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: Saturnine character actor Martin Landau was a staff cartoonist for the New York Daily News before switching to acting. In 1955, his career got off to a promising beginning, when out of 2,000 applicants, only he and one other actor (Steve McQueen) were accepted by Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio. Extremely busy in the days of live, Manhattan-based television, Landau made his cinematic mark with his second film appearance, playing James Mason's henchman in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959). In 1966, Landau and his wife Barbara Bain were both cast on the TV adventure/espionage series Mission: Impossible. For three years, Landau portrayed Rollin Hand, a master of disguise with the acute ability to impersonate virtually every villain who came down the pike (banana-republic despots were a specialty). Unhappy with changes in production personnel and budget cuts, Landau and Bain left the series in 1969. Six years later, they costarred in Space: 1999 a popular syndicated sci-fi series; the performances of Landau, Bain, and third lead Barry Morse helped to gloss over the glaring gaps in continuity and logic which characterized the show's two-year run. The couple would subsequently act together several times (The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981) was one of the less distinguished occasions) before their marriage dissolved.Working steadily in various projects throughout the next few decades, Landau enjoyed a career renaissance with two consecutive Oscar nominations, the first for Francis Ford Coppola's Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), and the second for Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). Landau finally won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton's 1994 Ed Wood; his refusal to cut his acceptance speech short was one of the high points of the 1995 Oscar ceremony. He would continue to work over the next several years, appearing in movies like City of Ember and Mysteria, as well as on TV shows like Without a Trace and Entourage.

Trivia: Similar to British countrymen and great thespians John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson, although a generation later, Ian Richardson has made more of an enduring career in classical theater and BBC television than in films, although in later years he has gravitated toward the latter. Little did he expect it, but his most memorable (and frequently parodied) role may have been as the limousine occupant who asks, "Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?" in that popular television ad. His dignified countenance and locutions have brought him frequent casting as men of education and refinement.Richardson was born on April 7, 1934, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and studied at the College of Dramatic Art in Glasgow. He first made a name for himself playing Hamlet at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 1960, before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he began a stint of several years as the leading artist, appearing in a variety of roles. At the RSC, he created the role of Jean Paul Marat in Marat/Sade, reprising it for the much-heralded 1966 film version. Stage success in Stratford, Ontario, and New York would soon follow. His first roles on both the big and small screen were in continuing with his Shakespearean roots. Richardson appeared as Oberon in Peter Hall's well-liked 1968 rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream, then as Don John in the BBC Much Ado About Nothing in 1978. The actor spent the early '80s in British television movies and series, most notably appearing twice as Sherlock Homes in The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Sign of Four (both 1983). Richardson began gaining more worldwide recognition with his role as an officious bureaucrat in the dystopian universe of Terry Gilliam's Brazil (1985). Soon after Brazil Richardson began garnering regular film work, first appearing in such British films as Cry Freedom and The Fourth Protocol (both 1987), and eventually shifting over to Hollywood. He put a twist on his Shakespearean experience by appearing as Polonius in the 1990 film version of Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Richardson traveled through the 1990s without a universally distinguishing role to his credit, assuming a variety of supporting roles in bigger budget fare, while also continuing as a mainstay in British television. He had the misfortune of appearing in several notorious duds, including The Year of the Comet (1992) and Robert Townsend's widely detested B.A.P.S. (1997), in which he and Martin Landau jockeyed for the dubious honor of seeming more out of place. However, Richardson was credited with helping establish the haunting atmosphere of Alex Proyas' Dark City (1998) as Mr. Book, one of the eerie cloaked figures who floats through the landscape. Richardson then appeared as Mr. Torte in 102 Dalmations (2000) and Sir Charles Warren in From Hell (2001).Richardson died of unspecified causes, at age 72, on February 9, 2007.

