Trivia: With a family tree that includes such notable relatives as Goldie Hawn, Kate Hudson, and Bill Hudson, it wouldn't take a psychic to predict that Oliver Hudson would eventually pursue a career in show business. Of course, that's not to say that the aspiring actor simply coasted his way to success based strictly on his surname, as young Hudson showed great promise on the hockey rink before working his way up the ladder as a production assistant on such features as Father's Day and Conspiracy Theory. Sure, the films he found work on may have been of higher profile than the average wannabe actor/filmmaker, but Hudson gamely paid his dues on the lower rungs of the Hollywood echelon nonetheless. Though in his early years Hudson and his friends could frequently be spotted shooting amateur short films and hamming it up in front of the camera, a passion for hockey led the athletic teen to lace up his skates and take to the ice before opting to finish high school in Los Angeles and study film at the University of Colorado. A return to the west coast following his education found Hudson working as a production assistant by day and planning an ambitious short film by night, and shortly after, he was spotted in acting classes by a talent scout. Hudson began hitting the audition circuit soon after. With good looks and talent to boot, it didn't take long for Hudson to land roles in such features as The Out-of-Towners and The Smokers. A series of appearances on the WB's teen hit Dawson's Creek no doubt helping to raise his profile among young television viewers, Hudson was soon stepping into the lead for his own short-lived series, entitled My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star. If that series didn't find him breaking out as many had expected, a turn as the free-spirited, unlikely heir to a lucrative ski resort in the 2004 WB series The Mountain may just be the role needed to kick Hudson's career into overdrive. As it turned out, however, it was his role on CBS' sitcom The Rules of Engagement=that earned Hudson widespread recognition as the terribly gullible, yet well-intentioned Adam Rhodes. Hudson joined the show in its first season, and continued to work with the show throughout its successful run.

Trivia: Raven-haired Italian-American actress Bianca Kajlich (pronounced "Ky-lick") netted recognition early in her career for her contribution to the slasher movie sequel Halloween: Resurrection (2002), which found her character -- Sarah Moyer -- facing off against homicidal maniac Michael Myers, as she received play-by-play advice on a handheld. (Kajlich would later acknowledge her relief at not being cast in the next installment of the series.) She made a deeper and more enduring impression with her portrayal of newly engaged Jennifer on the relationship-oriented ensemble sitcom Rules of Engagement (2007). Her resumé also includes brief multi-episode stints on such prime-time series as Boston Public, Dawson's Creek, and Vanished. She also appeared in the crime comedy 30 Minutes or Less.

Trivia: Squared-jawed beefcake Patrick Warburton leapt into pop culture consciousness as David Puddy, Elaine's on-again, off-again boyfriend on the hit sitcom Seinfeld in 1995, and has since then steadily found his deadpan talents in ever-greater demand. With his squinty eyes and hard-boiled detective's voice, Warburton has become a humorous personality who can generate giggles with almost no effort, whether onscreen or in voice-overs.Warburton was born on November 14, 1964, in Paterson, NJ, and raised in Southern California, a son of little-known television actress Barbara Lord. The future Bugle Boy model studied marine biology at Orange Coast College, where he met his wife, Cathi, before dropping out to pursue modeling and acting at age 19. In his first screen appearance, the 17th century slave film Dragonard (1987), Warburton was subject to what is thought to be the longest onscreen flogging on film, a 100-lash scene that consumes nearly four minutes of screen time. He also appeared in the sequel, Master of Dragonard Hill (1989), before turning his attention to television.Warburton had guest spots on such shows as Murphy Brown, Designing Women, and Quantum Leap before scoring a recurring role on the short-lived Dave Barry sitcom Dave's World in 1993. But it was not until he appeared in the 1995 episode of Seinfeld entitled "The Fusilli Jerry" that Warburton really started to attract attention. As Puddy, Jerry's lunkhead mechanic who spits out dialogue in macho spurts, notably the catchphrase affirmation "Yeah that's right," Warburton quickly became a popular semi-regular, involved in a running joke about his frequent breakups and reconciliations with Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). He stayed with the show until it finished in 1998, and provided the voice for Superman in a series of commercials starring Seinfeld.Warburton had another recurring role as unscrupulous businessman Johnny Johnson on News Radio in 1999, then contributed his memorable voice to characters on the animated shows Family Guy, Hercules, and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. By this time the big screen was really beckoning, as Warburton flexed his comic talents as a bodyguard in Scream 3 (2000), then toned them down as an American astronomer in Australia in The Dish (2000). His voice was again called upon, this time by Disney, for the role of a sorceress' thug assistant in The Emperor's New Groove (2000). Going zanier than on Seinfeld, Warburton signed on as the star of the Fox sitcom The Tick, about a muscle-bound but dimwitted superhero in a blue costume, which premiered in the fall of 2001. High-profile projects in 2002 would include a role in the delayed ensemble farce Big Trouble and as Agent T alongside Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in Men in Black 2.Warburton became an in demand voice actor working on a variety of projects including TV series like The Venture Brothers and Family Guy, as well as movies such as Home on the Range, Chicken Little, The Wild, and Bee Movie. In 2007 he started on a successful run with the sitcom Rules of Engagement, and in 2012 he appeared in Seth McFarland's directorial debut, Ted.

