Trivia: Jennifer Lopez's first serious screen role in Gregory Nava's 1995 Latino melodrama My Family followed years of training in television movies and series. Like Rosie Perez, Lopez began her career as a Fly Girl -- a dancer on the sketch comedy series, In Living Color -- and appeared in music videos by Puff Daddy and Janet Jackson. Her big break came in 1997 when she appeared in the title role of Nava's Selena, the story of the successful Tejano singer who was tragically murdered in 1995. Lopez was at first cast as a femme fatale -- due in no small part to her classic Latina beauty (she was born in the Bronx to parents of Puerto Rican descent) -- and worked almost exclusively with acclaimed directors: Francis Ford Coppola (Jack, 1996), Oliver Stone (U-Turn, 1997), and Bob Rafelson (Blood and Wine, 1996). In 1998, she had one of her most acclaimed roles, starring opposite George Clooney in Out of Sight, Steven Soderbergh's adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel. Cast as a deputy federal marshal who falls for a charming criminal (Clooney), Lopez won raves for her tough, sexy performance, and in the process, she became the highest paid Latina actress in Hollywood history. That same year, she earned an introduction to a new generation of fans by lending her voice to the popular Antz (1998). The lavish but much more adult-oriented thriller The Cell (2000) followed shortly thereafter, bringing Lopez one of her first number-one openings. In an attempt to curry favor from the rom-com crowd, Lopez lightened things up a bit opposite Matthew McConaughey in 2001's romantic comedy The Wedding Planner. Though Lopez was consistently smooth in her frequent transitions from actress to songstress, her next role in the supernatural romance Angel Eyes (2001) failed to click with audiences and critics alike, and her role in the cathartic revenge thriller Enough (2002) likewise disappeared from theaters shortly after its release. Though Maid in Manhattan (2002) was ultimately relegated to a similar fate as her last few films, few could anticipate the outright hostility with which her 2003 comedy Gigli would be greeted. In the movie, Lopez was cast as a female gangster assigned to keep an eye on a kidnapper (played by then-real-life-boyfriend Ben Affleck) who is holding a psychologically challenged young boy hostage. The harsh public backlash against the film was likely due (at least in part) to over-saturated media coverage of the duo's tumultuous off-screen relationship. Though the film's failure wasn't exactly what one would call a career-ender for either star, their shoddy onscreen dynamic reportedly led director Kevin Smith to excise most of Lopez' role in the Affleck-starrer Jersey Girl.Finally, in 2005, it appeared the actress' string of bad box-office luck had possibly reached its end. Teaming up with Jane Fonda for the latter thespian's first feature in over a decade, Lopez scored a modest hit with the comedy Monster-In-Law. The Lasse Hallstrom-helmed drama An Unfinished Life followed later the same year with Lopez opposite heavy-hitters Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman. Lopez married singer Marc Anthony in 2006, and gave birth to twins in 2007. She subsequently worked less over the next few years, opting to spend time with her family. Lopez would get back into acting with the 2010 romantic comedy The Back-up Plan, but sadly, she and Anthony would separate in 2011. She continued to slip effortlessly between film, music and television, including taking a job as a judge on American Idol, setting up a residency in Las Vegas and starring and producing in her own show on NBC, Shades of Blue.

