Trivia: A versatile, commanding, leathery character actor, he learned to raise and ride broncos on his family's ranch during his youth. He attended college for two years, became a seaman, then began his performing career as a radio announcer; he became nationally known as an announcer on the "March of Time" broadcasts. Onscreen from the late '40s, he often portrayed law officers; he was also convincing as a villain. He was well-known for his TV work; he starred in the series Naked City and Wagon Train. He was married to actress Jeanette Nolan, with whom he appeared in Saddle Tramp (1950) and Two Rode Together (1961); they also acted together on radio, and in the late '60s they joined the cast of the TV series The Virginian, portraying a married couple. Their son was actor Tim McIntire.

Trivia: Richard Kiley trained for a theatrical career at the Barnum Dramatic School. Just before his World War II service, Kiley played small roles in several Chicago-based radio programs. He relocated to New York in 1947, making his Broadway debut in a 1953 revival of Shaw's Misalliance (which earned him a Theatre World Award). He spent the next two decades alternating in "straight" plays and musicals: his credits in the latter category include Kismet, Redhead, No Strings and, of course, his Tony-winning dual performance as Cervantes and Quixote in Man of La Mancha. In films from 1950, Kiley was often cast as a menace, never more so than in 1953's Pickup on South Street, in which he commits the heinously antisocial act of murdering Thelma Ritter. He was more sympathetic as the alcoholic teacher in The Blackboard Jungle (1955), whose faith in his abilities is irreparably damaged when his juvenile delinquent students wantonly destroy his valuable record collection. On television, Kiley starred in the original 1956 staging of Rod Serlings Patterns and was Emmy-nominated for his work in The Thorn Birds (1983), Do You Remember Love? (1988), Separate But Equal (1990),and his own starring series A Year in the Life (1989). He finally won the Emmy for a 1994 guest appearance in Picket Fences. Ironically, the most successful film endeavor with which Richard Kiley was associated was one in which only his voice is heard; he's the fellow who explains the cloning process in the opening animated sequences of Jurassic Park (1993).

Trivia: A former student nurse, Kathryn Grant came to films by way of one of the many beauty contests she'd been entering since her teen years. Most of her film roles were decorative (notably her miniaturized princess in Seventh Voyage of Sinbad [1957]), but on occasion Grant was given an opportunity at a meatier role; she was very effective as the pivotal trial witness in Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder (1959). In 1957, Kathryn became the second wife of Bing Crosby, and subsequently the mother of his "second family" (including future actress Mary Crosby). In addition to her many Christmas-special appearances, Kathryn Grant hosted the syndicated TV series Fight for Life (1967), and during the 1970s moderated a local LA talk show.

Trivia: Open-faced, bulb-nosed character actor John Larch entered films in 1954, appearing mostly in westerns and outdoor adventures. During the "crime exposé" film cycle, Larch alternated between playing honest cops and dirty-palmed politicos. An old crony of actor/director Clint Eastwood, Larch appeared in such Eastwood efforts as Dirty Harry (1971) and Play Misty For Me (1972). His TV work has included weekly roles on two briefies of the 1960s, Arrest and Trial (1963) and Convoy (1965). Twilight Zone fans will instantly recognize John Larch as the walking-on-eggs father of malevolent telekinetic youngster Anthony Fremont (Billy Mumy) in the 1961 Zone chiller "It's a Good Life."

Trivia: The son of a clergyman, round-faced character actor Edward Andrews took to the stage at age twelve. He made his Broadway debut in 1935's How Beautiful With Shoes; three years later he co-starred in the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Time of Your Life. Sporting spectacles from the early 1950s onward, Andrews was ideally cast as pompous, overly ambitious military officers, politicians and attorneys. His screen persona was malleable enough to allow for villainy (he played a viciously racist small-town politico in his first film, 1955's The Phenix City Story), though he preferred comedy, taking pride in a particular "finger-waggling" gesture of his that always resulted in loud audience laughter. In 1964, he co-starred with Kathy Nolan in the distaff McHale's Navy rip-off TV sitcom Broadside. Edward Andrews joined several fellow acting veterans in Gremlins (1985), his last film.

