Trivia: Northwestern University drama student Shelley Long began picking up work in Chicago TV commercials in the mid-1970s. She went on to host the WMAQ-TV "magazine" program Sorting it Out, and honed her comic timing with the Second City troupe. While her actual film debut was in 1980's A Small Circle of Friends, Long prefers to list the 1981 spoof Caveman as her first film. After a handful of TV guest appearances (notably as one of Alan Alda's lady friends on MASH) and an attention-grabbing performance as a freewheeling hooker in Night Shift (1982), Long was cast as the pretentious, garrulous waitress Diane Chambers on the weekly sitcom Cheers. She won an Emmy for this role, but all was not roses on the Cheers set. According to most sources, Diane's overbearing personality spilled over into Long's off-camera behavior; when she left the series in 1987, many of the cast members, especially star Ted Danson, breathed a rather loud and public sigh of relief. Shelley Long's post-Cheers efforts to establish herself as a movie star have thus far fallen short of expectations; her most successful film assignment to date has been as retro housewife Carol Brady in 1995's The Brady Bunch: The Movie. She reprised the role of Carol in the 1996 sequel A Very Brady Sequel. She returned to the part of Diane Chambers with a guest appearance on Frasier in 1996, and she would play Carol Brady again in A Very Brady Sequel that same year. At the beginning of the next decade she had a memorable turn in Robert Altman's Dr. T & the Women, and she would appear again on Frasier in the part that made her famous. There was a third Brady Bunch movie in 2002. She appeared in light fare such as Honeymoon with Mom and A Holiday Engagement.

Trivia: Whether following in the footsteps of the seemingly irreplaceable Robert Reed as the all-wise patriarch of the Brady clan or raising the ire of a nation of embittered office workers as the blissfully malevolent Lumbergh in Mike Judge's popular workplace comedy Office Space, longtime character actor Gary Cole can always be depended on to bring life to his varied and oddly endearing characters, despite their sometimes questionable motivations. Even in his earliest role as Snoopy in a high school production of You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, the Park Ridge, IL, native knew his destiny lay on the stage; from that moment straight through Cole's higher education at Illinois State University, his dedication to the theater never wavered. So dedicated was Cole that, during his third year at I.S.U., the eager up-and-comer dropped out to help found the Remains Theater. Transferring over to Chicago's acclaimed Steppenwolf Theater in 1985, Cole quickly made a name for himself in such productions as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Balm in Gilead. Though Cole had essayed a handful of television roles in the early '80s, it wasn't until his breakthrough role as a suspected murderer in the 1984 made-for-television feature Fatal Vision that audiences truly began to take notice. Cole's role as the drug-addicted son of an alcoholic father in the 1986 made-for-TV drama Vital Signs showed that he undoubtedly had the chops to make it on the small screen. Despite an increase in television roles, the ambitious actor continued to impress on the stage as well. Cole's first taste of weekly series life came with his role as a former cop who finds redemption as a late-night radio talk show host in the 1989 series Midnight Caller. In the following decade, he would expand his career into feature film territory. Cole's silver-screen career began with a role as a Secret Service agent in the Clint Eastwood thriller In the Line of Fire (1993), and his natural skills onscreen lent a surprising amount of depth to the supporting role. A few supporting television performances were quick to follow, and in 1995, Cole cracked up audiences with his role as suburban philosopher Mike Brady in the hit comedy The Brady Bunch Movie. Cole would reprise the role in the following year's sequel A Very Brady Sequel, but not before returning to series work as the sheriff in the short-lived, but well-loved, oddity American Gothic. As his feature career gained momentum, Cole still remained loyal to the stage and small screen. In 1998, a role in the acclaimed HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon found him going as strong as ever, and on the heels of supporting roles in A Simple Plan and I'll Be Home for Christmas, Cole played what was perhaps his most widely recognized role to date in Office Space (1999). Cast as by-the-books corporate figurehead William "Bill" Lumbergh, Cole delivered a performance that was pure comic gold for anyone who has weathered the never-ending drone of life in cubicle-land. In 2001, Cole loaned his voice to the hit "Adult Swim" cartoon Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, playing several characters, including Birdman himself. The next year, Cole continued to dabble in animated television with his performance as the titular character's father in the hit series Kim Possible. Back on the big screen, he took the role of the villainous heavy in the Eddie Murphy/Owen Wilson comedy I Spy and returned to the role of Mike Brady in the made-for-television sequel, The Brady Bunch in the White House. In 2003, he was cast in the recurring role of new Vice President "Bingo Bob" Russell for the fifth season of the critically acclaimed dramatic series The West Wing. The popular character actor could also be seen in supporting capacity in the 2004 comedies Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.Cole maintained his status as a talented comic with a series of vocal performances on the animated television show The Family Guy, while showcasing his versatility by appearing in the sequel to the American version of The Ring. In 2006 he played opposite Will Ferrell in the NASCAR comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. He appeared in the spy drama Breach, and lent a scary presence to the pot comedy Pineapple Express. He became a part of the HBO series Entourage for that show's final two seasons, and in 2011 he was in the hit family comedy Hop.

