Trivia: From busking to blockbusters to small-screen crime drama, worldly actress Jill Hennessey has proven herself as an actress with talent to spare. As easy as it may be to see only her dark beauty, don't mistake the multilingual Hennessey as a one trick pony; she's also established herself as a successful restaurateur and a talented musician. Hennessey was born three minutes after her identical twin sister, Jacqueline, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in November of 1969. Her parents divorced when she was only a young girl, and her grandmother played a large part in raising her and her sister. It was during this time that young Hennessey took up cooking in order to help care for her family, and her passion for food would eventually lead her to open Hennessey's Tavern in Northvale, NJ, after establishing herself as an actress. Hennessey moved to New York following her graduation from Ontario's Grand River Collegiate, and for a time, she busked in the N.Y.C. subway, singing and playing the guitar for money. Though her career in entertainment may not have taken off quickly, it was only a matter of time before she found success. In 1988, both Hennessey and her sister got their first breaks with small roles in director David Cronenberg's acclaimed chiller Dead Ringers. In the following few years, she would repeatedly turn up on the small screen in Friday the 13th: The Series and The Hitchhiker. A three-year stint on television's popular Law & Order as ADA Claire Kincaid gained the rising starlet much exposure, and indie credit came with a supporting role in director Mary Harron's I Shot Andy Warhol. After roles in A Smile Like Yours and Most Wanted made 1997 a memorable year for her, Hennessey took the lead opposite pop star-turned-actor Jon Bon Jovi in the 1998 drama Row Your Boat. Subsequent films such as Komodo may have done little to advance Hennessey's career as a serious thespian, but she expanded into writing and directing with her all-star comedy The Acting Class in 2000. With more roles coming her way every day, Hennessey took on the daunting task of portraying none other that Jackie Kennedy in the 2001 miniseries Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot. Later that year she took the lead role in the small-screen drama Crossing Jordan, and it seemed as if she had finally arrived when the show proved to be a success, running for six years.Hennessy would wpend the next several years appearing in a number or projects, like the horse racing series Luck.

Trivia: A native of Cleveland, OH, actress Kathryn Hahn received her first taste of show business in the late '80s, when the then-teenager scored a live-action role opposite several puppets on the locally produced children's program Hickory Hideout. Hahn formally studied acting at the Yale School of Drama, and just prior to her final year of 2000-2001 (in mid-summer stock), the performer caught the attention of an NBC casting recruiter, who tapped her for a regular role on the prime-time drama Crossing Jordan; she played amiable grief counselor Lily Lebowski for the full run of the series (2001-2007).Meanwhile, film roles began pouring in right and left, beginning with visible turns as Kate Hudson's health editor roommate in the hit romantic comedy How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), and as a barmaid with more than a passing crush on Topher Grace in Robert Luketic's gentle romantic comedy Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004). Hahn subsequently commenced a long series of assignments for Hollywood's highest-profiled directors and producers, including bit parts in the Judd Apatow-Adam McKay farce Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) and Nancy Meyers' romantic comedy The Holiday (2006), and a small supporting role in the Robert Shaye-directed fantasy The Last Mimzy (2007). After her Crossing Jordan role ended with the series' cancellation in 2007, Hahn was able to work more freely in other venues, which became apparent with her output in 2008. She took on another cinematic supporting turn in the Will Ferrell-John C. Reilly comedy Step Brothers and starred opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in the period suburban drama Revolutionary Road. That same year, Hahn made her Broadway debut in the Tony award-winning play Boeing-Boeing. Over the next serveral years, Hahn would remain an active force on screen, appearing in fukns kuje The Dictator and Our Idiot Brother, as well as on shows like Parks and Recreation and Girls. Throughout her various assignments, Hahn drew high praise for her comedic ability, which netted occasional comparisons to Carol Burnett.

Trivia: Actor Ken Howard was 6'5" when he was a junior at Manhasset High School (he would later peak at 6'6"), and it was this physical fact, coupled with his remarkable athletic prowess, that assured him a position in Manhasset's "starting five." Offered several athletic scholarships, Howard turned them all down in favor of a liberal arts education at Amherst College, where he developed a taste for theatre. After two years' graduate work at the Yale School of Drama, he dropped out to accept a small role in the Broadway musical Promises Promises. In 1969, Howard graduated to stage stardom as Thomas Jefferson in the popular musical 1776, a role he would repeat in the 1972 film version. He went on to win a Tony Award for his performance in Child's Play, and to spend his summers essaying his two favorite roles, Billy Bigelow in Carousel and Chance Wayne in Sweet Bird of Youth. His first film was the 1970 Otto Preminger production Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon. In 1973, Howard and his frequent co-star Blythe Danner were cast in the series-TV version of the Tracy-Hepburn picture Adam's Rib (both stars had previously turned down MacMillan and Wife). Neither this series nor Howard's subsequent Manhunter (1974) clicked with the public. He was far more successful as high school basketball coach Ken Hughes on The White Shadow, which ran from 1976 to 1981 (and which, coincidentally, was produced by Blythe Danner's husband Bruce Paltrow). Howard's later TV projects included the title character in the 1984 American Playhouse production of Mark Twain's "Pudd'nhead Wilson;" the recurring role of Garret Boydston on both Dynasty and The Colbys (1985-86); his hosting chores on the syndicated 1986 talent show Dream Girl USA; and another hosting stint on the NBC documentary weekly What Happened? (1992). In 2009, Howard was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild, a role he would continue after the union merged with another and became SAG-AFTRA. He continued to work as an actor, appearing on shows like Crossing Jordan, Cane, and 30 Rock, as well as movies like The Beacon. Howard died in 2016, at age 71.

