Trivia: A former standup comedian whose four-year stint as a Daily Show correspondent laid the groundwork for a successful onscreen career, Atlanta, GA, native Ed Helms has since gone on to keep fans in stitches as abrasive cubicle drone Andy Bernard on the hit television series The Office and as an undead flesh-eater who only wants a girlfriend and equal rights in the popular comedy short Zombie-American (2005). It was after a stint at Oberlin College in Ohio that Helms first began working the standup circuit, with regular appearances at some of the top comedy clubs in New York City quickly gaining him a loyal fan base. Helms' poker-faced sense of humor was an ideal fit for The Daily Show, and with only a handful of credits to his name, the rising star quickly became a regular fixture on the show. In 2006, shortly after wrapping a four-year stint on the Emmy Award-winning Comedy Central faux-newscast, Helms turned up as a member of the Stamford branch on The Office -- a series that also helped launch former Daily Show correspondent Steve Carell to stardom. When the Stamford branch eventually merged with the Scranton branch in the series, Helms' angry ass-kisser became a regular fixture on the show -- his decidedly short-fused character quickly becoming a foil for office prankster Jim Halpert (played by John Krasinski). Having previously studied improvisational comedy with the Upright Citizens Brigade, Helms became a semi-regular fixture at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City while simultaneously preparing for appearances in the Carell comedy Evan Almighty and the stoner-friendly sequel Harold and Kumar 2. He continued to get good reviews for his work on The Office, but he had a smash hit as one of the three bachelors trying to piece together their night in The Hangover. He would star in the very funny Cedar Rapids two years later, but that film would not do nearly as well at the box office as The Hangover Part II that same year. In 2012 he had a major part in The Duplass Brothers' Jeff, Who Lives At Home, and voiced one of the main characters in the smash animated film Dr. Seuss' The Lorax.

Trivia: Best known to small-screen devotees as sales representative Jim Halpert, the eternally patient, undeclared admirer of Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) on Greg Daniels' hit NBC sitcom/mockumentary The Office, Massachusetts native John Krasinski graduated from Rhode Island's Brown University in 2001 as an honors playwright, but quickly segued into acting. Within three years launched himself into films, predominantly with bit roles and supporting parts, but consistently echoing the promise that he would soon find himself among number-one box-office draws and Tinseltown heartthrobs. By 2006, in fact, People Magazine featured Krasinski in its "Sexiest Men" issue, a testament to the actor's rapidly growing recognition in the eyes of the public.Born October 20, 1979, Krasinski grew up and attended high school in Newton, an affluent western suburb of Boston. After receiving his degree from Brown, Krasinski studied at the National Theater Institute. 2004 marked the actor's "breakthrough year," with fleeting appearances in no less than four A-list productions. That year, he had bit parts as Ben in the American Zoetrope film Kinsey, a biopic of sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, directed by Bill Condon and starring Liam Neeson; Bob Flynn in Matt Mulhern's finely wrought (and underappreciated) alcoholism drama Duane Hopwood starring David Schwimmer; Messenger #3 in Tim Story's urban comedy Taxi, with Queen Latifah and Jimmy Fallon; and the British CG-animated fantasy Doogal (aka, The Magic Roundabout), which didn't find U.S. release until early 2006. The first two of these films were widely lauded sleepers, the last two critically despised (though they failed to hurt Krasinski's career, given the low profile of his involvement).The Office followed in 2005. Adapted by Daniels from a hit 2001 British series of the same title, the program -- a ratings bonanza on NBC -- stars Daily Show vet Steve Carell as Michael Scott, the tactless, vain, pushy, and loudmouthed (yet well-meaning) director of the Dunder-Mifflin paper company. While Carell's off-the-wall antics spiked the series with a never-ending source of hilarity, the gradually developing relationship between Krasinski's Jim and Fischer's Pam (two straight roles) brought the series weight and solicited interest from those viewers seeking deeper and more meaningful character development. Perhaps sensing this, Daniels opted to stretch their courtship at a snail's pace over the course of several seasons. Krasinski would appear in several movies even as The Office's success continued on the small screen, like Jarhead, The Holiday, For Your Consideration, License to Wed, Leatherheads, Away We Go, and Big Miracle. In 2015, he appeared in Cameron Crowe's Aloha and acted as executive producer on the highly-successful TV series Lip Sync Battle.

