Trivia: Possessing a sort of surreal, outlandish, and childish comic persona that is only enhanced by his deceptively straight-laced appearance, comic performer Steve Carell first gained a faithful following thanks to an enduring run as a correspondent on the popular Comedy Central news satire series The Daily Show. Though Carell had been performing on the small screen in such shows as The Dana Carvey Show and Over the Top since the early '90s, it was his grating but hilariously obnoxious reports on The Daily Show that truly made him a talent to watch.A native of Concord, MA, and an alumni of Chicago's famed Second City comedy troupe, Carell gained early experience with stints at the Windy City's Goodman and Wisdom Bridge Theaters. Following his feature debut in the 1991 comedy Curly Sue, Carell made a name for himself in television as a writer/performer on The Dana Carvey Show. In the years that followed, he would frequently alternate between film and television, and he continued to do so after joining the cast of The Daily Show in 1999. Sharp-eared television viewers would recognize Carell as the voice of crime-fighter Gary (a role that he played opposite Daily Show co-star Stephen Colbert) on Saturday Night Live's popular TV Funhouse segment "The Ambiguously Gay Duo." Following roles in such little-seen features as Tomorrow Night and Suits, Carell would return to the small screen for a key supporting role in ex-Seinfeld star Julia Louis-Dreyfus' short-lived sitcom Watching Ellie.In 2003, Carell nearly stole the show from comic megastar Jim Carrey with his role as an obnoxious television newscaster in the heavenly comedy Bruce Almighty, before once again stepping into a faux television studio to portray cerebrally challenged weather forecaster Brick Tamland in the 2004 Will Ferrell vehicle Anchorman. Carell then stepped out of the newsroom and into cubicle-land for the lead in NBC's American remake of the popular British sitcom The Office, for which he won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy Series in 2005. Carell also made a brief but indelible cameo opposite Anchorman co-star Ferrell in the big-screen adaptation of Bewitched.Carell's Anchorman colleagues also aided him in realizing his breakout role, later that same summer: the hapless innocent title character of The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Written by Carell and co-scripted and directed by Anchorman producer Judd Apatow, the raunchy-yet-sweet comedy had an inauspicious August release, yet its bawdy, adult-oriented laughs resonated with much of the same audience that made The Wedding Crashers an R-rated success story just a few weeks prior. Like Ferrell before him, Carell suddenly found himself in the enviable position of being able to pick and choose from a number of high-priced, high-profile comedic starring roles, among them the Bruce Almighty sequel Evan Almighty, as well as Get Smart, Horton Hears a Who!, and Dinner For Schmucks. Carrel would continue to pepper his resume with low-key roles as well, however, appearing in dramedies like Dan in Real Life and Crazy, Stupid, Love.He continued to work steadily in smaller films like The Way Way Back and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, as well as sequels like Despicable Me 2 and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. In 2014 Carell picked up the first Oscar nomination of his career for playing against type as the billionaire John DuPont in Bennett Miller's true-crime psychological drama Foxcatcher.

