Trivia: Actress Gabourey Sidibe became a familiar face to audiences when she was cast in the title role of the critically acclaimed 2009 drama Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, about a teenage mother struggling through poverty and abuse in the inner city. It was one of the most lauded first films for any performer, capturing the unknown Best Actress awards from a variety of critics groups and garnering nominations from the Screen Actors Guild, the Independent Spirit Awards, the Golden Globes, and the Academy. Sidibe followed her landmark debut as a bully in the 2011 film Yelling to the Sky and a recurring role on the Showtime series The Big C. She also landed a part in the ensemble action comedy Tower Heist opposite Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller.

Trivia: The career of funny girl Mo'Nique began in her early twenties, when she took to the improv comedy stage on a dare from her brother. The impulsive decision met with success, and she began to pursue a career in standup comedy, eventually performing on such renowned shows as Def Comedy Jam, Showtime at the Apollo, and Snaps. Mo'Nique's big break came in 1999, when she landed her own sitcom, starring on UPN's The Parkers as a single mom attending college alongside her daughter. She was 32 years old, and the days when she was working at the phone company in her hometown of Baltimore were about to seem very far away. The critical and commercial success of The Parkers led to a slew of awards and movie roles, including Two Can Play That Game, Baby Boy, Half Past Dead, Shadowboxer, Domino, and Soul Plane. Despite having her pick of scripted roles, Mo'Nique was still itching to get back to her standup roots. She joined Adele Givens, Sommore, and Laura Hayes for a hugely successful comedy tour called The Queens of Comedy, which was captured on film and released by Paramount Home Entertainment and the Showtime network in 2002. Never shying away from her status as a full-figured woman, Mo'Nique has used her notoriety and her famously sarcastic wit in order to advocate for voluptuous women everywhere. Her funny and empowering book Skinny Women Are Evil became a best-seller in 2003, and she soon afterward began working with the Oxygen network on a beauty pageant for full-figured women called F.A.T. Chance -- an acronym for "fabulous and thick." She also starred in the movie Phat Girlz in 2006, playing a struggling fashion designer looking for love and success in a world of "hot bodies." Later that same year, the large-and-in-charge star could be seen onscreen with the Broken Lizard comedy troupe in the alcohol-chugging chuckler Beerfest. In 2009, she began hosting her own talk show on BET, The Mo'Nique Show.It was Mo'Nique's harrowing turn as an abusive mother in Precious, however, that made people aware of the full range of her talents. Her blistering portrayal won her the Best Supporting Actress award from a great many critics groups, the Screen Actors Guild, and the Hollywood Foreign Press. She went on to win the Oscar in that category as well.

Trivia: Even though bright-eyed actress Paula Patton began performing as a little girl, putting plays in her own back yard, the shy young woman didn't realize she wanted a career onscreen for many years to come. In high school, she became involved in a PBS series that took young, aspiring filmmakers on a trip across the country to work on their own documentaries, and when Patton graduated high school, she continued to pursue her interest in working behind the camera by enrolling the film school at the University of Southern California. After graduation, she worked as a production assistant, nurturing her goal of producing her own movie, but something felt missing. Finally, Patton realized that her passion was to be on the other side of the camera, so she enrolled in acting classes and strove toward her new goal in full force.Within a few years, Patton had landed a small role in Will Smith's 2005 comedy Hitch. The next year, she auditioned for a strange and exciting project by music-video director and first time filmmaker Bryan Barber starring Andre 3000 from the hip-hop group OutKast. The movie was called Idlewild, and the super-stylized comedy/crime drama/musical was set in the Prohibition-era American South. Patton's fresh new face was exactly what the unique project needed, and she was cast in the role of Angel Davenport, the female lead. Though the film wasn't geared toward the mainstream, it was a cult success among audiences and critics who appreciated its quirky style. Patton's star continued to rise as later that same year she was cast in another substantial role, this time in a much more high-profile movie. As the damsel Denzel Washington must travel through time to save in the Tony Scott action thriller Déjà Vu, Patton's sweet but solid force onscreen was lauded, even by critics who bashed the movie for being overly serious. For her next project, the actress signed on to star opposite Kiefer Sutherland in the horror movie Mirrors, slated for release in 2007. She appeared in the 2008 political comedy Swing Vote, and the basketball themed romantic comedy Just Wright in 2010. She had her most high-profile success as a member of the team Ethan Hunt puts together in Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol. She next appeared in the comedies Jumping the Broom (2011), Baggage Claim (2013) and About Last Night (2014).Patton was married to R&B singer/songwriter Robin Thicke in 2005. She appears on the cover of his 2003 album A Beautiful World and in a number of his music videos. The couple officially divorced in 2015.

