Trivia: Born in Alberta, Canada, in 1971, Nathan Fillion took his acting ambitions to the United States when he moved to New York in 1994 to portray Joey Buchanan on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. Having previously appeared in a single TV movie, Ordeal in the Arctic, Fillion's acting career had taken a backseat to his plans to be an English teacher. His three-year stint on the long-standing daytime TV staple, however, changed his focus in a big way. When his time on One Life to Live was up, the 27-year-old actor relocated to Los Angeles to assume a regular role on the sitcom Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place. Shortly afterward, he made a memorable appearance as the "wrong Ryan" in Steven Spielberg's WWII epic Saving Private Ryan. He also made appearances on The Outer Limits, King of the Hill, Pasadena, and other projects. It was in 2002, however, that he assumed the role that would make his career. Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon selected Fillion to portray rugged captain Mal Reynolds for his new sci-fi/Western series Firefly. The show found a rabidly loyal cult fan base, as well as incomparable critical praise, but tragically, failed to find the wide audience that Fox had been hoping for. The show was canceled after only 11 episodes, but Fillion had reached a level of familiarity with the public that most actors never hope to achieve. He reprised the role of Mal in 2005 for the feature-film adaptation of Firefly, Serenity, to the delight of fans. In 2006, Fillion stayed on the cream of the fringe with the much anticipated horror film Slither. Starring alongside Elizabeth Banks, the actor stole the show with his humorous, low-key performance. For his next project, he signed on to act alongside Keri Russell in the romantic comedy Waitress. When the writer's strike hit, Fillion teamed with his old collaborator Joss Whedon to star in the direct-to-the-web musical miniseries Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. In 2009 he landed the title role on the ABC series Castle, and took a small role in the dark superhero comedy Super in 2010.

Trivia: Became interested in acting as a small child but did not begin performing until college. Earned her MFA at University of Alabama through the school's master's program with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Moved to New York City to pursue her acting career in 2008 following the completion of her master's degree. Cast as the understudy for three female leads in Joe Turner's Come and Gone on Broadway in 2009. In 2010, replaced Kerry Washington in the starring role of Susan in David Mamet's Race on Broadway after working as her understudy for 7 months. Played the role of Jo in an off-Broadway production of The Legend of Georgia McBride at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in 2015.

Trivia: The physically striking actor Eric Winter originally started out as a model before he cut his acting chops in the early 2000s, with periodic contributions (in guest-acting roles) to such programs as Charmed and CSI. In 2002, he found regular work on the soap opera Days of Our Lives, playing the mysterious Rex Brady for several years. When Winter left that show, there was no shortage of work for the handsome thespian, who was soon appearing on such programs as Wildfire, Viva Laughlin, and Brothers & Sisters. On the latter series (the most popular of the bunch), he portrayed gay minister Jason McCallister, the brother of Republican presidential candidate Senator Robert McCallister (Rob Lowe) and a love interest for lawyer Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys). Winter followed that up with a recurring part as ADA Benjamin Talbot on the short-lived vampire detective series Moonlight. Also in 2007, he appeared in the stoner comedy Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (the sequel to the massive sleeper hit Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle) as Colton Graham, the outwardly perfect but secretly manipulative and smug Republican fiancé of Kumar's ex-girlfriend (whom Kumar is still in love with).

Trivia: Won the third season of Canadian Idol in 2005. Released her self-titled debut album in 2005. Performed as Eponine in a 2013 Toronto production of Les Miserables; she later joined the 2014 Broadway revival cast of the show, acting in the ensemble and as an understudy for Eponine and Fantine. Won a 2014 Dora Award for Outstanding Performance in Theatre/Opera for her performance in Les Miserables.

