Trivia: Born in Alberta, Canada, in 1971, Nathan Fillion took his acting ambitions to the United States when he moved to New York in 1994 to portray Joey Buchanan on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. Having previously appeared in a single TV movie, Ordeal in the Arctic, Fillion's acting career had taken a backseat to his plans to be an English teacher. His three-year stint on the long-standing daytime TV staple, however, changed his focus in a big way. When his time on One Life to Live was up, the 27-year-old actor relocated to Los Angeles to assume a regular role on the sitcom Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place. Shortly afterward, he made a memorable appearance as the "wrong Ryan" in Steven Spielberg's WWII epic Saving Private Ryan. He also made appearances on The Outer Limits, King of the Hill, Pasadena, and other projects. It was in 2002, however, that he assumed the role that would make his career. Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon selected Fillion to portray rugged captain Mal Reynolds for his new sci-fi/Western series Firefly. The show found a rabidly loyal cult fan base, as well as incomparable critical praise, but tragically, failed to find the wide audience that Fox had been hoping for. The show was canceled after only 11 episodes, but Fillion had reached a level of familiarity with the public that most actors never hope to achieve. He reprised the role of Mal in 2005 for the feature-film adaptation of Firefly, Serenity, to the delight of fans. In 2006, Fillion stayed on the cream of the fringe with the much anticipated horror film Slither. Starring alongside Elizabeth Banks, the actor stole the show with his humorous, low-key performance. For his next project, he signed on to act alongside Keri Russell in the romantic comedy Waitress. When the writer's strike hit, Fillion teamed with his old collaborator Joss Whedon to star in the direct-to-the-web musical miniseries Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. In 2009 he landed the title role on the ABC series Castle, and took a small role in the dark superhero comedy Super in 2010.

Trivia: A woman who unquestionably owes her dark, sensual allure to her Croatian ancestry, Canadian actress Stana Katic achieved fame with multi-episode appearances on the prime-time cop drama The Shield, the hit counterterrorism thriller 24, and the popular serial drama Heroes (as Hana Gitelman, a character who can wirelessly connect to and interact with the Internet using only her mind). Katic scored her first big-screen coup in 2007 when she was cast as Jenny in legendary writer/director Robert Benton's gentle ensemble drama Feast of Love. She landed a part in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace in 2008, but it was 2009 when she landed a leading role on Castle, a series that built a loyal following. She parlayed the show's success into parts in the feature films For Lovers Only, Truth About Kerry, and The Double.

