Trivia: Mainstream America got its first taste of David Caruso when he appeared in a nationally syndicated mid-'70s coffee commercial as a stock boy in a general store run by Margaret Hamilton. In those days, Caruso would pick up extra cash by appearing in lineups for the New York police department, where his street-urchin style made him fit right in. This same street-tough quality won Caruso his first semi-regular TV series role in 1981, as the Irish-American gang leader "Shamrock" on Hill Street Blues. Building up his resumé, he continued to take supporting roles like the "washout" aviation candidate in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) and assistant to Judd Nelson's quest for revenge in Blue City (1986). 1984 proved a busy year as he divorced wife Cheri Maugans and married Rachel Ticotin, with whom he had a daughter, Greta, later that year. More supporting roles paid Caruso's bills throughout the '80s, as well as a starring TV gig on a short-lived 1990 cop series called H.E.L.P. A much more important law enforcement role still lay ahead, however, in the form of a hot new series called NYPD Blue that premiered in 1993. Playing the role of Detective John Kelly on the series made Caruso an overnight star. The show was produced by his old Hill Street Blues boss Steven Bochco, and Caruso had the groundbreaking drama to thank for his transformation from working actor to sought-after star -- yet he remained with the monumentally successful show for only 26 episodes. After a very public series of disagreements with producers, Caruso left NYPD Blue in 1994, hoping to use his new celebrity to invigorate a film career. He returned to audiences in 1995, starring the crime thriller Kiss of Death. Unfortunately, Kiss of Death was a critical and box-office failure, as were his successive suspense thrillers Jade, Cold Around the Heart, and Body Count. Though he walked down the isle a third time in 1995, the actor's wedding seemed to be the only happy news associated with his name. By the end of the '90s, Caruso's decision to leave NYPD Blue was considered one of the most infamous career blunders in history, landing him on the C-list and making a joke of the inflated ego that some said put him there. In 1997, the first episode of the outrageous animated media satire South Park seemed to summarize the actor's status with a gag in which the two-year-old character Ike is persuaded to jump from a spaceship and fall several feet to the ground when his brother yells "Do your impression of David Caruso's career!" Many actors find themselves remembered as cinematic or TV one-hit wonders, and this was how Caruso was already being recorded in pop-culture history. The new millennium, however, would find the actor defeating the Hollywood laws of physics with a resurrection on a par with that of John Travolta. In 2002, the hit procedural prime-time crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was launching a spin-off, CSI: Miami, and in the starring role of Lieutenant Horatio Caine was none other than David Caruso. The spin-off proved to be just as successful as its predecessor, and almost ten years after his first shot at fame with NYPD Blue, Caruso was back in the game. While cynics predicted that he would grow too big for his britches and leave the series in a disastrous repetition of history, Caruso remained loyal to the show, even making cameo appearances on the other CSI series. Though 2005 brought a divorce, it also saw the birth of a son with girlfriend Liza Marquez.

Trivia: Born October 08, 1968, actress Emily Procter made her way into the stormy world of acting by forecasting the weather. While a Journalism and Dance major at East Carolina University, she landed a job as a weather anchor for a local CBS affiliate. One thing led to another, and soon she was headed west, travelling the well-travelled route to Los Angeles. Luck greeted Procter shortly after her arrival, when she began landing spots on television sitcoms and dramas. After appearing on such shows as Lois and Clark and Friends, Procter made her film debut with a small role in Leaving Las Vegas in 1995. Work in a number of small films followed, as did parts in Jerry Maguire (1997), the HBO movie Breast Men (1997), and such television movies as The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! (also 1997). 1999 proved a busy year for the actress, as she had supporting roles in both Guinevere and the Scottish film The Big Tease. She also starred in Body Shots, playing a member of a group of friends looking for love and/or sex in pre-millennial Los Angeles.2002 brought what could effectively be called a "big break" as Procter landed a leading role on the CSI spin-off CSI: Miami. The show proved just as successful as its predecessor and Procter found herself on one of the most watched shows on television, sticking around for season upon season as its popularity seemed to only grow with each passing year.

