Trivia: The grandson of Bernard Lee (better known to the world as M in the James Bond movies), Jonny Lee Miller ironically became famous for his portrayal of the Sean Connery-obsessed Sick Boy in the 1996 film Trainspotting. Contrary to popular belief, the actor is English, not Scottish, and was born outside of London on November 15, 1972. Interested in the theater from an early age, Lee Miller participated in a number of school productions and made his television debut at the age of 11, in the miniseries Mansfield Park. Following appearances in a number of other productions, including 1993's Prime Suspect 3, Lee Miller made his film debut in Iain Softley's Hackers in 1995. His turn as a cyberpunk gave the actor both a wider audience and an introduction to co-star Angelina Jolie, whom he would marry in 1995 (they divorced in 1999). Lee Miller's big break came with his casting as Sick Boy, in director Danny Boyle's film adaptation of the Irvine Welsh novel Trainspotting. The film became an international hit, boosting the careers of Lee Miller and his co-stars, Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle. Lee Miller chose to remain on Scottish soil for his next project, Gillies MacKinnon's Regeneration (1997). Subsequently, Lee Miller headlined an all-star cast in the relationship drama Afterglow, in which he co-starred with Nick Nolte, Lara Flynn Boyle, and the formidable Julie Christie. In 1999, the actor reunited with Trainspotting co-star Robert Carlyle to star in Plunkett & Maclean, which also featured Liv Tyler. Though subsequent roles in lowbrow fare like Dracula 2000, Mindhunters, and Aeon Flux hinted that the talented actor's career was circling the drain, Lee Miller's memorable performances in the shortlived ABC series Eli Stone (in which he played the title character) and Dexter (as a malevolent motivational speaker) helped both to keep in in the public eye, and offer further proof of his versitilty. In 2011 Lee Miller shared an Oliver Award with actor Benedict Cumberbatch for their performances in Boyle's stage production of Frankenstein (the two actors alternated between playing Dr. Frankenstein and the Creature), and the following year he kept up the gothic vibe with his turn as the shady Roger Collins in Tim Burton's feature adaptation of the spooky soap opera Dark Shadows.

Trivia: Best known to television audiences as Ling Woo, the raging force of political incorrectness on Ally McBeal, Lucy Alexis Liu has managed to cross over to the big screen in such features as Payback and Play It to the Bone. Born to Chinese parents in Jackson Heights, NY, on December 2, 1968, Liu grew up speaking both English and Mandarin. After graduating from Manhattan's Stuyvesant High School, she earned a degree in Asian languages and cultures from the University of Michigan, where she also studied acting, dance, and voice. Liu's first professional job was playing a waitress on Beverly Hills 90210, something that led to more substantial work on various TV shows, including a regular part on the TV series Pearl. Liu's biggest breakthrough came in 1998, when she was cast as Ling Woo on Ally McBeal. She had originally auditioned for the role of Nelle Porter, which ultimately went to Australian actress Portia DeRossi. David E. Kelley, the show's producer, was so impressed with Liu's audition, however, that he created the role of Ling Woo specifically for her. The character was initially supposed to be included on only a few episodes but proved so popular with the show's audience that Liu was made into a regular cast member.Unsurprisingly, the actress' increased exposure led to greater opportunities on the screen and after playing supporting roles in such films as Payback and Molly (both 1999), she moved on to more substantial work in Play It to the Bone and the Jackie Chan martial-arts period comedy Shanghai Noon, which cast her as a princess who has been kidnapped from her emperor father. In 2000, she also was cast in perhaps her most high-profile role to date, when she was chosen alongside Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz as one of the titular crime fighters in Charlie's Angels: The Movie.With the exception of a small role as an inmate in the Oscar-winning film Chicago, 2002 brought little recognition for Liu -- Cypher, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, and Party Monster with former Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin went virtually unseen by the general public. 2003's Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle placed Liu firmly back inside the spotlight, though she was somewhat overshadowed by the toothy blonde glint that is Cameron Diaz. Luckily for Liu, she was given the chance to shine quite independently when Quentin Tarantino cast her as the deadly O-Ren Ishii, AKA Cottonmouth, in Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003). Unfortunately roles in subsequent action films like Domino and Lucky Number Slevin failed to capitolize on that momentary career momentum, though a voice role as Viper in Kung Fu Panda (as well as the sequel and subsequent television series) found her continuing to kick butt in virtual form. Meanwhile, on the small screen, Liu donned a badge for a recurring role on the TNT cop series Southland.

Trivia: Born in Chicago to Irish parents, Quinn spent much of his youth in Ireland, where he first became interested in acting. At age 19 he returned to Chicago and became involved in several local theater groups. His onstage debut came in a production of The Man in 60, after which he appeared in many plays, including Hamlet in Chicago's Wisdom Bridge Theater. Quinn then moved to New York, where he first appeared off-Broadway in Sam Shepard's Fool For Love. Following several other acclaimed performances, he landed his first big-screen role, as a low-class biker in Reckless (1984), which costarred Daryl Hannah. His second film, the highly-successful comedy Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), made him familiar to an international audience; he gained further exposure in the role of an AIDS victim in the TV movie An Early Frost (1985), for which he received an Emmy. Since then, he has appeared steadily in high-quality feature films, usually in challenging supporting roles.