Trivia: An edgy comic who skyrocketed to comedy fame with his memorably side-splitting appearance in Spike Lee's The Original Kings of Comedy, Bernie Mac may have seemed an unlikely candidate for a television sitcom, but with the debut of The Bernie Mac Show, the inventive comedian began on a high note, leaving many pondering the apparent overnight success of the comedian who had ostensibly come from nowhere to become a ubiquitous presence. Born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough in Chicago, IL, Mac was a member of a large extended family living under one roof, which provided the energetic youngster with plenty of fuel for refining his ability to perform dead-on impressions and humorously recall memorable family occurrences. Time spent as a gopher for performers at the Regal Theater also served as a primer for his showbiz aspirations (as well as a cautionary warning of the destructive temptations that go along with fame). Mac's first experiences with standup came at the age of eight, when he performed a routine about his grandparents at the dinner table in front of the congregation at church. Though it resulted in some strict reprimanding from his grandmother, he had the audience feeding out of his palm and the young impressionist quickly had the epiphany that humor meant more to him than the sting of discipline. From that point on, Mac refined and developed his comic abilities on the tracks of Chicago's El trains and in local parks. Though he earned a modest keep from his public performances, Mac craved the legitimacy of the club circuit and he began to perform professionally in 1977. After early film work -- including memorable appearances in Above the Rim (1994) and The Walking Dead (1995), which followed on the heels of his big-screen debut in 1992's Mo' Money -- Mac was offered and appeared in the television series Midnight Mac in 1995. Hesitation as to the neutering of his material made the comedian leery of television, and the show didn't last. The comic actor earned more attention when he turned up frequently the following year in television's Moesha, though mainstream acceptance was still four years and numerous bit film parts away. Following The Original Kings of Comedy, Mac began to develop an idea for a sitcom that revolved around similar family experiences and retained the edge that had initially shocked his audiences into laughter. In 2001, he debuted the family sitcom The Bernie Mac Show, and it was a success, running for five seasons. 2001 would indeed prove to be the year of the Mac as he also took on a substantial role in director Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's 11. He reprised that character in the two Ocean's sequels, as well as lead roles as a vice presidential candidate in the Chris Rock political satire Head of State and as a washed-up baseball player in 2004's Mr. 3000. 2007 saw Mac in a more serious role as a kindly janitor in the inspirational sports drama Pride. Upon his death in August 2008 of complications from pneumonia, Soul Men, in which he stars alongside Samuel L. Jackson as a soul singer embarking on a reunion tour, had yet to hit theaters.­

Trivia: A plus-sized actor of Afro-Cuban descent whose killer smile and infectious laugh can liven up any comedy, Faizon Love got his start in such well-received African-American comedies as Fear of a Black Hat and Friday before getting wide recognition in such high-profile comedies as Money Talks, The Replacements, and Elf. It was during high school in New Jersey that the aspiring comic first became interested in performing for a crowd; his English teacher recognized Love's skill for comedy and allowing the student to perform for his classmates on days when lessons went especially well. Following graduation, Love moved to New York and made a bid for the big time in the East Coast entertainment capitol; it didn't take long for the performer to land an off-Broadway role in the Harlem National Black Theater production of Bitter Heart Midtown (a modernized retelling of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations). The subsequent death of beloved comic Robin Harris during the production of the animated comedy BeBe's Kids provided the emerging performer with his first big break in film, and though it was strictly a vocal affair, Love performed admirably under pressure. He could next be seen alongside Robert Townsend, Rusty Cundieff, Ice Cube, and Shawn Wayans in a series of low-budget but well-received comedy features. Love later parlayed his connection with Townsend into an extended television role on the small-screen sitcom The Parent 'Hood, and he continued to climb the credits until his role as a gridiron giant in The Replacements punted him into the mainstream. It was following his appearance in the Keanu Reeves sports comedy that Love's career truly took off, with a 2001 performance opposite Sean "Puffy" Combs in Jon Favreau's Made marking the beginning of a working relationship between the director and the actor that would continue when Love appeared opposite Will Ferrell in Elf (2003). Love's role as a surfing football player in Blue Crush in 2002 allowed the actor to overcomed his duel fears of sharks and water to brave the waves. And after attempting to remain in control of a prison as the warden in The Fighting Temptations, it was time to hit the road in Torque, a two-wheeled thrill ride starring Love's former Friday co-star Ice Cube. Video-game players with an ear for detail would recognize Love's substantial role in the hit 2004 release Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, with additional roles opposite Lindsay Lohan in Just My Luck and in the long-awaited OutKast musical Idlewild effectively serving to mark the arrival of a comedic actor whose versatility continued to impress.

