Trivia: An actress who has been noted equally for her talent and beauty, Sanaa Lathan first caught the attention of critics and audiences alike in a series of witty, thought-provoking late-'90s films about the lives of young African-Americans. Featured prominently in such ensemble pieces as The Best Man and The Wood (both 1999), Lathan won her first starring role in Gina Prince-Bythewood's widely acclaimed Love & Basketball (2000), playing a talented basketball player who finds her professional dreams complicated by her relationship with her boyfriend and her own expectations of herself. Lathan's work in the film, along with her performance that same year in Prince-Bythewood's HBO movie Disappearing Acts, announced the actress as a charismatic new talent to watch. Born on October 19, 1971, Lathan -- whose first name is Swahili for "work of art" -- was the second oldest of five children born to Broadway actress and dancer Eleanor McCoy and director/producer Stan Lathan. Surrounded by show business since day one, Lathan began training in dance and gymnastics at an early age. Following her parents' divorce, she grew up shuttling between her mother's home in New York and Los Angeles, where her father lived. During her undergraduate education at UC Berkeley, where she studied English and toyed with the idea of becoming a lawyer, Lathan became involved with the Black Theater Workshop. Thanks in part to her stage experiences with the Workshop, she was encouraged to try out for the Yale School of Drama, where she was ultimately accepted.Following her training at Yale, where she performed in a number of Shakespeare's plays, Lathan earned acclaim both off-Broadway and on the Los Angeles stage. Encouraged by her father to make L.A. her professional base, the young actress found early TV work on episodes of such shows as Family Matters, NYPD Blue, and Moesha. During that same period, she won raves and a Best Actress nod from the Los Angeles NAACP Theatrical Award Committee for her performance in To Take Arms.In 1998, Lathan earned a degree of big-screen recognition with her role as the mother of Wesley Snipes' title character in Blade. She followed this the subsequent year with back-to-back turns in The Best Man and The Wood. The former was a comedic ensemble piece starring Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Harold Perrineau Jr., and Monica Calhoun, and featured Lathan as Diggs' girlfriend; while the latter, another ensemble piece starring Diggs, Omar Epps, and Richard T. Jones, cast her as the love interest of Epps, who also happened to be her real-life boyfriend. In 1999, Lathan played yet another girlfriend, this time Eddie Murphy's, in Ted Demme's comedy Life. Lathan and Epps were reunited onscreen in Prince-Bythewood's Love & Basketball, this time playing a couple as passionate about basketball as they are about each other. The widely lauded film served as a break-out role for Lathan, who was finally able to play a leading character instead of the girlfriend of one. Her work in Love & Basketball earned her Best Actress nominations for both the N.A.A.C.P. Image Award and the Independent Spirit Award. That same year, Lathan earned additional acclaim for her work in the multicultural comedy Catfish in Black Bean Sauce and for her second collaboration with Prince-Bythewood, Disappearing Acts. Based on a novel by Terry McMillan, the HBO movie cast Lathan as an aspiring singer/songwriter in love with a carpenter, played by her Blade co-star Wesley Snipes. For her work in the film Lathan earned an Essence Award for Best Actress, as well as the added assurance of a very busy work schedule.

Trivia: Participated in her high school choir which led to a serious interest in voice and singing. Originally aspired to be an R&B singer but changed to classical music after being inspired by voice teacher Gwendolyn Lentz. Spent a summer studying Shakespeare at Oxford University in England. Tried out for an understudy part in the Broadway production of Ghost the Musical but was later cast in the principal role of Oda Mae during an absence by the original actress due to an injury.

