Trivia: Whether he's acting or co-writing brilliantly quirky character studies with director/writing partner Wes Anderson, Owen C. Wilson's work exudes an insouciant yet earnest charm and eccentric comic sensibility, making him one of the most promising new talents to emerge in the 1990s.Born in Dallas on November 18th, 1968, Wilson raised enough hell in high school to get expelled from one institution in tenth grade, but he managed to attend college at the University of Texas in Austin and graduate in 1991. Along with his degree, Wilson's Austin years resulted in a budding partnership with a like-minded creative classmate, aspiring filmmaker Wes Anderson. Their first film together, a short about a bookstore heist called Bottle Rocket, played at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival, attracting the attention of producer Polly Platt and writer/director James L. Brooks. With Brooks' support, Wilson and Anderson expanded the short into a feature, indie cult favorite Bottle Rocket (1996). Though it made little impression at the box office, Anderson and Wilson's distinctly offbeat, wry, and optimistic tale about aspiring criminal Dignan and his best friend Anthony (played by Wilson's brother Luke Wilson) earned ardent fans among cinéastes. Wilson's inspired performance as Dignan, not to mention his blond hair, large grin, and affable drawl, became his Hollywood calling card. That same year, Wilson also began a fertile association with actor/director Ben Stiller, appearing in one memorable scene as a smooth, ill-fated date in Stiller's black comedy The Cable Guy (1996).Alternating between supporting roles in Hollywood spectacles, collaborations with Anderson and Stiller, and smaller independent projects, Wilson worked steadily for the rest of the 1990s. Though he always seemed to fill the generic slot of Guy Marked for Death, Wilson still managed to bring a reliably laid-back, humorous spark to the bombastic proceedings in Anaconda (1997), Armageddon (1998), and The Haunting (1999). On a more artistically successful front, Wilson's next script with Anderson resulted in the lauded coming-of-age film Rushmore (1998). With its singular cast of characters, distinctive combination of deadpan humor and true emotion, and superb performances by Jason Schwartzman as teen prodigy Max Fischer and Bill Murray as depressed millionaire Blume, Rushmore earned prizes from the critics (if not the Academy) and proved that Bottle Rocket was no fluke. As far as acting, Wilson's ability to suggest complexity beneath a breezy surface earned positive notice for his unsettling performance as a laconic, self-styled Good Samaritan serial killer in indie thriller The Minus Man (1999).By 2000, Wilson began to take center stage in larger Hollywood projects as well. Though it was another Jackie Chan vehicle, Wilson's hilarious co-starring turn as a surfer dude-tinged outlaw in the chop socky Western Shanghai Noon (2000) nearly stole the movie. Wilson's brief appearance as a Jesus-loving, super rich romantic rival to Ben Stiller's put-upon Greg Focker was a comic highlight of the hit Meet the Parents (2000). Stiller's supermodel farce Zoolander (2001) further sealed Wilson's status as a superlative comic actor. As Zoolander's rival Hansel, Wilson's offbeat timing made him the ultimate bubble-headed mannequin; his catwalk competition with Stiller provided the biggest laughs in a hit-or-miss movie. Even as he flourished in broad Hollywood comedy, Wilson continued his partnership with Wes Anderson, co-writing with Anderson and co-starring (with his brother Luke and Stiller among others) in the unusual family story The Royal Tenenbaums (2001). Branching out into serious roles, Wilson then co-starred with The Royal Tenenbaums patriarch Gene Hackman in the military drama Behind Enemy Lines (2001). An increasingly prevalent figure in action films following the millennial turnover, Wilson followed Behind Enemy Lines with I Spy (2002) and the Shanghai Noon sequel Shanghai Knights (2003) before appearing opposite Morgan Freeman in the critical and commercial disappointment The Big Bounce and co-starring in the underwhelming big screen adaptation of Starsky & Hutch. He made his third appearance in a Jackie Chan vehicle in the 2004 Disney production Around the World in 80 Days; though poised to be a blockbuster, the mega-budgeted film was one of the biggest flops of the season.A rebound was in order, and if his supporting turn in the 2004 holiday-season blockbuster sequel Meet the Fockers wasn't enough, Wilson found his greatest leading-man success to date as foil to the bawdy Vince Vaughn in 2005's raunchy, runaway hit The Wedding Crashers. The Wilson-Vaughn pairing challenged the Wilson-Stiller hilarity quotient as a pair of divorce consultants who bide their free time crashing weddings to get laid. The $200-million smash was indeed a tough act to follow, and while 2006's You, Me and Dupree - a thematic reprise of his Wedding Crashers role in which he plays an irritating houseguest who refuses to vacate - was something of a letdown, Wilson more than made up for it that same year with a leading voice role in Pixar's Cars and a supporting turn in Stiller's special-effects comedy A Night at the Museum.For the next couple of years, Wilson continued to stick with what worked - collaborations with Anderson (The Darjeeling Limited (2007), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)) and sequels in his hit franchises (Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian (2009), Little Fockers (2010) and Cars 2 (2011)). He also starred in Woody Allen's Mightnight in Paris (2011), earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.Romantically linked, by turns, with a pre-Ashton Demi Moore, rocker Sheryl Crow, and actress Kate Hudson, Wilson, with his shaggy blond mane, blue eyes, and (as one magazine cited humorously in its front cover headline) "unusual nose," also found himself the unlikely forebear of a new wave of Hollywood sex symbols.

