Trivia: An everyman comic who shot to stardom thanks to a series of guest appearances on friend and fellow funnyman Ray Romano's popular sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, Kevin James wasn't exactly the class clown fans might assume during his formative years. Though his healthy sense of humor did help the Mineola, Long Island native to make plenty of friends while growing up, it wasn't until he took a public speaking class in college that James truly discovered the power of laughter. The son of an insurance agent and a devoted housewife who only worked off-jobs when necessary to support the family, James majored in sports management at State University of New York at Cortland before dropping out to hone his talents as an entertainer in community theater and various improvisational groups. Subsequently following his older brother to the standup stage, James made his debut at Manhattan's East Side Comedy Club in 1989 to surprising, if not predictable, results. Though James made a killing his first night, a disheartening appearance the following night with the very same material and a whole new crowd would teach the aspiring comic an important lesson in failure. Undaunted by his death on-stage and determined to roll with the punches, James quickly learned that the unpredictable world of standup comedy was filled with as many ups as it was downs. His survival instinct ended up serving him well; a fateful set at the 1996 Montreal Comedy Festival became the defining performance of his early career. James was soon signed to appear on Romano's fledgling sitcom in addition to receiving his very own development deal. In 1998, The King of Queens debuted to healthy ratings. A blue-collar sitcom that countless viewers could relate to, The King of Queens detailed the life of a hapless postal carrier who shares his Queens, NY home his wife, Carrie (Leah Remini), and her eccentric father, Arthur (Jerry Stiller). With success on the small screen soon prompting James to try his talent in feature films, a supporting role in 50 First Dates and a co-starring role opposite Will Smith in Hitch found the television favorite's amiable humor translating well to the big screen. A team effort with longtime friend Romano would result in the straight-to-video comedy Grilled in 2006, with subsequent voice work in the animated family comedies Monster House and Barnyard arriving in theaters later that same year.James would maintain his position as a go-to guy for family friendly comedy over the coming years, appearing in films like I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Grown Ups, and Zookeeper and providing a voice in Hotel Transylvania. James then reprised his roles in Grown Ups 2, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 and Hotel Transylvania 2, while also appearing in Pixels, opposite his frequent co-star Adam Sandler.

Trivia: A veteran of several failed TV sitcoms, sassy Leah Remini finally scored a hit when she was cast as comedian Kevin James's wife on the CBS series The King of Queens (1998).Born June 15th, 1979 in Brooklyn, NY, Remini moved to Los Angeles as a teen. After leaving school at 14, Remini held a variety of jobs for a couple of years before deciding to try acting. Though she was advised to lose her Brooklyn accent, Remini quickly landed a guest role on ABC's gifted high schoolers sitcom Head of the Class. Working steadily from the late '80s on, Remini guest starred on a number of comedies, including Friends, Cheers (as Carla's daughter), and a year-long stint on Saved By the Bell, and began to amass a resumé of short-lived series. After starring in Living Dolls in 1989, Remini was cast in The Man in the Family (1991) and First Time Out (1995); though Fired Up (1997) looked promising, it too failed after leaving its post-Seinfeld time slot. Along with the sitcoms, Remini also appeared in the TV movie Getting Up and Going Home (1992) and Glory Daze (1996), a coming-of-age feature starring then unknown Ben Affleck. A seasoned TV actress by 1998, Remini got to put her New York roots (and accent) to successful use in The King of Queens, a family comedy in the Everybody Loves Raymond vein. As blue collar James' pretty, levelheaded wife Carrie, Remini proved an adept foil to James and a flamboyant Jerry Stiller; The King of Queens became Remini's first bona fide ratings hit.

Trivia: To the public at large, Jerry Stiller is best known as the husband and comedy partner of actress/director Anne Meara, and as the father of comedian Ben Stiller. For those addicted to the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, Stiller will never be anyone else than Frank Costanza, the eternally kvetching father of born-loser George Costanza (Jason Alexander). While Stiller would be the first to welcome recognition on these terms, to acknowledge him for the above-mentioned reasons alone would be grossly unfair. A stage performer from the age of 10, Stiller majored in drama at the University of Syracuse, then took to the road in a touring company of Peter Pan. Honing his comic timing to perfection under the tutelage of revue director Billy Barnes, Stiller chose to concentrate his laughmaking skills in the Classics, specifically Shakespeare. He made his off-Broadway debut in a 1953 production of Coriolanus, and subsequently paid homage to the Bard of Avon as a member of such prestigious troupes as the Stratford (Connecticut) Shakespeare Festival and Joseph Papp's Shakespeare in the Park. Stiller made his Broadway bow in 1975 as ill-tempered gangster Carmine Vespucci in Terence McNally's The Ritz, a part he recreated in the 1976 film version. Among his many other film credits are Lovers and Other Strangers (1970), Hairspray (1988) and the made-for-television Seize the Day (1987). The actor's series-TV resumé includes the roles of Barney Dickerson in The Paul Lynde Show (1972), Gus Duzik in Joe and Sons (1975) and Sid Wilbur in Tattinger's (1988). He also co-starred with wife Anne Meara in the syndicated Take Five with Stiller and Meara (1977), and provided voiceovers for the animated Linus the Lionhearted (1964) and the multipart Ken Burns TV special Baseball (1994). Jerry Stiller has been honored with the Radio Advertising Bureau's Voice of Imagery Award for his persuasive radio and TV spots on behalf of the Public Broadcasting System.Notable later roles included an extended run on the hit TV series The King of Queens starting in 1998, as well as appearances in son Ben's 2001 male model comedy Zoolander, and the 2007 musical Hairspray. In 2000 Stiller received a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Album for the audio version of his autobiographical book "Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara." Stiller and Meara received a joint star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007, and three years later, Stiller and his wife launched the YahooWeb series Stiller & Meara, in which the pair discuss current events from their living room, which ran until Meara's death in 2015. Their son, Ben, produced the segments.