Trivia: African-American supporting player Richard T. Jones boasts a resumé exhibiting the genre versatility of the most gifted character actors. Jones made his first significant onscreen appearance in 1993, with a bit part as Ike Turner Jr. in the harrowing drama What's Love Got to Do With It? He then branched out into supporting roles in such pictures as the military comedy Renaissance Man, the goofy Pauly Shore yuck-fest Jury Duty, the sci-fi horror film Event Horizon, and the psychological thrillers Kiss the Girls (1997) and Twisted (2004). In addition, Jones played Officer Clement Johnson on the short-lived cop drama Brooklyn South in the late '90s. The actor was particularly memorable in his regular role opposite Amy Brenneman on the legal drama series Judging Amy (1999-2005), as Court Services officer Bruce Van Exel. After taking appearing in multiple episodes of the sitcom Girlfriends as Aaron and in supporting roles in films such as Why Did I Get Married? and Vantage Point, Jones scored a regular part on the hit sci-fi series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, playing FBI agent James Ellison, who is constantly on the hunt for the fugitive Sarah Connor. He also appeared in J. J. Abrams 2011 Spielberg homage Super 8.

Trivia: Frequently relocated throughout his childhood because of his father's military service.Took voice lessons when he was middle school.Started acting during his senior year of high school, at age 17, securing a lead role in his first musical, 1940 Radio Hour.Worked as a New York Knicks Acroback Tumbler, performing during half-times at the Knicks Madison Square Garden home games, early in his entertainment career.Was also a part of Liberty Dancers, the co-ed hip hop WNBA dance team.

Trivia: Is of Colombian and Mexican-American descent. As a kid she dreamed of becoming a dancer. Was introduced to acting in elementary school when a teacher asked her if she would rather take a cooking class or one in theater. Her first role was Huckleberry Finn. Big break came when she landed the role of Celia Ortega on the soap opera As the World Turns in 2005. Best known for her role as Jasmine on The Nine Lives of Chloe King and as Gloria on Army Wives. Is trained in martial arts and is a huge fan of Bruce Lee.

Trivia: Moved to the U.S. from Sweden at age 12. Made her first film appearance in an uncredited role in the 2006 romantic comedy The Breakup. Was a series regular on two short-lived shows, The Finder and 666 Park Avenue, back-to-back in 2012.

Trivia: Her father worked for the United Nations. Spent most of her childhood living in Fiji and the Solomon Islands. Met a producer while working at a restaurant in Los Angeles, which led to her first professional acting job in the movie Cellular in 2004.

Trivia: An accomplished young actor who has graced the stage, screen, and television, Harold Perrineau Jr. has earned a well-deserved reputation as a performer willing to take on just about anything, with roles ranging from drag queens to hardened criminals. A native of Brooklyn, Perrineau studied music and theatre at the Shenandoah Conservatory, but began his career as a dancer with the Alvin Ailey Company, performing with the troupe for a year and a half. A gradual shift to acting led Perrineau to the theatre, where he acted in a number of shows including Dreamgirls, the critically acclaimed Avenue X, and the off-Broadway revival of Godspell.While he was working on the stage, Perrineau also began appearing on TV in such shows as The Cosby Show, The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, I'll Fly Away, and Law & Order. He segued onto the big screen in the late '80s, but had his first memorable role as Rashid Cole, a young man searching for his long-absent father (Forest Whitaker) in Smoke, an acclaimed 1995 drama directed by Wayne Wang and based upon the writings of Paul Auster. The following year he gained further exposure for his flamboyant, explosive portrayal of Mercutio in Baz Luhrmann's William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet. At one point outfitted in a glitter miniskirt and platform heels, Perrineau proved a worthy, if idiosyncratic, foil for Leonardo Di Caprio's Romeo and gave a performance that marked him as one of the more distinctive Mercutios in the play's history.Perrineau subsequently appeared in a number of supporting roles in films ranging from Auster's Lulu on the Bridge (1998) to The Best Man (1999), a celebrated romantic comedy directed by Malcolm D. Lee (cousin of Spike Lee) that saw Perrineau share the screen with other members of a group widely billed as a new generation of African-American actors, including Taye Diggs, Morris Chestnut, and Nia Long. In addition to appearances in various independent films, Perrineau starred in Woman on Top (2000), a comedy that cast him as the drag queen best friend of a young woman (Penelope Cruz) experiencing romantic woes.In 1997, Perrineau made the move to the small screen, assuming the role of paraplegic convict and narrator Augustus Hill on the acclaimed HBO series Oz. The brutally violent, hard-hitting series generated Perrineau thousands of fans, and he stayed with the show until 2003 - the same year he took up the role of Link in The Matrix Reloaded, the second film in the explosive Matrix franchise. He would reprise the role the next year for the third and final installment in the series, The Matrix Revolutions, before returning to television just months later for the role of Michael on the cryptic ABC sci-fi/mystery/drama Lost. Playing a conflicted and sometimes morally ambiguous character, Perrineau soon proved to be a vital member of the cast, taking a hiatus from the series in 2007 only to return in 2008.Despite becoming a pivotal component of primetime TV, the actor remained as active in movies as ever. He took on the role of Flynn in the 2007 horror sequel 28 Weeks Later, and starred alongside Michael Madsen in the 2008 thriller The Killing Jar. After Lost ended in 2010, Perrineau continued to alternate between TV and film, playing the villain in season 5 of Sons of Anarchy and a decidedly lighter role as the bass player in a wedding band in the short-lived TBS comedy Wedding Band. He also played a supporting role in the controversial Oscar-nominated film Zero Dark Thirty (2012).