Trivia: Early in her career, the memorably alluring, statuesque actress Megyn Price could be seen in guest spots on such series as Quantum Leap and The Drew Carey Show, and as a regular on LateLine (opposite humorist Al Franken), before landing two major series roles that brought her national acclaim and recognition. She first played Claudia Finnerty on the Irish-American-themed family sitcom Grounded for Life, alongside Donal Logue and Kevin Corrigan, from 2001 to 2005. Then, two years after that series folded, Price earned rave reviews for her portrayal of the nuptially jaded Audrey (opposite onscreen hubby Patrick Warburton, of Seinfeld fame) on the relationship sitcom Rules of Engagement (2007).

Trivia: Born August 22nd, 1965, the diminutive blond comic David Spade has found success as a professional smart ass. Born in Birmingham, MI, but raised in Scottsdale, AZ, Spade first made a name for himself as a standup comedian. He spent most of the '80s performing in clubs, theaters, and college campuses. He joined the cast of Lorne Michael's long-running television show Saturday Night Live in 1990 as a writer and a performer. On the show, he soon gained popularity for such recurring sketches such as "The Hollywood Minute" in which Spade would sarcastically shred some of Tinseltown's biggest stars with his nasty comments. Spade also proved an able impersonator of celebrities ranging from Jeff Foxworthy to Tom Petty. Spade has appeared on many television talk shows and guest starred on several series. He began his film career in the late '80s playing a small role in Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol. In the '90s, he began playing major supporting roles in such films as Coneheads (1993) and P.C.U. (1994). He and former SNL alumni Chris Farley shared top billing in two popular comedies, Tommy Boy (1995) and Black Sheep (1996). Spade starred opposite Joe Pesci and Dyan Cannon in Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag (1997). In 1997, Spade returned to series television in the sitcom Just Shoot Me. While 2001's Joe Dirt wasn't much of a box office success, it did earn a certain cult status, inspire animated television series, and bring about a surge of ironically-sported mullet hairstyles in the early 2000s. While 2001's Joe Dirt wasn't much of a box office success, it did bring about a resurgence of popularity for the mullet. Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003) featured Spade in the titular role of a one-time child star who tries to make a comeback as an adult. Spade continued to play comedic roles throughout the mid-2000s (The Benchwarners, Grandma's Boy), and once again found small-screen success with a role on the sitcoms 8 Simple Rules, and The Rules of Engagement, in which Spade plays the part of a single man surrounded by friends in various stages of couplehood.

Trivia: South African-born actor Adhir Kalyan first caught the eye of stateside television viewers when cast in the as a Pakistani Muslim exchange student who came to live with a typical suburban American family in the CW sitcom Aliens in America. Though he had previously appeared in episodes of such U.K. television dramas as Spooks and Holby City, Kaylan's part on Aliens in America was his first regular small-screen role on either side of the pond. In 2009 Kalyan joined the cast of the David Spade sitcom Rules of Engagement, but continued to juggle a feature career with bit roles in such films as Up in the Air, High School and No Strings Attached.