Trivia: Lined up as running back and linebacker for his high-school football team. Played saxophone in the school band. When he joined the acclaimed Steppenwolf Theater Company in Chicago in 2007, he was its youngest-ever member. Nominated for a Tony Award as Best Featured Actor for his Broadway debut in the 2010 production of Superior Donuts. Writes music in his spare time.

Trivia: Australian actor John Noble may be best known for the role of Denethor, steward to the throne of Gondor from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. A veteran of Australian television, Noble also established himself as a character actor on American television, playing Russian Consul Anatoly Markov on the series 24, and eccentric scientist Dr. Walter Bishop on the J.J. Abrams show Fringe. Additionally, Noble has directed over 80 stage plays both in the United States and in his home country of Australia. In 2010 he appeared in the fantasy adventure film The Last Airbender.

Trivia: An Iranian actress whose strong political beliefs almost led her to a career as a journalist, Shohreh Aghdashloo decided instead that she could reach more people by working in film and theater -- and with her Oscar-nominated role in the tragedy House of Sand and Fog, she found an audience the size of which she never dreamed possible. Born in Tehran in 1952 to an intellectual, creative family, Aghdashloo was drawn to the theater at an early age, and by her twenties was performing in various cutting-edge performance groups, among them the acclaimed Drama Workshop of Tehran. Filmmakers often drew upon talent from the Workshop, and Aghdashloo was cast by directors Abbas Kiarostami and Ali Hatami -- two towering figures of the nascent Iranian New Wave -- to play starring roles in several of their formally adventurous, socially progressive productions, including 1977's Gozaresh and Sutedelan.But in the late '70s, with the Ayatollah Khomeini reintroducing an era of strict rule based on religious doctrine, Aghdashloo's work as a performer was either censored or forbidden outright. Eager to escape the turmoil of the Iranian Revolution, Aghdashloo left her husband and her career to go to London, where she earned a degree in international relations. She was on the verge of accepting a position at a newspaper when a friend presented her with a play, called Rainbow, about the Revolution and its discontents. He had written a role specifically for her, and Aghdashloo believed in the project enough to put her journalism career on hold -- for what would turn out to be an indefinite length of time. Rainbow was such a success, it toured the United States, where Aghdashloo was reunited with a Workshop colleague of hers, Houshang Touzie; a romance soon developed, and two married in Los Angeles in the late '80s.Discouraged by the dearth of non-stereotyped roles for Middle Eastern women in Hollywood, Aghdashloo focused her attention instead on stage work, even creating a traveling theater troupe with her husband that performed plays in Farsi for Iranian audiences. Her occasional film work included roles in such topical dramas as America So Beautiful and Maryam, both about the struggle of Iranian immigrants in the U.S. It was such work that caught the attention of director Vadim Perelman, who was looking to cast the supporting role of Nadi in his big-screen adaptation of the bestseller House of Sand and Fog. Perelman and his casting agent contacted Aghdashloo directly -- at the time, the actress had no agent or manager -- and were soon convinced that she was the woman for the part. Having read the book upon its release, Aghdashloo had long envisioned ways that she could play Nadi, a strong but subservient Iranian-American wife and mother caught between her husband's wishes and her own conscience. Opposite the formidable Ben Kingsley in a cast of established performers, Aghdashloo's subtle, simmering performance brought her kudos from the New York Film Critics and Los Angeles Film Critics Associations, both of whom named her 2003's Best Supporting Actress. The Academy followed suit, nominating her against such Hollywood stalwarts as Renée Zellweger and Holly Hunter.Following a recurring role on the wildly popular television hit 24 that served well to introduce the increasingly prominant actress to audiences outside of the art-house circuit, Aghdashloo turned in impressive supporting performances in such popular wide release films as The Exorcism of Emily Rose, American Dreamz, and X-Men: The Last Stand. In 2006 Aghdashloo would heed the call of Hollywood once again to take a featured role as the best friend of Sandra Bullock's lonely character in the romantic fantasy remake The Lake House. She went on appear in The Stoning of Soraya M., The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and House of Saddam, and narrated the documentaries Iranium and For Neda.

Trivia: Hails from the same hometown as Kate Winslet and Kenneth Branagh. Studied ballet, jazz and modern dance at 3 years old. Former member of the London Fencing Academy. Honed her acting skills in British theater. Made her big-screen debut in 2005's Casanova. Enjoys playing poker; came in second place at the 2008 PartyPoker.com Women's World Open in London.

Trivia: Is of Ghanaian descent. First tried acting in college, when he auditioned for a production of Paper Moon on a dare. Took acting classes at the Acting Studio in New York. Appeared in an off-Broadway production of Tallboy Walking. Cofounded the writing and performance group the Defiant Ones. Published a stage play, Black Thang, in 2003.