Trivia: Displaying the type of understated, dark-eyed good looks that make him a natural candidate for an art house pinup, Paul Rudd impressed filmgoers throughout the latter half of the 1990s with his talent for turning in performances marked by thoughtful insight and an unassuming charisma. Since his turn as Alicia Silverstone's endearingly self-righteous stepbrother in the 1995 film Clueless, Rudd has enjoyed a sort of low-key fame that has allowed him to branch out both in film and on the stage.The son of British-born parents, Rudd came into the world via Passaic, NJ, on April 6, 1969. Because of his father's job in the airline industry, Rudd and his family traveled a great deal, eventually settling in Kansas City, KS. After graduating from high school, Rudd attended the University of Kansas, where he majored in theater. Following his graduation, he was accepted as a student at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts/West in Los Angeles. His studies there led to a three-month theater workshop at Oxford University's British Drama Academy, where he was tutored by the producer and editor Michael Kahn. During his time in England, Rudd also co-produced the Globe Theatre's Bloody Poetry, in which he starred as the poet Percy Shelley, and then performed the title role of Hamlet, in a production directed by Ben Kingsley. Back in the States, Rudd made his television debut in 1992, in the series Sisters. As Ashley Judd's boyfriend Kirbie Philby, Rudd stayed with the show until 1995. During this time, he also appeared in other television productions, including the short-lived series Wild Oats (1994). In 1995, he made his big-screen debut in Amy Heckerling's Clueless, a film that met with a lavish dose of unanticipated success. Although much of the limelight was reserved for the film's star Alicia Silverstone, Rudd also received a fair amount of press, as well as the adulation of a new generation of fans who warmed to the actor's unconventional appeal. The same year, he played the lead in the sixth Halloween installment, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. The year 1996 proved to be one of hits and misses, as it included his leading part in the straight-to-video Overnight Delivery, co-starring Reese Witherspoon, and the highly successful William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, in which he played against type as the arrogant Dave Paris. The same year, Rudd starred in the obscure but critically praised Canadian independent The Size of Watermelons, before going on to make the equally obscure, critically trashed The Locusts (1997). Theatrically, however, 1997 provided positive experience in the form of a Broadway production of Alfred Uhry's The Last Night of Ballyhoo, in which Rudd had a lead role. There were further positive experiences for Rudd in 1998, as in addition to his principal role in the well-received The Object of My Affection, he starred in the high-profile Lincoln Center production of Twelfth Night, which co-starred Helen Hunt and was directed by Nicholas Hytner, his Object director. Rudd continued his theater work the following year, with Neil LaBute's Bash, an off-Broadway show that also featured Calista Flockhart and Ron Eldard. In addition, he had a starring role in 200 Cigarettes, a film remarkable for both its enviable ensemble cast (including Christina Ricci, Ben Affleck, and Martha Plimpton) and the overwhelmingly desultory reviews it received. However, even the most savage of critics were able to single out Rudd for praise, further reflecting the actor's ability to make a favorable impression in even the most unfavorable of films.After a turn as Nick Caraway in a made-for-television adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Rudd showed off his ability pull off broad-comedy in the largely improvised 2001 parody film Wet Hot American Summer. He changed gears considerably for his next project, The Shape of Things which saw him reteam with director LaBute.In 2004, Rudd again flexed his skills as a comedic scene-stealer with a supporting role in the 70s-era Will Ferrell vehicle Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Keenly aware that he was very much on to a good thing, Rudd kept the laughs coming in Tennis, Anyone...? and The Baxter before hitting yet another comedy homerun in the 2005 Steve Carrell comedy The 40 Year Old Virgin. The movie moved Rudd several notches up on the radar of comedy fans, and he followed it up with memorable turns in many more laugh-fests over the coming years, including Knocked Up in 2007, Forgetting Sarah Marshall in 2008, Role Models in 2009, and I Love You, Man in 2009. Having made himself a favorite comic actor in the industry, Rudd was soon able to pick and choose increasingly perfect roles for his style, starring in 2010's Dinner for Schmucks with Steve Carrell in 2010, and Our Idiot Brother with Zooey Deschanel in 2011. The following year, on the heels of the big screen comedy Wanderlust and a recurring role on television's Parks and Recreation, Rudd reprised his role from Knocked Up in writer/director Judd Apatow's semi-sequel This is 40.

Trivia: Born October 1, 1969, in North Carolina, Zach Galifianakis emerged as one of the more distinct comedic performers to grace the stage during the mid- to late 2000s. A short, slightly stocky presence with a thick outgrowth of beard that quickly became a personal trademark, Galifianakis used his behind-the-mike stints to riff on everything from veganism to multiple personality disorder, while constantly displaying a lightning-flash wit and marked inventiveness. He debuted with feature roles during the early 2000s, in films including Heartbreakers (2001) and Bubble Boy (2001). He also briefly emceed his own short-lived talk show, Late World with Zach (2002), on the VH1 network.By 2003, Galifianakis secured a regular role (as a morgue worker, Davis) on the Fox supernatural drama series Tru Calling (2003-2005). Thereafter, the performer spent many years placing his strongest emphasis on standup and on filmed standup specials, such as the 2005 Zach Galifianakis: Live at the Purple Onion and the 2007 Comedians of Comedy: Live at the Troubador, but continued to tackle occasional feature work from time to time. Among other screen accomplishments, Galifianakis ushered in a rare dramatic turn in Sean Penn's biographical drama Into the Wild (2007) and then played a socially maladroit friend of Ashton Kutcher in the sex farce What Happens in Vegas (2008).It wasn't until his role as a well-meaning but socially lacking participant in a bachelor party horribly gone wrong, however, that the actor would find true mainstream recognition. Alongside Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms, Galifianakis starred in The Hangover, 2009's wildly successful buddy film (the actor reprised the role for 2011's The Hangover Part 2). He would go on to co-star with Robert Downey Jr. in Due Date (2010), which followed the mismatched couple on a wacky road trip to L.A., and take on supporting roles in Dinner for Schmucks, Youth in Revolt, and Up in the Air. He lent his voice to the 2011 animated film Puss in Boots, and co-stars with Will Ferrell in the political comedy Campaign (2012).

