Trivia: Australian-born actor Sam Worthington got his first break in the Belvoir Street Theatre production Judas Kiss, shortly after graduating from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art. He eventually made the transition to the screen, appearing in the Australian movie Bootmen. Worthington earned small roles in other films such as Hart's War, and eventually won the lead in the drama Dirty Deeds opposite Toni Collette. He later earned a prominent role in the critically acclaimed Somersault, which won a slew of awards, including an AFI for Worthington in the category of Best Actor. In 2006, he joined many young men of the acting community in going up for the role of James Bond, and while the legendary part went to Daniel Craig, Worthington took the title role in a modern retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth, garnering the 30-year-old actor a lot of attention. He caught the eye of director James Cameron, who cast Worthington as the lead in his sci-fi thriller Avatar. That film would become one of the biggest box-office successes in movie history and he would follow up that newfound celebrity with turns in another effects-laden extravaganza Clash of the Titans, as well as the indie drama Last Night. In 2012 he returned to the role of Perseus for Wrath of the Titans, and starred in the thriller Man on a Ledge. In 2013, he appeared in the Australian film Drift, followed by another Australian film, Paper Planes, in 2014. The following year, he appeared in Cake, opposite Jennifer Aniston, and in the disaster film Everest.

Trivia: While his police-chief father wanted him to become a soccer player, Austrian-born actor Arnold Schwarzenegger opted instead for a bodybuilding career. Born July 30, 1947, in the small Austrian town of Graz, Schwarzenegger went on to win several European contests and international titles (including Mr. Olympia) and then came to the U.S. for body-building exhibitions, billing himself immodestly but fairly accurately as "The Austrian Oak." Though his thick Austrian accent and slow speech patterns led some to believe that the Austrian Oak was shy a few leaves, Schwarzenegger was, in fact, a highly motivated and intelligent young man. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in business and economics, he invested his contest earnings in real estate and a mail-order bodybuilding equipment company.A millionaire before the age of 22, Schwarzenegger decided to try acting. Producers were impressed by his physique but not his mouthful of a last name, so it was as Arnold Strong that he made his film bow in the low-budget spoof Hercules in New York (1970, with a dubbed voice). He reverted to his own name for the 1976 film Stay Hungry, then achieved stardom as "himself" in the 1977 documentary Pumping Iron. In The Villain (1979), a cartoon-like Western parody, he played "Handsome Stranger," exhibiting a gift for understated comedy that would more or less go unexploited for many years thereafter. With Conan the Barbarian (1982) and its sequel, Conan the Destroyer (1984), the actor established himself as an action star, though his acting was backtracking into two-dimensionality (understandably, given the nature of the Conan role). As the murderous android title character in The Terminator (1984), Schwarzenegger became a bona fide box-office draw, and also established his trademark of coining repeatable catchphrases in his films: "I'll be back," in Terminator, "Consider this a divorce," in Total Recall (1990), and so on.As Danny De Vito's unlikely pacifistic sibling in Twins (1988), Schwarzenegger received the praise of critics who noted his "unsuspected" comic expertise (quite forgetting The Villain). In Kindergarten Cop (1991), Schwarzenegger played a hard-bitten police detective who found his true life's calling as a schoolteacher (his character was a cop only because it was expected of him by his policeman father, which could have paralleled his own life). Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), wherein Schwarzenegger exercised his star prerogative and insisted that the Terminator become a good guy, was the most expensive film ever made up to its time -- and one of the biggest moneymakers. The actor's subsequent action films were equally as costly; sometimes the expenditures paid off, while other times the result was immensely disappointing -- for the box-office disappointment Last Action Hero (1992), Schwarzenegger refreshingly took full responsibility, rather than blaming the failure on his production crew or studio as other "superstars" have been known to do.A rock-ribbed Republican despite his marriage to JFK's niece, Maria Shriver (with whom he has four children), Schwarzenegger was appointed by George Bush in 1990 as chairman of the President's Council of Physical Fitness and Sports, a job he took as seriously