Trivia: Despite her efforts to be taken seriously as an actress, Brooke Shields has been unable to escape her youth, during which time she found herself in the precarious position of simultaneously being idolized as a late-'70s icon of adolescent wholesome virginal innocence and being constantly photographed in manners verging on the mildly pornographic. Shields' early career was managed and pushed by her mother, Teri Shields, a small-time actress who placed her daughter in front of the camera before she was even one. As the Ivory Snow baby, Shields was once hailed as the "most beautiful baby in America." After spending many years hawking products, she was in such demand that her mother started marketing her under the logo "Brooke Shields & Co." Shields made her feature film debut in Alice Sweet Alice (1976), but did not become a bona fide star until French director Louis Malle cast her as a 12-year-old New Orleans prostitute who becomes the romantic obsession of a much older painter in Pretty Baby (1978). The film was released amidst great controversy because of the scenes in which Shields (or a body double representing her) appeared nude. But while she did participate in some adult scenes, those moments were handled with taste and discretion by Malle and his cinematographer, Sven Nyquist, and the general consensus was that Shields was not exploited in the film. Thus far, her acting in Pretty Baby remains Shields' best. Through her teens, Shields was among the world's top fashion models and her countenance was everywhere. Controversy again stirred when she did some provocative ads for Calvin Kline in which she was seen wearing a too tight pair of jeans and cooed, "Nothing comes between me and my Calvins." This was in contrast to her other ads in which she advised young girls to abstain from sex and a different campaign against smoking. At the peak of her fame, Shields appeared three times on the cover of Life magazine and once on the cover of Time. Her film career picked up around this time with appearances in such venues as King of the Gypsies (1978) and Wanda Nevada (1979), but her best-known film is the so-bad-it's-good The Blue Lagoon (1980) in which she and teenage hunk Christopher Atkins find themselves shipwrecked for years on a desert island. Ostensibly, the film is a tender tale about innocence and true love, but it's primarily a titillating romp filled with plenty of flesh shots of Shields and Atkins' taut, tanned, and partially clad bodies. In 1981, Shields tried her hand with a more serious role in Franco Zeffirelli's tepid teen romance Endless Love, but did not succeed. Shields decided it was time for college and so enrolled in Princeton, where but for the occasional appearance on a Bob Hope television special, made-for-TV movie, or other special event, she immersed herself in college life. While there, she majored in French Literature and also became interested in the theater, gaining experience in two regional productions of Love Letters. Shields graduated from Princeton with honors. Upon her graduation, Shields returned to acting full time and appeared in films that can most kindly be described as mediocre. In 1996, Shields was given her own situation comedy on NBC network's Suddenly Susan, where she played a single career girl struggling to reassemble her life following her breakup with her wealthy fiancé. Though never among the most natural and relaxed of actresses, Shields gradually grew into her role and proved to be a competent, charismatic comedy actress, turning in guest appearances on popular television shows such as That 70s Show, Nip/Tuck, Two and a Half Men, and Hannah Montana after Suddenly Susan went off the air in 2000. Meanwhile, on Broadway, Shields could bee seen in revivals of Grease, Cabaret, and Chicago before taking over the role of Morticia Addams in the Broadway musical version of The Addams Family. In 1997 Shields married tennis great Andre Agassi, but the union only lasted two years and in 2001 she was wed to television producer Chris Henchy.

Trivia: After only a handful of TV guest spots, New York-born actor Nestor Carbonell landed a starring role on the Brooke Shields sitcom Suddenly Susan. After the show's four-year run, Carbonell appeared on the cult superhero comedy The Tick as Batmanuel before being cast as the lead on the short-lived CBS drama Century City in 2004. In 2007, Carbonell took a recurring role on ABC's hit mindbender Lost as the mysterious and seemingly ageless Richard Alpert. Following that stint, he was cast along with Jimmy Smits as one of the leads on CBS's family drama Cane. Over the coming years, Carbonell would continue to find success on the small screen, starring on shows like Lost and Ringer, and appearing in movies like The Dark Knight Rises.

Trivia: Even by the unexacting standard of Hollywood's 1980s "brat pack," actor Judd Nelson seemed wildly undisciplined and self-indulgent on screen. One tends to conclude that Nelson (a former philosophy student and the son of a Maine politician) has played his screen characters as written: he was, after all, very well trained by famed drama coach Stella Adler, and came up from the exacting ranks of summer stock. Among his earliest screen assignments -- all in his watershed year of 1985 -- including the dope-smoking detentionee in The Breakfast Club, Kevin Costner's parachute-jumping fraternity pal in Fandango, and Ally Sheedy's philandering live-in boyfriend in St. Elmo's Fire. Always seeming to be on the verge of punching someone out, Nelson was well cast as a mercurial killer in 1989's Relentless. Like many brat-packers, Judd Nelson spent the 1990s transitioning into his career as an adult, but he hit his stride by 1996, when he joined the cast of the hit sitcom Suddenly Susan. In the years to come, Nelson would remain a consistent force on screen, appearing in movies like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Grizzley Flats.