Trivia: First rising to fame for her deadpan performance as receptionist Pam Beesly on NBC's The Office, Jenna Fischer was born in Indiana and spent the first several years of her career primarily appearing in bit parts in small indie films and guest spots on TV shows.In 2000, while auditioning for what would be one of her first onscreen jobs, Fischer met filmmaker James Gunn. Not only did she land a small role in the film, she and Gunn were subsuquently married for eight years. In 2004, they collaborated on the satirical mockumentary LolliLove, which saw Fischer directing and the couple co-writing and starring together. But it was in 2005 when Fischer's career truly took off. Cast as Pam on the U.S. adaptation of the acclaimed Britcom The Office, Fischer soon found herself perhaps the most beloved cast member of one of the country's most popular television shows. She was even named to People's 50 Most Beautiful People. Fischer would parlay her TV fame into a movie career as well, appearing in a number of comedies, like Blades of Glory, The Brothers Solomon, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, A Little Help, Hall Pass, and more.

Trivia: Born January 26th, 1966, Rainn Wilson is best known for playing über-nerd Dwight Schrute on the NBC comedy The Office, actor Rainn Wilson parlayed a Broadway career into screen work that began with a role on the daytime soap One Life to Live. Bit parts in features such as Galaxy Quest and Almost Famous soon followed before Wilson landed the part of apprentice mortician Arthur on HBO's Six Feet Under during the show's third season. After Six Feet Under bowed in 2005, Wilson was cast in his most prominent role to date, the aforementioned Dwight Schrute, the resident oddball on the critically acclaimed U.S. version of The Office. Wilson so embraced the part that he even personally penned a weblog by the character on the NBC website. In 2006, Wilson was the fourth lead in Ivan Reitman's fantasy romantic comedy My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and a year later he scored his first starring feature role in the children's sci-fi adventure The Last Mimzy.

Trivia: Known to many as the humorless Stanley on TV's The Office, Leslie David Baker studied psychology at Loyola University and human services administration at Spertus College of Judica before making several small appearances in commercials and on shows like Scrubs. He also appeared in the movie Elizabethtown before joining the cast of The Office in 2006.

Trivia: With only a handful of TV guest appearances under his belt, Atlanta-born Brian Baumgartner was a relative unknown when the U.S. version of The Office premiered on NBC in 2005. Playing pencil pusher Kevin Malone on the hit sitcom quickly garnered the actor prominence, and in 2007 he landed a supporting role opposite fellow Office cast member John Krasinski in the romantic comedy License to Wed. Once the series ended in 2013, he continued to work in television, with guest appearances on Hot in Cleveland and Mike & Molly.

Trivia: Accomplished stage actress Kate Flannery graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia before diving headfirst into professional comedy. As a member of Second City's National Touring Company, Chicago's Annoyance Theater, and her own act, The Lampshades, Flannery has created over 15 shows. She's also starred in successful plays like Valley of the Dolls and The Phacts of Life. Flannery has appeared in numerous independent movies and on shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm, but she's most well known for playing the divorced, alcoholic, single mother Meredith on the hit NBC comedy series The Office.

Trivia: Known to countless Office fans as the uptight accountant, Angela Kinsey would surprise many with the warm, sunny personality she has offscreen. Born June 25th, 1971, in Texas, Kinsey's family relocated to Indonesia when she was two, and they lived in the country until she was 14, making her fluent in Indonesian. Kinsey went on to attend Baylor University before interning for Late Night with Conan O'Brien and attending classes with Improv Olympic and The Groundlings. She worked in commercials and in various areas of the corporate world to pay her bills, sometimes landing roles on episodes of popular TV shows, until 2005 when she auditioned for the role of Pam Beesly on The Office. Producers liked Kinsey, but they felt she had a feistiness to her that would make her better in the role of Angela Martin. She returned, auditioned for the part, and became a member of the cast. The show became a huge success, and Kinsey worked on other projects in her off time, appearing in co-star John Krasinski's romantic comedy License to Wed in 2007.

Trivia: Probably best known as Oscar from the TV comedy The Office, Oscar Nuñez was born in Cuba but raised in New Jersey. In addition to graduating from the Warner Bros. Comedy Writer's Workshop, Nuñez performed with The Shock of the Funny Theatre Company in New York, and with the Groundlings in California. He would lend his comedic writing and acting abilities to Reno 911!, 24, Halfway Home, and more before joining up with The Office in 2006. His work on that series as Oscar, the homosexual accountant, gave him his highest profile success to that point and led directly to his appearance as an exotic dancer in the Sandra Bullock hit The Proposal.