and with as much dedication as any of his films. A much-publicized investment in the showbiz eatery Planet Hollywood increased the coffers in Schwarzenegger's already bulging bank account. Schwarzenegger then added directing to his many accomplishments, piloting a few episodes of the cable-TV series Tales From the Crypt as well as a 1992 remake of the 1945 film Christmas in Connecticut.Schwarzenegger bounced back from the disastrous Last Action Hero with 1994's True Lies, which, despite its mile-wide streak of misogyny and its gaping plot and logic holes, was one of the major hits of that summer's movie season. Following the success of True Lies, Schwarzenegger went back to doing comedy with Junior, co-starring with Emma Thompson and his old Twins accomplice Danny De Vito. The film met with critically mixed results, although it fared decently at the box office. Undeterred, Schwarzenegger continued down the merry, if treacherous, path of alternating action with comedy with 1996's Eraser and Jingle All the Way, the latter of which proved to be both a critical bomb and a box-office disappointment. In a move that suggested he had realized that audiences wanted him back in the world of assorted weaponry and explosives, Schwarzenegger returned to the action realm with 1997's Batman & Robin, which unfortunately proved to be a huge critical disappointment, although, in the tradition of most Schwarzenegger action films, it did manage to gross well over 100 million dollars at the box office and over 130 million dollars more the world over.The turn of the century found Schwarzenegger's star losing some of its luster with a pair of millennial paranoia films, 1999's End of Days and 2000's The 6th Day. The former film -- in which a security consultant has to save the world from Satan -- was critically lambasted and, despite a powerful opening weekend, failed to recoup its cost in the States. The latter film -- a cloning parable which bore more than a passing resemblance to Total Recall -- received more positive notices, but took in less than half the receipts Days did just one year prior. Perhaps as a response to these failures, Schwarzenegger prepped three films reminiscent of former successes, all scheduled for release in 2001 and 2002: the terrorist action thriller Collateral Damage, True Lies 2, and the long-anticipated Terminator 3. Though Collateral Damage received a chilly reception at the box office and the development of True Lies 2 fell into question, longtime fans of the cigar-chomping strongman rejoiced when Arnold resumed his role as a seriously tough cyborg in Terminator 3. Though he made a cameo in director Frank Coraci's adaptation of Around the World in 80 Days, Arnold's most notable role of the new millenium was political -- Schwarzenegger replaced Gray Davis as governor of California in the highly controversial recall election of 2003.In 2010, Schwarzenegger played the character of Trench in The Expendables, an action thriller following a group of tough-as-nails mercinaries as they deal with the aftermath of a mission gone wrong, and reprised the role for The Expendables 2 in 2012.

Trivia: Though Terrence Howard's great grandmother Minnie Gentry was a successful New York stage actress, Howard didn't venture onto the screen himself until the age of twenty. Raised in a multiracial Jehovah's Witness household, the young man studied chemical engineering at Pratt Institute before being discovered on the street in New York. This quickly led to appearances on such television shows as Coach, Street Legal, Living Single, and Picket Fences. His breakout role in 1995's Mr. Holland's Opus helped pave the way for Howard's film career, as did his critically acclaimed performance as Cowboy in the Hughes brothers film Dead Presidents. By the time he took the role of Quentin in 1999's The Best Man, Howard had established a reputation as an actor of both skill and integrity. The new millennium finally brought Howard work that showcased his talent and made him a well-known name, like his role in the Paul Haggis film Crash, as well as his work in the John Singleton's Four Brothers. He also attracted the spotlight on the small screen with parts in the acclaimed TV films Their Eyes Were Watching God with Halle Berry, and Lackawanna Blues with S. Epatha Merkerson. This set the stage for his career-making performance as a pimp desperate to create a new life for himself as a musician in Hustle & Flow, for which he earned an Oscar nomination. Over the coming years, Howard would remain a vital force on screen, appearing in several films, likeGet Rich or Die Tryin', Idlewild, Iron Man, and On the Road. In 2013, he played a supporting role in Lee Daniel's The Butler and reprised his role in The Best Man Holiday. Howard returned to television in Fox's smash-hit Empire, playing music mogul Lucious Lyon.

