Trivia: Dynamic African American leading man and character actor William Marshall trained in both grand opera and Shakespeare. In films from 1952, the NYU-educated Marshall didn't really hit it big until the "blaxploitation" era of the 1970s. He starred in the better-than-you'd-think contemporary vampire melodrama Blacula (1972) and its just-as-bad-as-it-sounds sequel, Scream Blacula Scream (1973). From 1987 to 1989, William Marshall was seen as the King of Cartoons on the Saturday morning TV kiddie show Pee-wee's Playhouse, a job he accepted on behalf of his grandchildren, who weren't yet permitted to see the Blacula flicks.

Trivia: The reigning queen of the 1970s blaxploitation genre, Pam Grier was born May 26, 1949, in Winston-Salem, NC. An Air Force mechanic's daughter, she was raised on military bases in England and Germany. During her teen years the family settled in Denver, CO, where at the age of 18, Grier entered the Miss Colorado Universe pageant. Named first runner-up, she attracted the attention of Hollywood agent David Baumgarten, who signed her to a contract. After relocating to Los Angeles, Grier struggled to mount an acting career, and worked as a switchboard operator at the studios of Roger Corman's American International Pictures. Finally, with Corman's aid, she made her film debut in the 1970 Russ Meyer cult classic Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, followed by an appearance in Jack Hill's 1971 cheapie The Big Doll House. For several years, Grier languished virtually unnoticed in grindhouse fare like 1971's Women in Cages and 1973's Arena (aka Naked Warriors) before winning the title role in Hill's 1973 action outing Coffy. Playing a nurse seeking vengeance against the drug dealers responsible for her sister's descent into heroin addiction, Grier immediately rose to the forefront of the so-called "blaxploitation" genre, a group of action-adventure films aimed squarely at African-American audiences. Portraying the 1974 superheroine Foxy Brown, she became a major cult figure, as her character's fierce independence, no-nonsense attitude, and empowered spirit made her a role model for blacks and feminists alike. At the peak of her popularity, Grier even appeared on the covers of Ms. and New York magazines. Her films' often racy content also made her a sex symbol, and additionally she posed nude for the men's magazine Players. Successive action roles as gumshoe Sheba Shayne in 1975's Sheba, Baby and as the titular reporter Friday Foster further elevated Grier's visibility, but fearing continued typecasting she shifted gears to star opposite Richard Pryor in the fact-based 1977 auto-racing drama Greased Lightning. She did not reappear onscreen for four years, resurfacing to acclaim in 1981 as a murderous prostitute in Fort Apache, the Bronx; however, no other major roles were forthcoming, and she spent much of the decade appearing on television and in straight-to-cable features. A major role in the 1988 Steven Seagal action hit Above the Law marked the beginning of a comeback, and after appearing in 1993's Posse, Grier starred with fellow blaxploitation vets Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree, and Fred "the Hammer" Williamson in 1996's Original Gangstas, a throwback to the films of the early '70s. In 1997, the actress' career resurgence was complete with the title role in Jackie Brown, written in her honor by director and longtime fan Quentin Tarantino. Grier's tough, sexy portrayal of a jaded flight attendant earned praise from critics far and wide, as well as the promise of steady work. She could subsequently be seen in a consistently wide range of films, like Jawbreaker (1999), Holy Smoke (1999), The Invited, and Larry Crowne, in addition to a host of successful TV roles on shows like Smallville and The L Word.

Trivia: Tall, balding, good-looking actor Michael Conrad came to prominence in the role of Sgt. Esterhaus on the TV series Hill Street Blues. He had many supporting roles in movies.

Trivia: Black supporting actor, onscreen from the '70s.

Trivia: Versatile African-American actress Lynne Moody did not confine her activities exclusively to television, though that was where she usually could be found. Fans of Roots will recall Moody as Irene Harvey, wife of the great-grandson of Kunta Kinte in both the original 1977 miniseries and its 1979 sequel. She was seen on a weekly basis as Tracy Curtis Taylor in That's My Mama (1974-75), Polly Dawson in Soap (1979-81), Nurse Julie Williams in E/R (the 1984 sitcom, not the current medical drama) and Patricia Williams in Knot's Landing (1988-90). Lynne Moody was more recently cast as Elizabeth Butler in a brace of "Ray Alexander" TV-movies.

