Trivia: Kaley Cuoco began modeling and acting at the tender age of six, when she was cast in the TV movie Quicksand: No Escape. Growing up in front of the camera, the young actress continued to appear as the requisite little girl in movies like Virtuosity and Picture Perfect until she was cast as teenage daughter Bridget on the sitcom 8 Simple Rules. TV would prove to be the actor's bread and butter, and she would go on to star on Charmed, 6Teen, and Monster Allergy, not to mention The Big Bang Theory, a show that earned her legions of fans as Penny, the hot neighbor of two geeky physicists (Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons). Cuoco also continued to appear in films, though on a much smaller scale compared to her TV work. She appeared in a supporting role in the Easter film Hop in 2011, and played the female lead opposite Kevin Hart and Josh Gad in The Wedding Ringer in 2015.

Trivia: Born on a Belgian army base, curly brown-haired Johnny Galecki grew up in Chicago and started acting professionally at the age of 12. He made his feature film debut in 1988 as River Phoenix's little brother in A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon. He then assumed the role of Rusty Griswold in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and gained his first regular role on a TV series as Robert Ulrich's son in American Dreamer. In 1991, he starred in the made-for-TV movie Backfield in Motion, co-starring the production team of Roseanne and Tom Arnold. The next year, Galecki joined the cast of Roseanne as Darlene's sensitive and put-upon boyfriend David Healy. He stayed on the show until its final season in 1997, although he wasn't on very much during its last few years. His other television credits include several guest appearances, leading roles in made-for-TV movies, and a part on the short-lived Head of the Class spin-off Billy. After Roseanne ended, he got back into features with small parts in I Know What You Did Last Summer, Bean, and Suicide Kings. He continued playing slightly effeminate sensitive males in The Opposite of Sex and Morgan's Ferry. After bit parts in Bounce, Playing Mona Lisa, and Vanilla Sky, Galecki played a leading role in the comedy thriller Bookies, which premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. In 2007 he landed the leading role in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory and it grew to be one of the most popular shows on TV, earning Galecki Emmy, Golden Globe, and Sag nominations in 2011 for his work on the show. He maintained his movie career in projects such as Hancock and In Time.

Trivia: First noticed by many viewers as Tim -- the Klingon-spouting "knight in training" involved with the mother of Mark (Peter Sarsgaard) in Zach Braff's gently observed comedy drama Garden State (2004) -- American actor Jim Parsons moved from this memorable debut into a sequence of periodic roles in U.S. features. These included Chris Terrio's urban ensemble drama Heights (2004), opposite Glenn Close and Elizabeth Banks, and Brad Silberling's comedy drama 10 Items or Less (2006), opposite Morgan Freeman and Paz Vega. His breakout success came when he was cast as uber-nerd Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory. His work on that show led to him scoring an Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and helped him earn small parts on the big screen in The Big Year and The Muppets.

Trivia: Though initially typecast in comedic roles -- including a small turn in Old School (2003), a contribution to Tracey Ullman in The Trailer Tales (2003), and work on MADtv -- American character actor Simon Helberg quickly branched out into diverse genres. He appeared as a CBS page in George Clooney's revered Edward R. Murrow biopic Good Night, and Good Luck., as a junior agent in Christopher Guest's For Your Consideration (2006), and in a recurring role on the Aaron Sorkin comedy drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. In 2007, Helberg was cast in the regular role of Howard Wolowitz on the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, about a couple of nerdy physicists (Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons) who struggle with women, and everything else outside the lab. In 2007, Helberg also made appearances in the comedies Mama's Boy and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. He played a young rabbi in the Coen brothers film A Serious Man (2009), and continued to make guest appearances on TV shows such as Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil and Drunk History, while maintaining his regular status on The Big Bang Theory.

Trivia: Actor Kunal Nayyar first made a splash in Hollywood playing physicist Koothrappali on the series The Big Bang Theory, which debuted on CBS in 2007. In 2012 Nayyar voiced the character of Gupta in Ice Age: Continental Drift, and the following year he could be seen opposite Gina Gershon and Billy Campbell in the thriller, The Scribbler. In addition to his feature work Nayyar also co-wrote the critically acclaimed play Cotton Candy, which runs in New Delhi.