Trivia: New Zealand-born comic Jemaine Clement represents one-half of the "digi-folk parody" team Flight of the Conchords, opposite Bret McKenzie. From the early '90s onward, the multi-hyphenate Clement racked up credits as an actor, screenwriter, TV-show creator, and executive producer, with a strong genre emphasis on eccentric comedies. Clement began in 2002 by scripting and acting in the martial arts comedy Tongan Ninja -- the saga of the world's most powerful ninja, who must travel to the Patio of Death, fight an omnipotent enemy, and rescue the love of his life. Though McKenzie did not participate in that project, he and Clement teamed up in 2007 for the quirky HBO series Flight of the Conchords, a comedy woven around the theme of culture clash, following the pair's wacky adventures as a band trying to make it in New York City. Clement then could be seen solo again, with an acting role as Jarrod in Taika Waititi's deadpan absurdist comedy Eagle vs. Shark (2007). In 2009 he played an obnoxious author in the comedy Gentleman Broncos. He lent his vocal talents to the 2010 animated comedy Despicable Me, and worked again with Steve Carell in the American remake of Dinner with Schmucks. He returned to animated films with 2011's Rio and in 2012 he stepped into the third film in the successful Men in Black franchise.

Trivia: Strikingly dark-haired actress Stephanie Szostak began her career in the early 2000s, appearing in films like Si' Laraby and Zimove vesilya. By 2006, she'd scored a part in The Devil Wears Prada, and by 2009, she was appearing alongside Uma Thurman in the movie Motherhood. Szostak would enjoy a recurring role on Law & Order: Criminal Intent that same year, before stepping up into more prominent film roles in projects like Dinner for Schmucks and R.I.P.D..

Trivia: British actress Lucy Punch began learning her craft with the National Youth Theatre in 1993, when she was 16. She would spend the next four years with the troupe, before briefly attending the University College London. Punch would cut her stint at the school short to pursue a professional career, and soon was cast in the 1998 British TV movie The New Adventures of Robin Hood. Steady work would follow over the coming years, with roles in films like Greenfingers, Ella Enchanted, and Hot Fuzz, as well as a regular part on the British TV series Doc Martin. After establishing herself as a familiar face in England, Punch would soon transition into American movies, as well, appearing in more and more stateside projects, like 2010's Dinner for Schmucks, and 2011's Bad Teacher.

Trivia: Canadian character actor Bruce Greenwood spent the 1970s working in regional Vancouver theater, and appeared in many Canadian TV shows during the '80s. His first American film was a walk-on role in Rambo: First Blood. In the U.S., he fared much better with television pilots, miniseries, and made-for-TV movies. His first big role was Dr. Seth Griffin on St. Elsewhere from 1986-1988. Other TV projects included The FBI Murders, The Servants of Twilight, and Summer Dreams: The Story of the Beach Boys. By the '90s, he had found a home for himself on television. Greenwood played Pierce Lawson in 1991 on the evening soap opera Knots Landing, earned a Gemini (the Canadian Emmy) nomination for The Little Kidnappers, and then took home an award for his role in Road to Avonlea. He also starred as Thomas Veil on the UPN dramatic series Nowhere Man and guest starred as Roger Bingham on the HBO comedy series The Larry Sanders Show. He did quite well on NBC, as well, appearing in many TV movies (including Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge) and starring in the sci-fi mystery show Sleepwalkers as Dr. Nathan Bradford.Greenwood made the leap to the big screen with a fellow Canadian, Egyptian-born filmmaker Atom Egoyan. In Exotica, he played the troubled Francis, a tax collector obsessed with a stripper. The film was a hit at the Cannes Film Festival, and Greenwood re-teamed with the director for his next film, The Sweet Hereafter, which won a special jury prize at Cannes, while Greenwood was nominated for a Genie award for his supporting role of mourning father Billy Ansell. By contrast, he played bad guys in mainstream thrillers in the '90s, with starring roles in Disturbing Behavior, Hide and Seek, Double Jeopardy, and Rules of Engagement He may be most well known, however, for playing President John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis in the political thriller Thirteen Days, for which he won a Golden Satellite Award. With this role under his belt, Greenwood moved into more dramatic territory with the A&E miniseries The Magnificent Ambersons as well as a dual role in Egoyan's Ararat. In 2003, he produced fellow Canadian Deepa Mehta's film The Republic of Love and appeared in the action comedy Hollywood Homicide and the sci-fi thriller The Core. He continued to work steadily in a variety of projects including I, Robot, Racing Stripes, Capote, Déjà vu, and had a small part in Todd Haynes' 2007 idiosyncratic Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There. That same year he played the president in the hit sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets. He had a brief but memorable turn as Captain James T. Kirk's father in J.J. Abrams Star Trek, and played a bad guy in the comedy Dinner for Schmucks. He had a major role in the arty western Meek's Cutoff, and reteamed with Abrams when he appeared in the Spielberg homage Super 8.