Trivia: Born March 17, 1937, in Fort Smith, AR, blaxploitation legend Rudy Ray Moore began his life as an entertainer after moving to Cleveland, OH, at the age of 15. Forging a music career under the stage name of "Prince Dumarr," Moore belted out gutbucket rhythm & blues while wearing a trademark turban, recording several singles and touring through various Midwestern cities. By 1959, he had moved to Los Angeles, dropped the pseudonym, and was focusing on a standup act. A trio of comedy albums released in the early '60s on Dooto Records didn't hit for him, so Moore worked part-time in a record store, where a local wino named Rico would often visit to beg for change. The panhandler recited bawdy "toasts" in exchange for food money, tall tales set to rhyme that have figured in African-American culture for years. One of these stories was "Dolemite," the tale of a mythical black superman who fights lions and can kill women with the power of his lovemaking. Moore began incorporating "Dolemite" and other toasts into his act, as well as expanding on the suggestive humor of Redd Foxx with explicit profanity and crude jokes about life on the ghetto streets. He self-financed the release of an album in this new style, and Eat Out More Often was a surprise hit in 1970, spending time on the Billboard soul charts despite the fact that record stores had to keep the album behind the counter. Moore followed with a number of X-rated comedy platters, all recorded in his own home with friends as the audience (which led them to be dubbed "party records"). By 1975, Moore decided to branch out into motion pictures, and again staked his own money to produce a film version of his most famous routine. Dolemite was a low-budget action-adventure-comedy shot in and around Moore's Los Angeles home. With Moore as the titular pimp-hero (wearing a dazzling array of funky outfits), a harem of kung fu-fighting prostitutes, corrupt white politicians, and plenty of excuses for Moore to perform snippets of his nightclub act, the film was an outlandish, ridiculous vehicle for the comedian that successfully brought his vision to the screen. It was popular enough to warrant a sequel, The Human Tornado (1976), as well as an adaptation of another of Moore's standup routines, The Devil's Son-In-Law (1977). After releasing the concert film Rudy Ray Moore: Rude in 1982, the comedian's movie appearances dried up, though he continued to make personal appearances and sporadic recordings. Many rappers have named Moore as a major influence and samples from his records and films have turned up on releases by artists like Dr. Dre, Big Chief, and 2 Live Crew. While the rhythmic, profane delivery on his comedy albums accounts for his reputation in the hip-hop world, it can be argued that his films are responsible for keeping his legend alive today. Many of Moore's films are widely available in mainstream video outlets, while his X-rated records are often difficult to find.

Trivia: Left Syracuse University after three years. Was the longest-running original cast member of Mad TV, known for her impressions of Oprah Winfrey and Whitney Houston. Has done several Sierra Mist commercials with Nicole Sullivan and Michael Ian Black. Is a mentor in Create Now!, a program that uses arts to help troubled kids.

Trivia: Born in England in 1959, TV personality "Downtown" Julie Brown grew up on a series of military bases all over the world, as her father was enlisted in the Royal Air Force. After taking home the top prize at a disco dancing championship in 1979, Brown began making the rounds on European TV, hosting music-oriented shows like Crackerkjack. She soon moved overseas to become a VJ for MTV, where she was known for her trademark phrase "Wubba Wubba Wubba." After leaving MTV, Brown worked for ESPN and E!, and would appear on a wide variety of television shows over the coming years, like Walker, Texas Ranger, and Hey Arnold!

Trivia: Jamaican born hip-hop legend Heavy D was a major force in the rap world, leading influential rap group Heavy D & the Boyz, singing and rapping as a solo artist, and working as a producer with artists like Mary J. Blige and Soul for Real. He also extended his creative talents into the realm of television and movies, composing music for shows like In Living Color and The Tracy Morgan Show, as well as nurturing a serious acting career. Beginning with appearances on TV shows like Living Single and Roc in the early '90s, Heavy D developed an undeniable skill at acting that would eventually find him making memorable appearances in films like The Cider House Rules and The Tower Heist, and on TV shows like Boston Public and Bones. Heavy D died in November 2011 at age 44.