Trivia: Hailing from Overland Park, KS, clean-cut comedic actor Jason Sudeikis rose to fame as a member of that Valhalla of comics, Saturday Night Live; he joined the series not as an actor but as a writer, in the 2003-2004 season, then moved into performance and distinguished himself during his premiere season with three portrayals that instantly became audience favorites: burglar Ed Mahoney, American Idol winner Taylor Hicks, and that of a Bluetooth-wearing, egomaniacal "A-hole" in a series of sketches that also starred Kristen Wiig. Prior to SNL involvement, Sudeikis entered the comedic realm via participation in Kansas City's ComedySportz ensemble, then relocated to Chicago and enlisted with Second City. He also performed with Boom Chicago in Amsterdam and co-founded Second City Las Vegas.From SNL, Sudeikis made the short leap to prime-time television and feature films. On the small screen, he landed a recurring role as Tina Fey's boyfriend Floyd on the popular NBC sitcom 30 Rock. Sudeikis' feature-film appearances (the majority in the comedy vein) include supporting roles in the outings The Ten (2007), What Happens in Vegas (2008), Semi-Pro (2008), and The Rocker (2008). He had his biggest non-SNL hit to date when he was one of three regular guys looking to kill their Horrible Bosses in 2011, and that same year he co-starred with Owen Wilson in Hall Pass, and starred in the indie comedy A Good Old Fashioned Orgy. Sudeikis left SNL in 2013 to focus on his film career, next appearing as a drug dealer/con artist in We're the Millers.

Trivia: First rising to fame for her deadpan performance as receptionist Pam Beesly on NBC's The Office, Jenna Fischer was born in Indiana and spent the first several years of her career primarily appearing in bit parts in small indie films and guest spots on TV shows.In 2000, while auditioning for what would be one of her first onscreen jobs, Fischer met filmmaker James Gunn. Not only did she land a small role in the film, she and Gunn were subsuquently married for eight years. In 2004, they collaborated on the satirical mockumentary LolliLove, which saw Fischer directing and the couple co-writing and starring together. But it was in 2005 when Fischer's career truly took off. Cast as Pam on the U.S. adaptation of the acclaimed Britcom The Office, Fischer soon found herself perhaps the most beloved cast member of one of the country's most popular television shows. She was even named to People's 50 Most Beautiful People. Fischer would parlay her TV fame into a movie career as well, appearing in a number of comedies, like Blades of Glory, The Brothers Solomon, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, A Little Help, Hall Pass, and more.