Trivia: As a child actor, Tim Matheson was billed under his fuller family name of Matthieson. His first weekly TV co-starring assignment was opposite Robert Young in the 1961 "dramedy" Window on Main Street. The young actor's voice became familiar to a generation of cartoon fans via his "role" as the title character in Hanna-Barbera's Jonny Quest. The handsome Matheson appeared on-screen during his maturation years on such western series as The Virginian, Bonanza, and The Quest. He remained busy in films during this period, scoring his biggest 1970s success as party animal Otter in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978). Matheson also kept his hand in the voiceover business, providing the truculent mutterings of "Blood" the dog in Harlan Ellison's A Boy and His Dog (1975) and recording the narration for the 1985 revival of Disney's Fantasia. His adult TV appearances have included weekly stints on the TV series Tucker's Witch (1982), Just in Time, (1988) and Charlie Hoover (1991). Turning to directing in 1985, Matheson has been active in episodic television, music videos and direct-to-cassette movies. In 1989, he became CEO of the National Lampoon Company, though he still manages to find time for the occasional acting assignment, appearing in everything from the theatrical feature Drop Dead Fred to the live-action prologue for one of the "thrill rides" at Disneyworld.

Trivia: American actor Christopher Daniel Barnes started out as a child model and actor in television commercials and from there went into working in television on series, movies, and miniseries. In his feature film debut, Barnes appeared opposite Tom Conti and Jobeth Williams in American Dreamer. He then gave voice to the character Prince Eric in the Disney-animated version of The Little Mermaid. In addition, he continues to work in feature films, such as The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel (he played Greg). Barnes also appears frequently on television and provided the voice of Spiderman on the Fox-animated series that ran in the mid- to late '90s.

Trivia: Blonde supporting and occasional lead actress Christine Taylor started appearing on television and in feature films in her early teens. Fans of the The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) and its sequel will recognize her for playing Marsha. In The Craft (1996), Taylor was memorable for playing the snotty cheerleader who teased a young witch and ended up losing her hair in the shower. In The Wedding Singer (1998), she played Madonna-wannabe Holly. On television, Taylor briefly starred in her own series, Party Girl, on the Fox network. She had a recurring role on Ellen as a dim-bulb blonde in Ellen's book group and was on Seinfeld as Jerry's too perfect girlfriend. On Friends, she concealed her long, golden tresses under a rubber cap to play Bonnie, Phoebe's bald friend. Raised in Allentown, PA, Taylor started performing in local stage productions at age three. On television, Taylor's first major regular role was on the Nickelodeon network's first original series Hey Dude. She then played Marilyn in a Fox movie updating an old sitcom, Here Come the Munsters. On stage, she found success appearing at Los Angeles' Westwood Playhouse in the 1992 production of The Real Live Brady Bunch. Though The Brady Bunch Movie was her first starring role in a major feature, Taylor had already gained movie experience in the direct-to-video Night of the Demons 2 (1994), which she claims to have done to provide an outlet for the terror she experienced after someone threatened her with a gun and carjacked her in Los Angeles. Following roles in A Very Brady Sequel (1996), Taylor attempted to break the Marsha mold with roles in such romantic comedies as The Wedding Singer (1998) and Overnight Delivery (1998). Taylor would marry funnyman Ben Stiller in May of 2000, and later appear onscreen with her husband in the zany comedy Zoolander (2001). She again starred with her husband in the sports comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story alongside Vince Vaughn in 2004, and had prominent roles in Kabluey and License to Wed. She had a brief appearance, opposite her husband yet again, in 2008's Tropic Thunder playing the female star of Simple Jack. She was away from screens for four years, but returned with a small part in the teen romance The First Time.