Trivia: Born February 7, 1955, intense character actor Miguel Ferrer specialized in playing villains, and brought to each role an unpredictable energy. Working steadily on television and in feature films, Southern California-born and raised, Ferrer was the eldest of five children and is the son of famed actor José Ferrer and jazz artist Rosemary Clooney. Inspired by watching Little Ricky banging away on drums during the I Love Lucy show and by Beatles percussionist Ringo Starr, Ferrer first aspired to become a professional drummer and for a few years worked as a studio musician. Acting credits came by way of small television and feature film roles. He debuted on television guest starring as a drummer on the NBC series Sunshine (1975). His first real break in movies came when he was cast in Paul Verhoeven's sci-fi actioner Robocop (1986). The tall, rangy actor subsequently appeared in films such as Revenge (1987) and Point of No Return (1991). Back on television, he gave a memorable performance as an emotionally volatile FBI pathologist in David Lynch's cult series Twin Peaks. Ferrer also starred as a Louisiana cop in Broken Badges. Other television credits include a guest-starring role on the NBC medical drama E.R., a supporting role in the telemovies Shannon's Deal and Brave New World, and a regular role on the comedy Lateline. In 2002, Ferrar appeared alongside Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle, and Benicio Del Toro in filmmaker Steven Soderbergh's Academy award-winning drama Traffic, and worked in John Sayles' Sunshine state during the same year. Ferrer took on the role of Colonel Garrett in the 2004 update of The Manchurian Candidate, and lent his voice to episodes of the Cartoon Network favorites Robot Chicken (2006) and American Dad! (2007). The actor continued to work in television over the next couple of years, making appearances in NBC's update of the Bionic Woman series, and took on the part of LAPD Lt. Felix Valdez for The Protector, a made-for-television police procedural drama. He also had a recurring role as NCIS assistant director Owen Granger in NCIS: Los Angeles. Ferrer was diagnosed with cancer during his run on NCIS, but chose to stay on the show and work through his illness. He died in 2017, at age 61.

Trivia: Supporting actor Clayton Rohner works on television and in feature films. He made his initial film bow in the gender-bending teen comedy Just One of the Guys (1985). A regular guest star on television, Rohner played the lead in the anthology series Weird Tales and was a regular in the series E.A.R.T.H. Force. He has guest starred on numerous series, ranging from Star Trek: The Next Generation to Beverly Hills 90210 to NYPD Blue.

Trivia: Connecticut native Linda Purl grew up in Japan, where her father, a Union Carbide executive, had been transferred. Under the watchful eye of her mother, a former ballerina, Purl began acting professionally in Japanese stage and TV productions at the age of seven. Ten years later, she made her American film debut in Jory (1972). Never a conventional ingenue, she has played everything from mentally retarded teens to rape victims to psychotic killers, as well as a few real-life personalities like Alice Roosevelt Longworth and globetrotting journalist Nellie Bly. Purl has the distinction of playing two different recurring characters on the same television series. During the 1974-75 season of Happy Days, she was seen as Richie Cunningham's (Ron Howard) high-school girlfriend Gloria; she returned to the series in 1982 as Ashler Pfister, a divorced mother with whom Fonzie (Henry Winkler) was briefly involved romantically. Linda has also appeared regularly on such series as The Secret Storm and Beacon Hill; more recently, she played an assistant DA put in charge of a group of young ex-convicts on the syndicated weekly adventure series Robin's Hoods (1994). Linda Purl was at one time married to Desi Arnaz Jr..

Trivia: Judith Hoag may be most well known for playing April O'Neil in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie in 1990, but the adventurous actress wracked up long list of appearances in countless other projects both before and after that role, pursuing her interest in performing, rather than in fame. Hoag was raised in Massachusetts, where she got involved in local and school theater when she was just 13. By the time she was out of high school, she was ready to move to New York and start her career. She began playing guest roles on TV shows and in commercials, and this would prove to be the kind of work that would sustain her career for years to come. In addition to her memorable role in the Ninja Turtles movie, Hoag would go on to appear in one or two episodes of Roseanne, Murder, She Wrote, Mad About You, Melrose Place, The X-Files, ER, Carnivàle, Big Love, and many, many more. In addition to her many TV appearances, Hoag continued to act in commercials, selling everything from restaurants to copy machines.

Trivia: Joined the Navy after graduating high school and served in Vietnam. Settled in San Diego after leaving the Navy, writing scripts for PBS and eventually earning a scholarship to study at the University of California. His character Philip Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was ranked #34 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time. Has a scholarship in his name at Thurgood Marshall College at UC San Diego.