Trivia: A songstress possessing a remarkable eight-octave vocal range who in the early '90s excelled to become one of the top female vocalists of the decade, Mariah Carey's rocky transition from musician to actress played a key role in fueling a much-publicized nervous breakdown in late 2001. And though her turn in Glitter (2001) may have not been quite the crossover success the aspiring actress had hoped for, as a remarkably talented vocalist Carey continues to maintain her supportive fan base as a result of her dynamic voice and exceptional songwriting abilities. Born the daughter of a former opera singer and vocal coach in Long Island, NY, in 1970, and named after the song "They Call the Wind Maria" from the popular Lerner and Loewe musical Paint Your Wagon (1969), Carey began singing at the age of four, and writing her own songs by the time she was attending Oldfield Middle School. Moving to New York to pursue a career as a vocalist a day after her graduation from Greenlawn's Harborfields High School, the ambitious singer soon teamed with keyboardist Ben Margulies and landed a job as a backup singer for Brenda K. Starr. Aided by Starr in ensuring her demo tape found its way into the hands of Columbia Records head Tommy Matola (the man whom Carey would later wed and eventually divorce) at a party, Carey was soon signed to the label and with the release of her massively successful eponymous debut in 1990, achieved overnight success. With strong follow-up efforts establishing Carey as one of the premier vocalists of the decade (she had a number one single each year of the 1990s, her songs spending more time at the Billboard top spot than any recording artist in history) it was only a matter of time before the established singer attempted to expand her career. After making her big-screen debut with a supporting turn in The Bachelor in 1999, Carey set her sights on a personal project for her first starring role. However, after suffering a physical and emotional breakdown months before the release of her big-screen debut in Glitter, Carey's "lambs" (her slang term for her loyal fans) rallied to her side in support upon the release of numerous scathing reviews. Inspired by such musical dramas as Fame (1980) and Purple Rain (1984), the semi-autobiographical retro tale of a young singer rising to fame despite the odds stacked against her was dismissed as cliché and laughably bad, with reviews specifically targeting the vulnerable singer's sub-par performance and the films unintentionally campy tone. Public appearances in which her behavior grew increasingly bizarre coupled with distressing messages on her website and fan phone line underscored the onetime pop diva's increasing mental collapse, making her admission into a Connecticut mental hospital seem almost inevitable to all who bore witness to her multiple public meltdowns. Following the failure of the accompanying album of the same name, Virgin Records bought out her 100-million-dollar contract for a mere 28 million dollars, and it appeared as if the one-time megastar had reached her nadir. Her career would see a boost along with her personal life, however, when she married pop star and TV personality Nick Cannon in 2008, later giving birth to twins.In 2009, she returned to acting in Precious, directed by Lee Daniels, playing a social worker in an unglamorous, dressed-down role. She later reunited with Daniels in 2013 to play a supporting role in The Butler. IN 2015, Carey made her directorial debut with the TV movie A Christmas Melody, in which she also co-starred.

Trivia: African-American comedian Sherri Shepherd debuted on the small screen in the mid-'90s, with appearances on such popular series programs as Friends, Emeril, and Less Than Perfect -- typically as aggressive and outspoken, spunky women. Shepherd then broke through to national acclaim and recognition in the mid-2000s -- both cinematically, with prominent billing in the features Beauty Shop (2005) and Who's Your Caddy? (2007), and on television, as one of the hostesses on the popular daytime talk program The View. Shepherd grew up in the Chicago area. When her parents divorced at an early age, the mother took custody of Sherri and her three sisters and moved with them to California. An experience watching a comedian do a standup act inspired Shepherd to step behind the microphone. As an actress, she debuted on the sitcom Cleghorne!, then landed guest appearances on the aforementioned series. As an outspoken and committed, born-again Christian, Shepherd is extremely guarded about which roles she accepts and which scenes and dialogue she will perform onscreen, guidelines that distinguish her from many of her contemporaries but have reportedly not hindered her career or her popularity. She appeared in the Oscar-winning Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, and joined the cast of the Madagascar animated franchise as Alex's mother.In 2011 she was cast in Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son, and in 2012 she played opposite Katherine Heigl in One for the Money.

Trivia: Surrounded by musicians as a child due to his parents' friendships with such jazz legends as Count Basie, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby Short and Sarah Vaughan. Family moved from New York to L.A. when he was 10. Sang with the California Boys Choir as a youth. Beverly Hills High School classmates included guitarist Slash and singer Maria McKee. Cowrote and produced Madonna's No. 1 hit "Justify My Love" in 1990; has also written songs for Vanessa Paradis and collaborated with Aerosmith and Mick Jagger. Founded Kravitz Design, an interior-design firm, in 2003.

Trivia: Father is Jamaican and Mother is Filipina.Began training professionally with the CityKids Repertory Company, which awarded her the opportunity to work with Robin Williams, Salt-N-Pepa and Demi Moore, among others.First credited role was Deyah in the 2007 drama Life Support alongside Queen Latifah.Skilled in martial arts and has training in Filipino stick fighting and Wushu.Organized a dance team for the young girls in her community, at the Brownsville Recreation Center, called NSC (No Self control).

Trivia: Joined the Amazing Grace Conservatory, a performing arts program in Los Angeles, in high school. Performed in plays like Twelfth Night and The Diviners while at New York University. Did a reading of Really Really at the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival in 2009 with Krysta Rodriguez and Eddie Kaye Thomas.

Trivia: A graduate of the State University of New York at Purchase, actor Bill Sage began his career in the early '90s, striking up a relationship with indie filmmaker Hal Hartley. Sage would appear in a number of Hartley's films, like Trust, Ambition, and Flirt, and he soon found a niche in independent film. He would appear in several acclaimed art films and sleeper hits over the coming years, such as I Shot Andy Warhol and High Art. Sage also landed recurring roles in episodes of TV's Third Watch, Cashmere Mafia, and NCIS, as well as a starring spot alongside Mariah Carey in the 2008 film Tennessee.