Trivia: Paul Sutera has played juvenile roles on television and in a few feature films, where he is perhaps best known for playing Peter Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) and its sequel. On television, Sutera has appeared in series, telemovies, and specials.

Trivia: In feature films, actress Jennifer Elise Cox is best known for her funny, fractured performance as perennially slighted middle child Jan Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel. Before making her film debut in the former, Cox had experience on stage, including appearances in two operas in New York, Don Giovanni and Madame Butterfly, and has guest starred on television series, including Murphy Brown and Wings.

Trivia: Comedienne and actress Henriette Mantel made her feature film debut playing Alice the housekeeper in The Brady Bunch Movie (1996) and A Very Brady Sequel (1997). Before that, she was a regular on the standup comedy circuit, frequently appearing on such comedy television anthologies as Caroline's Comedy Hour and Evening at the Improv, as well as making guest appearances on the nightly series Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher. Born and raised on a Vermont farm, she was a natural at funny business and honed her comedic skills on her brothers and sisters. Before making her debut as a standup comedienne at a San Francisco club in 1985, Mantel had worked at various jobs, including a time in Washington, D.C., as part of the consumer advocate group Nader's Raiders.

Trivia: Child actress Olivia Hack is best known for playing adorably lispy Cindy in The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) and A Very Brady Sequel (1996). She made her film debut in Star Trek: Generations (1994). A native of Southern California, she started out on the Los Angeles stage. Before entering films, Hack had worked on television, appearing in series such as Wings and Phenom, as well as numerous radio and television commercials. Hack has also done voice work on the animated series Life With Louie and Hey Arnold!

Trivia: Natty, mellifluous character actor John Hillerman may have spoken on screen with a pure Mayfair accent, but he hailed from Denison, Texas. Hillerman first gained notice for his fleeting appearances in the films of Peter Bogdanovich: The Last Picture Show (1971), What's Up Doc (1973), At Long Last Love (1975). He was also a semi-regular for director Mel Brooks, prominently cast in Blazing Saddles (1975) and History of the World, Part I (1981). A veteran of dozens of television series, John Hillerman was cast as the insufferable criminologist Simon Brimmer on Ellery Queen (1975), the star's director (and ex-husband) in The Betty White Show (1975), and most memorably as the ultra-correct Jonathan Quayle Higgins II, major domo to never-seen mystery writer Robin Masters, on Magnum PI (1980-88).

Trivia: Hungarian actress Zsa Zsa Gabor is the prototypical "professional celebrity": famous merely for being famous. She started her stage career in 1933 and three years later won the title of Miss Hungary. She followed her sister Eva to America in 1941, but unlike Eva, did not devote herself to acting. Rather, she inaugurated her lifelong career of collecting jewelry, husbands, and front-page publicity. Among her many spouses were actor George Sanders (who much later in life would marry her sister Magda) and hotel magnate Conrad Hilton. Gabor also made a few movies. She actually came close to a performance in Moulin Rouge (1952), but the bulk of her cinematic achievements were along the lines of The Girl in the Kremlin (1957) -- in which her head was shaved -- and the imperishable Queen of Outer Space (1958). Operating on the theory that any publicity is good publicity, Gabor mostly kept herself in the public eye through a series of contretemps with the law. She was once arrested and fined for using profanity in public; she was sued by a "fantasy" theme park thanks to her cavalier attitude toward written contracts; and, in 1990, she provided a cornucopia of material for innumerable nightclub comics by slapping a traffic cop who had given her a speeding ticket (an act which she herself capitalized upon with cameo roles in The Naked Gun 2 1/2 [1991] and The Beverly Hillbillies [1993]). Gabor also joined the ranks of the politically incorrect for flaunting her many animal-fur coats and for refusing to appear in a nightclub when wheelchair-bound patrons threatened to impede her performance. In 2005, she filed a lawsuit against her daughter Francesca, claiming that she forged her signature to get a loan based on the value of her mother's home, but the case was thrown out of court. In the following years, Gabor experienced health problems, including a stroke, and a number of surgeries related to the incident. Gabor died in 2016, at age 99.

