Trivia: Mickey Rourke originally aspired to careers as a pro baseball player and - later - a championship boxer, but did a 180 away from the ring and cut his chops as an actor instead. Rourke launched his career with small roles in 1941 (1979) and Heaven's Gate (1981) before gaining broader notice as a pyro expert in Body Heat (1981) and one of the raunchier leads in Barry Levinson's Diner (1982). He followed with admirable work in Rumble Fish (1983) and The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), and gave a bravura performance as fanatically determined police captain Stanley White in Year of the Dragon (1985). When the film was slammed by critics, Rourke defended director Michael Cimino and snubbed all interview requests. He immediately gained a reputation as a perfectionist, agreeing only to work with directors and on projects that met with his high standards. His 1987 performances in Angel Heart, A Prayer for the Dying, and Barfly attest to this, but starring roles in Adrian Lyne's infamous 9 1/2 Weeks (1986) and Zalman King's Wild Orchid (1990) gave him a "Eurotrash" taint, only enhanced by his hot temper and maverick nature. These qualities, however, while career poison in the U.S., did nothing to hurt Rourke's reputation in France, where filmgoers adored him.From the late '80s through the early '90s, the career of this disillusioned actor with the potential of Robert De Niro spiraled down, down, down, with his co-starring appearance in Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991) just one nadir. He wrote, produced, and starred in Homeboy (1988), a film about a near brain-dead prize fighter. It skipped theatrical release and went straight to home video. The masochistic connection between this film and Rourke's subsequent resumption of his boxing career (from 1991-1994) was undeniable, though he continued to appear sporadically in small films and supporting roles. In 1997, Rourke reprised his role as an s&m fetishist in Another 9 1/2 Weeks, a virtual remake of the original, only sans the redeeming presence of Kim Basinger. Although Rourke's career consisted primarily of direct-to-video titles for several years, he had enough friends and respect among his contemporaries that he hung on to his rebound potential, and his small role in Francis Ford Coppola's 1997 adaptation of John Grisham's The Rainmaker marked something of a comeback. The following year, Vincent Gallo, an unapologetic fan of Rourke's, cast him as the antagonist in Gallo's directorial debut, Buffalo '66; the long-dormant Terrence Malick also cast Rourke in his critically-worshipped Thin Red Line (1998), but Malick excised the actor's scenes from the final cut, probably to reduce the film's whopping length. Rourke showed flashes of his former brilliance in Steve Buscemi's Animal Factory (2000), joined the cast of the Sly Stallone-headlined Get Carter remake that same year, and gave an impressive supporting performance in Sean Penn's police procedural-cum-harrowing study of obsession, The Pledge (2001). Rourke also signed on with director Robert Rodriguez for the third of that helmer's Mariachi films, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, in 2003. As a harbinger of things to come, a powerful creative bond formed between the weathered, iconic Rourke and the tireless director on the Mexico set. In 2005 the duo again teamed for Rodriguez's and Frank Miller's eagerly anticipated big screen adaptation of Miller's Sin City comics. Cast as lovelorn brute Marv, Rourke delivered an impressive performance as an imposing beast of a fellow bent on avenging the death of an angelic prostitute in this stylish noir comic book come to life, which gave him cult status among a new generation of fans. In 2004, Rourke delivered a memorable supporting performance in Tony Scott's Man on Fire alongside Denzel Washington; it marked the first film in a two-picture creative partnership between Scott and Rourke, the second half of which came to fruition with 2005's Domino.2006 saw Rourke appearing in Stormbreaker (co-starring Bill Nighy and Ewan McGregor) with Rourke as the nasty villain opposite Alex Pettyfer's "teen spy" Alex Ryder. Killshot, with Rourke as the hitman who attempts to rub out married Federal Witnesses Diane Lane and Thomas Jane, ended up being sitting on the studio's shelf for nearly three years. The film marked Rourke's first collaboration with Lane since Francis Coppola's critically-championed 1983 cult film Rumble Fish. With the release of 2008's The Wrestler, Rourke pulled off one of the most remarkable career comeback stories of the era. His role as the aging professional grappler Randy "The Ram" earned him the strongest reviews he'd received in over two decades, and secured him his first acting nomination from the Academy as well as a nod from Screen Actors Guild, and he took home the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama. Rourke would enjoy sustained success in the years to follow, appearing in films like Iron Man 2, The Expendables, and Immortals.Rourke was married to Debra Feuer from 1981-89 and Wild Orchid co-star Carre Otis from 1992-1998. Both marriages ended in divorce.