Trivia: Susan Sullivan is an Emmy-nominated actress who has proved equally adept at drama or comedy. She is best known for her eight years portraying Maggie Gioberti on the television series Falcon Crest, a prime-time network soap opera in a vein similar to that of Dallas and Dynasty, but she has also shown her comedic skills on sitcoms such as It's a Living and The George Carlin Show. Born Susan Michaela Sullivan in New York City in 1942 (some sources say 1944), she put herself through college by working as a Playboy bunny in the early '60s. Indeed, Sullivan was among the first Playboy bunnies employed by the newly opened Playboy Club in New York; as she has recalled in interviews, this was a most intellectually impressive and ambitious array of women, somewhat different from what the Playboy bunnies subsequently became, many of them aspiring to careers in law and other professions, and financing their educations by working at the club. Her television career began when she joined the cast of the daytime drama Another World in the role of Lenore Curtin, who she portrayed for four seasons. Sullivan based her career in New York, and was appearing in an off-Broadway play when she was spotted by an agent who offered to represent her if she moved to Hollywood. She accepted and thus began her career in prime-time television. Sullivan (who was sometimes billed as Susan J. Sullivan early in her career to distinguish her from another late-'60s actress named Susan Sullivan) appeared on television series such as Medical Center, McMillan & Wife, Kojak, and Petrocelli during the early '70s before landing the role that would establish her acting credentials, as Peter Strauss' lover in Rich Man, Poor Man--Book II (1976), which earned her an Emmy nomination. That same year, she moved into feature films, playing opposite Charlton Heston in Jack Smight's feature film Midway; she only had ten minutes of screen time in the movie, but hers were some of the best and most dramatically involving scenes in a movie that was otherwise largely devoid of character development or depth. Her sequences were used exclusively for the two-part television version of the movie, which means that theatrical audiences never saw her; Sullivan's scenes were missing from every home video version of the film until the October 2001 DVD reissue of Midway, which contained her footage. She spent most of the rest of the '70s in good guest-starring roles on series such as Taxi (where, in the episode "What Price Bobby," she proved herself capable of getting laughs and being sexually provocative at the same time, portraying an amorously predatory theatrical agent), and she turned in an exceptional dramatic performance in the pilot film for The Incredible Hulk, portraying a research scientist and friend of stricken hero David Banner (Bill Bixby). Her star continued to rise when she was cast in the lead role, as a gynecologist, in the made-for-television feature Having Babies and a sequel, which led to Sullivan playing the lead role in the subsequent ABC network series of the same name. From there, she was cast in the sitcom It's a Living, playing the most mature and sensible member of a group of waitresses at an upscale restaurant. It was after leaving It's a Living in 1981 that Sullivan earned the lead role of Maggie Gioberti on the drama Falcon Crest, which she played for eight seasons. Since leaving that series in 1989, a year before the end of its run, Sullivan has continued to act in both comedy and drama, and appeared on television on behalf of various charitable causes, as well as serving as the commercial spokesperson for Tylenol. She was a co-star on the George Carlin Show and has appeared on sitcoms such as Dharma & Greg. In the 2st century she found a regular gig voicing Hippolyta on the animated Justice League series, and enjoyed recurring roles on both The Drew Carey Show and Castle.

Trivia: Started dancing and gymnastics lessons at age 3. Starred in a series of local commercials and print ads in her youth. At age 6, she performed in a local ballet production of The Nutcracker. Took acting classes from retired director/producer Martin Beck. Was discovered by director Linda Seto at a summer film camp in Dallas, TX, and was encouraged to move to Los Angeles. Made film debut in a bit part in the 2007 comedy Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.

Trivia: A theater star from a diverse background, Ruben Santiago-Hudson was born in Lackawanna, NY, in 1956. Growing up with a combination of Puerto Rican and African American descent yielded many life-shaping experiences for Santiago-Hudson, and after studying at Binghamton University, he went on to write, direct, and star in the acclaimed play Lackawanna Blues, in which he portrayed over 20 characters from his past. The thespian would continue to work on-stage, appearing in plays like Jelly's Last Jam and Seven Guitars -- for which he won a Tony -- and additionally transitioned to the screen, appearing in a large number of films like The Devil's Advocate and Honeydripper. In 2005, Santiago-Hudson adapted Lackawanna Blues into a miniseries produced by HBO, which met with critical acclaim and garnered several major awards for star S. Epatha Merkerson. In the following years, Santiago-Hudson would find success on the popular series Castle.

Trivia: Actress Tamala Jones launched her career as a model, appearing in magazine ads and television commercials, before landing her first acting job on an episode of the preteen sitcom California Dreams, but her interest in the craft goes back to early childhood, when Jones and her cousin would stage backyard shows. Los Angeles-born and raised, Jones first studied drama in the sixth grade. As a young woman, she guest starred on series ranging from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to E.R. to The Wayans Brothers. She had her first regular television role playing a student in the ABC network's short-lived drama Dangerous Minds. Jones entered feature films with a small role in How to Make an American Quilt (1995) and had her first starring film role in Booty Call (1997). In 1998, Jones starred in the short-lived NBC summer replacement sitcom For Your Love. After appearing in Blue Streak and The Wood the following year, Jones began to gain even more momentum in 2000 with roles in Ice Cube's Next Friday and the Tim Meadows SNL vehicle The Ladies Man. Jones would later share the limelight with a talented cast in Kingdom Come in 2001. She continued to work steadily in a variety of projects including Head of State, Daddy Day Camp, Who's Your Caddy?, and What Love Is before being cast on the television show Castle as Lanie Paris. In 2010 she starred in and co-produced the romantic comedy 35 & Ticking.