Trivia: Latino actor and heartthrob Adam Rodriguez found a convenient backdoor to Hollywood success. Proving definitively the old adage that "it's all in who you know," Rodriguez's dad, the longtime COO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, happened to be watching the Emmys in 1996 and recognized an old army buddy accepting a production award. The gentleman in question had graduated from policeman to NYPD Blue consultant to one of the program's producers. The elder Rodriguez impulsively phoned his pal to congratulate him on the award; this led to a renewed friendship, and in time, a small guest spot for Adam on NYPD Blue. At that point, Rodriguez had only just decided on his true calling in life. A stint of seemingly random occupations (including stockbroker and bellhop) followed by a brief theatrical tenure at the Jersey Peppermill Playhouse convinced the young man that his passion lay in acting. The Emmy incident, as it were, happened almost immediately afterward.A recurring role on the brief series drama Brooklyn South ensued, followed by a guest spot on Law & Order, then a bit part in the Gary Fleder movie Impostor. Rodriguez attained his first substantial recognition, however, as Jesse Ramirez, an erudite attorney unknowingly saddled with an extraterrestrial girlfriend, on the sci-fi series Roswell. But his greatest exposure was still yet to come. Beginning in 2002, he played Eric Delko, drug and fingerprint expert at the Miami-Dade crime laboratory, on CSI: Miami, the first successful spin-off to the crime series phenomenon CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Shortly thereafter, Rodriguez also signed for a part in Jessica Kavana Dornbusch's indie coming-of-age drama Thanks to Gravity (2005), about the trials and travails of a young woman of Jewish-Hispanic ancestry enrolled at Harvard. Numerous film roles followed, and on the heels of an appearance in Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself Rodriguez turned up in Ugly Betty as Hilda's on again-off again flame Bobby Talercio. In 2012 the chisled actor could be seen opposite Channing Tatum in Steven Soderbergh's Magic Mike.

Trivia: An artist, a dancer, and a true "actor's actor," hard-working Khandi Alexander began her career on-stage with the first national touring company of Bob Fosse's Dancin' and then on Broadway in Dreamgirls. While the mid-'80s saw Alexander land small roles in movies like Streetwalkin' and Maid to Order, her skills as a dancer earned her a full scholarship at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater School. Her dance career also regularly found her appearing in award shows, which eventually brought her into contact with pop sensation Whitney Houston. Impressed with Alexander's talent and no-nonsense attitude, Houston signed Alexander on to choreograph her sold-out I'm Your Baby Tonight world tour.Music was only part of the picture for the thespian, however, and to pursue her dream of becoming an accomplished actress, Alexander enrolled at the Stella Adler Conservatory. While she would continue to accept supporting roles in projects she was attracted to, two prominent gigs would catapult Alexander's career in 1995 when she accepted a regular part on the prime-time drama ER as sister to Eriq La Salle's Dr. Peter Benton, as well as a starring role in the critically acclaimed ensemble sitcom NewsRadio. While the two strong characters and formats were drastically different, Alexander stayed with NewsRadio until 1998, and continued to reprise her role on ER for seven years. After retiring from both of her TV gigs, Alexander continued to participate in a variety of projects until 2002, when an irresistible character would draw her back into television. The CSI spin-off CSI: Miami offered the part of smart, dignified coroner named Dr. Alexx Woods. The character seemed tailor-made for the charismatic actress, who joined the cast from the show's inception. Alexander would stick with the series for season upon season, as it became one of the most watched shows on TV. Alexander never abandoned the love of dance and stage acting that once dominated her career. In 1998 she played the leading role of Velma Kelly in a nationally touring production of Bob Fosse's Chicago. She has also taken to the stage in productions such as The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun, Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?, Legacy, Period of Adjustment, and Color of Blue.

