Trivia: Broad-shouldered American actor Ken Wahl has proven time and again that he's more than just a mass of muscle. After a handful of supporting roles, Wahl entered cult-film Valhalla with his starring role as a Bronx-Italian highschooler in The Wanderers (1979). Arguably, his best screen role was as the "see no evil" partner of conscience-stricken cop Paul Newman in Fort Apache, the Bronx (1981). His many film appearances aside, Wahl's popularity rests with his three-year performance as underground cop Vinnie Teranova in Wiseguys (1987-90), which was impressive enough to make viewers forget Wahl's earlier series-TV stint in the unlamented adventure series Double Dare (1985).

Trivia: Jonathan Banks began his film career in the sort of roles described by character actor Frank Faylen as "sneezers." For example: if you sneezed, you'd miss Banks' microscopic part in 1980's Stir Crazy. He was more visible in such roles as the hitchhiker in the 1982 biopic Frances and Algren in the 1983 seriocomedy 48 Hours. On television, Jonathan Banks was cast as the scurrilous extraterrestrial Commander Kroll in Otherworld (1985) and as Frank McPike, Ken Wahl's choleric boss, in Wiseguy (1987). Banks would continue to appear in several more films over the coming years, like Dark Blue and Reign Over Me, as well as TV shows like Breaking Bad.

Trivia: Tony Ganios made his film debut in the 1979 crime drama The Wanderers. He was soon later cast as Meat in the 1982 sex comedy Porky's, and he would reprise the role two more times for sequels. The '90s brought a recurring role on the series Wiseguy and appearances in Die Hard 2 and Rising Sun.

Trivia: At 18, Bronx-born blonde Cathy Moriarty had precisely no acting experience, which suited director Martin Scorsese just fine. Scorsese wanted a thoroughly natural, spontaneous actress to portray the bethumped Vickie La Motta, wife of volatile boxing champ Jake La Motta (Robert DeNiro), in the 1980 biopic Raging Bull. Moriarty won an Academy Award nomination for her fascinating portrayal of Vickie; alas, her next project was the much-maligned Neighbors (1981), which effectively killed her starring career before it had even begun. Her professional problems were exacerbated by a 1982 automobile accident. After back surgery and extensive emotional healing, Moriarty made a tentative film comeback in 1987. The film assignments began improving after 1990; she was terrific as a daytime-drama diva in Soapdish (1991), and even better as monotoned horror film star Ruth Corday in Matinee (1992). There have been a few setbacks during Moriarty's career renaissance (she was cut from the final print of Sean Penn's maiden directorial effect The Indian Runner), but there have been many more highs than lows, notably her winning the Cable ACE award for her work on a 1995 episode of Tales From the Crypt. Even if Cathy Moriarty never makes the uppermost ranks in stardom, she can always rely upon her trendy New York pizza parlor for a steady income.