Trivia: Towering (5'11") redheaded actress Barbara Rhoades was 20 years old when she signed her first studio contract with Universal. She was possessed of a self-sufficiency and breezy sense of humor that belied her youth. The best of her early screen roles was gun-toting lady bandit Penelope Cushings in the 1968 Don Knotts vehicle Shakiest Gun in the West (a remake of The Paleface [1948] wherein Rhoades' role was played by Jane Russell). Beginning with 1977's Busting Loose, she was a regular on several TV sitcoms. For reasons best known to casting directors, Barbara Rhoades almost always ended up playing someone named Maggie: Maggie Gallegher in Hangin' In (1979), Maggie Chandler in Soap (1980-1981), Maggie Davis in You Again? (1986).

Trivia: One of the postwar "new breed" of African-American actors, Bernie Hamilton wasn't about to settle for subservient roles when he entered films. He started off well in the role of Ernie, one of several black ballplayers in The Jackie Robinson Story (1950), and managed to maintain his integrity thereafter in a motion-picture world that was not politely inclined to nonwhites. In 1964 Hamilton had his best film role, as the black husband of white Barbara Barrie in the groundbreaking One Potato, Two Potato (1964). As more opportunities availed themselves to African-American performers, Hamilton was able to take parts that didn't call attention to the race issue, though he still made his share of appearances in such black-oriented pictures as The Organization (1971) and Bucktown (1975). Fans of the '70s cop series Starsky and Hutch will remember Bernie Hamilton in the role of Captain Dobey, S. and H.'s superior officer.

Trivia: African-American actor Bob Minor gained his cinematic entree as a stuntman. His earliest speaking roles came by way of the blaxploitation pictures of the '70s. Two of the more profitable examples of this genre were Coffy (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974), both of which starred Pam Grier and featured Minor in supporting roles. The actor occasionally surfaced in mainstream films designed for a more generic audience, notably The Deep (1978) (as Wiley), White Dog (1982) and Glory (1989) but even after attaining this filmic level he couldn't quite escape such exploitation flicks as Swinging Cheerleaders (1976). Bob Minor worked with regularity on television, just missing consistent weekly work in such never-purchased pilots as Friendly Persuasion (1975), Dr. Scorpion (1978) and Samurai (1979).

Trivia: Actor Kenneth O'Brien appeared in films of the '70s and '80s. He also appeared in made-for-TV movies and guest starred on television series.

Trivia: Solidly built American actor Craig T. Nelson started out as a comedy writer and performer, doing radio and nightspot gigs in the Los Angeles area. Success was not immediately forthcoming, and Nelson took a four-year sabbatical from show business, moving with his family to a remote cabin in Northern California. In 1979, he made his first film, ...And Justice For All, written by his onetime partner Barry Levinson. While subsequent roles in Poltergeist and Silkwood followed, Nelson would find true stardom on television. For eight seasons beginning in 1989, he starred as college athletics instuctor Hayden Fox on the top-ranked ABC sitcom Coach. Appearing alongside supporting players Jerry Van Dyke and Shelly Fabares, Nelson received an Emmy for his work on the show in 1992.After Coach, Nelson showed up in a few small roles in feature films and television mini-series before returning to series work in 2000, leading the cast of CBS's D.C.-based cop-drama The District. While enjoying the success of that show, Nelson found time for his first high-profile feature film role in over a decade, providing the voice of the head of a family of superheroes in the 2004 Disney/Pixar animated film The Incredibles. In 2005 he played the patriarch of the dysfunctional clan in The Family Stone, and followed that up two years later as skating coach in the comedy Blades of Glory. He was Ryan Reynolds disapproving dad in the hit comedy The Proposal in 2009. He was cast as the head of the Braverman clan in NBC's relaunch of Parenthood in 2010, and appeared in the inspirational Soul Surfer in 2011.