Trivia: Though her family would ultimately settle in Italy, Sofia Milos was born to a Greek father and Italian mother in Zurich, Switzerland. By the time she reached adolescence, Milos had demonstrated a clear knack for the liberal arts, and, in addition to proving herself a skilled painter, had become fluent in Italian, French, German, Greek, Suisse, Spanish, and English. Though she wouldn't begin acting until later in life, Milos nonetheless got used to public scrutiny when she won a beauty contest at the age of 14, beginning a successful modeling career a year later -- so successful, in fact, that the money she earned modeling throughout France, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United States paid for her education at the School of Business and Economics in Switzerland.In 1990, Milos decided to take up residence in the United States, where she spent time living in New York before settling down in Los Angeles. Shortly after her arrival, Milos began attending acting classes at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, which is led by renowned acting coach and director Milton Katselas. Milos worked primarily in theater circles until 1993, when she was cast in Café Americain, NBC's short-lived sitcom co-starring Valerie Bertinelli and Maurice Godin. Though the show wasn't a hit, the right people noticed her potential, and Milos began racking up an impressive television resumé. She appeared on Friends in 1995, made a guest appearance on Mad About You in 1996, and landed a reoccurring role on Caroline in the City from 1997-1998. Though she made her feature film debut in 1999 -- she played one of Tim Meadows' voluptuous love interests in The Ladies Man -- it wasn't until her performance as mob boss Annalisa Zucca on HBO's The Sopranos that she would achieve mainstream recognition.HBO continued to showcase Milos' talents in Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm, for which she played an entirely improvised role as the girlfriend of Richard Lewis. After several more unsuccessful television pilots and a guest spot on ER, Milos starred as a long-suffering widow opposite Jason Isaacs and Lupe Ontiveros in Passionada (2003). Following the film, Milos landed a regular role as detective Yelina Salas in the hit television drama CSI: Miami.

Trivia: U.S. character actor Jonathan Togo is best known for his multi-season portrayal of Ryan Wolfe, the police officer-turned-laboratory geneticist on the blockbuster crime series CSI: Miami. His resumé also includes an appearance in the Clint Eastwood-helmed ensemble feature Mystic River (2003).

Trivia: With his bald head and beefy exterior, Hollywood character player Rex Linn quickly built up an acting resumé replete with many portrayals of toughs, feds, cops, thugs, and -- occasionally -- unremarkable, beleaguered everymen. Born in the panhandle of the Lone Star State, Linn came of age in the small Texas town of Spearman. He discovered a lingering interest in drama during his teenage years, but buckled under the weight of discouragement from an acting coach, and put acting on the shelf to focus on career pursuits in banking and the oil industry. Dissatisfied with these fields, Linn convinced an Oklahoma talent agent to sign him, and made the leap from commercials to feature roles with his portrayal of serial murderer Fred Epps in the Peter Masterson-directed thriller Night Game (1989), opposite Roy Scheider. The pleasure of this experience prompted Linn to head to the West Coast, where he worked construction, landed intermittent acting assignments, and studied the craft under the tutelage of Silvana Gallardo in Studio City, CA. Linn was memorable as the rogue treasury agent who assists terrorist John Lithgow in the Sylvester Stallone vehicle Cliffhanger (1993), which brought the actor the recognition he so persistently sought and led to a series of supporting roles in dozens of feature films. Linn's portrayal of Frank McLaury in Wyatt Earp (1994) marked the first in a series of several onscreen collaborations with Kevin Costner that also included the romantic comedy Tin Cup (1996) and the laborious sci-fi epic The Postman (1997). Linn also landed guest appearances on such series as JAG and 3rd Rock From the Sun. He is best known, however, for his fine portrayal of Miami-Dade Police Department detective Frank Tripp on the hit crime series CSI: Miami.

Trivia: Spent six years traveling around the world after graduating college. Was a New York City bartender before landing his first acting role. Joined the Workhouse Theatre Company while studying with Will Esper. Nearly died from a bacterial infection in 2009; he spent three weeks in the ICU and had to have two toes and half a thumb amputated. In 2010, began playing Mayhem in a long-running series of Allstate Insurance ads.

Trivia: At 14, ran away from home and took a Greyhound bus to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an actor, but his parents tracked him down and sent him to a boarding school in Ireland. After graduating from high school in Omaha, he studied French, art history and theatre in Paris. Was cast as an understudy in the Broadway production of Biloxi Blues. As a 46-year-old training for the lead role in the FX series Lights Out, McCallany fulfilled a lifelong dream to fight in an amateur boxing competition, winning a three-round decision against a German heavyweight.