Trivia: For half a decade, actor Josh Holloway made his living with TV guest spots and supporting roles in movies most people have never heard of. But in 2004, that all changed when he landed the part of marooned conman James "Sawyer" Ford on the mindbending ABC drama Lost. Following the show's success, Holloway moved into the realm of film, appearing in movies like Stay Cool and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. In 2014, he returned to television in on the CBS series Intelligence.

Trivia: Played football, basketball and volleyball at his Pittsburgh high school. Attended Carnegie Mellon University at the same time as Matt Bomer; the two later co-starred in Magic Mike. Toured with the band Goldfinger as a roadie. Made his film debut as Eugene "Flash" Thompson in the 2002 adaptation of the Marvel comic-book series Spider-Man. In lieu of wedding gifts, he and Sofia Vergara asked guests to donate money to Pittsburgh Children's Hospital and St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

Trivia: Father was a Mormon missionary in France, where he met and converted Mireille's mother. Won an Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship while attending Brigham Young University. Performed with the New York acting troupe Handcart Ensemble. Was five months pregnant while shooting the pilot for crime drama The Killing. Prepped for her detective role in The Killing by grilling the series' still photographer, who had spent 20 years as a homicide investigator. Holds a black belt in tae kwon do.

Trivia: A struggling stage actress when she was cast in the Kevin Costner epic The Postman (1997), British actress Olivia Williams survived the film's meltdown with her reputation relatively intact. The daughter of lawyers, Williams earned a degree in English at Cambridge University before studying acting for two years with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Her training led to several stage roles, as well as to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company in both Stratford-upon-Avon and London. A four-month tour of Richard III featuring Ian McKellen brought Williams to the United States, and, following a supporting role in the made-for-TV adaptation of Emma (1997), she again found herself stateside to work on The Postman. Fortunately for Williams, she rebounded from The Postman with her role as Miss Cross, the fought-over love interest of a precocious 15-year-old and an embittered millionaire in the acclaimed comedy Rushmore (1998). She could be seen the next year starring opposite Bruce Willis in the enormously successful supernatural thriller The Sixth Sense. She continued to work steadily in films such as Born Romantic, The Man from Elysian Fields, A Knight's Tale, and Peter Pan. She was excellent in An Education as a sympathetic teacher, appeared in short-lived Joss Whedon series Dollhouse, and starred in Roman Polanski's politically-tinged thriller The Ghost Writer. In 2011 she had a main role in the action film Hanna and appeared as Countess Vronsky in Joe Wright's 2012 adaptation of the classic Anna Karenina.