Trivia: Began her career as a comedian and had a one-woman show, The Miss Education of Jenna Bush, in which she played the daughter of former president George W. Bush. Co-wrote, directed and starred in the comedic short The Condom Killer. Toured with the political-satire group Gross National Product. Performs with The Realest Real Housewives show, in which comedians read transcripts from the Real Housewives franchise. Was a recurring guest star on series 3 of The Big Bang Theory before joining the cast as a series regular in series 4.

Trivia: Name means "water" in Hebrew. Had her big break in the 1988 film Beaches, playing the younger version of Bette Midler. Appeared in the music video for Michael Jackson's "Liberian Girl." Made her television debut in the 1980s fantasy series Beauty and the Beast. Best known for her role as the title character in the sitcom Blossom. Was successful in many voiceover roles in animated series, including Kim Possible and Hey Arnold! Appeared on a 2009 episode of What Not To Wear. Her The Big Bang Theory character, Amy Farrah Fowler, is a neurobiologist, corresponding to Bialik's real-life degrees in neuroscience. Is a spokesperson for the Holistic Moms Network and gave birth to her second son at home.

Trivia: James Earl Jones is a distinguished African American actor instantly recognizable for his deep, resonant Shakespearean voice and wide smile. The son of prizefighter and actor Robert Earl Jones, he was raised on a farm. In college, he briefly studied medicine but switched to drama. After serving with the Army he enrolled at the American Theater Wing in New York. He made his Broadway debut in 1957, then went on to appear in many plays before spending several seasons with Joseph Pap's New York Shakespeare Festival. Jones' biggest success onstage was as the star of The Great White Hope on Broadway (1966-68); for his work (portraying heavyweight champion Jack Jefferson) he received a Tony award. He had a small part in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove (1964), but did not begin to appear onscreen much until the '70s. In addition to stage and occasional film work, he also appeared as an African chieftain in the TV series Tarzan and was one of the first black actors to be cast as a regular on the soap opera The Guiding Light in 1967. Reprising his stage role, he received a Best Actor Oscar nomination and won a Golden Globe award for his work in the screen version of The Great White Hope (1970) and went on from there to have a busy screen career. He starred in the TV series Paris in 1979-80. Beginning in 1977, he provided the melodiously wicked voice of the villainous Darth Vader in the three Star Wars films. Since then he has continued to appear on screen (over 40 films to date), stage, and television. He also continues to provide voiceovers (he can frequently be heard on the CNN television network). His portrayal of the grouchy, reclusive writer opposite Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams (1989) is among his most notable turns. In 1987 he won another Tony Award, this time for his portrayal of a frustrated baseball player in August Wilson's Fences. Most recently, Jones provided the voice for Mufasa, the regal patriarch in Disney's animated film The Lion King (1994).

Trivia: Though she was a best-selling author and screenwriter, many fans will always associate Carrie Fisher with the role of Princess Leia from George Lucas' Star Wars trilogy. She was the daughter of movie stars Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher and grew up wanting to follow in their footsteps. When Fisher was quite young, her father left the family to marry Elizabeth Taylor. Reynolds raised Fisher and her younger brother, Todd Fisher, alone, but then remarried. As a performer, she started appearing with her mother on Vegas nightclub stages at age 12. When she was 15, Fisher left high school to focus on her show business career. The following year, she was a dancer in the Broadway revival of Irene, which starred her mother. Soon after that, Fisher enrolled at London's Central School of Speech and Drama where she studied for 18 months.Fisher made her film debut playing a sexy young thing who succumbs to womanizing Warren Beatty's seduction in Shampoo (1975). Next came the Star Wars films. Her feisty portrayal of the courageous young princess made Fisher a star. But with sudden stardom came a price. In November 1978, she hosted the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. There she met and became friends with John Belushi, and with him got heavily involved with illegal drugs. Fisher became romantically involved with singer/songwriter Paul Simon and married him in the early '80s. Due in part to her drug problems, the marriage lasted less than a year. A near overdose led Fisher to drug and alcohol rehabilitation. She detailed her experiences with drugs and recovery in her witty first novel, Postcards From the Edge (1987). Two years later, Fisher adapted the tale for Mike Nichols' charming and moving screen version which starred Meryl Streep as a drug-addicted daughter trying to make a comeback and compete with a glamorous movie star mother (Shirley MacLaine) who always outshines her.Throughout the '80s, Fisher continued appearing sporadically in feature films, but made little impact as an actress. By the latter part of the decade, her acting career began perking up again with such films as When Harry Met Sally (1989), in which she played Meg Ryan's best friend. Fisher appeared in a few more films and also in the television series Leaving L.A. through 1992 and then abandoned acting for the next five years to focus on child rearing and her writing career. Subsequent novels include Surrender the Pink, a semi-autobiographical novel exploring her relationship with Paul Simon, and Delusions of Grandma. In 1997, Fisher returned to feature films playing a small role in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. She also experienced renewed fame when George Lucas released restored and enhanced versions of his Star Wars series in 1996. Although she became better known for her writing than her acting, she continued to appear in movies such as Lisa Picard Is Famous, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Fanboys, and the 2008 remake of The Women. In 2010 her one-woman show Wishful Drinking, in which she recounted her career and her life, was filmed. In 2015, she returned to her most iconic character, now General Leia, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Fisher suffered a fatal heart attack in 2016, and died at age 60.