Trivia: Also known as Sticky Fingaz, Sticky, and sometimes credited as Kirk `Sticky' Jones. Began musical career as frontman for the hardcore rap group Onyx in 1992. Released his first solo album, Black Trash: The Autobiography of Kirk Jones, in 2000. In addition to guest spots on numerous television series, landed the title role on Spike's Blade: The Series in 2006.

Trivia: Maryland-born Lance Reddick began his acting career in the late '90s with small appearances in projects like Great Expectations and What the Deaf Man Heard. Eventually, Reddick was cast in the role of John Basil on the hard-hitting prison drama Oz in 2000, making him a recognizable face to thousands of fans. He would soon follow this role with another starring TV appearance, playing Lt. Cedric Daniels, on the critically acclaimed hit The Wire. This would lead to still more success for Reddick, who would go on to play Matthew Abaddon on the sci-fi series Lost and Special Agent Philip Broyles on the cult hit Fringe.

Trivia: Half of the producing tandem behind the most testosterone-laden action flicks, the name Jerry Bruckheimer has become synonymous with explosive pyrotechnics and machine-gun fire. The producer of such hits as Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Top Gun (1986), and Days of Thunder (1990), Bruckheimer dissolved his partnership with hard-partying producer Don Simpson in 1995, only weeks before Simpson's death and after 14 tumultuous years together. Despite a reputation for quantity over quality, Bruckheimer has remained one of Hollywood's most successful producers ever, putting his distinctive stamp on such adrenaline-fueled hits as Con Air (1997) and Armageddon (1998).The son of German-Jewish immigrants, Bruckheimer was born on September 21, 1945. He grew up poor, living in a tiny house in a blue-collar Jewish section of Detroit. Dropped off at a weekly matinee by his mother and salesman father, Bruckheimer developed a love for the cinema that eventually channeled him toward photography. He won several local prizes before fleeing Detroit for Madison Avenue, by way of the University of Arizona, where he received a degree in psychology, and on the strength of a Bonnie and Clyde spoof he helmed for Pontiac. The future producer left a lucrative advertising job in New York to accept low-paying film work in the early '70s, part of the pursuit of his dream. He worked with director Dick Richards on his first few projects, as associate producer on The Culpepper Cattle Company (1972) and producer on Farewell, My Lovely (1975) and March or Die (1977). Bruckheimer began gaining notice through a pair of Paul Schrader films, the Richard Gere hustler film American Gigolo (1979), and the feline horror flick Cat People (1982). But it was his first pairing with old buddy Don Simpson, on the 1983 surprise smash Flashdance, that kicked off his string of hits, which has continued more or less unabated. The underdog story of a Pittsburgh arc welder with dreams of ballet dancing, Flashdance used a synthesis of music, sex, quick edits, and bold aspirations to rake in 95 million dollars -- an incredible take for an unheralded R-rated film, making it the third-highest box-office haul of 1983. Bruckheimer and Simpson were on the map and then some. Forming Simpson-Bruckheimer Productions and signing a long-term deal with Paramount, Bruckheimer and Simpson complemented each other well, likening their partnership to a strong marriage, but without the sex. Simpson's extensive industry contacts and Hollywood ladder climbing earned him the nickname "Mr. Inside," while Bruckheimer's practical experience with filmmaking, much of it through advertising, qualified him as "Mr. Outside." With both sides covered, the pair could do no wrong. Their popcorn films fed the public's need for the loud and the proud, quickly assuming iconic status and elevating such actors as Tom Cruise (Top Gun) and Eddie Murphy (Beverly Hills Cop) to bona-fide superstardom. In 1990, the team dissolved its deal with Paramount "by mutual agreement," and began a non-exclusive, five-year pact with Disney subsidiary Hollywood Pictures the following year. Initially slowed, but undaunted, Bruckheimer and Simpson had their next big wave of hits in 1995, releasing Dangerous Minds, Crimson Tide, and Bad Boys in quick succession and reaffirming their relevance. However, Simpson's behind-the-scenes drug problems were damaging the partnership irreparably, and Bruckheimer called off the professional union at the end of that successful year, at the close of production on The Rock (1996). Simpson died a month later of heart failure. As both Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside, Bruckheimer excelled. Con Air was a hit in 1997, and the Bruce Willis asteroid flick Armageddon grossed the second most of any film released in 1998, at just over 200 million dollars. Bruckheimer achieved mid-level success -- but at the cost of ever-growing critical disdain -- with the releases of Enemy of the State (1998), Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), and Coyote Ugly (2000). Hoping to mix Oscar credentials with his traditional blend of wham-bam thrills, Bruckheimer provided the muscle behind Michael Bay's 150-million-dollar-plus World War II action-romance Pearl Harbor (2001). But critics and the Academy were not as receptive to this film as to such epic tragedies as Titanic (1997) and Saving Private Ryan (1998), and issued Bruckheimer across-the-board raspberries. The film was considered an unqualified dud, its 200-million-dollar take well short of expectations. Bruckheimer did achieve a measure of redemption later that year with the release of Black Hawk Down. Ridley Scott's re-creation of an ill-fated U.S. military mission in Somalia, the film scored raves and four Oscar nominations, winning for its editing and sound. Bruckheimer expanded his production empire into television crating the enormously successful CSI franchise, as well as Without a Trace, and the multiple Emmy winning reality show The Amazing Race. He continued producing feature films as eclectic as Kangaroo Jack and Bad Company, but in 2003 he helped steer the massively successful Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. That film was so successful Disney agreed to finance two sequels to be produced simultaneously. The first of those to hit theaters, Dead Man's Chest, shattered box-office records for biggest opening day and biggest opening weekend, and was the first film to take in over $100 million in two days. The next film in the franchise, At World's End, was no disappointment either, and another installment, On Stranger Tides, was added in 2011 to the same box office success.Meanwhile, Bruckheimer's winning streak producing TV continued with shows like Without a Trace, The Forgotten, Take the Money & Run, the CSI family, and more. Additionally, Bruckheimer signed on to produce the big screen adaptation of The Lone Ranger in 2013.

