Trivia: From role to role, actor John Robinson exuded an all-American presence and look that made him a shoe-in for portrayals of average, well-rounded young men, but he also projected a subtly haunting quality that lent him perfectly to material with a slight edge. On that note, Robinson is arguably best known for his contributions to Gus Van Sant's explosive 2003 drama Elephant -- the tale of a high school massacre inspired by Columbine -- where he played John, a genial and responsible young man burdened by an alcoholic father. (In fact, Van Sant and co. displayed the blonde-haired Robinson's face very prominently on the film's posters). Robinson grew up in Lake Oswego, OR, and experienced his first brush with show business thanks to Van Sant, who discovered him and recruited him for said part. The young actor scored an equally memorable follow-up via a collaboration with director Catherine Hardwicke playing legendary daredevil skateboarder Stacy Peralta in the period drama Lords of Dogtown (2005), and enjoyed small turns in the Pierce Brosnan western Seraphim Falls and the effects-heavy sci-fi action saga Transformers. In 2008, Robinson teamed up with director Kelly Reichardt and star Michelle Williams for a supporting role in the gentle slice-of-life drama Wendy and Lucy.

Trivia: When asked why he decided upon becoming an actor, Joe Santos tended to trot out the tried-and-true rationale "because I failed at everything else." While attending Fordham University, Santos excelled at football, but lost interest in the sport after a few semi-pro years. By the time he was 30, Santos had been remarkably unsuccessful in a variety of vocations, including railroad worker, tree cutter, automobile importer and tavern owner. While working a construction job in New York, Santos was invited by a friend to sit in on an acting class. This seemed like an easy way to make a living, so Santos began making the audition rounds, almost immediately landing a good part on a TV soap opera. This gig unfortunately led nowhere, and for the next year or so Santos drove a cab for 10 to 11 hours a day. The novice actor's first big break was a part in the 1971 film Panic in Needle Park, which he received at the recommendation of the film's star (and Santos' frequent softball partner) Al Pacino. With the plum part of Sergeant Cruz in the four-part TV drama The Blue Knight (1973), Santos inaugurated a fruitful, still-thriving career in "cop" roles, the best and longest-lasting of which was detective Dennis Becker on the James Garner series The Rockford Files (1974-80). Joe Santos' other series-TV credits include the top-billed part of deadbeat dad Norman Davis in Me and Maxx (1980), Hispanic nightclub comic Paul Rodriguez' disapproving father in AKA Pablo (1984), and Lieutenant Frank Harper in the 1985-86 episodes of Hardcastle and McCormick. One of his final roles was a recurring gig on The Sopranos. Santos died in 2016, at age 84.