Trivia: African American leading man James Edwards came to acting by way of a near-tragedy. Seriously injured in an accident while serving in World War II, Edwards went through a painful convalescence as surgeons completely restructured his face. His vocal chords were also severely damaged, and it was suggested by his doctors that Edwards take elocution lessons to restore his voice. Upon recovering, Edwards decided to celebrate his "rebirth" by becoming an actor. After touring in the stage production Deep are the Roots, Edwards made his film debut as a boxer in RKO's The Set-Up (1949). He was starred in his next film, Home of the Brave (1949), appropriately cast as a wounded soldier. James Edwards' last film was the 1970 Best Picture winner Patton, starring George C. Scott; he died on January 4, 1970.

Trivia: An alumnus of Massachusetts State College, actor/singer Biff McGuire made his Broadway bow in the 1948 review Make Mine Manhattan. McGuire went on to a featured role in the 1949 Pulitzer Prize-winning musical South Pacific, and later starred in the long-running sex comedy The Moon is Blue. During the 1960s and 1970s, he starred in touring productions of Finian's Rainbow and Camelot, returning to Broadway sporadically. In films since 1955's Pheonix City Story, McGuire has played authoritative roles in such productions as The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) and Serpico (1973). A frequent visitor to television (he appeared in two different episodes during the first season of Alfred Hitchcock Presents), Biff McGuire starred as Dr. Malloy in the John O'Hara-inspired weekly series Gibbsville (1976), and was featured as Sgt. McKay on the CBS daytime drama Search for Tomorrow.

Trivia: In the late '30s she worked in Chicago's WPA Theater. She moved to New York City in the early '40s, where she was a member of the Rose McClendon Players. She debuted on Broadway in 1941, portraying the sister of Bigger Thomas (Canada Lee) in Orson Welles's production of Native Son (1941). She established herself as a serious stage actress. She was one of the founders of the American Negro Theater. Over the years she landed a small handful of film roles, debuting onscreen in The Phenix City Story (1955). In the '70s she became recognizable to a large audience through her appearances on a number of sitcoms; she was a regular on Baby, I'm Back and 227, and she had guest appearances on many other shows.

Trivia: Meg Myles is best known as a pin-up model of the 1950s and early '60s, but she also enjoyed a film career as a featured actress, star, and supporting player, and a respected career on the legitimate stage. She was born Billie Jean Jones in Seattle, WA, in 1932 (or 1933 -- some sources disagree) and took dance lessons as a girl. She was determined to have a career in show business, majoring in dance and health education at the College of the Pacific, and was discovered and signed by an agent before she graduated. Her extraordinary physique -- a reputed 42-24-36 -- led to walk-on parts on television shows with Bob Hope, among other stars. Although Myles' early appearances were limited to being a living set decoration, she was determined to develop her acting skills as well as her singing, which led to engagements at various West Coast nightclubs. Her physique made her a favorite of men's magazines of the era, but in 1954 she landed a small comic relief role -- involving singing and her physique -- in the feature film Dragnet, portraying a Cuban singer. The following year, she played a singer in Phil Karlson's feature The Phenix City Story (1955), in which she sang the title song. Myles was also selected to perform on the national tour promoting the movie, and got a major label recording contract out of it. The late '50s saw her largely absent from the big screen, however, despite the fact that she was one of the top pin-up models in the world at the time. According to some accounts, she was blackballed from the industry because of her insistence on restricting the types of costumes and still photographs in which she would allow herself to appear, and also due to reports of an alleged romance between her and Sammy Davis Jr. (the United States was just entering the era of raised consciousness about its racial problems at the time, and even rumors of such a relationship would have made her too controversial for many producers). Myles' major screen appearance during this period was in Calypso Heat Wave, which also included Joel Grey, the Treniers, the Tarriers, the Hi-Lo's, and Maya Angelou in its cast. Myles was mostly seen on television until 1961, when she got a major role in the movie Satan in High Heels. Considered a campy classic today, the movie was an outrageous piece of exploitation filmmaking in its time and one that did Myles little good in trying for a mainstream Hollywood career. She mostly worked on-stage for the next few years, developing a following in New York City and honing her skills as an actress. She surfaced in Don Siegel's Coogan's Bluff (1968) and Sidney Lumet's The Anderson Tapes (1971), by which time Myles was much better known for her theatrical work, including performances at the New York Shakespeare Festival. Her last film to date was the drama Touched (1982).