Trivia: Innovative rap music superstar LL Cool J made the successful transition to actor/musician in the 1990s, with several major films and a TV series to his credit. Born James Todd Smith in Queens, LL Cool J established himself as one of the major figures in rap music in the 1980s and '90s; he made his movie debut as himself in the 1985 rap movie Krush Groove. Although LL Cool J also appeared as himself in B.A.P.S. (1998), his 1990s movie career revealed that he had the acting chops to go with his musical talent. Following roles in the light-hearted cop movie The Hard Way (1991) and the ill-fated fantasy Toys (1992), LL Cool J spent four seasons as one of the stars of the primetime TV sitcom In the House (1995-1999). During his years on TV, LL Cool J also showed his dramatic versatility in the romantic comedy Woo (1998), crime dramas Caught Up (1998) and In Too Deep (1999), and horror sequel Halloween: H20 (1998). After starring as potential shark bait in the mutant mako actioner Deep Blue Sea (1999), he finished the decade by winning critical kudos as an immodest football player in Oliver Stone's sports drama Any Given Sunday (1999). Hit former career in music all but forgotten, LL Cool J would give action films a shot with Charlie's Angels (2000) and Rollerball (2002) before living up to his real life reputation as a ladies man in the comedy Deliver Us from Eva. Starring as the stud wrangled into taming Gabrielle Union's shrew Eva, LL Cool J notched his first romantic comedy lead and took another step away from his musical past by billing himself under his real name. Following the less than stellar Eva, LL Cool J added his voice to the animated Rugrats Go Wild (2003). Further bolstering his action movie credits (and returning to his street moniker), LL Cool J then joined the multicultural cast of Samuel L. Jackson's elite police squad in the summer popcorn movie S.W.A.T. (2003). Later, the rapper-turned-actor's role as Sam Hanna in a two-part 2009 episode of NCIS led to regular work on the spin-off series NCIS: Los Angeles, as well as a crossover appearance as the same character in the 2010 Hawaii Five-O revival.

Trivia: Known to many simply as Leon, Leon Robinson began his career in the early '80s, making several small appearances in various projects like the mini-series The Women of Brewster Place and the Tom Cruise movie All the Right Moves. He would continue to make memorable supporting appearances over the course of his career, with unique roles like soldier Killer Bee in the civil war drama Colors, and the statue of a saint that comes to life in the controversial music video for the Madonna song "Like a Prayer." Leon kept this up throughout the 2000s, as well, showing up everywhere from the acclaimed series Oz to the 50 Cent movie Get Rich or Die Tryin'.

Trivia: Instantly recognizable thanks to ever-changing brightly hued hair, multiple piercings, and flamboyant personal style, eccentric basketball superstar-cum-pro-wrestler-cum action film star Dennis Rodman has attempted to translate his remarkable on-court talents to numerous other venues, often with varying results.Born in Trenton, NJ, in 1961, Rodman's early prominence on the court with such teams as the Detroit Pistons led the justifiably cocky hoop master to fame with both the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. As Rodman's frantic moves and wild behavior both on and off the court began to draw attention outside of the world of the NBA, Rodman began to branch out with a career in the WCW (World Championship Wrestling) in 1997. Taking his first starring film role in Double Team the same year, Rodman's cinematic turn didn't exactly spawn the celluloid career some may have anticipated, and its follow up (Simon Sez [1999]) made a brief bow in theaters before its hasty retreat to the home video market. A role in Cutaway followed in 2000, with Rodman once again donning his action film persona alongside veterans Tom Berringer and Stephen Baldwin. On the small screen, Rodman joined the cast of Soldier of Fortune, Inc. in 1997. Married to actress Carmen Electra in 1998, the couple remained an outwardly happy item until filing for divorce shortly after the new millennium. As a writer, Rodman's autobiography, As Bad as I Wanna Be, proved a popular read when published in 1996.Although he became a B or C list celeb during the 21st century, he could be seen in a variety of projects and reality TV programs like The Mole, The Comebacks, and The Apprentice.