Trivia: After 12 years as a struggling actor, Mark Ruffalo became the next big thing with his exceptional performance in the Oscar-nominated independent film You Can Count on Me (2000). Born in Wisconsin on November 22nd, 1967, Ruffalo wanted to be an actor as a child, but he ignored his early aspirations until the end of high school. Not sure what else to do, Ruffalo headed to Los Angeles at 18 "out of desperation" to study the craft at the prestigious Stella Adler Conservatory. After taking classes for several years and evading career decisions, Ruffalo began to venture into L.A. theater and independent film. Along with acting in over 30 plays, as well as writing and directing one of his own theater works, Ruffalo spent the 1990s amassing roles in indie movies, beginning with A Gift From Heaven (1994). Working mostly in comedies, Ruffalo appeared in The Last Big Thing (1996) and alongside comic character actor stalwarts Steve Zahn and Paul Giamatti in Safe Men (1998); he also starred as an artist with love problems in the romantic comedy Life/Drawing (1999). Trying his hand at screenwriting, Ruffalo penned Slamdance success The Destiny of Marty Fine (1996). Two potentially higher-profile films, the disco period film 54 (1998) and Ang Lee's Civil War epic Ride With the Devil (1999), failed to make a positive impression on critics and audiences.Ruffalo's luck began to change, however, when he was cast in an off-Broadway production of This Is Our Youth. Not only did he win an acting award, but Ruffalo also got to know the playwright, Kenneth Lonergan. Despite his non-resemblance to future onscreen sister Laura Linney, Ruffalo talked Lonergan into auditioning him for the role of Linney's brother in Lonergan's first film, You Can Count on Me. Well-matched in familial chemistry, Ruffalo's self-destructive, irresponsible, sensitive Terry meshed perfectly with Linney's uptight Sammy and her sheltered son, Rudy (Rory Culkin), creating a deeply felt portrait of troubled yet strong family bonds. Earning raves for its nuanced performances as well as sharp writing, You Can Count on Me garnered Ruffalo the Montreal Film Festival's Best Actor prize and talk of an Oscar nod. Though he didn't get the nomination, Ruffalo swiftly moved up the Hollywood ranks, starring as an imprisoned military pilot caught between Robert Redford and James Gandolfini in The Last Castle (2001), and as a soldier in John Woo's WWII saga Windtalkers (2001).Ruffalo's ascent to stardom was temporarily sidetracked, however, when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor while filming The Last Castle in 2000. Forced to drop out of the Joaquin Phoenix role in M. Night Shyamalan's summer hit Signs (2002), Ruffalo had surgery and spent months rehabilitating from the procedure. Having made a full recovery, Ruffalo returned to work.After Ruffalo appeared as Gwyneth Paltrow's boyfriend in the woeful flop View From the Top (2003), his lead performance as the male axis of a complicated love triangle in the indie film XX/XY (2003) garnered far more enthusiastic critical kudos than the movie itself. Ruffalo also stayed firmly within the independent cinema realm, co-starring as terminally ill Sarah Polley's lover in the drama My Life Without Me (2003). Ruffalo subsequently scored roles in two higher-profile, if still offbeat, Hollywood projects. In Jane Campion's long-gestating adaptation of erotic thriller In the Cut (2003), Ruffalo co-starred as a homicide detective who becomes involved with Meg Ryan's lonely New York professor.2004 started off with a bang for Ruffalo when We Don't Live Here Anymore, a film he both starred in and produced, received the top dramatic prize at the Sundance Film Festival. The film saw the actor teamed with Laura Dern, Peter Krause, and Naomi Watts and traced the crumbling of four characters' friendships and marriages when two of them engage in an affair. Ruffalo's next two roles would be increasingly lighter by comparison. In the Charlie Kaufman-scripted brain twister The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, he played a goofy scientist who attempts to erase Jim Carrey's memories of Kate Winslet. He then starred opposite Jennifer Garner in the romantic comedy 13 Going on 30.Three for three with the critics in 2004, Ruffalo's next project of the year was not only met with positive reviews but was a box-office winner as well. In Michael Mann's Collateral, Ruffalo played the lawman trying to track down a menacing hitman played by Tom Cruise as the hired gun terrorizes cabdriver Jamie Foxx.Ruffalo attempted to capture a mass audience with a pair of big-budget romantic comedies in 2005. Sadly, both Just Like Heaven and Rumor Has It... failed to garner large box office, even though Ruffalo was fine in both efforts. The next year, he appeared in Kenneth Lonergan's second directorial feature, Margaret, and he was part of the powerhouse cast for Steven Zaillian's remake All the King's Men, which included Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Anthony Hopkins. While All the King's Men, too, failed to gain a solid following -- an especially shocking surprise given the powerhouse cast on display in the film -- the verdict on Margaret had yet to be decided when, in early 2007, Ruffalo appeared onscreen opposite Robert Downey Jr. and Jake Gyllenhaal in director David Fincher's Zodiac. Ruffalo was praised for his performance as a South Boston native struggling to end the cycle of poverty and crime in 2008's crime drama What Doesn't Kill You, and delivered a solid supporting performance in the complex romantic comedy The Brothers Bloom.Ruffalo's star would grow exponentially throughout the late 2000s and beyond after he delivered solid performances in a series of critically acclaimed features including a turn as partner to Detective Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) in Martin Scorsese's haunting adaptation of author Dennis Lehane's thriller Shutter Island. The actor then took over the role of the Hulk in The Avengers, a 2012 summer blockbuster from director Joss Whedon.He was part of the ensemble in the box office hit Now You See Me in 2013, and enjoyed stellar reviews in the made-for-HBO drama The Normal Heart in 2014. That same year Ruffalo scored a Best Supporting Actor nomination from the Academy for his role in Foxcatcher, playing the champion wrestler David Schultz. In 2015, he reprised his role in the Avengers sequel, and earned a third Oscar nomination for his work in Spotlight.