Trivia: One of the most amiable and best-loved game show hosts ever to grace the airwaves, Chicago native Pat Sajak first entered the world of broadcasting as a "guest teen deejay" on WLS Radio's Dick Biondi Show in 1965. Later, while Sajak was attending Columbia College in Chicago, an instructor informed him of an opening at a local radio station, and after an impressive audition for the program director, the eager student was hired as a newsman on the graveyard shift.In 1968, Sajak dropped out of Columbia after only three years and joined the Army, entertaining soldiers stationed in Vietnam as a morning-show host on Armed Forces Radio. Upon returning stateside, Sajak had little luck finding radio and television work in Washington, D.C., and began working as a desk clerk at the downtown Madison Hotel. Later, when a friend informed him of an opening at a small radio station in southeastern Kentucky, Sajak traveled south and became the overnight disc jockey at the 250-watt station. It didn't take long for Sajak to realize that his career was going nowhere in Kentucky, however, and after about a year he relocated to Nashville and applied at virtually every radio and television station in town. Faced with rejection at every outlet, Sajak was once again relegated to working at a local hotel. But they say that persistence pays off, and in Sajak's case, that old adage proved true. Refusing to give in to rejection, the tireless broadcast hopeful continued to make his presence known to the local broadcasting outlets and was eventually hired into a local NBC affiliate.While Sajak's easygoing versatility found him serving in a variety of capacities at WSM Channel 4, it was his talents as a weatherman that got him the most exposure -- and a few short years later he was scouted by KNBC in Los Angeles and decided to make the trek out west. In addition to continuing as a weatherman at KNBC, Sajak also hosted a weekend talk show for the station. In 1981, Sajak's smooth on-air persona caught the attention of producer Merv Griffin, who was seeking a replacement host for a daytime game show called the Wheel of Fortune. While he wasn't actually certain whether he was the right man for the job, Sajak figured the gig would only last for a year or two and dutifully accepted. Two Emmys, a People's Choice Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame later, Sajak was one of the best-loved hosts in game show history.Outside of his Wheel of Fortune hosting duties, the noted conservative and avid sports fan also hosted the short-lived Pat Sajak Weekend on Fox News in 2003.

Trivia: A native of Myrtle Beach, SC, longtime Wheel of Fortune hostess and letter-turner Vanna White attended the Atlanta School of Fashion Design and worked as a print model in the Atlanta area, then moved to Hollywood and landed bit roles in B-grade productions including Michael Crichton's Looker and the slasher outing Graduation Day (both 1981). In 1982, she was selected by Merv Griffin to co-host Wheel with Chuck Woolery successor Pat Sajak and remained with the program for decades, as did Sajak. Meanwhile, on the side, White became something of a national phenomenon and a pop-culture icon -- authoring and publishing a best-selling autobiography, emceeing her own exercise video in 1987, and landing cameo roles (often as herself) in outings including NBC's action adventure series The A-Team (in 1986) and the big-screen features Double Dragon and The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (both 1994).

Trivia: Made her film debut at age 8 in Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie. Studied ballet, tap, jazz and singing from an early age and majored in piano in college. Developed her own line of hair-care products. Longtime fan of I Love Lucy and founding board member of the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center in Lucy's hometown of Jamestown, NY. Was a cofounder of the Save the Earth foundation, which creates awareness of environmental issues. Won the Soap Opera Digest award for Outstanding Lead Actress in 2001. Celebrated 30 years as Nikki Newman on The Young and the Restless in 2009.

Trivia: Is the son of a U.S. Naval officer. Worked in construction for a year to earn money to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In 1979, joined All My Children as Dr. Cliff Warner, a role he played for 10 years. Received 12 consecutive Daytime Emmy Award nominations (from 1990 to 2002) for Outstanding Lead Actor for his role as Jack Abbott on The Young and the Restless.