Trivia: Originally famous as the bodacious, brain-challenged Bundy offspring Kelly on Fox's long-running dysfunctional family sitcom Married...With Children, Christina Applegate parlayed her comic talents and sexy image into a parallel movie career. A natural blonde Hollywood baby, Applegate was raised by her actress mother, Nancy Priddy, after Priddy split from Applegate's father, record executive Bobby Applegate. Making her acting debut as an infant with her mother on TV's Days of Our Lives, Applegate subsequently landed her first movie role at age ten when she appeared with Priddy in the low-grade horror flick Jaws of Satan (1981). After playing Grace as a child in the TV biopic Grace Kelly (1983), Applegate guest starred on several TV shows before landing her own permanent series role in the short-lived Heart of the City (1986). Her next series, however, proved the charm. Debuting in 1987 on the fledgling Fox TV network, Married...With Children withstood criticisms about its all-around vulgarity to become one of Fox's first signature hits. During its ten-year run, Married...With Children also spawned the TV movie It's a Bundyful Life (1992), featuring Applegate and the rest of the Bundy clan in a spoof of holiday chestnut It's a Wonderful Life (1946). A bona fide teen heartthrob and star, Applegate attempted to show her serious side as a prostitute and drug addict in the gritty drama Streets (1990). Teen comedy Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991) tried to capitalize on Applegate's TV fame while showcasing her as a smart, resourceful, anti-Bundy character. Also during Married...With Children's run, Applegate appeared in the female road movie Across the Moon (1994), mutilated rock musician-drama Vibrations (1995), and as the town whore in Walter Hill's underrated Western Wild Bill (1995). Applegate's Married fame further landed her a small part in the all-star ensemble populating Tim Burton's science fiction parody Mars Attacks! (1996), and wryly shaded her presence in Gregg Araki's Los Angeles teen anomie opus Nowhere (1997), the slickest entrant in his "teen apocalypse trilogy."Ready to leave the TV-bred teen realm behind after Married went off the air in 1997, Applegate co-starred with Mark Wahlberg in the Hong Kong-tinged action comedy The Big Hit (1998) and played the WASP fiancée of a Mob scion in Jim Abrahams' Mafia movie parody Mafia! (1998). She co-starred with her eventual husband, Johnathon Schaech, and erstwhile teen idol Molly Ringwald in the high-school reunion thriller The Giving Tree (1999) as well. Inspired by her experience with her mother growing up, though, Applegate agreed to return to TV to star as a single mom balancing work and family in the sitcom Jesse (1998). Despite choice time slots, however, Jesse was canceled in 2000. Applegate returned to movie comedy co-starring with Jean Reno as a princess and modern gal in the ill-received remake of a French time-travel yarn Just Visiting (2001). Subsequently holding her own opposite some of her more lustrous film peers, Applegate earned far better reviews than the movie itself as Cameron Diaz's levelheaded best friend in the raunchy female bonding romp The Sweetest Thing (2002), and flew the friendly skies with Gwyneth Paltrow in the flight attendant comedy A View from the Top (2003).In 2004, Applegate landed herself leading-lady roles in two of the year's most anticipated films. First, in July, she starred opposite Will Ferrell in the 70s-era comedy Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Then, the following November, she could be seen with Ben Affleck in the holiday film Surviving Christmas.In 2007 Applegate finally found success on the small-screen yet again with the sitcom Samantha Who?, but the actress made headlines in 2008 when she revealed she was fighting breast cancer, an illness she survived. Meanwhile, on the big screen she scored major parts in the comedy The Rocker, and played Jason Sudeikis' long-suffering wife in the Farrelly Brothers comedy Hall Pass.In 2011 she was cast opposite Will Arnett in the sitcom Up All Night which would become her third television program to run for at least two years.

Trivia: Is the granddaughter of AFL Brownlow Medallist Marcus Whelan. Voted Inside Sport's Model of the Year in 2004. First film role was in 2004 playing Chrissie in the telemovie Russell Coight's Celebrity Challenge. Worked on several shows as a TV presenter, including travel show Coxy's Big Break in 2004 and lifestyle show Melbourne Woman in 2005. Played the role of Heidi "Pepper" Steiger from 2006 to '07 on Neighbours. First major U.S. film role was playing Leigh in 2011's Hall Pass.