Trivia: New Jersey native Tom Pelphrey studied conservatory theater at Rutgers University after catching the drama bug in high-school productions, and drew the attention of a CBS executive via participation in a Rutgers collegiate drama revue. The network introduced the actor to Rob Decina, casting director of Guiding Light, who in turn tapped Pelphrey for the part of Jonathan Randall on that long-running soap opera. For his contributions to the program, Pelphrey netted one Daytime Emmy nomination and one win (in 2006) for Outstanding Younger Actor.

Trivia: Is half Welsh.Began her acting career at age 8, playing Jasmine in the 2010 romantic drama One Day.Made her theatrical debut in 2011, playing young Princess Fiona in the original cast of Shrek the Musical at The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London.First television acting credit was the recurring role of Young Sarah Frobisher-Smythe on the fantasy drama series House of Anubis in 2011.

Trivia: Became interested in acting after seeing the animated Disney film Robin Hood at the age of 5. Was a talented ice-hockey player who was forced to stop playing after he suffered a near-fatal head injury at school. Traveled through Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand following his college graduation. Is a black belt in taekwondo. Worked as a tennis instructor and for his father's microscope company while attempting to gain work as an actor. Performed in commercials and small plays and worked as an extra for 10 years in New York before moving to Los Angeles in search of more acting opportunities. In 2002, won an award for Best Actor at the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films for his role in Fine.

Trivia: Wanted to be a musician.Decided to pursue a career in film after failing to complete his Leaving Certificate exams.Worked at a video rental store while attending drama school, which he only attended for eight months.In 2010, got the role of Killen in The Other Side of Sleep (2011) after attending an open casting in his hometown.Didn't had much formal acting training before getting the role of Killen in The Other Side of Sleep (2011).Became a vegetarian while filming The Cured (2017).Moved from Dublin to Iceland in 2016.

Trivia: Was raised by her grandmother because her mother died when she was 4.At first, her grandmother wasn't happy with her decision to pursue acting, but eventually came around.Graduated Cum Laude and with honors from University of the Witwatersrand.Studied at Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City.In 2018, was featured in Forbes Africa 30 under 30 list.

Trivia: Both of her parents are actors.Worked in the office of a comedy club.Was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art on her third attempt.Met husband actor Kyle Soller at RADA.In 2011, was nominated for Outstanding Newcomer at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.Was featured in the Screen International Stars of Tomorrow list in 2011.

Trivia: A lead and former juvenile actress, with a strong, intelligent, almost abrasive screen presence, she is the daughter of actors Keith Carradine and Shelley Plimpton, who never married and, in fact, broke up before she was born. At age eight she began working in a film-acting workshop; she made a series of Calvin Klein commercials at age 11. She debuted onscreen at the age of 13 in River Rat (1984), playing adolecents and teenagers in a string of films. By the early '90s she had broken out of the juvenile mode and started to establish herself as a mature actress. She had a close relationship with the late actor River Phoenix, with whom she appeared in The Mosquito Coast (1986) and Running on Empty (1988).