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: 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: A Renaissance performer who is perfectly at home (and who has proven herself adept) in a broad array of genres and formats, Niecy Nash dreamed of an acting career from early girlhood. She trained as a theater major at California State University, Dominguez Hills, then obtained her first paid acting assignment by virtue of an L.A.-area casting director who enlisted her in Herbert Ross' 1995 comedy drama Boys on the Side. That assignment resulted in a memorable scene opposite Whoopi Goldberg, and Nash followed it up four years later with a small role in Robert Altman's comedy Cookie's Fortune (1999). The actress made her most enduring impact on television, however, with guest spots on NYPD Blue and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, vocal work as Tollie Mae on the offbeat animated sitcom Kid Notorious, and -- perhaps most endearingly -- a regular assignment as Deputy Raineesha Williams on the raunchy, rollicking police-themed sitcom Reno 911! In 2007, Nash starred as the character of Jacuzzi opposite Cedric the Entertainer and Lucy Liu in the comic thriller Code Name: The Cleaner. Nash also hosted the Style Network's home-makeover series Clean House, and emceed both Emmy and Oscar pre-shows.

Trivia: A former dancer whose sizzling moves alongside such musical icons as P. Diddy, Janet Jackson, and Ricky Martin found her well prepared to step into the spotlight on the big screen, brunette beauty Jenna Dewan lit up the stage with the best of them before making her screen debut as the vengeful Tamara in the supernatural thriller of the same name. It was on the small screen that Dewan would receive her first big break, with appearances in a variety of heavily-circulated music videos preceding a pair of early appearances on the television sitcoms Quintuplets and Joey. Intense in her spirituality despite her witchy onscreen debut, Dewan would get her first taste of success when tabloids began falsely speculating on a romance with fellow dancer Justin Timberlake. Easy to shrug off the rumors and quick to stay on her feet, it was Dewan's impressive footwork that landed her a subsequent role in the 2006 Antonio Banderas musical drama Take the Lead. Though Dewan's screen time may have been a bit brief in that particular effort, a role in the same year's dance romance Step Up found the rising star doing precisely that as she danced away juvenile delinquency alongside She's the Man's Channing Tatum in a role that truly allowed her to cut loose for the cameras. Dewan married her Step Up co-star Tatum in 2009 and the two went on to found their own production company, 33andOut Productions. In addition to roles in several independent films throughout the 2000s, Dewan starred in NBC's much-hyped, but ultimately short-lived, prime time drama The Playboy Club in 2011.

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.