Trivia: Knew from the age of 2 that she wanted to be a dancer. Originally from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, she moved to Orlando when she was 7. Appeared on many Nickleodeon programs, including Noah Knows Best and Kenan & Kel. Toured for two years as Carmen in Fame--The Musical. Was one of only two female dancers chosen for Michael Jackson's This Is It tour.

Trivia: Though he would set the screen ablaze with his role as Iceman (aka Bobby Drake) in director Bryan Singer's X2, teen actor Shawn Ashmore has been appearing frequently in film since his cinematic debut in the 1991 comedy drama Married to It. Born one-minute after twin brother Aaron in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, in October of 1979, Ashmore was raised in Toronto, British Columbia, and Alberta, where he would attend primary school at Leo Nickerson Elementary before heading to Turner Fenton High School in Brampton, Ontario. His mother's association with the Multiple Birth Association eventually led to a career in front of the camera for both Shawn and brother Aaron, and before long the siblings were appearing in numerous television commercials. Following his debut in Married to It, Ashmore would go on to meatier roles in such made-for-television features as Guitarman (1994) and Promise the Moon (1997), often joking that casting agents would have to flip a coin to chose between himself and his brother. As his career continued to build momentum with roles in such features as Strike! (1998) and on television's Animorphs, Ashmore was elated to find that he had been cast in a minor, albeit pivotal role in 2000's X-Men. Ashmore gained even more exposure with his subsequent role on The Disney Channel series In a Hearbeat. Always dedicated to making his performances as convincing as possible, Ashmore attended military school and received voice lessons for three months while preparing for his role in the 2002 made-for-television feature Cadet Kelly. He returned to the role of Iceman role in X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006. He worked steadily in projects such as Earthsea, 3 Needles, and Solstice. In 2008 he had a major role in the horror film The Ruins. Two years later he starred in Frozen, and followed that up with the horror film The Day.. Fluent in French, some of Ashmore's favorite pastime activities include snowboarding and playing guitar.

Trivia: Born in San Mateo, CA, barrel-chested American supporting actor Michael Trucco opted for the most unlikely and circuitous route into show business: he began his studies as a criminal justice major at the University of Santa Clara -- with plans to model his own career after that of his law officer father -- and discovered theater by accident, first via a drama course for non-majors, then by switching his major to dramatic arts at the behest of a drama teacher and his own parents. Numerous minor roles in theatrical productions followed; Trucco's turn in a Los Angeles-area production of the Aaron Sorkin play A Few Good Men solicited the attentions of an agent, who signed the aspiring actor and secured bit parts for him in many films and television programs. These included single-episode contributions to CSI, Arli$$, and Charmed; a supporting role in the sex comedy What Boys Like; and recurring roles on One Tree Hill, as Cooper Lee, and on the popular sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica, as Sam Anders. Trucco could then be seen in the Nicolas Cage vehicle Next in summer 2007.

Trivia: Missouri native Annie Wersching first became interested in show business by studying traditional Irish dance, competing with the St. Louis Celtic Stepdancers on a national level. She went on to attend Millikin University, where she studied musical theater, and began her TV career a short time later, making a handful of minor appearances on shows like Star Trek: Enterprise. In 2007, she landed the recurring role of Amelia Joffe on the daytime soap General Hospital, but her big break came 2008, when she joined the cast of the hit series 24 as FBI agent Renee Walker.