Trivia: The acerbic, razor-tongued, take-no-prisoners comedian Kathy Griffin has built a career for herself -- as an actress and a standup performer -- around the schtick of being permanently under-respected by everyone (as the title of her TV series, My Life on the D List, suggests), and fighting back with her claws extended. Griffin is notorious for mercilessly skewering and taking potshots at worthy targets (particularly fellow celebrities and comedians) through her comedy, and has built a considerable career out of doing so.Born in Oak Park, IL, and raised in the Chicago area, to an electronics store manager father and a hospital administrator mother, Griffin reportedly wanted to become an actress from the age of five and frequently improvised elaborate stage and comedy acts for her family. Griffin attended Oak Park High School, and -- after graduation -- studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute in Southern California. In 1988, the then-28-year-old joined the now-infamous sketch comedy troupe the Groundlings, alongside such stars-to-be as Lisa Kudrow, Will Ferrell, and Julia Sweeney, where she evinced an extraordinary gift for improvisatory work. After the Groundlings, Griffin developed and honed a solo standup act, which -- as she later recalled -- opened numerous doors for her as an actress, including a turn as Lucy in the Bobcat Goldthwait vehicle Shakes the Clown (1992), a brief cameo in Pulp Fiction, and a small multi-episode role on Seinfeld. Griffin was particularly memorable in the latter, as Sally Weaver, the standup comedian whose act consists of trashing Jerry Seinfeld by revealing embarrassing details from his personal life. A cameo as herself in the SNL big-screen vehicle It's Pat (1994) reunited Griffin with fellow Groundling Sweeney. Beginning in 1996, Griffin parlayed her comic flair and small-screen experience into a standing role in the hit NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan, starring Brooke Shields; that program cast Griffin as Vicki Groener, magazine columnist Shields' not-so-subtly envious, über-saucy colleague. The program scored with viewers and ran for three seasons. Meanwhile, Griffin continued her big-screen roles, with turns in the 1995 omnibus picture Four Rooms (as Betty), the 1996 Ben Stiller-directed The Cable Guy (as Jim Carrey's mother), and Muppets from Space (1999), as an armed guard. Additional guest contributions on a myriad of sitcoms during the '90s and 2000s gave an added charge to the respective series casts.Griffin also starred in the aforementioned cable series Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List, which began airing on the Bravo network in 2004. The comically charged reality show cast Griffin as herself, battling through the experiences of everyday life -- such as training a new puppy and teaching a class as The Learning Annex. Griffin would continue to find huge success as a stand-up, as well as a show host on her own aptly titled talkshow, Kathy, which was canceled after two seasons.

Trivia: Actor Brian McNamara got his start in show business in the 80's, with a string of TV appearances on shows like St. Elsewhere and Hill Street Blues. He would go on to rack up roles in feature films, like Short Circuit and Arachnophobia, eventually being cast as General Holden on the hit wartime drama Army Wives, which he would stick with for several seasons.