Trivia: An actress with a face that, like it or not, burns itself into your memory, not to be forgotten once initially exposed, feisty young actress Juliette Lewis once commented that her ability to look alternately attractive and repellant was a key element to her success, claiming that many attractive actresses simply can't be ugly if needed. Ugly she was as a viscously sadistic serial killer in Oliver Stone's notorious Natural Born Killers, in sharp contrast with her role as the virtually seductive cyberpunk-siren in the futuristic Strange Days. Born June 21, 1973, in Los Angeles, CA, Lewis had a distinct wild streak from her earliest days. Daughter of graphic artist/actor Geoffrey Lewis, Lewis realized her dreams of becoming an actress at the age of seven, turning those dreams into reality by becoming a professional actress at the age of 12. Distressed at the obstacles refraining her from fully immersing herself in her dreams (namely school and her parents), Lewis became legally emancipated at 14, gaining exemption from child-labor laws and the ability to work more than five hours a day. The final obstacle, high school, Lewis hurdled by dropping out at the age of 15, earning her equivalency exam with the aid of a tutor. That same year, she was arrested for being underage in an underground disco.Moving to Hollywood and living for a short period with actress Karen Black while seeking work, Lewis moved into an apartment with friends, finally finding the independence she had so diligently pursued. The payoff for her persistence was not far behind, as Lewis soon landed a role in the Showtime-produced Home Fires (1987). Following up with light comedic roles in the suburban extraterrestrial comedy My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988), and taking the role of Audrey in the third installment in the vacation series National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Lewis was well on her way to fully achieving her dreams of stardom. Her dramatic turn as Amanda Sue Bradley in Too Young to Die, the true story of the first minor to receive the death penalty, earned Lewis well-deserved praise and the recognition that would carry her forward into more challenging territory.Lewis' breakthrough role came in the form of the awkward and rebellious daughter flirting with a psychotic Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear, a role that earned her an Oscar nomination. More mature roles began to follow such as Johnny Depp's love interest in What's Eating Gilbert Grape and in her first foray into the mind of a serial killer, Kalifornia (both 1993). Her most notorious role to date, as the homicidal Mallory to Woody Harrelson's psychopathic Micky in the controversial and numbingly hyperkinetic ode to excess Natural Born Killers, displayed her remarkably enthusiastic ability for boundless exorbitance. With a few exceptions, namely 1999's The Other Sister, Lewis' post-Natural Born Killers career was filled with supporting roles and ensemble parts. She was the pregnant kidnapping victim in the noirish The Way of the Gun and played Jennifer Lopez's best friend in the domestic-violence thriller Enough. In 2003, Lewis played Luke Wilson's excessively unfaithful wife in Old School. Director Todd Phillips enjoyed working with her so much he cast her in 2004's high-profile comedic retooling of TV's Starsky and Hutch.She kept working steadily in a variety of projects including The Darwin Awards, Catch and Release, Drew Barrymore's rollerderby comedy Whip It, and she teamed up again with Todd Philips for his 2010 comedy Due Date. She appeared in the ensemble drama August: Osage County, an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, in 2013. Lewis then joined two television series at the same time, playing a detective in Secrets and Lies and a bartender in Wayward Pines, from executive producer M. Night Shyamalan. Both shows premiered in the spring of 2015.

Trivia: Most fans got their first taste of Dan Futterman when he played the son of Robin Williams in 1996's The Birdcage. Futterman actually began his professional acting career in 1991, however, when he was cast in the stage production of Club Soda just two years after he graduated from Columbia University. He continued with other successful stage roles, like Louis Ironson in the Broadway production of Angels in America in 1993.It was around this same time that Futterman began his on-screen career, appearing in the TV movie Daughters of Privilege, and in his first feature-film role with the critically acclaimed The Fisher King in 1991. Steady work continued to come until the 32-year-old actor was cast in a recurring role in the series Judging Amy in 1999. He stayed with the show until its run ended in 2005. It was around this time that another of Futterman's projects got off the ground as well; he'd been working on a screen adaptation of Gerald Clarke's book Capote, and it was in 2005 that the script's final product was released in theaters to a flood of success and praise. The film was nominated for five Oscars, and star Philip Seymour Hoffman took one home for Best Actor. Futterman would go on to write the successful HBO series In Treatment, as well as the film Foxcatcher.Futterman would also continue to appear in front of the camera, appearing in films like A Mighty Heart and Hello, I Must Be Going.

Trivia: After service with the U.S. Air Force Fred Ward studied acting in New York and Rome, where he worked in mime, dubbed Italian movies, and appeared in two Roberto Rossellini films. Back in America he did much experimental stage work and also had roles on TV. He debuted onscreen in America in 1978, then appeared in several films during the next few years; his screen career took off in 1983, when he appeared in The Right Stuff, Silkwood, and Uncommon Valor. He went on to become a busy screen actor in supporting roles and some leads, but he has yet to appear in a major hit.

Trivia: Character actor Bill Cobbs began his acting career relatively late in life after working odd jobs in Cleveland, OH. At the age of 36, he moved to New York and joined the Negro Ensemble Company, making his Broadway debut in First Breeze of Summer. His film career started in the late '70s with small film roles and guest appearances on television. In the early '80s, he worked on several performances for the NBC Live Theatre series and a PBS anthology with Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. Usually cast as the token old black man dispensing words of wisdom, Cobbs' weathered-yet-honest looks got him several guest spots on TV shows from Good Times to The West Wing. He did end up with a few reoccurring roles on sitcoms like The Slap Maxwell Story, The Gregory Hines Show, and The Michael Richards Show. He even had a part in The Others, the NBC sci-fi drama answer to The X-Files. Perhaps his most memorable television appearance is his role as Regina Taylor's father on I'll Fly Away as well as in the TV movie version I'll Fly Away: Then and Now. Throughout his film career, he has built a long list of credits playing kindly fathers, grandfathers, and even Moses (in The Hudsucker Proxy). He was Whitney Houston's manager in The Bodyguard, an old man in New Jack City, and Grandpa Booker in The People Under the Stairs. Though he appears in nearly all genres of Hollywood films, he occasionally gets meatier roles in made-for-TV dramas like Carolina Skeletons, Nightjohn, and Always Outnumbered. In 2002, he played wisened elders in Sunshine State, Enough, and Sweet Deadly Dreams.