Trivia: Fans of the comedy series The Office know Phyllis Smith as soft-spoken employee Phyllis Lapin, who's infamously mentioned a colored past in which she was once a cheerleader and a burlesque dancer. Few fans know, however, that Smith did actually do both of those jobs before she was a cast member on a hit TV show. In fact, Smith was never just a career actress; the Missouri native was always a dancer as well, receiving a full scholarship in dance to Kansas University and studying with the San Carlo Opera Company for ballet and tap. She danced ballet with the St. Louis Civic Ballet and the St. Louis Dance Theater, and cheered for the St. Louis Cardinals. She also toured with the vaudeville burlesque show Able's Baggy Pants Burlesque and the Mercer Brothers' show Giggles Galore as a dancer as well as a comedy-skit performer.Smith also received a degree in elementary education from the University of Missouri and has worked extensively in the casting industry. That was how she found herself at the auditions for The Office, where even though she wasn't auditioning, producers were so impressed with her line readings that they created a part for her. While her work on The Office continued for nearly a decade, she appeared in a handful of big-screen comedies including I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With, Bad Teacher, Butter, and the third Alvin and the Chipmunks flick.

Trivia: Known to many as the office worker with a mysterious past from the series The Office, Creed Bratton, a California native, began his career as a musician and was a member of the folk groups the Young Californians, the 13th Floor, and the Grass Roots, with whom he traveled the world many times on tour. Bratton began cultivating an acting career in the late '60s, appearing in films like With Six You Get Eggroll, eventually joining the cast of The Office in 2006 and standing out in the part of the sociopathic Creed.

Trivia: Known to many as downtrodden accountant Toby on TV's The Office, Paul Lieberstein began his award-winning career as a writer helping pen the young adult series Clarissa Explains it All for Nickelodeon. He would go on to write for King of the Hill, The Drew Carey Show, in addition to The Office, for which he would also act as a producer. In all, Lieberstein would take home Emmies, SAG Awards, WGA Awards, Primetime Emmies, and Daytime Emmies for his work in the industry.

Trivia: The burly African-American comic-turned-character actor Craig Robinson broke through to fame and success when his standup act at the 1998 Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival caught the eye of executives at Fox Broadcasting. The impressed suits offered Robinson a covetable development deal, which led to a series of plum roles within a few years. The actor scored his first significant part circa 2003, opposite Northern Exposure vet John Corbett in the short-lived television series Lucky, but his recurring role as Darryl, the stone-faced Dunder-Mifflin warehouse supervisor on the blockbuster NBC series The Office, finally brought him national recognition. Robinson followed this up with supporting turns in the 2007 A-list features Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls and Knocked Up. He was among the people who tried to help Zack and Miri Make a Porno, and was one of the circle of friends who travel back to the '80s in Hot Tub Time Machine. In addition to The Office, he found additional work on the small screen hosting Last Comic Standing for that program's seventh season.

Trivia: Missouri native Ellie Kemper may have studied English at Princeton University, but her real passion was theater. After learning all she could with an improvisational comedy troupe, she would go on to write for the satirical newspaper The Onion and literary journal McSweeney's, participate in troupes like Upright Citizen's Brigade and People's Improv Theatre, and appear in comedy videos at CollegeHumor.com. Kemper's big break came in 2009, when she was cast as Erin the receptionist on the popular sitcom The Office. She would go on to appear in several movies over the coming year, including Get Him to the Greek, Bridesmaids, and 21 Jump Street.