Trivia: Best known as one-half of a popular British comedy team that also included Matt Lucas, comedic writer and actor David Walliams soared to fame on the back of the hit program that he and Lucas created during the early 2000s, Little Britain. A sketch comedy revue that coupled the irreverence of Saturday Night Live with a quintessentially English sensibility, this program quickly evolved into a British institution, and garnered legions of American fans, as well, when it ran on BBC America; its popularity prompted HBO to pick up the international rights for an American remake, christened Little Britain USA.Born David Williams in Surrey, England, in August 1971, Walliams grew up as the son of a lab technician mother and a father employed by London Transport. He studied at Reigate Grammar School and Bristol University, then enrolled in the National Youth Theater, where he and Lucas met and developed a fast friendship. The duo teamed up to create a music-themed spoof series, Rock Profile, in 1999. Though it evaded hit status, it did become something of a cult phenomenon, and inspired Walliams and Lucas to try again; the result, of course, was Little Britain (2003).On the side, Walliams also essayed on-camera comedic roles from time to time, in films including Clancy's Kitchen (1998), Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2005), Capturing Mary (2007), and Run, Fat Boy, Run (2007). In 2008, Walliams provided the voice of Bulgy Bear in Andrew Adamson and Walden Media's big-budget fantasy The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. He appeared in both Dinner for Schmucks and Marmaduke in 2010, and that same year he reteamed with Matt Lucas for the series Come Fly with Me.

Trivia: Ron Livingston first came to the attention of film audiences in 1996, when he portrayed one of Jon Favreau's Rat Pack-obsessed cronies in Swingers. Over the next few years, the actor began taking more and more leading roles, earning recognition and making a name for himself in the process. A graduate of Yale, where he received a B.A. in Theatre Studies and English Literature, Livingston began acting at the Williamstown Theatre Festival while in college. After graduation, he headed to Chicago, where he performed at the Goodman Theatre. Livingston made his film debut in the 1992 Dolly Parton comedy Straight Talk, and the following year he had a supporting role in the independent film Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade. After catching the eyes of audiences in the cult-hit Swingers, Livingston began to take on increasingly more prominent film roles. In 1999 he could be seen in no less than three films, beginning with the comedy Office Space, in which he had the starring role. While the film performed theatrically, it slowly gained an audience on home-video and was later regarded as a modern comedy classic. In 2001, Livingston turned to the small screen, first in the Stephen Spielberg-produced miniseries Band of Brothers, then with a short-lived starring role on ABC's The Practice. He could be seen in theaters again in 2002, stealing scenes as a smarmy agent in the critically-acclaimed Adaptation and returned to television the following year, with a recurring role as one of Carrie's boyfriends on Sex and the City.Livingston would go on to appear in a number of feature films over the coming years, like Little Black Book, Dinner for Schmucks and The Life Coach, before going on to find success on the small screen once again with shows like Standoff and Defying Gravity.

Trivia: Enjoyed science as a child and wanted to be an astronaut. Known as the class comedian as well as an athlete in high school. Played basketball and football, and also held the high-jump record. A former class president, he was inducted into the Damien High School Hall of Fame in 2003. Majored in theatre in college but dropped out to get his Actors' Equity Association card. Self-taught comedian and writer. Got his big break writing for the comedy series In Living Color. Was cocreator and executive producer of The PJs, Eddie Murphy's prime-time animated series, and the award-winning The Bernie Mac Show. Started contributing to The Daily Show as the "senior black correspondent" in 2006. Author of I'd Rather We Got Casinos: And Other Black Thoughts, published in 2009. Brother Marc also known as a stand-up comic and comedy writer. Has cited Johnny Carson and Richard Pryor as influences.

Trivia: Writer, actress, and comedian Kristen Schaal honed her skills working in the New York improve and stand-up scene in the early 2000s. In addition to winning the Best Alternative Comedian Award at the 2006 HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, along with a number of other awards, Schaal began cultivating a career onscreen, appearing on shows like The Education of Max Bickford and Ugly Betty, and in movies like Norbit. Her notoriety increased in 2007, when she took on the role of obsessive fan Mel on the comedy series Flight of the Conchords. Schaal would soon find herself part of the Hollywood comedy scene, appearing in numerous movies over the next few years, including Shrek Forever After, Get Him to the Greek, Toy Story 3, Dinner for Schmucks, and Going the Distance. She appeared in The Muppets in 2011, then was cast to voice one of the main characters in the animated series Bob's Burgers.