Trivia: A balding supporting actor with a grin that suggests he knows something you don't, Richard Jenkins has become one of the most in-demand character actors in Hollywood. Though he has worked steadily since the early '80s, Jenkins may have made his most memorable impression, at least to HBO subscribers, as the patriarch of the family of undertakers on the hit 2001 drama Six Feet Under. His character was killed off in the first episode, but Jenkins continued to appear as a spirit lingering in the family's memory -- a good metaphor for the actor's lingering impact on viewers, even when he appears in small roles.Jenkins, who shares the birth name of Richard Burton and sometimes appears as Richard E. Jenkins, was born and raised in Dekalb, IL, before studying theater at Illinois Wesleyan University. The actor developed a long and distinguished regional theater career, most notably a 15-year stint at Rhode Island's Trinity Repertory Theater, where he served as artistic director for four years. He snagged his first role as early as 1975, in the TV movie Brother to Dragons, but did not begin working regularly until a small role in the Lawrence Kasdan film Silverado (1985). Supporting work in such films as Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), and Sea of Love (1989) followed, and Jenkins spent the early '90s specializing in made-for-TV movies, including the adaptation of Randy Shilts' AIDS opus And the Band Played On (1993).It was not until the late '90s that Jenkins started gaining wider appreciation, especially as he indulged in his talent for comedy. His appearance as an uptight gay FBI agent who gets accidentally drugged was one of the highlights of David O. Russell's Flirting With Disaster (1996), allowing him to convincingly (and riotously) act out an acid trip. Working again with Ben Stiller, Jenkins appeared as a psychiatrist in There's Something About Mary (1998), which launched a relationship with directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly, who hail from the state (Rhode Island) where Jenkins did much of his stage work. Jenkins appeared in the Farrelly-produced Outside Providence (1999) and Say It Isn't So (2001), as well as in the Farrelly-directed Me, Myself & Irene (2000). The actor then shifted over to another set of brother directors to portray the father of Scarlet Johansson's character in Joel and Ethan Coen's noir The Man Who Wasn't There (2001). In 2001, Jenkins also appeared in the first season of HBO's Six Feet Under as Nathaniel Fisher Sr., the sardonic funeral home director whom the characters remember as an impenetrable mystery, frugal with his praise and emotions.Jenkins continued working steadily, carrying on his role on Six Feet Under, while turning in supporting work in varied projects like Changing Lanes, Shall We Dance, and Fun With Dick & Jane. With 2005's North Country he earned strong reviews as the father of a sexually harassed woman. After decades in the business, he won his first starring role in Tom McCarthy's The Visitor. For his work as the repressed professor who learns to engage in life again thanks to an unexpected friendship with a Syrian immigrant, Jenkins earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, as well as a SAG nomination. That film was the highlight of his 2008, a very busy year for the actor that also saw him reunite for a third time with the Coen Brothers in Burn After Reading, and play opposite Will Ferrell and John C. Riley in Step Brothers. The coming years would continue to earn the actor both a wider audience and more accolades, in projects like Burn After Reading, Let Me In, The Rum Diary, and The Cabin in the Woods.

