Trivia: At times bearing a resemblance to a slightly stockier Tim Roth, former Golden Gloves contender Ron Eldard first became familiar to television audiences with his standout role as the love interest of Julianna Margulies on the hit television drama ER. Though Eldard had been appearing in film and television since the late '80s, it was the dawn of the new millennium that found Eldard's career reborn with roles in such acclaimed films as Barry Levinson's Sleepers (1996), Mystery, Alaska (1999), and Black Hawk Down (2001). Eldard was born into a large family of six siblings in New York City in 1965; his mother died when he was very young, forcing the siblings apart in order to live with various relatives. The second youngest of his siblings, Eldard sought a boxing career in the Golden Gloves after discovering his remarkable strength early in life. Following his graduation from New York's renowned High School of the Performing Arts, Eldard's passion for drama was ignited, and he went on to appear on One Life to Live before he made his feature debut in 1989's True Love. After competing for the love of Phoebe Cates in Drop Dead Fred, Eldard would subsequently appear in numerous roles in film (Scent of a Woman [1992] and The Last Supper [1995]) and television (Arresting Behavior and Men Behaving Badly). Eldard's onscreen romance with Margulies blossomed into true-life romance shortly after the two were paired up on ER, and the couple became an offscreen item as well. Though subsequent feature roles increased Eldard's recognition factor, he had yet to parlay his acting career into leading-man territory. The new millennium, however, found the now-established actor edging ever closer to headline status with roles in Just a Kiss (2002), Ghost Ship (also 2002), and House of Sand and Fog (2003). As a stage actor, Eldard has impressed Broadway audiences with roles in Biloxi Blues, On the Waterfront, and Death of a Salesman. In 2006 he took a supporting role in Freedomland, a crime drama starring Samuel L. Jackson, and starred alongside Paul Rudd and Lauren Ambrose for the independent comedy Diggers the same year. He continued to work steadily through the late 2000s, and received mainstream and critical success for his role in director J.J. Abram's Super 8. His talent was recognized again in Roadie (2011), wherein he played a middle aged man who doesn't know what to do with himself after spending the last two decades of his life as a roadie for the band Blue Oyster Cult.

Trivia: Black supporting actor, onscreen from the '80s.

Trivia: Lead actor, onscreen from the late '80s.

Trivia: A burly, thickset, and occasionally scruffy character actor with a domineering and imposing presence, Peter Gerety often accepted roles as ordinary working-class stiffs, judges, or inner-city law officers. A performer with equal footing in film and on the stage, Gerety took his premier onscreen bow during the early '80s but first began drawing substantial attention over a decade later. Gerety remains best known for his multi-season portrayal (1996-1999) of Detective Stuart Gharty on the cop drama Homicide: Life on the Street. He also played the recurring role of Judge Daniel Phelan on another Baltimore-set crime series, The Wire (2002-2008). Big-screen projects include Sleepers (1996), K-PAX (2001), Syriana (2005), Charlie Wilson's War (2007), Leatherheads (2008), and Public Enemies (2009).

Trivia: Versatile American actor Giancarlo Esposito was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, but grew up in Manhattan from the age of six. His mother was an African-American nightclub singer (who once shared a bill with Josephine Baker) and his father was an Italian stagehand. In show business most of his life, Esposito made his Broadway debut in a 1966 production of Maggie Flynn. His other stage credits include Sacrilege, Miss Moffatt, and Balm in Gilead. He won a 1981 Theatre World Award for his performance in Zooman and the Sign.On the big screen, Esposito started appearing in Spike Lee films during the late '80s in a wide range of roles with great character names. He was the frat leader Julian "Big Brother Almighty" in School Daze, the outspoken reactionary Buggin' Out in Do the Right Thing, the dandy pianist Left Hand Lacey in Mo' Better Blues, and the criminal Thomas Hayer in Malcolm X. Esposito's other film roles include an investigative journalist in Bob Roberts, an activist in Amos & Andrew, and a game show host in Reckless. In 1995, he earned an Independent Spirit award nomination for his supporting role of doting drug dealer Esteban in Boaz Yakin's debut drama Fresh. Esposito also appeared in Wayne Wang and Paul Auster's Smoke, along with the sequel Blue in the Face. The next year, he turned briefly to producing with the independent prison film The Keeper, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.On television, Esposito appeared on NYPD Blue, Law & Order, and the short-lived Fox comedy Bakersfield, P.D. In 1999, he earned an Image award nomination for his role as FBI Agent Michael Giardello on Homicide: Life on the Street. He also has contributed to the Fox television dramas The $treet and girls club. While teaching at the Atlantic Theatre Company, Esposito found time to portray real-life figures in the biopics Ali (as Cassius Clay Sr.) and Piñero (as Miguel Algarin). Projects for 2004 included James Hunter's feature Back in the Day and the television movie NYPD 2069. He played a detective in the thriller Derailed, and appeared in the indie drama SherryBaby. In 2008 he directed, starred in, and helped write the drama Gospel Hill. In 2010 he joined the cast of the highly-respected AMC drama series Breaking Bad, and appeared in the 2012 big-screen thriller Alex Cross.