Trivia: At age 9, made her big-screen debut in 1988's Rocket Gibraltar. Appeared on The Learning Channel's Trading Places, exchanging home makeovers with her Less Than Perfect costar Andy Dick. Was named a spokeswoman for Jenny Craig in 2009; a year later, she had lost 50 pounds and completed a half marathon.

Trivia: Grew up in both California and Connecticut. First role was as Young Clara in The House of the Spirits at age 7. Was captain of the swim team at Brooklyn's Poly Prep Country Day School. Made her stage debut in 2008 in Kristjan Thor's The Sexual Neuroses of Our Parents. Interned for designer Zac Posen after college.

Trivia: After toiling in minor film roles for years, Camryn Manheim finally attained the fame and respect denied to many overweight women who attempt to make it as actresses in Hollywood. In 1998, Manheim came to the attention of television audiences when she won a Best Supporting Actress Emmy for her role as lawyer Ellenor Frutt on David E. Kelley's acclaimed law drama The Practice. Hoisting her award in the air and exuberantly declaring, "This is for all the fat girls!", the actress won over millions of viewers, many of whom may not have been aware of her existence before the awards ceremony.Born in Caldwell, New Jersey on March 8, 1961, Manheim was raised in Peoria, Illinois and Long Beach California, the daughter of a math professor father and school teacher mother. She developed an interest in acting after attending a Renaissance fair at the age of sixteen, and she went on to get a Masters in Fine Arts from New York University in 1987. After graduating, Manheim made her (credited) screen debut with a miniscule role in Bonfire of the Vanities in 1990. A long series of similarly minor roles in films ranging from Jeffrey (1995) to Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) followed before she was cast in The Practice in 1997. After winning fame and an Emmy for her work on the show, Manheim gained additional exposure and respect with her role as a denizen of Todd Solondz's dysfunctional New Jersey suburbia in the acclaimed Happiness (1998). The following year, in addition to winning a Golden Globe and another Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Ellenor Frutt, Manheim continued to act in films, appearing in Fools Gold and Joe the King, both of which were shown at the 1999 Sundance Festival.In the decades to come, Manheim would appear in several films, like An Unfinished Life and Slipstream, as well as on several successful TVseries, like The L Word, Ghost Whisperer, and Harry's Law.In addition to acting, Manheim also authored Wake Up, I'm Fat, a memoir that began life as a one-woman show at New York's Public Theatre. By turns funny and excruciating, it details the actress's transformation from wholesome middle American to tattooed, dozen-earringed California biker, her struggles with those who told her she'd have to lose weight to fit in, and the trials and tribulations of making it in the entertainment industry.

Trivia: Was a self-proclaimed jock during high school, having lettered in three sports - basketball, football and track. His first experience in acting was a theater class at the University of Minnesota. Studied at the William Esper Studio in New York City. Made first TV appearance in an episode of NBC's Law and Order in 1996. In 1998, performed in an off-Broadway production of Chili Queen.

Trivia: Missouri native Annie Wersching first became interested in show business by studying traditional Irish dance, competing with the St. Louis Celtic Stepdancers on a national level. She went on to attend Millikin University, where she studied musical theater, and began her TV career a short time later, making a handful of minor appearances on shows like Star Trek: Enterprise. In 2007, she landed the recurring role of Amelia Joffe on the daytime soap General Hospital, but her big break came 2008, when she joined the cast of the hit series 24 as FBI agent Renee Walker.

Trivia: Despite essaying occasional on-camera roles, Palm Springs native Tyler Hilton sports even stronger musical ambitions. A prodigious songwriter since the age of 14, Hilton cultivated his vocal technique at an early age, then recorded and shopped around an eponymous debut album. He signed with Maverick records after an impromptu on-the-air performance for Los Angeles KLOS radio led to a performance in the station's annual Christmas concert -- and drew the attention of recording executives. Hilton netted even more widespread attention for his acting feats, however, such as the recurring characterization of Chris Keller on the prime-time soaper One Tree Hill and a startling evocation of Elvis Presley in the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line (2005). In 2007 -- coincident with his authorship of a new album for Warner Bros. Records (his fourth release) -- Hilton scored a neat comic turn as a high-school bully-turned-prescription drug dealer in Charlie Bartlett (2007), an offbeat satire about adolescent life.