Trivia: Artistic partner of fellow rapper/actor Redman, Method Man was also an original member of the hip-hop group the Wu-Tang Clan before his solo rap career began. He made two solo albums, the first of which contained the original version of the Grammy award-winning single "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By," featuring Mary J. Blige, as well as numerous collaborations with the likes of Redman, Notorious B.I.G. Method Man has subsequently continued to accumulate a broad range of credits.Featured in Brian Robbins' documentary The Show (1995), preceded by appearances in his own music videos, Method Man officially became an actor in the late 1990s when he appeared in The Great White Hype, Copland, and Belly. He also played a small role in Kevin Reynolds' 187 (1997) and made a guest appearance on an episode of the pseudo-animated series Space Ghost Coast to Coast in 1996.Method Man has made many cameo appearances as himself, in roles ranging from walk-on to starring, in all genres including the film Black and White (1999), the video Backstage: Hard Knock Life, and as the host of the television series Stung in 2002. The HBO dramatic prison series Oz featured Method Man in a 2001 season episode. His acting credits continued with the feature films How High with Redman and Obba Babatunde, and Brown Sugar with Queen Latifah in 2002.Additionally, his background as a rapper aided Method Man's involvement in the film industry, as he is accredited on several soundtracks from the 1990s and 2000s. Soundtrack credits include the major motion pictures Batman Forever, Space Jam, Gone in Sixty Seconds, Rush Hour 2, and All About the Benjamins.He continued to work steadily in a variety of projects including Scary Movie 3, Garden State, Soul Plane, The Wackness, The Sitter, and Red Tails as well as contributing to a number of music documentaries.

Trivia: Mike Epps' name has become synonymous with a particular style of humor, through his appearance with several other African-American artists in the same genre. Epps earned a large portion of his fame through his credits in several Ice Cube films, including Next Friday (also starring Chris Tucker), How High (with Redman and Method Man), Friday After Next, and All About the Benjamins. Aside from featuring Ice Cube, the common thread of these films was the hilarious prominence of marijuana-smoking comic characters like the ones portrayed by Epps.Born in Indianapolis, IN, into a large family, Epps' natural comedic ability was encouraged at an early age, and he began performing standup as a teenager. He moved to Atlanta where he worked at the Comedy Act Theater, before moving to New York City to star in Def Comedy Jam in 1995. His first major film role came just two years later when he starred in Vin Diesel's Strays, a dramatic portrayal of relationships and drugs. In 1999, he made an appearance on the HBO mafia series The Sopranos.In addition to his aforementioned film work with Ice Cube, Epps had several other feature-film appearances. In 2000, he was featured in Bait, starring Jamie Foxx and David Morse, and in the jail-comedy 3 Strikes. He performed the voice of Sonny in Dr. Dolittle 2, starring Eddie Murphy, in 2001. As he gained more recognition, his comedic talent began to blossom, as demonstrated in his two 2002 features: Kevin Bray's All About the Benjamins, an action-packed comedy, and the sequel-to-the-sequel, Friday After Next, in which he starred as Day-Day. He took over the part of Ed Norton in the big-screen remake of The Honeymooners, and had a major supporting role in the Petey Green biopic Talk to Me. He had a part in the smash 2009 comedy The Hangover, had a big part in Next Day Air, and a turn in Lottery Ticket. In addition to his acting, he kept churning out comedy specials.In 2012 he was one of the stars of Whitney Houston's last movie Sparkle, and played a teacher in the comedy Mac + Devin Go to High School. He reprised his role in The Hangover Part III and played the love interest in the HBO film Bessie. Epps also had a presence in TV, appearing in series like Survivor's Remose and Being Mary Jane, and playing the title role in the remake of Uncle Buck.

Trivia: Frequently relocated throughout his childhood because of his father's military service.Took voice lessons when he was middle school.Started acting during his senior year of high school, at age 17, securing a lead role in his first musical, 1940 Radio Hour.Worked as a New York Knicks Acroback Tumbler, performing during half-times at the Knicks Madison Square Garden home games, early in his entertainment career.Was also a part of Liberty Dancers, the co-ed hip hop WNBA dance team.

Trivia: Justin Martin began his professional career at the tender age of 10, with a role in 2004's Doing Hard Time. The Georgia native had already gained a little experience on-stage doing theater at his church before heading to LA in 2003, where he landed several commercials and guest television roles. By 2008, he was already making professional breakthroughs with parts in the acclaimed telefilm A Raisin in the Sun, the teen blockbuster High School Musical 3: Senior Year, and the sports docudrama The Express. Martin would continue to act in various projects for years to come, appearing in The Soloist, White Frog, and more.