Trivia: A native of Hanham, England, Stephen Merchant shot to fame practically overnight by virtue of his role executive producing the BBC situation comedy blockbuster The Office (2001-2003) with creative partner Ricky Gervais. Born in Bristol, England, in 1974, Merchant enjoyed a brief tenure as a standup comedian and then culled a massive British audience by emceeing his own satirical radio program, The Steve Show, on W963 radio. From 1992 to 1996, the burgeoning comic attended the University of Warwick, where he earned his degree in film and television; he subsequently partnered up with Gervais, and the two attempted to launch a comedy series entitled "Golden Years" on Channel 4 television in the U.K. While that pilot failed to connect with an audience, it prompted the network to give Gervais a spot on the sketch comedy ensemble program The 11 O'Clock Show and paved the way for the duo's success with The Office.The said program premiered in July 2001, and satirized British corporate culture by observing the eccentric doings of the Hough-Wernham paper company's Slough, Berkshire branch. Though the U.K. version of The Office lasted only two seasons, it became an instant sensation, put the names of Gervais and Merchant on the map, and inspired producers Greg Daniels and Ben Silverman to buy the rights to a U.S. remake of the program -- which ran for numerous seasons, culled an untoward number of Emmys, and became one of the highest-rated programs on any network. Gervais and Merchant then created Extras, a satirical comedy about a pair of actors (one played by Gervais, the other by Ashley Jensen) repeatedly working as extras in productions starring famous celebrities. The series featured at least one famous guest star per episode, each a caricatured version of himself or herself. Having previously only played a bit part on The Office, Merchant also took on the supporting role of Darren Lamb, the egregiously incompetent agent of Gervais' character, Andy Millman. The program mirrored the success of its Gervais-Merchant predecessor, and series co-producer HBO quickly picked it up for a run in the United States.Merchant would go on to appear in comedies like The Invention of Lying and Hall Pass, in addition to writing, directing, and appearing in ongoing Gervais collaborations, like Life's Too Short and The Ricky Gervais Show.

Trivia: Began acting at the age of 9; breakout role was the son of Tom Hanks' character in Road to Perdition. Played college baseball at Arizona State University and UC Irvine. Turned down a role in the film Twilight to focus on his college baseball career. Renewed his focus on acting following a baseball injury.

Trivia: Umpired Little League baseball as a teen. While working in a video-rental store in Los Angeles, a customer asked for a movie that starred Sidney Poitier. Waters asked the man to spell the actor's name so he could look up the film. The customer was Sidney Poitier, as his manager later informed him. Was once part of the comedy duo Derek and Simon, with Simon Helberg, with whom he starred in the web series Derek & Simon: The Show. Was a member of the Upright Citizens Brigade. Appeared in two short films with Halberg, Derek & Simon: The Pity Card, and Derek & Simon: A Bee and a Cigarette. Co-creator and star of Drunk History. Has a Saturday Night Live script autographed by all the members of his favorite band, Pearl Jam. Has taken boxing lessons.

Trivia: New York native Alexandra Daddario began her career when she was still a teenager, landing the role of Laurie Lewish on the long-running soap opera All My Children in 2002, when she was just 16 years old. She would stay with the series into the next year, but Daddario soon set her sites on the big screen, earning accolades for her role in the 2010 fantasy adventure movie Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, an adaptation of the popular young adult novel of the same name. The actress followed this up with a prominent role in the 2010 independent thriller Bereavement. Next, opting for a change of pace, Daddario landed a part in the 2011 comedy Hall Pass, alongside Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis.

Trivia: Got hooked on acting in seventh grade in a production of George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's comedy The Man Who Came to Dinner. Half-sister is Julia Louis-Dreyfus (they have the same mother), who helped her get a role on Seinfeld, playing a waitress at Monk's (the one George thought was flipping him off); also appeared in Louis-Dreyfus vehicles The New Adventures of Old Christine and Watching Ellie, playing Ellie's sister. Seinfeld connection also includes an appearance on cocreator Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm in Season 8 with her husband, Patrick Fischler (as Stu, the guy who hugs a lot). Has done a PSA for the It Gets Better antibullying campaign.