Trivia: Raised on a farm in Leicester. Played a vampire in the Twilight film series, and a vampire hunter on the television series The Vampire Diaries. Made his professional stage debut in The River Line at the Jermyn Street Theatre in 2011, opposite his sister Lydia Rose Bewley. Began a Kickstarter campaign, with actors Matt Dallas and Steven Grayhm, to raise funds for their independent film Thunder Road in 2013.

Trivia: Would perform onstage with her grandmother, Rosemary Clooney, in her annual Rosemary Clooney's White Christmas Party show. Starred in Proof with the Open Fist Theatre Company in Los Angeles in 2011. Joined Grey's Anatomy as a recurring character in season nine; was promoted to a series regular for the show's 10th season.

Trivia: Born December 6th, 1948,, JoBeth Williams launched her acting career on the East Coast repertory theater circuit. Williams made her Broadway bow in 1980's A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking and gained a TV following as a regular on the daytime serials The Guiding Light and Somerset. She made an impressible film debut in a "flash part" in the Oscar-winning Kramer vs. Kramer (1979). Williams' star ascended with such roles as the mother of long-suffering Heather O'Rourke in the first two Poltergeist films and the sixties activist-cum-housewife in The Big Chill (1983). While she hasn't always been well-served by Hollywood, she has managed to show up in a number of worthwhile assignments, ranging from 1984's Teachers (in which she spontaneously performing the most dramatically justifiable striptease in movie history) to 1994's Wyatt Earp (as Bessie Earp) Her TV-movie credits are even more impressive: she had several memorable moments in the post-apocalyptic The Day After (1983) and was brilliant as the anguished mother of the murdered title character in Adam (1983). She has also participated in series television, lending her voice to the character of Angel in the animated nighttimer Fish Police (1992) and essaying the Susan Sarandon role in the 1995 weekly TV adaptation of The Client. In addition, she served as executive producer of the 1991 TV movie Bump in the Night, and as co-producer of the Oscar-nominated documentary On Hope (1994). JoBeth Williams is married to director John Pasquin. In 2005 the actress worked with Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler for the baseball comedy Fever Pitch, and appeared in four episodes of Showtime's hit series Dexter in 2007. In 2011, Smart worked with Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black in the comedy The Big Year.

