Trivia: Born November 10th, 1969, actress Ellen Pompeo's career began to soar after a memorable turn as Jake Gyllenhaal's sympathetic love interest in director Brad Silberling's introspective family drama Moonlight Mile. With roles in such eagerly anticipated films as Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can (2002) and the comic-book adaptation Daredevil (2003) following close on the heels of what many considered an Oscar-worthy performance in Moonlight Mile, it seemed as if Pompeo was on the verge of becoming a well-known star. A native of Everett, MA, Pompeo got her start as an actress with a pair of appearances in the popular television drama Law & Order. Subsequently cast in the coming-of-age teen-sex comedy Coming Soon (1999), Pompeo continued to refine her skills as a harried waitress in the comedy In the Weeds (2000) while also appearing in a pair of comedic shorts entitled 8 1/2 x 11 (1999) and Eventual Wife (2000). In 2005, she landed the lead in ABC's medical drama Grey's Anatomy, playing Meredith Grey, a role she'd stick with for the next decade.

Trivia: Television and movie heartthrob Justin Chambers began life on a difficult course; along with his fraternal twin brother, he reportedly battled multiple bouts of pneumonia, which forced the two boys to spend lengthy periods of time in oxygen tents. As a young man, this Springfield, OH, native flipped burgers at Hardee's and sold orthopedic shoes, then signed with a modeling agency and tackled print work across Europe in the early '90s. The leap from modeling to acting was a relatively short and easy one, and in 1996, Chambers commenced supporting roles in big-screen feature films, telemovies, and prime-time series. He began with a handful of TV movies, as well as a prominent role in Barry Levinson's gentle coming-of-age period piece Liberty Heights (1999). Chambers big break would come in 2005, however when he landed the role of cocky but emotionally guarded Dr. Alex Karev on the popular medical drama Grey's Anatomy.

Trivia: After a decade and a half of popping up in bit movie parts and TV guest spots, Chandra Wilson, born in Houston on August 27th, 1969, saw her acting career take off in 2005 when she was cast as a lead on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. The show immediately became a hit, and Wilson was honored with an Emmy nomination in 2006 and a Screen Actors Guild Award (for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series) in 2007.

Trivia: African-American character actor James Pickens Jr. sustains one of the longest and fullest Hollywood resumés in recent memory, just in terms of sheer volume of work. Soap opera devotees may remember Pickens for one of his earliest achievements -- his portrayal of Zack Edwards on the long-running daytime drama Another World, from 1986 through 1990. Pickens subsequently divided his time between characterizations on such prime-time programs as Roseanne and Murder, She Wrote, and small roles in A-list Hollywood features. At least in the early years, these films were often, though not always, action vehicles with predominantly black casts, such as the Ice-T and Ice Cube action thriller Trespass (1992), the Wesley Snipes and Dennis Hopper cop picture Boiling Point (1993), and the bullet-ridden Hughes Brothers pictures Menace II Society (1993) and Dead Presidents (1995). Back on the small screen, Pickens could be seen on such popular series as The X-Files, The Practice, NYPD Blue, Six Feet Under, and Philly. Also, in spring 1998, he joined episode writer Larry David and co. as the detective who threw Jerry and his cronies in the slammer on the much-anticipated series finale of Seinfeld; David and Pickens re-teamed several years later for two 2005 episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Pickens drew his greatest attention and acclaim, however, when he ascended from bit player to a prominent supporting role as Chief of Surgery Richard Webber on the blockbuster medical drama Grey's Anatomy. This series premiered in 2005 to sensational ratings and quickly became an American institution, thanks in no small part to Pickens's work.

Trivia: A Scottish actor whose heritage is betrayed as much by his pale skin and red hair as it is by his accent, Kevin McKidd first earned recognition in 1996 with parts in Trainspotting and Small Faces, two films that helped to put the Scottish film industry on the world cinema map. Born and raised in Elgin, a town in the northeast of Scotland, McKidd developed an interest in acting early on and was active with the Moray Youth Theatre throughout his childhood and adolescence. His time as an engineering student at the University of Edinburgh produced little in the way of engineering but did allow McKidd to rack up experience as part of the university's Bedlam Theatre. Finally deciding to chuck his course of study in order to pursue acting full-time, he enrolled in the Queen Margaret Drama School, where he trained until he graduated in 1994. Immediately after his graduation, McKidd auditioned for and won the lead role in The Silver Darlings, which was staged by Robert Carlyle's Rain Dog Theatre Company. This was followed by his casting as a vicious Glasgow gang leader in Gillies MacKinnon's Small Faces (1995) and his role as Tommy, an Iggy Pop-worshipping, AIDS-stricken heroin addict in Danny Boyle's Trainspotting (1996). The huge success of the latter film got McKidd noticed, although his performance was largely overshadowed by those of co-stars Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle. However, the actor soon found more work headed in his direction and spent the rest of the decade appearing in a steady stream of small art house pictures. Among the films he appeared in were Gilles MacKinnon's Hideous Kinky (1998), in which he had a cameo as a massively stoned traveler in Morocco and Rose Troche's Bedrooms and Hallways (1998), in which he starred as a gay man grappling with bisexual urges. In addition to his work on the screen, McKidd remained active on the stage, portraying the title character in the Almeida Theatre production of Jean Racine's Britannicus and starring alongside Jude Law in director Jonathan Kent's Albery Theatre production of John Ford's 'Tis Pity She's a Whore. He worked steadily throughout the next decade in projects like Anna Karenina, Dog Soldiers, and the biopic De-Lovely. In 2005 he appeared in Ridley Scott's epic Kingdom of Heaven, and that same year he was cast in the historical series Rome. Two years later he had a major role in the Silence of the Lambs prequel Hannibal Rising. The following year, in 2008, McKidd joined the ensemble cast of Grey's Anatomy, which scaled back his film work. In 2010 he was cast as Poseidon, the father of the young hero in Percy Jackson & The Olympians. He joined the Pixar family in 2012 giving voice to Lord MacGuffin in Brave.

