Trivia: Although Lupita Nyong'o might seem like an overnight success story at first glance -- she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her feature-film debut, 12 Years a Slave -- her meteoritic rise is really the product of an artsy, globe-hopping upbringing and a tremendous amount of hard work.The second of six children, Nyong'o was born on March 1, 1983, in Mexico City to Kenyan parents Peter Anyang' and Dorothy. Her father was a visiting lecturer in political science at the Colegio de México at the time, and according to the Kenyan custom of naming children after current events, her parents chose the Spanish name "Lupita" (a shortened version of "Guadalupe").The family returned to Kenya the following year, and Nyong'o grew up in a middle-class community in Nairobi. She got the acting bug early on, appearing in school plays and making her professional debut at 14 as Juliet in a performance of Romeo and Juliet by the Phoenix Players, a Nairobi-based repertory company.At 16, her parents sent her back to Mexico, where she learned Spanish while studying at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México's Learning Center for Foreigners (in fact, she's fluent in four languages total: English, Spanish, Luo, and Swahili). She went to the United States for her undergraduate education, earning a degree in film and African studies at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. Afterwards, she worked as a production assistant on a number of movies, including The Constant Gardener, which filmed near Nairobi. During the shoot, star Ralph Fiennes gave her the following advice when she said she wanted to be an actress: "Only act if you can't breathe without it." Nyong'o said those words stayed with her, reminding her of how difficult and volatile her chosen profession could be.Deciding to commit herself fully to acting, she enrolled in a Master of Fine Arts program at the Yale School of Drama -- just after appearing in the Kenyan TV series Shuga and writing, directing, and producing a documentary about Kenya's albinos and the discrimination they face. During her time at Yale, she acted in such productions as Uncle Vanya and Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, and won the Herschel Williams Prize for "acting students with outstanding ability." Her extraordinary talent did not go unnoticed for long: Only weeks before graduating, she was cast in 12 Years a Slave as Patsy, the role that would win her an Oscar.Since then, she's appeared in the 2014 thriller Non-Stop, and brought to life the CGI character Maz Kanata in the 2015 blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens. She is also known as a style and fashion icon: In 2014, she was named the new face of Lancôme cosmetics, and was touted as the most beautiful woman in the world by People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" issue. At the same time, Nyong'o continues to support causes near and dear to her heart, serving as an ambassador for the conservation organization WildAid.

Trivia: First major recurring TV role was Arthur Havisham in the series Dickensian.Played Koner in the "Spoils of War" episode of Game of Thrones.Performed on stage in the National Theatre production of Mosquitoes alongside Olivia Colman and Olivia Williams.Made his feature film debut playing Grunauer in the 2018 action/ horror film Overlord.Also writes comedy scripts with his friends.

Trivia: The son of writer, director, producer, and actress Polly Draper (of thirtysomething fame) and musician Michael Wolff (the bandleader on The Arsenio Hall Show), Alex Wolff revealed prodigious musical talent during his preschool years, when he co-formed a rock act, the Naked Brothers Band, with older brother Nat Wolff. Within the band, Nat wrote and performed songs and Alex took to the drums; thanks in no small part to Draper's guidance and encouragement, the group parlayed its abilities into a considerable amount of commercial success. Meanwhile, Draper scripted, directed, and executive produced a made-for-television feature based on the boys' adventures and starring Nat and Alex, The Naked Brothers Band Movie. The film netted the Audience Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival in 2005 and spawned a mockumentary series on Nickelodeon, the 2007 The Naked Brothers Band. First produced when Alex was 8 years old and Nat 11, the program journeyed behind the scenes of the group for a goofy, farcical glimpse of the musicians' exploits. In 2009 he appeared in the family comedy Mr. Troop Mom.

Trivia: Actor Djimon Hounsou first gained acting attention in Steven Spielberg's Amistad (1997). Born April 24th, 1964 in West Africa, he moved with his family to Paris, France, at age 13. When he left school, he became homeless and spent a couple of years wandering the streets of Paris before being discovered by fashion designer Thierry Mugler. After he resettled himself, Hounsou moved to Los Angeles to try his hand at acting. While on the way to stardom, Hounsou appeared in music videos, including those of Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Steve Winwood. After his turn as a rebellious slave in Amistad, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination, he found increasingly steady employment on both the big and small screens, becoming a semi-regular on the hospital drama ER and appearing in such films as the historical epic Gladiator (2000). After such high-profile projects, Hounsou's success in the following two years would prove no surprise to anyone who glanced at his filmography. Aside from prominent roles in such high-profile French films as 2002's Le Boulet (Dead Weight) and the following year's Muraya -- l'Expérience Secrète de Mike Blueberry (The Adventures of Mike S. Blueberry), Hounsou's bid for screen stardom was simultaneously on display in such stateside features as The Four Feathers (2002), Biker Boyz, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider -- The Cradle of Life (both 2003).In 2003, Hounsou received his first Oscar nomination for his acclaimed supporting role in Jim Sheridan's In America. And while he spent much of the next three years appearing in films that earned mixed reactions from both audiences and critics, he was back in top form in 2006's Blood Diamond, which found him opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. The film appeared on a number of Top Ten lists, garnered Hounsou accolades from countless critics groups and snagged him his second Oscar nod.Following the success of Blood Diamond, Hounsou made several guest appearances on th popular television show Alias, and joined filmmaker Michae Bay's 2005 action drama The Island, which co-stars Scarlet Johansson, Steve Buscemi, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Sean Bean. In 2009, Hounsou played the rle of n aget determined to thwart the plans of a group of telekinetic American ex-pats. The actor joined the Academy-award winning actress Helen Mirren in the 2011 film adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest, in which Mirren played the traditionally male role of Prospero.