Trivia: No one could have predicted that brash, acerbic, and earthy standup comedienne Rosie O'Donnell would become the American sweetheart (dubbed the Queen of Nice) of daytime talk shows. She is also a veteran character actress of feature films and television. Born and raised on Long Island, NY, the third of five children in an Irish family, O'Donnell's father was the primary caretaker after her mother passed away from cancer when the comedienne was just ten. An avowed television freak, her favorite shows were Merv Griffin and The Mike Douglas Show, both of which would inspire her own talk show decades later. Inspired by Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand, O'Donnell dreamed of becoming a performer, performing on stage for the first time at age 16. Despite the trauma of losing her mother, O'Donnell grew to become a vivacious and popular teen; in her high school year book (class of 1980) she was named Homecoming Queen, Class Clown, and Personality Plus, and she was also elected Senior Class President and was a member of the student council. She participated in every class sport and was a drummer in a garage band. Following high school, she briefly attended Dickinson College in Pennsylvania and Boston University, but dropped out to establish herself on the live comedy circuit. After appearing in nearly every state, she successfully auditioned for Ed McMahon's television talent show Star Search and went on to become a five-time winner. In 1986, she won a recurring role as Nell Carter's neighbor on the final season of the sitcom Gimme a Break (1986). From there, O'Donnell hosted and produced a comedy showcase, Stand Up Spotlight, for VH-1. She next appeared on the Fox short-lived comedy Stand By Your Man (1992). Having established herself as a formidable funny lady, O'Donnell landed the role of tough-talking but goodhearted baseball player Doris Murphy in Penny Marshall's A League of Their Own (1992) and found herself a national star. She continued her film career with a small role as Meg Ryan's confidante in Sleepless in Seattle (1993), followed by a co-starring part opposite Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez in Another Stakeout (1993). As the bubbly Betty Rubble, she stole the show from John Goodman and Rick Moranis in The Flintstones (1994) and she had her first flop, playing a cop who masquerades as a leather-clad dominatrix opposite Dan Aykroyd in Exit to Eden (1994). She added Broadway to her list of successes when she breathed new life into the feisty Rizzo in the revival of Grease. In 1996, she played an understanding nanny in Harriet the Spy. Though she could have continued to have steady work as an actress and live performer, O'Donnell steered her career in a different direction; capitalizing on her phenomenal popularity as a talk show guest by becoming the host of her own gab fest, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, in 1996. Not wanting her program to be yet another of the exploitational, issues-oriented freak shows that characterized the 1990s, she chose to pattern hers after the afternoon talk/variety shows of old, focusing on celebrity interviews, entertaining acts, helpful household hints, and current events. Daytime audiences were hungry for what she offered and, in no time, her show became the most popular of its kind, topping even the venerable Oprah Winfrey Show. During its first three years, O'Donnell and her series garnered numerous Emmys and Emmy nominations.In 2002, after 6 years on television, The Rosie O'Donnell Show bowed, but not before its host ended long speculation by coming out as a lesbian. After leaving the show, O'Donnell transformed her persona to a passionate champion of GLBT-related causes. The adopted mother of four, she particularly focused her attention on lobbying against legal hurdles for gays and lesbians wishing to adopt.In 2005, O'Donnell appeared in her first feature role in several years, playing a mentally-disabled woman in the made-for-TV melodrama Riding the Bus with My Sister. The following year, it was announced that O'Donnell would step in for the departing Meredith Viera on ABC's long-running daytime panel show The View. Her presence on the show regularly sparked controversy, with a public feud between O'Donnell and mogul Donald Trump gaining particular attention.In 2007, after a year on the show, O'Donnell announced that a deal could not be reached with ABC, and she would be leaving the program. But anyone who knew O'Donnell knew that she wouldn't stay out of the spotlight for long, and with recurring roles on Drop Dead Diva, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Lisa Kudrow's Web Therapy she managed to keep her fans laughing. In 2009 she took on a double role as producer and star of the made-for-television movie America -- which told the tale of a youth center psychologist (O'Donnell) treating a bi-racial teen with a turbulent past -- and two years later she joined the Oprah Winfrey Network as host of the nightly talk show The Rosie Show, which featured celebrity guests discussing their careers, as well as current issues. In early 2012, however, the troubled network announced the cancellation of the show, with Winfrey calling O'Donnell personally to break the news. In 2014, she briefly returned to The View, before announcing she was leaving the show after five months due to personal and health issues.