Trivia: Recalling two of her forerunners, Dawn French and Tracey Ullman, the auburn-haired and rubber-faced British comedienne Catherine Tate scored hugely in her native England for The Catherine Tate Show, a compendium of irreverent, off-the-wall sketches in which she played a broad array of nutty characters, often with the added element of elaborate makeup. Favorite recurring portrayals included the Cockney nag Lauren Cooper (famous for her catchphrase "Am I bovvered?"), upper middle class Briton The Aga Saga Woman (an absurdly perfectionist housewife and mother given to fits of anxiety), and Derek Faye, a bald and overtly homosexual gentleman with a falsetto voice who repeatedly draws accusations of being gay but responds with, "How very dare you." Unlike, say, the work of Sacha Baron Cohen, Tate's sketches were invariably scripted, even one in which Tony Blair made a cameo appearance.Raised as an only child by her florist mother, her grandmother, and her godmother in the Brunswick Council Estate of Central London, Tate reportedly struggled with shyness from early on, but also claimed a streak of flamboyancy that prompted a life-changing discovery: when she acted humorously, people habitually examined her with much less scrutiny. As an adolescent, she attended a Catholic convent school, but was forced out at the age of 16 when the nuns couldn't provide her with the resources to develop her acting abilities; in the years to follow, she trained as an actress at the University of London's famed Central School of Speech and Drama, then, after accepting a series of minor "straight" roles, decided to give stand-up comedy a shot. Her success in that venue is of course well-known (The Catherine Tate Show evolved into a minor institution on British television), but it ultimately left her dissatisfied and she wanted to be taken seriously as a non-comedic actress. That dream materialized with plum roles in features including the Jewish-themed coming-of-age seriocomedy Sixty Six (2006) (as Aunty Lila), director Edward Blum's ensemble-driven romantic comedy Scenes of a Sexual Nature (2006), and Billie Eltringham's period political comedy Mrs. Ratcliffe's Revolution (2007). She did a stint on the cult favorite series Dr. Who, and in 2010 she played Queen Isabelle in the Jack Black vehicle Gulliver's Travels. In 2011 she joined the cast of The Office for a brief period, and appeared as the mother of a socialite in the teen rom-com Monte Carlo.

Trivia: Was born on Valentine's Day. Credits an elementary-school theater teacher with inspiring him to act. Played competitive soccer, basketball and ice hockey as a youngster. Has appeared in stage productions of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Two Gentlemen of Verona. Played Chip on the daytime soap opera The Guiding Light. Was waiting tables in New York when he auditioned and landed his role in the ABC sitcom Better With You. Also worked as a barback at a club and a receptionist at a gym. Is a fan of Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Buster Keaton and Jim Carrey.

Trivia: Actor Clark Duke entered the professional acting sphere during childhood, with an ongoing role as Elliot Hartman, one of two sons of congressional legislative assistant John Hartman (John Ritter, whom Duke resembled), on the popular CBS sitcom Hearts Afire (1992-1995). Thereafter, Duke took nearly a decade off to pursue his studies, but received renewed attention years later thanks to an off-camera friendship and professional partnership with the popular comedic actor Michael Cera (Arrested Development). That association began when Duke appeared alongside Cera in the Judd Apatow-produced, Greg Mottola-directed sex comedy Superbad, and continued via the pair's creation of the successful web series Clark and Michael. The program, done in an extremely dry, put-upon mockumentary style that recalled both The Office and Arrested Development, starred the actors as themselves, and depicted their adventures attempting to break through the impenetrable walls of show business. It drew a substantially large fan base and became something of a cult hit. Thereafter, Duke starred in the popular frat-boy-themed series Greek (2007) and signed on as one of the leads in the big-screen teen sex comedy-road movie Sex Drive (2008). Over the next several years, Duke would also appear in a number of big screen comedies, like Sex Drive, Kick-Ass, Hot Tub Time Machine, and A Thousand Words.

Trivia: Comedian Stephen Colbert was born in 1964 in South Carolina and studied philosophy at the all-men's private liberal arts school Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. Moving to Chicago to study theater at Northwestern, he got involved at Second City, where he met fellow comedians Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello. The three of them moved to New York to create the sketch comedy show Exit 57, originally aired on Comedy Central. As a writer for The Dana Carvey Show, Colbert got the chance to write for Saturday Night Live for several seasons. While working on SNL, he met up with animator Robert Smigel and provided voices for TV Funhouse's "The Ambiguously Gay Duo" (along with the voice of Steve Carrell). Colbert has also provided voices on the puppet show Crank Yankers and the Cartoon Network series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.Colbert saw his career begin to really take off with his role as a senior correspondent for The Daily Show on Comedy Central. He joined the series in 1997 when Craig Kilborn was still the host and held on when Jon Stewart took over in 1999. That same year, Colbert teamed with Sedaris and Dinello to create Strangers With Candy, an after-school special parody of sorts on Comedy Central. Meanwhile, Colbert's schtick on The Daily Show became more and more relevant, as the political climate in the United States became increasingly polarized following 9/11. His satirical take on uber-right-wing TV-news journalists proved so incisive and hilarious that in 2005, he parlayed it into a spin-off comedy news show of his own, the immensely popular The Colbert Report. Colbert would continue with the show for years, tweaking the format to fit the ongoing political culture. The Colbert Report ended in late 2014, with Colbert retiring his "Colbert" character. Several months later, he was announced as David Letterman's successor on CBS' The Late Show, and Colbert made his Late Show debut on Sept. 8, 2015.