Trivia: A versatile character actor whose intense demeanor and slightly off-kilter delivery served him well in both comedies and dramas, Christopher Walken was at once one of the busiest and most respected actors of his generation, appearing in as many as five films in a year while still finding time for stage and occasional television work.Walken was born Ronald Walken in Queens, NY, on March 31, 1943, the youngest of three sons of Paul and Rosalie Walken; Paul ran a bakery, while Rosalie was convinced her sons had talent and was determined they take advantage of it. Ronald landed his first job in front of a camera at the age of 14 months when he posed for a calendar photo with a pair of kittens. Like his siblings, he received dance lessons as a youngster, and, by the age of ten, was making frequent appearances on television and radio shows, and was a regular on a short-lived sitcom, The Wonderful John Acton. Ronald and his brothers also enrolled at New York's Professional Children's School, and he spent a summer as a junior lion tamer with a circus, later recalling that the lion was quite old and docile.In 1961, Walken enrolled at Hofstra University. But, little more than a year later, he landed a role in the Broadway-bound musical Best Foot Forward (which starred one of his former classmates, Liza Minelli), and decided to leave college. Spending the next several years working in a variety of musicals -- both in New York and on the road -- the young actor appeared in a 1964 touring production of West Side Story, and there met actress and dancer Georgianne Thon. The two began dating, and eventually married in 1969. While appearing in a revue starring model-turned-singer Monique Van Vooren in 1965, Walken was told by the headliner he looked more like a Christopher than a Ronald; he decided to take her advice, and adopted Christopher Walken as his stage name. In 1966, he made his first appearance in a non-singing role as Phillip, the King of France, in a Broadway production of The Lion in Winter. By the end of the decade, Walken was devoting his energies to stage dramas, although he continued to keep up with his dance training.Walken made his movie debut with 1968's Me and My Brother -- a film directed by acclaimed photographer and experimental filmmaker Robert Frank -- and, in 1972, scored his first starring role in the low-budget sci-fi thriller The Mind Snatchers. Walken first caught the attention of critics with his performance as a bohemian ladies' man in Paul Mazursky's Next Stop, Greenwich Village, and landed a small but memorable role in Woody Allen's Annie Hall as suicidal preppie Duane. But Walken's real breakthrough came in 1978, with his role as Nick in The Deer Hunter. Playing a small-town boy who is irreversibly scarred by his experiences in Vietnam, the role won Walken an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and made him a bankable and recognizable name. He soon committed to director Michael Cimino's follow-up, which proved to be the infamous box-office and critically-panned flop Heaven's Gate, and later showed off both his acting and dancing skills as a villainous pimp in the musical drama Pennies From Heaven. While Walken remained a critical favorite, he fell short of becoming a major box-office draw due to the disappointing returns of many of his post-Deer Hunter films. But, by his own admission, Walken was always an actor who liked to work, and he maintained a busy schedule of both stage and screen roles. His willingness to take on edgy film characters with questionable commercial appeal (such as At Close Range, King of New York, and Communion) helped earn the actor a loyal cult following, and small but showy roles in True Romance and Pulp Fiction gave Walken's screen career a serious boost in the early '90s. By the time Walken turned 60, he had written, directed, and starred in an off-Broadway comedy called Him; received another Oscar nomination for his performance in Catch Me if You Can; appeared in films as varied as Sleepy Hollow, The Affair of the Necklace, and The Country Bears; and got to prove he was still a great dancer with his much-talked-about appearance in the music video "Weapon of Choice" by Fatboy Slim.Walken became one of the most popular recurring guest-hosts on Saturday Night Live creating recurring characters such as The Continental, and appeared in a host of classic skits including getting to deliver the catch phrase, "I need more cowbell!"As the 2000s progressed, Walken continued to take work in a variety of films from The Rundown, and Man on Fire, to Gigli, The Wedding Crashers, and the Adam Sandler comedy Click, all the while maintaining his status as one of the quirkiest and most gifted supporting actors of his time. In 2006 he took on a supporting role opposite Robin Williams in the Barry Levinson directed satire Man of the Year as a political consultant. He was in the musical remake of Hairspray, playing the husband of the character played by John Travolta in drag, and the comedy Balls of Fury in 2007. In 2010 he earned rave reviews for his work in the Martin McDonagh's play A Behanding in Spokane on Broadway, and the next year he worked with Todd Solondz, playing the father in Dark Horse.

Trivia: American actor Kevin Conway's first credited screen role was as Weary in the 1971 Kurt Vonnegut derivation Slaughterhouse Five. Subsequent film assignments included supporting roles in two 1978 Sylvester Stallone vehicles, Paradise Alley and F.I.S.T (1978), and the part of "The Kid" in the Burt Reynolds cop caper Shamus (1973). Conway had the second lead in 1980's Lathe of Heaven, the first TV movie produced for the PBS network; and, also for public television, he appeared as Roger Chillingworth in a 1979 adaptation of The Scarlet Letter. The actor was seen on a regular basis in the 1970 TV soap opera A World Apart. The actor's most celebrated stage role was as Dr. Frederick Treves in the original Broadway production of The Elephant Man, a role he re-created for television in 1982.