Trivia: Supporting actor, onscreen from the '80s.

Trivia: A versatile performer whose career spans stage, screen, and television roles, in addition to commercial work and musical recording activity, Janet Carroll first drew the attention of audiences with her portrayal of Tom Cruise's mother in the 1983 Risky Business. Over the following decades, she went on to grace similar character roles in such big-screen outings as Secret Admirer (1985), Memories of Me (1988), and Family Business (1989). During the 1990s and 2000s, Carroll placed a heightened emphasis on television work, appearing on such series as Touched by an Angel, Ally McBeal, Scrubs, and Brothers & Sisters, as well as playing recurring roles on Murphy Brown, Married...With Children, and Melrose Place. Meanwhile, Carroll also began promulgating brands including Diet Coke, Holiday Inn, and Outback Steakhouse in television spots, delivered portrayals in stage productions including Elektra, Shadow of Heroes, Gypsy, and Mame, and traveled extensively as the vocalist with a seven-piece swing, jazz, and blues band.

Trivia: Best known in the mid-'90s for playing the earnest but often fumbling Dr. John Carter on the hit television drama ER, Noah Wyle has also appeared in a few feature films, notably Swing Kids in which he played a chillingly ardent member of the Hitler Youth. The son of an electrical engineer and an orthopedic nurse, Wyle was raised in Hollywood. He attended a boarding school and, while growing up, dreamed of becoming a basketball player. Lacking the height and the necessary skill, he turned toward acting. After graduation, he had the opportunity to go to college, but turned it down in favor of studying acting with Larry Moss. Wyle supported himself by working as a busboy and gained experience on stage, a venue he dearly loves. In 1990, he landed his first television role, albeit a very small one, in the NBC miniseries Blind Faith. In 1991, he made his feature film debut as the contented son Ask in the family drama Crooked Hearts (1992). More supporting roles followed, including a turn as Sir Lancelot in Guinevere, a made-for-cable look at the famed Arthurian queen as told from a feminist perspective. In 1997, Wyle starred in the independent drama The Myth of Fingerprints as a 23-year-old who has trouble getting over a breakup with his girlfriend. He had a memorable turn as Steve Jobs in the made-for-TV docudrama Pirates of Silicon Valley in 1999, and two years later he was in the cult favorite Donnie Darko. In 2004 he finished his work as a regular on ER after 11 years on the hit program, though he would return for the series finale three years later. Though he worked steadily, he returned to episodic TV for the scci-fi series Falling Skies.

Trivia: Played Lt. Schrank in a touring production of West Side Story for almost five years after college. A 2005 comedy he starred in, Full Disclosure, became the No. 1 downloaded short film on iTunes. Plays guitar.

Trivia: Sandra Nelson has achieved much screen attention, with a lot of her parts occurring on television series and movies. Cult lovers may recognize her in roles like her guest-starring one on Star Trek Voyager, and she can also be found in smaller parts in more mainstream pieces like the motion picture Life as a House, directed by Irwin Winkler in 2001. Carving out a niche for herself in the genre of drama, much of her experience has been playing roles on the more serious end of the performance scale. Officially a citizen of both the United States and Canada, she speaks fluently both Canadian French and American English. Having gained credited onscreen appearances by the early '90s appearing largely in dramatic roles, much of her experience came through television. In 1992, she was featured on the TV series Highlander, and counterbalanced her dramatic role there with an appearance in the comedy film The Halfback of Notre Dame in 1995. Maternal Instincts, also starring Delta Burke, featured Nelson in a leading role, and marked a professional return to both television and drama, this time in a film with a psychotic tone. In addition to several smaller roles in made-for-TV movies during the mid- to late-'90s, Nelson was featured on the daytime drama The Young and the Restless during the 1997-1998 season. She would also get involved in romantic drama as Marayna in an episode of Star Trek Voyager. As the 20th century came to a close, she could be found emerging more into the feature-length realm, making an appearance in The Dance in 1999. She appeared in Arthur A. Seidelman's modern Western film By Dawn's Early Light, which originally aired on television in 2000. In 2001, she played a small role in the contemplative drama Life as a House, starring Kevin Kline, and Kristin Scott Thomas.