Trivia: Practiced law in Washington, D.C., before deciding to move to Los Angeles and pursue a writing career in the entertainment industry. First audition piece was a sample script for Remington Steele, which landed her a position as a writer for Fame. Early career highlights include writing for Hardcastle & McCormick and Wiseguy, and working as an executive producer on Melrose Place. Was working on the pilot for Frogmen, which was set to star O.J. Simpson until he was arrested and jailed. Has been executive producer and showrunner of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation since its first season, making her one of the few women in the industry to hold such a position.

Trivia: Father is Afro-Cuban, mother is Irish-English. Decided to try modeling after suffering a football injury in high school. Nominated three years in a row (2000-02) for an ALMA award as Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama for his work on Days of Our Lives. Traveled to South Africa in 2004 as part of an HIV-awareness health campaign. Involved in the charity PADRES Contra El Cancer, which helps economically disadvantaged Latino families whose children are diagnosed with cancer. Has modeled for Versace, International Male and El Pollo Loco.

Trivia: Stocky and heavyset African-American supporting player Omar Benson Miller (whose looks recalled a young Forest Whitaker) debuted onscreen in the early 2000s. Miller appeared in a host of films of varying quality, including 8 Mile (2002), the Richard Gere remake Shall We Dance? (2004), and the direct-to-video sexploitation comedy American Pie Presents: Band Camp (2005). In 2007, Miller tackled slightly more somber material with a key role in the Halle Berry-Benicio Del Toro psychological drama Things We Lost in the Fire, about the relationship between a grieving widow and a heroin addict. Miller would continue to find success on screen for years to come, appearing in movies like Miracle at St. Anna and The Sorcerer's Apprentice, as well as on the TV series CSI: Miami.

Trivia: Appeared on TV shows such as Entourage, CSI: Miami and Rules of Engagement. Made her movie debut in the direct-to-video horror film Scarred (2005), where she played a minor role. Played the character of Sabrina Pope in the 2006 crime-drama film Alpha Dog, written and directed by Nick Cassavetes. Best known for her role as troubled teenager Samantha Best in The Best Years (2007-09). Starred as April on the VH1 series Single Ladies (2011-15) alongside Denise Vasi and LisaRaye McCoy.