Trivia: Prolific comedienne Joy Behar may best be known to television viewers as the co-host of the popular and long-running television chat show The View, though longtime fans know that the Brooklyn, NY, native has been making waves in the entertainment industry since her early days as a standup comic in the mid-'80s. A graduate of SUNY at Stony Brook who earned an M.A. in English and first entered the professional workforce as a teacher, Behar soon gravitated toward comedy and became a regular fixture at such popular New York clubs as Caroline's and Catch a Rising Star. By 1989, Behar's playful sense of humor had gained her a steady following on the comedy circuit, and she was granted her own One Night Stand special on HBO. It was this performance, as well as bit roles in such films as the Jon Cryer comedy Hiding Out, the Peter Falk action comedy Cookie, and the short-lived sitcom Baby Boom that first served to expose the rising star to a wide audience. In 1993, Behar appeared in the Woody Allen comedy Manhattan Murder Mystery, with subsequent appearances on such television talk shows as The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Tony Danza Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien -- as well as a stint hosting a popular WABC radio call-in show -- helping to prepare her for her own role as a live-television-show host on The View.When The View debuted in 1997, Behar co-hosted only on days when Barbara Walters was not present, but it didn't take long for her to become a regular member of the show (expanding the panel from four women to five) -- her likable and laid-back demeanor making her the ideal candidate to exchange banter with co-hosts such as Meredith Vieira, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Lisa Ling, Rosie O'Donnell, Star Jones, and Whoopi Goldberg. Nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards every year since 1998, The View's playful mix of gossip and discussion made it a favorite amongst female television viewers -- the occasional clash between co-hosts only serving to spice things up and spike the ratings.In 2003 she was a judge on the first season of the NBC reality series Last Comic Standing, and in 2011 she played a relationship expert in the comedy Hall Pass. In 2012 she lent her distinctive voice to the animated family film Ice Age: Continental Drift.

Trivia: Evocatively-named British model Vanessa Angel made a career change when John Landis cast her as a Russian spy in Spies Like Us (1985). Born in London, Angel began modeling at 16 when she signed up with Eileen Ford and relocated to New York. After taking on a Russian accent for Landis' goofy Chevy Chase-Dan Aykroyd comedy, Angel studied the craft further at the Actors Studio. Angel combined her past and present professions playing a model in a guest appearance on TV's Melrose Place and starring in USA's TV movie The Cover Girl Murders (1993). Along with TV, Angel worked in feature films throughout the 1990s, mostly expanding upon her first experience with movie comedy. After landing bit parts in Abel Ferrara's crime noir King of New York (1990) and the ill-received Sylvester Stallone comedy Stop, or My Mom Will Shoot (1992), Angel next appeared as part of the ensemble cast in the independent romantic comedy Sleep With Me (1994) and starred as objects of affection in Kingpin (1996) and Kissing a Fool (1998). Angel returned to gangster films with a role in the made-for-cable Made Men (1999).

Trivia: Born and raised in Brooklyn to Italian-American parents, actress Alyssa Milano started acting on the stage in a national tour of Annie at the age of eight. She rose to teen stardom as the tomboyish Samantha Micelli on the ABC sitcom Who's the Boss, which ran from 1984-1992. Never really making the transition to feature films, she appeared in sleazy made-for-TV movies, provocative ad campaigns, and nude photographs. In one of her more prominent TV performances, she portrayed Amy Fisher in Casualties of Love: The "Long Island Lolita" Story on CBS in 1993. Her few feature film credits include the quirky romantic comedy Hugo Pool and the thriller Below Utopia, starring Ice-T. She joined the cast of Melrose Place on FOX for the 1997-1998 season before moving over to the WB for Charmed, co-starring Shannen Doherty and Holly Marie Combs. In the late '90s, she released several pop/rock albums, which did quite well in Japan. Since the popularity of Charmed, she's appeared in major television ad campaigns and the comedies Kiss the Bride, Buying the Cow, and Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star. She would go on to enjoy TV runs on My Name is Earl and Romantically Challenged, and movies like Hall Pass and New Year's Eve. In 2013, she returned to being a series regular on TV in the primetime soap Mistresses. After winning several legal battles involving her nude images on the Internet, Milano helped to launch the index safesearching.com.

Trivia: At the age of 3, he liked to act to his family.While in school, he participated in theater plays.Considered becoming a pastor.Played basketball in his school years.Started his YouTube channel in 2006 while he was still in high school.Signed a record deal with Comedy Central in 2008.Made his debut on television in 2009.Is a skilled musician and singer.

