Trivia: A character-oriented actor who specialized in playing American everymen, Chris Messina emerged in the mid-'90s, landing guest appearances on series programs such as Law & Order and mounting supporting parts in Hollywood features including You've Got Mail and Rounders (both 1998). Messina gained even more exposure when he joined the cast of the quirky HBO comedy drama Six Feet Under during that program's fifth and final season. On that series, Messina played Ted Fairwell, a Republican attorney smitten with Claire Fisher (Lauren Ambrose) who (as the program reveals) will eventually marry her. After Six Feet wrapped, Messina hearkened back to feature portrayals, this time as a lead, in director Jennifer Westfeldt's (Kissing Jessica Stein) critically praised sophomore effort Ira & Abby (2006). The actor proved he could hold his own with a multilayered turn as a neurotic therapist's son who rushes headlong into marriage only to watch his confidence fall to pieces when he learns of his new wife's two ex-husbands. In 2008, Messina took on a supporting role in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, opposite Penélope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson. In the years to come, Messina would enjoy continued success as an established actor, appearing in films like Ruby Sparks and Argo, as well as on TV series like The Mindy Project and The Newsroom.

Trivia: Inspired by his enjoyment of the film Ghostbusters to take up entertainment as a career. Made off-Broadway debut at age 15 in David Marshall Grant's Current Events at the Manhattan Theatre Club; and his Broadway debut in 2006 in Rabbit Hole, David Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. Tony Award-winning performance for Spring Awakening (2006) also earned a nomination for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. Also a musician, he played in several bands while growing up in Delaware, including Old Springs Pike, and his solo performances have featured his folk-musician parents as an opening act. Other stage work includes Broadway productions of American Idiot (2010) and Jerusalem (2011).

Trivia: Parents are successful art gallery owners in Denmark. Rose to fame on the Danish series Borgen, where he played a political spin doctor. Named one of the European Film Production's Shooting Stars in 2011. Filmed the movie A Hijacking (2012) off the coast of Somalia on a ship that had previously been hijacked, with former crew members standing in as extras.