiere of The Shield catapulted Chiklis back into the forefront of network success. His role on the popular series would bring him two Best Actor nominations from the Golden Globes, as well as one from the Screen Actor's Guild.Chiklis contented himself with this part for several years, but in 2005, he returned to cinematic ventures and went big budget with the FX-laden summer extravaganza Fantastic Four. This film - like the famous Stan Lee comic strip - concerns a group of individuals who journey into outer space to investigate a cosmic storm, and find each of their DNA codes altered in a unique way; one by one, they become The Human Torch, The Thing, The Invisible Girl, and Mr. Fantastic (four superheroes, each of whom has a unique power) -- and must collectively take on the seemingly invincible Doctor Doom (Julian McMahon). Chiklis plays The Thing (nee Ben Grimm), a creature made entirely of stone. Though broadly derided in the press, the public ignored the negative critical responses and helped The Fantastic Four reel in an estimated worldwide gross of around $330 million -- paving the way for a 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. The Shield would end its run in 2008, but that same year, Chiklis signed for a supporting role in director D.J. Caruso's psychological thriller Eagle Eye. He was soon back on the small screen, however, with a starring role on the short-lived comedy series No Ordinary Family.

Trivia: Petite brunette leading lady Theresa Saldana made her first film appearance in 1978's I Wanna Hold Your Hand. In 1980, Saldana was seen as Jake LaMotta's sister-in-law in Raging Bull and as Sophia Loren's sister Maria in the made-for-TV Sophia Loren: Her Own Story. That same year, she showed up in a traditional woman-in-peril role in Defiance. One of the most fervent fans of that film was a drifter by the name of Arthur Richard Jackson, who couldn't stand the thought of his beloved Saldana (whom he'd never met) being subjected to danger and evil. Reportedly, he decided then and there to "save" the actress by killing her himself. On March 15, 1982, Saldana was assaulted and nearly stabbed to death by Jackson. After a long and traumatic recuperation period, she organized Victims for Victims, a support group for other people who'd survived near-fatal attacks from "devoted admirers." Her own story was dramatized in the 1984 TV movie Victims for Victims: The Theresa Saldana Story, in which she played herself. More recently, Theresa Saldana co-starred as Rachel Scale, wife of the title character, in the 1990s TV series The Commish, and hosted the Lifetime Cable Network "reality" series Confessions of Crime (1991). Saldana retired from acting in 2004; she passed away in 2016 at age 61.

Trivia: Though seemingly comfortable as an ingenue, ravishing Indian-born Canadian actress Suleka Mathew demonstrated her versatility to the world with her convincing comedic portrayal of Nuru, a dowdy woman much older than herself (and the mother of a character played by Jimi Mistry, an actor close to her own age), in Ian Iqbal Rashid's clever, gay-themed romantic comedy Touch of Pink (2003). This achievement elevated Mathew above the string of bit parts (as reporters, doctors, and other everyday types) that she had achieved up through that time, and paved the way for steady work on the prime-time series Men in Trees. In that Sex and the City-style comedy drama, Mathew plays Sara, a genial prostitute and single mother in an Alaskan town who dreams of escaping from the shadow of servicing clients. In 2009 Mathew joined the cast of TNT's Hawthorne as nurse Bobby Jackson, with roles in the made-for-TV movie Good Mornign, Killer, and the hit series NCIS following in quick succession.

Trivia: Mississippi-born Stella Stevens was a wife, mother, and divorcée before she was 17. While studying medicine at Memphis State College, Stevens became interested in acting and modeling. The notoriety of her nude spread in Playboy magazine was quickly offset by the public's realization that she had genuine talent, particularly in the comedy field. Stevens' many delightful comic characterizations include Apassionata von Climax in the movie version of Li'l Abner (1959), Glenn Ford's drum-playing girlfriend in Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963), and the klutzy heroine in the Matt Helm opus The Silencers (1966). She also showed up in a brace of 1960s cult favorites: Elvis Presley's Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) and Jerry Lewis' Nutty Professor (1963), her presence in the latter film was celebrated by Lewis' utilization of the Victor Young musical piece "Stella by Starlight." Despite consistently good work, Stevens never achieved the full stardom that she deserved: When she posed again for Playboy in 1968, she admitted that it was purely to get people to attend her films. Stevens worked steadily on television since the late '50s, appearing regularly on the Flamingo Road series from 1981 to 1982. She switched to the other side of cameras in the 1980s, producing the documentary The American Heroine and directing the inexpensive Canadian feature The Ranch (1989). Stella Stevens is the mother of actor Andrew Stevens, and was very briefly the mother-in-law of actress Kate Jackson.

Trivia: Born to Australian parents. Debuted on American TV in Charles & Diana: A Love Story (1982). Performed on stage in starring roles with the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal National Theater and Royal Court. Emerged in the U.S. in two Steven Spielberg films: as the wife of Peter Banning in Hook; and the wife of Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List. Met cinematographer husband Nicola Pecorini on the set of Cliffhanger. He is the co-founder of the Steadicam Operators Association. Played a Queen of England (Mists of Avalon), British Prime Minister (Me & Mrs. Jones) and First Lady (Chasing Liberty) in a three-year span from 2001-2004.