Trivia: A woman whose combination of talent, tenacity, and beauty has made her one of Hollywood's busiest actors, Halle Berry has enjoyed a level of success that has come from years of hard work and her share of career pitfalls. Berry's interest in show business came courtesy of her participation in a number of beauty pageants throughout her teens, including the 1986 Miss U.S.A. Pageant. A native of Cleveland, OH, where she was born to an African-American father and white mother on August 14, 1968, Berry was raised by her mother, a psychiatric nurse, following her parents' divorce. At the age of 17, she appeared in the spotlight for the first time as the winner of the Miss Teen All-American Pageant, and subsequently became a model. Berry won her first professional acting gig on the TV series Living Dolls, and then appeared on Knots Landing before winning her first big-screen role in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever. It was on the set of the film that she first earned her reputation for her full commitment to acting, reportedly refusing to bathe for weeks in preparation for her portrayal of a crack addict.Following her film debut, Berry was cast opposite Eddie Murphy in Boomerang (1992) as the comedian's love interest; not only did she hold her own against Murphy, but the same year she did acclaimed work in the title role of the Alex Haley miniseries Queen, playing a young woman struggling against the brutal conditions of slavery.After a comedic turn as sultry secretary Sharon Stone in the 1994 live-action version of The Flintstones, Berry returned to more serious fare with her role in the adoption drama Losing Isaiah (1995). Starring opposite Jessica Lange as a former crack addict battling to win custody of her child, who as a baby was adopted by an affluent white couple, Berry earned a mixed reception from critics, some of whom noted that her scenes with Lange highlighted Berry's own shortcomings.However, critical opinion of the actress' work was overwhelmingly favorable in 1998, when she starred as a street smart young woman who comes to the aid of a bumbling politician in Warren Beatty's Bullworth. The following year, Berry won even greater acclaim -- and an Emmy and Golden Globe -- for her turn as tragic screen siren Dorothy Dandridge in the made-for-cable Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. Unfortunately, any acclaim Berry enjoyed was overshadowed by her widely publicized brush with the law in February of 2000, when she allegedly ran a red light, slammed into another car, and then left the scene of the accident. The actress, who suffered a gash to her forehead (the driver of the other car sustained a broken wrist), was booked in a misdemeanor court in early April of that year.Fortunately for Berry, her subsequent onscreen work removed the spotlight from her legal troubles; that same year, she starred as Storm in Bryan Singer's hugely successful adaptation of The X-Men. The film was a box office hit, but her next popcorn flick, the thriller Swordfish, which touted itself as the first movie to feature Berry baring her breasts, had a less impressive reception.Berry again bared more than her character's inner turmoil in Monster's Ball (2001), a romantic drama directed by Marc Forster that starred the actress as a woman who becomes involved with an ex-prison-guard (Billy Bob Thornton) who oversaw the prison execution of her husband (Sean Combs). Berry earned wide critical praise for her work in the film, as well as Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Best Actress. And though she may have lost out to Sissy Spacek in the Golden Globes, her night at the Oscars found Berry the favored performer as took home a statue for Best Actress. A momentous footnote in Academy Award history, Berry's win marked the first time an African American had been bestowed that particular honor.Although her turn in the James Bond flick Die Another Day was so successful that talk began of a spin-off film, Berry's first true post-Oscar vehicle Gothika proved to be unpopular with both critics and moviegoers. Luckily, 2003 wasn't a total loss for her though as X2: X-Men United was a box-office smash and was regarded by many to be superior to its predecessor. Sticking with comic-books as source-material, Berry could be seen in Catwoman the following Summer. The film was the biggest flop of her career, panned by audiences and critics, and earning the actress a coveted Razzie for her terrible performance. She won back a great deal of respect, however, by starring in the made for TV adaptation of the Zora Neale Hurston novel Their Eyes Were Watching God the next year. She followed this moving performance with a return to her X-Men comrades for X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006, then signed on to star alongside a decidedly creepy Bruce Willis in the suspense thriller Perfect Stranger (2007), directed by James Foley.As the 2010's unfolded, Berry continued to enjoy top-tier status as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, taking on roles in films like Things We Lost in the Fire, Dark Tide, Cloud Atlas, and The Call. In 2014, she reprised her role of Storm yet again in X-Men: Days of Future Past and took the lead role in her own TV series, Extant, which lasted for two seasons.

Trivia: Perhaps Croatia's most recognizable actor, Goran Visnjic became known to an American audience in the late 1990s, thanks to his work in American films and television. The darkly handsome actor, whom Vogue dubbed "the Tom Cruise of Croatia," was born in Sibenik on September 9, 1972, to a bus driver and a food market worker. Like just about all of his compatriots, Visnjic was indelibly affected by the Bosnian War. Although he decided at an early age that he wanted to be an actor and trained at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb, his country's terrible conflict resulted in Visnjic's joining the Croatian army when he was 18. He trained as a paratrooper, ultimately extending his service by three months in order to better defend his country.After Visnjic finished his time with the military, he returned to acting. He began gaining popularity in his country when, at the age of 21, he was cast as Hamlet in a production of the play at the prestigious Dubrovnik Summer Festival. The production earned wide acclaim, and Visnjic himself was the recipient of three national Best Actor awards, including an Orlando, the Croatian equivalent of a Tony.In addition to his work on the stage (he went on to portray Hamlet six years in a row), Visnjic also began appearing in Croatian feature films, and he made his American screen debut in Michael Winterbottom's Welcome to Sarajevo (1997). In 1998, he earned greater international recognition with his role in Practical Magic; although the film itself was a disappointment, Visnjic managed to make a sizable impression on audience members in his role as Nicole Kidman's ne'er-do-well boyfriend. The following year, the actor landed a recurring role on the popular TV medical drama E.R.; his profile further ascended with his casting in a number of feature films, including Committed (2000), a road trip comedy starring Heather Graham and Luke Wilson.

Trivia: Began his film career at age 5. Toured with the Royal Shakespeare Company in a 1999 production of King Lear, with Nigel Hawthorne playing the title role. Won a Japanese Academy Award for his work in The Twilight Samurai (2002). Received an honorary MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in 2002. Has a black belt in karate.