Trivia: Fair haired-beauty Jessica Capshaw had an easy means of entering the world of show business, as her stepfather is blockbuster director Steven Spielberg, but she didn't let that stop her from learning the ropes on her own. After graduating from Brown University, Capshaw attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. She then began wracking up a modest collection of supporting roles on episodes of shows like ER and the British series Odd Man Out, as well as in movies like Minority Report and The Groomsmen. In 2002, Capshaw joined the cast of the series The Practice, playing Jamie Stringer from 2002 to 2004. Another starring TV role came in 2009, when she signed on to play Dr. Arizona Robbins on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy.

Trivia: Jesse Williams earned his acting chops studying at Temple University and appearing in several off-Broadway plays. He soon transitioned into on-camera work, appearing in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and on shows like Greek and Beyond the Break. He would go on to appear in Red Tails and The Cabin in the Woods. Williams joined Grey's Anatomy in 2009 as a recurring guest star, before being promoted to a series regular the following season. In 2013, he appeared in Lee Daniels' The Butler as as civil rights activist James Lawson.

Trivia: Actress Sarah Drew projected an amiable, down-to-earth quality that served her perfectly in Middle American, girl-next-door roles. An East Coast native, Drew grew up in a conservative evangelical household as the daughter of a Connecticut-based Presbyterian minister. She actually commenced work in the entertainment industry before she finished high school by voicing the character of Stacy on MTV's popular animated sitcom Daria from 1998-2002, and in the meantime received her formal education at the University of Virginia, marrying almost immediately after graduation. Within the following two years Drew began signing for supporting roles in features and series. Some of the more memorable included a portrayal of Ed Harris' daughter in the disability-themed inspirational drama Radio (2003), a brief but funny one-scene turn as a girlfriend lovestruck by another man in the Michael Showalter comedy The Baxter (2004), and -- on a higher profile note -- a multiseason portrayal of Hannah, a shy Colorado high schooler with a terminally ill father, on the third and fourth seasons of the popular television series Everwood. In 2007, Drew signed for a supporting role in director Desmond Nakano's racially themed period sports drama American Pastime. She had a recurring role on Mad Men, playing Sal Romano's clueless wife, before joining the regular cast of Grey's Anatomy, playing Dr. April Kepner.

Trivia: Made TV debut (at age 8) on the Canadian children's show Mr. Dressup; appeared in other Canadian series as a teen, including Goosebumps and Flash Forward, which were shown on U.S. cable. Received a 1999 supporting-actress Gemini nomination (Canada's Emmy equivalent) for Power Play, a CTV hockey drama. Played a psychic FBI agent in the 2003-'06 Lifetime crime drama Missing. Has costarred twice with her sister Francesca: in the 2001 coming-of-age comedy-drama My Horrible Year and a 2004 episode of Missing. Had the title role in Alice, the 2009 SyFy updating of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Is qualified to teach canoing.

Trivia: Began studying at the Italia Conti Academy in England at the age of 11. Only had one public interview of Kate Middleton to use for research when she played the character in William & Kate. Joined Grey's Anatomy as a recurring guest star in season 9; she was promoted to a series regular the following year. In 2013, became the voice and motion capture artist for Lara Croft in the video game reboot of Tomb Raider.

Trivia: First appeared on stage in a sixth-grade musical. Studied acting in college and appeared in numerous plays and commercials. Appeared on the PBS series The Electric Company and Cyberchase. Had a recurring role on White Collar. Broadway debut was in the 2008 musical Passing Strange. Biggest break came in 2012 when she was cast as a surgical intern on Emily Owens, M.D., opposite Mamie Gummer. Is a founding member of the Jaradoa Theater company in New York City.

Trivia: Originally planned to be a lawyer. Took his first acting class at the University of Virginia. Went to an open casting call in 1996 for the NBC daytime series Sunset Beach and landed the role of Michael Bourne; made his TV debut on the soap in 1997. In 1999, earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for his work on Sunset Beach. Movie debut was in 1998's Fallen. First prime-time TV appearance was in 1998 on the UPN comedy Moesha. In 2002, received the Lew Klein Alumni in the Media Award from Temple University; the acknowledgment also earned him a spot in the School of Communications and Theater Alumni Hall of Fame.

Trivia: Immigrated to Canada with his family when he was young. Speaks both English and Italian. Completed an actor's residence at the Canadian Film Center in Toronto. Donates his time to My Friend's Place Youth center along with the Sick Kids Foundation.