Trivia: Typically cast as a criminal or a cop, beefy, bald, American character actor Jon Polito has appeared on stage, television, and in feature films, notably the Coen brothers' Miller's Crossing (1990) and Barton Fink (1991). Polito can be recognized for his pencil-thin moustache. He launched his career on Broadway in 1977. In 1981, Polito debuted in the feature film The Killing Hour and then portrayed mobster Tommy Lucchese on the television series The Gangster Chronicles.

Trivia: Actor Matthew Lewis (not to be confused with the middle-aged character player of the same name) achieved fame as an adolescent star, with a recurring portrayal of Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films -- beginning with the first installment, 2001's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Trivia: Ruben Blades is a man of diverse talents. A driving force in popularizing salsa music internationally and a politician for the people of his native Panama, he is also a noted actor of stage and screen. Blades is the son of a percussionist-turned-detective and a singer/radio performer. Following studies in political science and law at Panama's Universidad Nacional, Blades worked at the Bank of Panama as a lawyer. Later he obtained a master's in law from Harvard. Many years after that, he returned to the Ivy League school to earn a doctorate in international law. Blades had been involved in music since the late '50s, but established himself as a musical powerhouse during the '70s and early '80s. He began his career in films, first as a composer of soundtracks and a songwriter in the early '80s. He made his debut as an actor in The Last Flight (1982), but it was not until he appeared in the semi-autobiographical docudrama Crossover Dreams (1985), which he co-wrote and starred in, that Blades became well known. Subsequent film appearances have included The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), The Two Jakes (1990), Mo' Better Blues (1990), and Devil's Own (1997). In 1994, Blades ran for the Panamanian presidency and though he lost, garnered over 20 percent of the vote.

Trivia: Performed on All My Children for three years, and was nominated for Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Younger Actor every year. Worked with Richard Lawson on All My Children; two decades later, worked with Richard's daughter Bianca on Queen Sugar. Some episodes of Queen Sugar were directed by his wife, Salli Richardson. Participated in the Jeffrey Osborne Celebrity Softball Classic for several years. Calls himself a "transformational coach" that works with young men and women.

Trivia: The youngest member of the Baldwin clan, Stephen Baldwin is one of the few Hollywood actors versatile enough to boast roles in everything from The Usual Suspects (1995) to Bio-Dome (1996). Equally adept at comedy and drama, Baldwin's popularity surged in the '90s and carried the increasingly busy actor into a series of low-budget action thrillers. A Massapequa, NY, native, Baldwin gained notice in his teens as a successful opera singer and took home top prizes in numerous local competitions. Opting for a career as an actor a few short years later, the aspiring thespian refined his talents at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts before making his way to the screen in the mid-'80s. Baldwin made his film debut in the 1987 made-for-TV feature The Prodigious Mr. Hickey, with small screen appearances in Family Ties and China Beach soon to follow. In 1989, he took a featured role in the short-lived television Western The Young Riders. His feature career gained momentum with the adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr.'s Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989), and it wasn't long before he was turning up in such highbrow Hollywood fare as Born on the Fourth of July. After putting his Young Riders experience to good use in Mario Van Peebles' Posse (1993), Baldwin turned up in the Hollywood sex comedy Threesome (1994). It was around this time that roles in 8 Seconds and A Simple Twist of Fate (also 1994) began to catch the attention of the movie-going public. The following year's The Usual Suspects, however, found the rising star gaining both top billing and the best reviews of his career. Taking top billing as a criminal taken in by police for questioning following a truck hijacking, Baldwin's kinetic and humorous performance propelled him through such comedies as Bio-Dome (1996) and Fled (both 1996). Taking a stab at dramatic action with One Tough Cop (1998), the film did little to forward public perception of Baldwin as a serious actor, although he would make a successful transition into thrillers with Scarred City (1999) and Mercy (2000). His roles in big-budget Hollywood fare began decreasing after that, but the youngest Baldwin sibling was still as busy as ever with an average of four films per year. In 2002, he took to the screen for the comedy sequel Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice. Outside of his film work, Baldwin is well known for charitable contributions to such organizations as the Los Angeles AIDS Project. Married to Kennya Deodato in 1990, the couple reside in Tucson, AZ, with their children when Baldwin is not on location.Although Baldwin continued to work regularly, he gained notoriety with the release of an autobiography in 2006 in which he explained his conversion to born-again Christianity, and began to campaign for different conservative politicians, often putting him at odds publically with his liberal-minded brother Alec. Baldwin became enough of a name that he appeared on a pair of reality programs - I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and The Celebrity Apprentice.