Trivia: Serving as his actress mother's legacy, Zen Gesner began gracing the big screen with his chiseled good looks in 1994, when he had small roles in Dumb & Dumber (starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels) and Victim. He was born to Nan Martin on June 23, 1970, in Van Nuys, CA, and began crafting his skill as an actor immediately following high school. After studying fencing and stage combat at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, he returned to the U.S. West Coast. There he had two sons, Finn and Rory, borne of wife Cynthia Farrelly Gesner. As brother-in-law of producers Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly, handsome Gesner has appeared in several major motion pictures since breaking into the biz.Following along the comedy route of Dumb & Dumber, Gesner had parts in 1996's Kingpin starring Woody Harrelson, as well as the hilarious There's Something About Mary -- starring Ben Stiller -- in 1998. His television appearances include the Adventures of Sinbad series beginning in 1996, along with several other cameos including an episode of Friends and All My Children. He also appeared in the Farrelly brothers' 2001 feature Shallow Hal, a romantic comedy starring Jack Black of Tenacious D, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Trivia: A native of Mount Vernon, NY (born Jerry Brooks -- hence the initials), standup comic, comedy writer, and actor J.B. Smoove began his career as a dancer in an hip-hop ensemble, performing as J. Smoove. The performer transitioned to schtick early on and cut his chops in Manhattan-area clubs, then landed a few small roles in Hollywood features (including the 2001 Pootie Tang and the 2002 Mr. Deeds), before striking gold on Saturday Night Live as both a sketch writer and a sketch participant. Smoove culled greatest attention, however, for his recurring role during season six of Curb Your Enthusiasm; he played the über-confident, street-smart Leon Black, a member of an African-American family adopted by Larry David and his wife after their residence is decimated by a hurricane. Smoove later acknowledged that the popularity of the role "set fire" to his career and led to roles on the sitcoms Everybody Hates Chris and 'Til Death.

Trivia: The acerbic, razor-tongued, take-no-prisoners comedian Kathy Griffin has built a career for herself -- as an actress and a standup performer -- around the schtick of being permanently under-respected by everyone (as the title of her TV series, My Life on the D List, suggests), and fighting back with her claws extended. Griffin is notorious for mercilessly skewering and taking potshots at worthy targets (particularly fellow celebrities and comedians) through her comedy, and has built a considerable career out of doing so.Born in Oak Park, IL, and raised in the Chicago area, to an electronics store manager father and a hospital administrator mother, Griffin reportedly wanted to become an actress from the age of five and frequently improvised elaborate stage and comedy acts for her family. Griffin attended Oak Park High School, and -- after graduation -- studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute in Southern California. In 1988, the then-28-year-old joined the now-infamous sketch comedy troupe the Groundlings, alongside such stars-to-be as Lisa Kudrow, Will Ferrell, and Julia Sweeney, where she evinced an extraordinary gift for improvisatory work. After the Groundlings, Griffin developed and honed a solo standup act, which -- as she later recalled -- opened numerous doors for her as an actress, including a turn as Lucy in the Bobcat Goldthwait vehicle Shakes the Clown (1992), a brief cameo in Pulp Fiction, and a small multi-episode role on Seinfeld. Griffin was particularly memorable in the latter, as Sally Weaver, the standup comedian whose act consists of trashing Jerry Seinfeld by revealing embarrassing details from his personal life. A cameo as herself in the SNL big-screen vehicle It's Pat (1994) reunited Griffin with fellow Groundling Sweeney. Beginning in 1996, Griffin parlayed her comic flair and small-screen experience into a standing role in the hit NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan, starring Brooke Shields; that program cast Griffin as Vicki Groener, magazine columnist Shields' not-so-subtly envious, über-saucy colleague. The program scored with viewers and ran for three seasons. Meanwhile, Griffin continued her big-screen roles, with turns in the 1995 omnibus picture Four Rooms (as Betty), the 1996 Ben Stiller-directed The Cable Guy (as Jim Carrey's mother), and Muppets from Space (1999), as an armed guard. Additional guest contributions on a myriad of sitcoms during the '90s and 2000s gave an added charge to the respective series casts.Griffin also starred in the aforementioned cable series Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List, which began airing on the Bravo network in 2004. The comically charged reality show cast Griffin as herself, battling through the experiences of everyday life -- such as training a new puppy and teaching a class as The Learning Annex. Griffin would continue to find huge success as a stand-up, as well as a show host on her own aptly titled talkshow, Kathy, which was canceled after two seasons.