Trivia: An accomplished young actor who has graced the stage, screen, and television, Harold Perrineau Jr. has earned a well-deserved reputation as a performer willing to take on just about anything, with roles ranging from drag queens to hardened criminals. A native of Brooklyn, Perrineau studied music and theatre at the Shenandoah Conservatory, but began his career as a dancer with the Alvin Ailey Company, performing with the troupe for a year and a half. A gradual shift to acting led Perrineau to the theatre, where he acted in a number of shows including Dreamgirls, the critically acclaimed Avenue X, and the off-Broadway revival of Godspell.While he was working on the stage, Perrineau also began appearing on TV in such shows as The Cosby Show, The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, I'll Fly Away, and Law & Order. He segued onto the big screen in the late '80s, but had his first memorable role as Rashid Cole, a young man searching for his long-absent father (Forest Whitaker) in Smoke, an acclaimed 1995 drama directed by Wayne Wang and based upon the writings of Paul Auster. The following year he gained further exposure for his flamboyant, explosive portrayal of Mercutio in Baz Luhrmann's William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet. At one point outfitted in a glitter miniskirt and platform heels, Perrineau proved a worthy, if idiosyncratic, foil for Leonardo Di Caprio's Romeo and gave a performance that marked him as one of the more distinctive Mercutios in the play's history.Perrineau subsequently appeared in a number of supporting roles in films ranging from Auster's Lulu on the Bridge (1998) to The Best Man (1999), a celebrated romantic comedy directed by Malcolm D. Lee (cousin of Spike Lee) that saw Perrineau share the screen with other members of a group widely billed as a new generation of African-American actors, including Taye Diggs, Morris Chestnut, and Nia Long. In addition to appearances in various independent films, Perrineau starred in Woman on Top (2000), a comedy that cast him as the drag queen best friend of a young woman (Penelope Cruz) experiencing romantic woes.In 1997, Perrineau made the move to the small screen, assuming the role of paraplegic convict and narrator Augustus Hill on the acclaimed HBO series Oz. The brutally violent, hard-hitting series generated Perrineau thousands of fans, and he stayed with the show until 2003 - the same year he took up the role of Link in The Matrix Reloaded, the second film in the explosive Matrix franchise. He would reprise the role the next year for the third and final installment in the series, The Matrix Revolutions, before returning to television just months later for the role of Michael on the cryptic ABC sci-fi/mystery/drama Lost. Playing a conflicted and sometimes morally ambiguous character, Perrineau soon proved to be a vital member of the cast, taking a hiatus from the series in 2007 only to return in 2008.Despite becoming a pivotal component of primetime TV, the actor remained as active in movies as ever. He took on the role of Flynn in the 2007 horror sequel 28 Weeks Later, and starred alongside Michael Madsen in the 2008 thriller The Killing Jar. After Lost ended in 2010, Perrineau continued to alternate between TV and film, playing the villain in season 5 of Sons of Anarchy and a decidedly lighter role as the bass player in a wedding band in the short-lived TBS comedy Wedding Band. He also played a supporting role in the controversial Oscar-nominated film Zero Dark Thirty (2012).

Trivia: Born in upstate New York in 1969, actor Max Martini performed on the stage throughout college before landing small but memorable roles in the high-profile feature films Saving Private Ryan and Contact. A number of TV guest spots followed, including multiple-episode arcs on Fox's 24 and the acclaimed Canadian cop show Da Vinci's Inquest. In 2006, Martini landed a lead role opposite Dennis Haysbert on CBS's The Unit, a military drama from Pulitzer Prize-winning writer David Mamet.

Trivia: Most recognizable as a Hal Hartley regular, tall, lanky Martin Donovan has made an indelible impression, gaining widespread respect as one of the more underrated figures in the film industry.Born August 19, 1957, in Reseda, CA, Donovan attended the American Theater of Arts in Los Angeles before working for a number of theaters in Los Angeles and New York. Donovan's first starring role came in the 1984 drama Hard Choices, which also starred John Sayles and J.T. Walsh. 1991 marked his first collaboration with Hartley, as he starred in both Surviving Desire (made for PBS' American Playhouse) and Trust. The latter became an art house favorite, helping to establish Hartley's reputation. The following year, Donovan made his next film with Hartley, 1992's Simple Men.Following his role in Hartley's critically acclaimed Amateur (1994), Donovan performed in a steady number of films throughout the rest of the decade. For Hartley, he appeared in Flirt (1995) and The Book of Life (1999), in which he played a modern-day Christ opposite PJ Harvey's Magdalena. Other notable work for the versatile actor included his role as Nicole Kidman's consumptive confidant in The Portrait of a Lady (1996); a turn as a divorced gay father in the unsettling Hollow Reed (1996); the part of Holly Hunter's philandering husband in Living Out Loud (1998); and his triumphantly understated portrayal of Christina Ricci's too-tolerant half-brother in Don Roos' black comedy The Opposite of Sex (1998). It was this last role, in particular, that helped to thrust Donovan a little further into the spotlight, introducing him to an audience that was eager to learn more about this multi-talented, multifaceted actor.

