Trivia: Born June 9th, 1961, Michael J. Fox made his television debut in Vancouver at the age of 15. Three years later, he moved to the U.S., living in spartan conditions until he was able to get his green card. Things started breaking for Fox in 1980, when he made his simultaneous American TV and movie bow, winning a regular role on the weekly series Palmerstown, U.S.A. and a supporting part in the theatrical film Midnight Madness. Previously billed as Michael Fox, the actor was compelled by the Screen Actors Guild to add the "J" to his name to avoid confusion with an older character actor who went by the same name. At 5'4", the baby-faced Fox was able to play adolescents and teenagers well into his twenties; during the early stages of his career, however, his height lost him as many roles as he won. Fox had sold all his furniture and was subsisting on macaroni and cheese at the time he won his star-making role as junior conservative Alex P. Keaton on the long-running (1982-1989) sitcom Family Ties. Before the series ran its course, Fox had won three Emmys, one of them for an unforgettable "one-man show" in which his character soliloquized over the suicide of a close friend. Fox's movie career caught fire after he replaced Eric Stoltz in the role of time-traveling teen Marty McFly in Back to the Future (1985), an enormous hit which spawned two sequels. Not all of Fox's subsequent movie projects were so successful -- although several of them, notably The Secret of My Success (1987) and Casualties of War (1989), were commendable efforts that expanded Fox's range. In later years, the actor seemed to be have difficulty finding the vehicle that would put him back on top, although he continued to keep busy. In the fall of 1996, Fox returned to television in the ABC sitcom Spin City, in which he starred as Michael Flaherty, the Deputy Mayor of New York City. That same year, he could also be seen in Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! and Peter Jackson's The Frighteners. In 1999, the diminutive actor lent his talents to another wee character, voicing the title role of Stuart Little for the film adaptation of E.B. White's beloved children's book about a walking, talking mouse. Married to actress Tracy Pollan since 1988 -- she played his long-time girl friend on Family Ties -- Fox credited her with helping him survive his battle with Parkinson's Disease, with which he was diagnosed in 1991. Fox voiced a variety of animated characters throughout the 2000s, and appeared on TV shows including CBS' The Good Wife and the FX drama Rescue Me,

Trivia: Most "baby boomers" first saw actor James Hampton in the whimsically funny role of bugler Hannibal Dobbs on the mid-1960s sitcom F Troop. Even today, memories of Dobson's earnest but hopelessly inept rendition of "Reveille" and his anguished reaction to public revelation of his character's middle name (Shirley) is enough to bring a warm smile to the lips. During the 1970s, Hampton was unofficially "adopted" by old pal Burt Reynolds, appearing in such Reynolds vehicles as The Longest Yard (1974) and Hustle (1975). James Hampton was afforded star billing for his role as the lycanthropic dad of Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf (1985), a part he carried over into the film's TV-cartoon spin-off.

Trivia: Leading actor onscreen from 1987.

Trivia: Arnold is a supporting actor onscreen from the '80s.

Trivia: Lead actor, onscreen from the early '80s.

Trivia: Supporting actor, onscreen from the '80s.

Trivia: No stranger to emotionally and psychologically challenging roles, Doug Savant broke through the fear barrier that separates many actors from achieving their full onscreen potential. In the process, he tackled many characterizations somewhat removed from himself. These included a sociopathic rapist (in the 1995 TV movie Fight for Justice: The Nancy Cohn Story), a gay social worker (Matt Fielding on the prime-time soap opera Melrose Place), and -- most prominently -- a businessman-turned-stay at home dad (Tom Scavo, on the domestic black comedy Desperate Housewives). The latter, of course, required less of a stretch for Savant; it was perhaps ironic, then, that the Scavo characterization (opposite actress Felicity Huffman) reeled in Savant's largest audience and virtually turned him into a household name. Savant's resumé also includes brief appearances in such features as Secret Admirer (1985), Teen Wolf (1985), The Hanoi Hilton (1987), and Godzilla (1998). His second wife is actress Laura Leighton, whom he met on the set of Melrose.

Trivia: Character actor Harvey Vernon came to Hollywood following his discharge from the Coast Guard after WWII. Over his busy and prolific career, he has appeared in films and television and has occasionally showed up on-stage. His film credits include MacArthur (1977) and Teen Wolf (1985). Vernon has worked most often in television appearing in series ranging from Charlie's Angels during the '70s to Moonlighting in the '80s, to such '90s hits as Cybill and ER. Vernon's stage credits include a Broadway stint in The Grass Harp.

Trivia: Character actor Gregory Itzin's tall and conservative appearance seemed to call for, even demand, sober and distinguished parts, such as those of corporate heavies, cutthroat attorneys, etc. It was with immense irony, then, that Itzin took his cinematic bow on a completely loony note -- as one of the proselytizing cultists karate-chopped by Robert Stack at the airport in the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker classic Airplane! For a time, Itzin seemed to take this as a cue and placed a strong emphasis in his career on comedies, such as the 1982 Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (as one of religious crusader Melvin P. Thorpe's minions) and episodes of Murphy Brown and Night Court. The late '80s, however, saw Itzin turn toward more straight-faced material; he tackled small roles in the Gary David Goldberg melodrama Dad (1989) and Steve Kloves' justly praised seriocomedy The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989). In the 1990s, Itzin's diversity broadened further, with periodic contributions to the domestically themed prime-time dramas ER, Murder One, and (expanding into the fantasy realm) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. Itzin extended his heavy emphasis on television work into the 2000s, with a particularly high profile in 24, as Vice President (then President) Charles Logan. In 2007, the actor received renewed attention (not all of it positive) with his portrayal of Dr. Greg Jameson, the physician who treats psychopath victim Lindsay Lohan, in the critically despised torture-fest I Know Who Killed Me. Itzen continued his role on 24 throughout 2010, and took on a small supporting role in actor/director George Clooney's political drama The Ides of March (2011).

Trivia: Initially gaining widespread exposure thanks to his role as ADA Paul Robinette on Law & Order in the early '90s, stage and screen actor Richard Brooks has expanded his responsibilities to include directing with the release of his freshman feature Johnny B. (1998). A native of Cleveland who studied acting, dance, and voice work at Michigan's Interlochen Academy of Arts, it wasn't long before Brooks was packing his bags for New York. He excelled as a student of the famed Circle in the Square Professional Theater School and his performances in the Eugene O'Neil Theater Conference production of August Wilson's Fences quickly gained him a reputation as a stage force to be reckoned with. A subsequent move to Los Angeles found the burgeoning actor landing numerous television roles, and with such made-for-TV features as Badge of the Assassin (1985) and Resting Place (1986), he began to come into his own as a notable screen presence, as well. With Teen Wolf (1985) and The Hidden (1987), Brooks began his ascent in the world of feature films. Throughout the '90s, most of his popularity came from his role in Law & Order, and the busy actor would constantly find himself alternating between the big screen, the small screen, and the bright lights of the stage. After turning up in The Substitute and terrorizing the undead in The Crow: City of Angels (both 1996), Brooks opted to try his hand at directing, and the result was the refreshingly honest Johnny B. Good. Although his tale of a young, urban black man who makes a positive change after suffering amnesia went largely unseen, those who did give it a chance as a video rental received a pleasant and unexpected surprise. Returning to the small screen for the short-lived G vs E in 1999, many cited Brooks as one of the strongest aspects of the wild, supernatural pop-culture actioner. In addition to his film work, Brooks also founded his own production company Flat Top Entertainment LLC. At the dawn of the millennium, Brooks released his first solo R&B album, Smooth Love, on Flat Top Records.