Trivia: Studied acting with Uta Hagen. Had a recurring role on The Big Bang Theory starting with its second series, and was promoted to series regular in 2012 for the sixth series. Plays the owner of a comic-book shop in The Big Bang Theory, and once worked at a similar establishment in New York City. Both of his parents are schoolteachers. Has appeared in more than 30 US adverts, including Eggos and FedEx.

Trivia: Like her older half-sister Melissa (Little House on the Prairie), actress Sara Gilbert grew up on a television series, in this case, the long-running ABC sitcom Roseanne (1988-1997). She and her sister and her older half-brother, Jonathon Gilbert, are the third generation of a showbiz family. Her grandfather, Harry Crane, was a writer for The Honeymooners, her grandmother, Julia Crane, was a former Miss Brooklyn and a dancer, and her mother is a producer and talent manager. Gilbert made her professional debut in a television commercial at age six, and from there appeared in the television series Tales of the Apple Dumpling Gang (1982). She then played a small role in the made-for-TV movie Calamity Jane, which starred Jane Alexander. Gilbert's career slowed down after that and she did not appear on television until 1988 when she appeared in Runaway Ralph as part of the ABC Weekend Special. As Darlene Connor in Roseanne, Gilbert believably played a cynical, smart-mouthed, but sensitive foil for Roseanne. Gilbert showed versatility as a confused Daddy's girl who is victimized by a calculating Drew Barrymore in Poison Ivy (1989) and as a Southern child with a dark secret who is befriended by a gentle black man in the well-wrought Sudie and Simpson (1990). Gilbert has been twice nominated for an Emmy and has won three Youth in Film Awards. During the last couple seasons of Roseanne, Gilbert began attending Yale University where she studied art and photography. She has also been an avid supporter for various environmental causes through her affiliation with Earth Communications Office (ECO).She stayed away from acting for the most part until 2007 when she began making occasional appearances on the hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory often playing opposite her former Roseanne co-star Johnny Galecki. In 2010, she created the talk show The Talk, a knockoff of The View, and serves as an executive producer and co-host of the series.

Trivia: A holder of a BA degree from the University of San Francisco, Richard Egan was an Army judo instructor during WorldWar II. While working towards his MA in theatre at Stanford University, the rugged Egan was discovered by a Warner Bros. talent scout. After his apprenticeship in supporting roles, Egan was signed as a leading man by 20th Century-Fox, where he was touted as "another Gable." Most comfortable in brawling adventure films, Egan proved a capable dramatic actor in such films as A View from Pompey's Head (1955). Many of his starring appearances in the 1960s were in such esoterica as Esther and the King (1960) and The 300 Spartans (1962) and in foreign-filmed westerns. In 1962, Egan starred as Jim Redigo, foreman of a sprawling New Mexico ranch, in the contemporary western TV series Empire; for its second season, the series was shortened from one hour to thirty minutes per week, and retitled Redigo. During his last decade, Richard Egan was a prolific dinner-theatre star throughout the U.S., and also appeared as Samuel Clegg II on the TV daytime drama Capitol.