Trivia: The son of actress Jane Fonda and political activist Tom Hayden, Troy Garity has shown interest in both of his parents' professions. (He adopted the surname Garity from his paternal grandmother's side.) As a child, he spent his summers at the Laurel Springs Arts Camp in Santa Barbara and appeared uncredited in On Golden Pond with his mom and grandfather. As an adult, he moved to New York City to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and later to Los Angeles to start a film career. After being named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1998, he landed the role of his father in Steal This Movie, the historical biopic starring Vincent D'Onofrio as '60s activist Abbie Hoffman. The next year, Garity appeared in Barry Levinson's crime comedy Bandits as a getaway driver for eccentric bank robbers played by Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton. After a few more small-time features, he played token white guy Isaac Rosenberg in Tim Story's urban comedy Barbershop. His breakthrough role came in 2003 with the Showtime movie A Soldier's Girl, based on a true story. He played Pfc. Barry Winchell, a soldier who was beaten to death in 1999 after he fell in love with transsexual Calpernia Addams (Lee Pace). The job earned Garity nominations from both the Golden Globes and the Independent Spirit Awards. the actor starred in the critically acclaimed drama Milwaukee, Minnesota that same year as mentally disabled ice fisherman Albert Burroughs. In addition to continuing involvement with his nonprofit group the Peace Process Network, Garity appeared in the 2004 sequel Barbershop 2.

Trivia: Grew up in Atlanta, Georgia.Moved to Los Angeles in 1991.Had a one-woman-show called Sorry to Keep You Waiting.Worked as a Development Assistant for Lifetime Television's Original Movies Department.Moved back to New York City in 1997 to work for A&E Television's Biography.Author of the 2007 cookbook You Want Me To Bring A Dish? published by Lulu Press.

Trivia: Is the fifth of six children. Moved to Nashville before his first birthday. Began acting at the age of 12. Appeared in print ads for Nerf. Started Dragonfly Productions with his mother, Alanna, a professional photographer.

Trivia: Canadian actor Michael Ironside has specialized in tough, steel-fisted villainous film roles. Ironside played the ruthless brain-splitting cult leader in Scanners (1981), the unethical cop in Cross Country (1983), and the megalomaniacal cyborg in Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1984), among other wicked characterizations. He was also seen as Dick Wetherly in Top Gun, 1986's biggest hit, and as General Katana in Highlander II: The Quickening (1991). He'd go on to appear in films like The Machinist and Terminator Salvation, as well as TV series like ER, SeaQuest DSV: 2032, and Desperate Housewives.

Trivia: Won the Kenneth Branagh Renaissance Award when he was still at college in 1997. Won the Gold Medal RSAMD in 1999 for his college graduation showpiece. Was having dinner in a pizzeria when he discovered he was to play the title role in David Copperfield for the BBC, along with Sir Ian McKellen and Maggie Smith, in 1999. Played Edmund in a theatre production of King Lear at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland in 2013.

Trivia: Lived in several countries during his childhood, including the United States and Cyprus, since his father was in the military.Had his first experience as an actor in a school play.At the age of 16, he enrolled in drama school to pursue a career as an actor.Made his debut as an actor in theatres.Was encouraged by his parents to pursue his artistic aspirations.Has supported The Black Curriculum, a social enterprise aimed to address the lack of Black British history in the U.K. curriculum.

