Trivia: A stalwart of American television in both prime-time and daytime venues, performer Rob Estes capitalized on his devastatingly slick and suave image throughout his career. A native of Norfolk, VA, Estes attended USC after high school. The actor first turned viewers' heads in the soap opera venue, as passionate lifeguard Glenn Gallagher on NBC's seminal Days of Our Lives -- a role he held from 1986 to 1987. Thereafter, he landed a string of guest assignments on various series and roles in TV movies, but scored his next major career coup on an after-dark drama, the "guilty pleasure" series Silk Stalkings (1991-1999) -- in which he played the lead, sex crimes expert Chris Lorenzo. The program had an unusual history: NBC and the USA cable network originally co-produced it and ran it concurrently on each Thursday from November 1991-November 1993, but from 1993 on, CBS dropped it, the USA network produced new episodes in exclusive syndication, and Estes remained with the cast for two additional years.Thereafter, Estes amassed a long and extensive series of ongoing roles on prime-time series. These included restaurant proprietor Kyle McBride on the fifth, sixth, and seventh seasons of Melrose Place (1996-1999); multi-episode guest turns as John Hemming and Oliver Browne in, respectively, the medical drama Providence and the Brooke Shields sitcom Suddenly Susan; and obnoxious, abusive ex-husband Nick Townsend on the blockbuster procedural series CSI: Miami. In 2007, Estes signed on to portray Lt. Tom Hogan on the short-lived ABC procedural drama Women's Murder Club. Shortly after that program's May 2008 cancellation, the CW network announced Estes' enlistment to play Mills family patriarch-cum-Beverly Hills high-school principal Harry Mills on its much anticipated series drama 90210, a spin-off of the original Beverly Hills 90210.

Trivia: The daughter of Austrian actress Gusti Huber, Bibi Besch has been a Hollywood fixture since 1977, and a TV regular since long before that. A versatile character actress with nary a trace of a European accent, Besch's film roles have ranged from Carol in Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn (1979) to Belle in Steel Magnolias. Her television career has encompassed the daytime soaps The Edge of Night, The Secret Storm, Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, and Somerset, and the nighttime serials The Secrets of Midland Heights (1980) and The Hamptons (1983). Devotees of the late Northern Exposure will have vivid memories of Bibi for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of the mother of Maggie O'Connell (Janine Turner), who reacts to a mid-life crisis by accidentally burning her daughter's home to the ground. In real life, Bibi Besch is the far less inflammatory mother of actress Samantha Mathis. Besch died of cancer on September 7, 1996, in the home of her sister-in-law, Jenny Besch. The actress was 56.

Trivia: Effervescent African-American entertainer Ben Vereen attended New York's High School of the Performing Arts and Emerson College. Vereen was 18 when he made his New York stage bow in Prodigal Son; shortly thereafter, he was cast in the touring company of Sweet Charity, eventually making his 1969 screen debut in the film version of that Cy Coleman-Dorothy Fields musical. He joined the cast of Hair in 1969, at various junctures playing both Claude and Berger. The following year, he won the Theatre World Award for his portrayal of Judas in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar. After a season with the National Shakespeare Company, Vereen was cast as "The Leading Player" in the Broadway musical Pippin, a performance that earned him a Tony Award. While he seemed destined to appear in naught but film musicfests like Funny Lady (1975) and All That Jazz (1979), Vereen proved his dramatic mettle with his unforgettable portrayal of Chicken George in the landmark miniseries Roots. While he didn't win the Emmy for this role (as many expected), his 1978 TV special Ben Vereen...His Roots copped the gold statuette. Vereen has also been honored with the American Guild of Variety Artists' George M. Cohan award, and with the NAACP's Image Award. In 1980, he co-starred with Jeff Goldblum in the Steven Cannell-produced TV series Tenspeed and Brownshoe. Though the series failed, Vereen reserved a warm place in his heart for his wheeler-dealer "Tenspeed Turner" character, reprising the role on the 1987 TV weekly J. J. Starbuck. His additional TV credits include the 1975 summer series Ben Vereen...Comin' at Ya, the recurring role of Uncle Phillip on Webster (1986), and the hosting chores for the syndicated talent contest You Write the Songs (1986) At the height of his fame, Vereen ebulliently attributed his success to "Jesus." His faith was sorely tested in the late 1980s; enduring the death of his son, Vereen began contemplating suicide, at one point deliberately standing in the middle of a busy Los Angeles street, allowing himself to be struck down by a passing car. Happily, Vereen recovered both emotionally and professionally; his recent credits include the Broadway musical Jelly's Last Jam and the recurring role of Captain Hutchinson in the TV cop series Silk Stalkings (1991- ).