Trivia: Born in Arizona on August 23, 1934, actress Barbara Eden was three years old when her family moved to San Francisco, where as a teenager she plunged into acting and singing classes at San Francisco State College's Conservatory of Music. After briefly working as a band singer, Eden took up residence at Hollywood's Studio Club, an inexpensive rooming house for aspiring actresses. Other Studio Club residents would note in later years that Eden would look at the club's bulletin board and apply for every show business job available, even those that she was advised would "ruin" her career. Persistence paid off, and in 1956 Eden made her film debut in Back from Eternity. She worked steadily in television, finally attaining leading-lady status on the 1958 sitcom How to Marry a Millionaire, in which she played a myopic "Marilyn Monroe"-type golddigger. Good film and TV roles followed for the lovely blonde actress, and full stardom arrived with the NBC comedy series I Dream of Jeannie. Eden played the curvaceous bottle imp from 1965-70, reviving the character in a brace of TV movies, the last one produced in 1991. Eden's post-Jeannie career has included several films, TV guest star appearances, theatrical and nightclub engagements, and still another sitcom, 1981's Harper Valley P.T.A.In 1983, Eden joined the cast of Jaws 3, and played a role in Chattanooga Choo Choo (1984) before participating in The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal in 1985. The actress would return to her Genie roots throughout her later career, including in the 1985 comedy I Dream of Jeannie: 15 Years Later, and I Still Dream of Jeannie (1991). Eden also made her mark in other sitcom-based films, most notably A Very Brady Sequel (1996). After starring alongside Hal Linden for the play Love Letters and taking a guest-starring role on Army Wives, a drama from Lifetime, Eden joined the cast of Always and Forever, a made-for-television movie for The Hallmark Channel (2009). In 2011, Eden published a memoir titled Jeannie Out of the Bottle that spoke candidly of her personal life, including detailed accounts of her failed marriages and the tragic death of her son.

Trivia: Supporting and occasional lead actor Whip Hubley (born Grant Hubley) made his film debut in St. Elmo's Fire (1985). He has gone on to appear in feature films and television films. His sister, Season Hubley, is an actress.

Trivia: Fusing tall, dark, and handsome with exaggerated femininity, the 6'7" celebrity drag queen RuPaul was born in San Diego, CA, as RuPaul Andre Charles. He attended Northside School for the Performing Arts but dropped out to get his GED and work for his brother-in-law's car lot. His first television appearance was in 1982 on the public access show "The American Music Show" as the leader of "RuPaul and the Uhauls." In the late '80s he and electroclash pioneer Larry Tee moved to N.Y.C. to hang out in dance clubs and make records. When he perfected his "black hooker drag" look, RuPaul was voted the Queen of Manhattan on the party scene and appeared in the B-52's music video for "Love Shack." During this time, he released his debut album on the Funtone label and continued his recording career on Tommy Boy Records. In 1994, he made his feature film debut in Spike Lee's Crooklyn as a woman with an amazing blonde afro. The next year saw lots of cameos in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, Smoke, Blue in the Face, and Wigstock: The Movie. He started getting actual roles with the TV movie A Mother's Prayer, the comedy Red Ribbon Blues, and both Brady Bunch movies. In 1996, he began hosting the dance-music morning show on WKTU with Seduction vocalist Michelle Visage. Soon, VH1 took notice and gave him his own series, the celebrity talk show and variety program The RuPaul Show. In the late '90s, he started appearing as a man under his full name RuPaul Charles. He played camp counselor Mike in But I'm a Cheerleader, Stockard Channing's friend Jimmy in the Lifetime movie The Truth About Jane, and guest-hosted the PBS series In the Life. He also briefly appeared in the crime comedy Who Is Cletis Tout? and narrated the documentary The Eyes of Tammy Faye. In 2003, he began filming Rob Howard's Skin Walker. He went on to host the reality TV show RuPaul's Drag Race.