Trivia: Played three varsity sports in high school. Coached basketball camp at Duke University while he attended graduate school. Planned on becoming an investment banker after college but a drama teacher persuaded him to pursue acting instead. Found steady work in movies and TV before landing a recurring role as a sports agent on The Game in 2006. Is the voice of Bolin on The Legend of Korra.

Trivia: Broke into TV playing Brazilian exchange student Renata Vargas on Sweet Valley High. Was a member of The Groundlings improv group. Best known on the small screen for her role on the partially improvised sitcom Significant Others (2004), and for her role as Tillie Sullivan on the Comedy Central mockumentary comedy series Dog Bites Man (2006). Wrote, starred in and produced sketches for HBO's Funny or Die Presents (2010-11). Appeared in a stage production of Girls Talk, a play about status-obsessed mothers, in 2011. Has written for the Huffington Post.

Trivia: Comedian Nick Kroll came up through the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in both New York and LA, before infultrating the world of stand up and sketch comedy, and becommning a writer for Chapelle's Show and Human Giant. The Georgetown allumni would go on to appear on VH1 series like I Love the 80's, as well as in sit-coms like Worst Week, Reno 911, The League, and the Life and Times of Tim, in addition to movies like I Love You, Man.

Trivia: Created an Asian American theater group called Lapu the Coyote That Cares, with two friends in college. Performs sketch comedy with his friend Marques Ray. His first regular acting role was on Nick Cannon's Wild 'N Out in 2006. Is a frequent contributor to Channel 101, an online TV network.

Trivia: Represented Roscommon in Gaelic Football at under-16, minor and under-21 level. Studied politics and sociology in college; and wrote for the college newspaper, the University Observer. Worked construction, in bars and at call centers while pursuing an acting career in London. Won a 2005 BAFTA Scottish Award for his leading role in Festival. Wrote the 2012 series Moone Boy, which is partly based on his childhood in Ireland during the late 1980s. Played Lennie in the 2014 Broadway revival of Of Mice and Men with James Franco and Leighton Meester.

Trivia: Standup comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham began honing his skills in college, eventually making his professional debut on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1990. He made the rounds on the comedy circuit during the coming years, making occasional TV appearances and eventually performing in his own episode of Comedy Central Presents in 2003. Several Comedy Central specials followed over the next few years, and Dunham would eventually star in his own series on the network, The Jeff Dunham Show, in 2009, as well as additional stand-up specials like Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos. In 2014, he set up a long-term residency at the Planet Hollywood casino in Las Vegas with his show Not Playing with a Full Deck.

Trivia: NYU graduate Patrick Fischler began building up his résumé in the late '90s, making appearances on TV shows like Sister, Sister and Nash Bridges. His intense looks and malleable demeanor soon made him a familiar face, and in 2001 he was cast in the David Lynch film Mulholland Drive. By the late 2000s, Fischler was landing recurring roles on major primetime series, playing Jimmy Bartlett on the period drama Mad Men and later taking on the role of Dharma Initiative employee Phil on the hit series Lost. In 2009, he joined the cast of another network drama, portraying Detective Kenny No-Gun on police drama Southland.

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

Trivia: Alabama native Octavia Spencer was working as part of the crew for the 1996 thriller A Time to Kill when she was handed the chance of a lifetime: Director Joel Schumacher thought she was right for a small role in the film, and Spencer's acting career was born. In addition to honing her craft on the professional stages of Los Angeles, Spencer continued to act on screen, appearing in a multitude of projects, including Never Been Kissed, Blue Streak, Big Momma's House, Dinner for Schmucks, and Peep World. Spencer also became a familiar TV face, with starring and recurring roles on LAX, Ugly Betty, Halfway Home, and Raising the Bar. A major boon for Spencer arrived in 2011 when, after 15 years in the industry, her performance in the critically acclaimed period movie The Help earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Trivia: Started out competing in national beauty pageants, and was named Miss Mexico in 1997. Co-starred in country singer Billy Currington's music video "Must be Doin' Somethin' Right," which won the hottest video of the year award at the Country Music Television Music Awards in 2006. Made her film debut as the lead role in La Vida Blanca (2007), which she also co-produced. For her role, she won the Feature Film Award that year as Best Actress.