Trivia: Born in 1968, David Ayer spent most of his childhood traveling rootlessly around the United States with his family, until his folks settled in south central Los Angeles. Dissatisfied with his secondary education, and even less eager to give university life a shot ("I was never a college boy"), he dropped out of the urban high school landscape early on and joined the navy; both environments would figure heavily into his writing down the road. After a long stint in the military (during which he worked on a Cold War nuclear-attack submarine, operating sonar), Ayer supported himself with construction work, wrote short stories, and claims that he learned how to pen movie scripts by reading Syd Field. He eventually entered the screenwriting arena at age 30, via a friendship with established screenwriter Wesley Strick (Cape Fear, Wolf), who got him a job as a script doctor. The studios hired Ayer to do one of the rewrites on the Antoine Fuqua picture Training Day. Released in 2001, the picture has Ethan Hawke as LAPD newcomer Jake Hoyt, who -- in an effort to join the NARC squad -- attaches himself to Denzel Washington's thick-skinned Detective Sergeant Alonzo Harris, but inadvertently finds himself being set up as the scapegoat in a wicked con. The film eventually became a blockbuster and a critical success to boot; nearly every major critic gave Fuqua's effort positive notices. While Training Day entered its pre-production phase, Breakdown helmer Jonathan Mostow searched for a third scripter to author the screenplay for U-571, a WWII submarine thriller, with himself and his writing partner, Sam Montgomery. He quickly landed on Ayer -- an ironic turn, for Mostow initially lacked prior knowledge of the writer's submarine days. Thus, when the filmmaker learned of Ayer's history, it came only as an added incentive; in writing the piece, Ayer was able to pull a great deal of inspiration from years of stories he'd picked up in naval experience. The three men sold the U-571 script to the infamous Dino de Laurentiis and his wife, Martha, for a healthy sum; the 90-million-dollar production, shot at Rome's Cinecitta and off the Maltese coast in early 1999, reportedly grossed about 95 million dollars in domestic and foreign theatrical sales through August 2000. Released in April of that year, the picture relays the tale of a bunch of U.S. reconnaissance agents who attempt to intercept a sinking Nazi sub to retrieve a decoding device before the craft can be rescued by another Axis vessel. It stars Harvey Keitel, Jon Bon Jovi, Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, and others. Meanwhile, work flowed in steadily. Ayer inked an option to pen The Fast and the Furious (2001) with co-screenwriters Gary Scott Thompson and Erik Bergquist for Universal. Like Training Day, the scenario explored Los Angeles gang and crime life and thus pulled heavily from Ayer's experiences as an adolescent. Adapted from a Vibe Magazine article about street racing gangs, Fast stars Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner, an undercover federal agent who joins a bunch of illegal drag racers, led by Vin Diesel, to investigate and solve a chain of serial hijackings. Ayer more or less typecast himself as a crime and action scripter for two 2003 projects, and thus strove to repeat the successes of his prior efforts. Dark Blue (2003) -- his first credited solo effort -- is directed by Bull Durham's Ron Shelton. It stars Kurt Russell as Eldon Perry, a rule-breaking LAPD cop who -- during the 1992 Los Angeles riots -- takes on an unseasoned, idealistic young partner. Critical reactions were mixed; the picture did decent box-office. Ayer's follow-up as a solo scripter, the same year's S.W.A.T., hit cinemas in August 2003 and divided critics even more sharply; The Wall Street Journal's Joe Morgenstern commented, "[It] looks like the deformed spawn of a development process gone awry." After S.W.A.T., a couple of years passed sans new Ayer efforts, but he posed a double threat with the 2006 production Harsh Times, its script developed in the Sundance writing labs. Like its predecessors, this film centers around an LAPD cop, Jim (Christian Bale), this one an emotionally unstable Gulf War Vet, kicked off the police force and approached by the Department of Homeland Security to protect the country under its auspices. Eva Longoria co-stars as Sylvia, Jim's dirt-poor Mexican girlfriend. The film went into production in January 2005 and the studio scheduled it for release in 2006, at about the same time Ayer signed on to helm a remake of Sam Peckinpah's Wild Bunch.