Trivia: Practices martial arts, including kung fu and the Bruce Lee-founded jeet kune do. Worked with Jimmy Smits on the film Mother and Child and the NBC series Outlaw. Took guitar lessons for his role on Dexter. Is a motorcycle enthusiast.

Trivia: A native of New Rochelle, NY, character actor Steven Gilborn built his reputation on the basis of an extensive number of series appearances, on programs including The Wonder Years, The West Wing, Law & Order, The Practice, and particularly Ellen, as Ellen DeGeneres' sweet-natured though slightly mixed-up father. He typically specialized in portrayals of slightly distinguished everyman types, often with a professional angle. Prior to acting, Gilborn received his bachelor's in English from Swarthmore and his Ph.D. in literature from Stanford, then in 1970 decided to enter the dramatic sphere and never turned back. Alongside his series work, he made feature appearances in projects including the 1995 Brady Bunch Movie and the 2000 Nurse Betty (as a physician on a soap opera). He grew even more prolific on-stage, in regional productions including The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, and Awake and Sing.

Trivia: Both of her parents are scientists. In high school, auditioned for a part in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying after hearing fellow students rehearsing in the room next door to where she was serving detention. Her first professional gig was at the Pasadena Playhouse doing The Lion in Winter. Studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Enjoys photography and dancing.

Trivia: Grew up in Huntington Beach, Cal. An avid surfer since the age of 8, when his sister bought him his first surfboard. Acted in commercials to pay college tuition. Turned down the opportunity to study screenwriting at New York University.

Trivia: Launching his career as a standup comic, American performer Richard Belzer entered the 1970s as a member of an odd New York-based comedy troupe called Channel One. Anticipating the home video explosion by over a decade, Channel One staged satirical, scatological routines lampooning the banalities of television -- and staged them in front of TV cameras, which transmitted the routines to little TV monitors, which in turn were watched by the live audience. Some of the best sketches were assembled into an X-rated comedy feature, The Groove Tube (1970), which featured Belzer, Ken Shapiro, and a brash newcomer named Chevy Chase. For the next decade, Belzer played the comedy-club circuit, popped up as a talkshow guest, and appeared in occasional films like Fame (1982). He joined still another comedy troupe in 1983, which appeared nightly on the syndicated interview program Thicke of the Night. The host was Allan Thicke, and Belzer's comic cohorts included such incipient stars as Charles Fleischer, Chloe Webb and Gilbert Gottfried. Thicke of the Night was one of the more notorious bombs of the 1983-84 season, but it enabled Belzer to secure better guest-star bookings, and ultimately a hosting job on his own program, debuting in 1986 over the Lifetime Cable Service. It was on this series that wrestler Hulk Hogan, demonstrating a stranglehold on Belzer caused the host to lose consciousness -- which prompted a highly publicized lawsuit instigated by Belzer against the Hulkster. In the early 1990s, Richard Belzer could be seen as a non-comic regular on the TV series Homicide. His Homicide character, John Munch, would become one of the longest-running fictional creations on TV appearing in more than a half-dozen other television shows, most notably Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Trivia: Connecticut native Jesse Lee Soffer began his career at the tender age of eight when he appeared in the film Matinee, about the sci-fi movies that were popular in the 1950s. At the time, the youngster was performing under the stage name Jesse Lee, and he used that name when he appeared in many films throughout the '90s, such as The Brady Bunch Movie and Safe Passage. By the time he joined the cast of the well-known, long-running daytime soap opera As the World Turns in 2004, however, he was acting under his full name, Jesse Lee Soffer.