Trivia: His no-nonsense glare and distinctive comb-over as instantly recognizable as his landmark, the Fifth Avenue skyscraper, Donald Trump, born on June 14th, 1946, established himself as one of Manhattan's most successful real-estate developers before moving on to become the catchphrase-spouting host of reality television's most competitive series -- The Apprentice, and eventually, politics.As a young, aspiring businessman the Queens, NYC native wheeled and dealed alongside his father, Fred, in the pair's Sheepshead Bay office for five years, later striking out on his own to construct not only the world-renowned Trump Tower, but such luxury residential building as Trump Palace, Trump Plaza, Trump Parc, Trump World Tower, and Trump Park Avenue as well. Of course, Trump was never one to shy away from a challenge, so in addition to the residential construction he also found success in the gaming arena by establishing The Trump Organization as one of the world's largest operators of hotels and casinos. After opening three world-class casinos and hotels in Atlantic City, NJ (including Trump Plaza, Trump Marina, and Trump Taj Mahal), Trump boldly began expanding westward with the construction of The Trump Casino in Buffington, IN, and Trump 29 Casino in Palm Springs, CA. Trump also catered to the wealthy elite with construction of various high-profile golf clubs and luxury private clubs throughout the United States.Trump's outspoken nature repeatedly found the tireless business tycoon making headlines throughout the 1990s, and moving into the new millennium it began to appear that Trump's high-profile career in real estate was taking a back seat to his increasingly prolific public persona. Trump also became the subject of much gossip as a result of his turbulent marriages to former wives Ivana Trump and Marla Maples. He expounded on his personal philosophy of profit in such best-selling books including The Art of the Deal, Surviving at the Top, and The America We Deserve. However popular his writings were, it was his stint as the host of the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants that began to move Trump to the forefront of popular culture. In 2004, any question of Trump's status as a media icon was instantly put to rest with the premiere of the hit reality television series The Apprentice. An instant hit with audiences, The Apprentice showcased the heated competition between a variety of contestants as they vied for the coveted position of personal assistant to The Donald himself. Each episode, one unfortunate contestant would be coldly dispatched by Trump with the decidedly curt and unmistakable catchphrase "You're Fired," which instantly became as essential a component of the public lexicon as The Fonzie's "Heeeeeeeeey!," Arnold's "Whatch talkin' 'bout Willis?" or Ralph Kramden's "One of these days, Alice" had in decades previous. Trump's position in popular culture only grew in the years following, as The Apprentice continued to fare well, despite a notorious feud with Martha Stewart following poor ratings on her season hosting the series in 2005. Trump openly discussed the possibility of running for public office many times over the course of the 2000's, suggesting himself as a candidate for everything from Governor of New York to President of the United States, and considering affiliations ranging from the Reform Party to the GOP. Always looking for the most attention grabbing position, Trump registered with the Democratic Party in 2001, but later sided with the Republicans in 2009. In 2011, he announced he was beginning a primary campaign to run for president on the Republican ticket in 2012, and subsequently began seeking publicity through stunts like affiliating himself with the conspiracy-theorist "birther" movement, and dropping the f-bomb in public statements about gas prices. He eventually ran for president in 2016, and garnered enough electoral college votes to become the presumptive candidate for the Republican party. After defeating Hillary Clinton in the 2016 general election, Trump became the 45th President of the United States on January 20, 2017.

Trivia: As an amateur in 1977, won mixed doubles at Wimbledon with Mary Carillo, and made the semifinals in singles. Won NCAA singles and team titles with Stanford in 1978, the year he also turned pro. Won first Grand Slam event in 1979 (U.S. Open). Won 10 singles events and 17 doubles events. Best year came in 1984, when he went 82-3 in matches, and won 13 singles titles. In his career, he won titles at four U.S. Opens and three Wimbledons, but lost to Bjorn Borg in 1980 in a final many call the best in Wimbledon history. Won 57 doubles titles with partner Peter Fleming. With his tennis career winding down, he opened an art gallery in Manhattan and started a rock group, the Johnny Smyth Band, in the 1990s. Starred in a TV game show (The Chair) and his own talk show (McEnroe). His 2002 autobiography, You Cannot Be Serious, was a best-seller. Continues to play tennis on senior tours.

Trivia: With muscle-bound arms bulging from his sleeveless tank tops, a mohawk, and enough gold jewelry to enrich a small nation, gruff, tough Mr. T was certainly one of the most recognizable television stars of the early '80s. Though more of a personality than a bona fide actor, he has appeared in several features, but is best known for playing no-nonsense ex-soldier B.A. Baracus on the hit action-drama The A-Team (1983-1987). Prior to that, Mr. T had played character roles in four feature films. Born Lawrence Tureaud in a tough southside Chicago project, he was the second youngest of 12 siblings. His father abandoned the family when Tureaud was five, leaving his mother to raise her huge family alone in a three-bedroom apartment on less than 100 dollars a month from welfare. Tureaud was devoted to his mother, and though he got into a little trouble during early adolescence, straightened himself out so as not to shame her by getting thrown in jail. Following graduation from Dunbar Vocational High School, Tureaud attended college. His football skills landed him a scholarship to Prairie View A & M University in Texas, but he was expelled after one year. Tureaud qualified for other sports scholarships and so continued his education until joining the Army and serving as a military policeman. Following his discharge, he was recruited by the Green Bay Packers, but suffered a serious knee injury and so became a bodyguard for stars such as Muhammad Ali, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross. He also worked as a bouncer. In 1970, he changed his name to Lawrence Tero and shortly thereafter shortened it to Mr. T. In the mid-'70s, he worked as a gym teacher in Chicago. It was Sylvester Stallone who offered him his first acting job after Stallone saw the beefy black bouncer on the TV show Games People Play. Stallone was so impressed by Mr. T's agile strength that he cast him in Rocky III (1982). Mr. T was at his peak popularity, particularly with young boys, while on The A-Team. At one point a toy company even created a Mr. T action figure. He also had a breakfast cereal named after him. Following his series' demise, Mr. T's acting career has been sporadic. Over the course of the next few decades, small roles in film (Not Another Teen Movie) and television (Martin, Malcolm and Eddie) helped the amiable tough guy remain a recognizable pop culture icon, but in 2011 Mr. T began hosting World's Craziest Fools, an irreverent, clip-based show featuring criminal blunders and side-splitting mishaps captured on amateur video footage and CCTV.