Trivia: Started acting when he was 10 years old. First became known for his role as Antonio on the television series Moesha. Spent eight years in the military and participated in Operations Just Cause and Desert Storm. Finished a college degree in theater while in the Air Force. Nominated for a 2000 ALMA Award for his role on ABC's Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Has worked closely with several charities that help veterans, including the Wounded Warrior Fund and Puppies Behind Bars.

Trivia: Is the son of a drama teacher. Has been in more than 50 plays, and is well known for his stage work in the Los Angeles area. Did voice-over work in the 2002 Activision video game Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix. Has had many guest roles on numerous television shows, including CSI: Miami, Close to Home, Crossing Jordan, Charmed, JAG and Cold Case. After his General Hospital character, Dr. Ian Devlin, was killed off, he went on to play another doctor, Dr. Chris Ferlinghetti, on Army Wives.

Trivia: When college basketball star Marc Blucas did not make the NBA, he decided to apply to law school. The day before he was scheduled to take the Law School Admission Test, he unwound by watching Rob Reiner's courtroom drama A Few Good Men (1992) and realized that what excited him about the film was not the law, but the acting. A few years later, Blucas was a television veteran with several feature films under his belt and a coveted spot in Vanity Fair's prestigious Hollywood Issue.Born Marcus Paul Blucas on January 11, 1972, the actor grew up in the small town of Girard, PA. The son of a school superintendent and an education administrator, he made his stage debut as a cupcake in his third grade class' production of Hansel and Gretel. At 6'2" tall, he was the star center on the Girard High School basketball team. An All-State athlete, Blucas averaged 20.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game and lead his team to two 2A championships. In his senior year, the team went undefeated and was ranked among the best high school basketball teams by USA Today. Blucas earned a full scholarship to Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, where he majored in business with a minor in speech communication and played shooting guard and small forward for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. He competed in four NCAA tournaments and won the Murray C. Greason Sr. Athletic Academic Award and the Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship in his senior year. When Blucas was not picked in the NBA draft, he joined the Manchester Giants and played pro basketball in England for one season. After starting a company that was targeted to assist athletes in endorsement and contract negotiations, he intended to go to law school but tried his hand at acting instead.Blucas had already appeared opposite Marg Helgenberger and Kris Kristofferson in the television movie Inflammable (1995), when a friend at Wake Forest informed him that the producers of the Whoopi Goldberg comedy Eddie (1996) were looking for a baby-faced basketball player to appear in the picture. He was a perfect fit and made his feature-film debut as a benched player on the New York Knicks. After working as the technical advisor on NBC's sports biopic Never Give Up: The Jimmy V Story (1996), Blucas was able to expand his part as an athlete in Pleasantville (1997) by coordinating the film's basketball sequences. He then dedicated himself to honing his craft through workshops and acting classes, before resurfacing as Jerry O'Connell's best friend in the NBC miniseries The '60s (1999), and as Carmen Electra's ex-beau in Jeff Abugov's The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human (1999). He also appeared on MTV's Undressed, the WB's Clueless, and HBO's Arli$$.Blucas' breakthrough role came in the fall of 1999, when he was cast as a regular on Joss Whedon's hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Portraying Buffy's (Sarah Michelle Gellar) demon-hunting boyfriend, Riley Finn, he became a recognizable actor with a sturdy fan base. Blucas left the show in 2000 (with the promise that he would be back) in order to pursue film work. After starring in the baseball-themed Summer Catch (2001) with Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jessica Biel, he began a back-to-back shooting schedule that included Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) with Ben Affleck and Jason Lee, John Sayles' The Sunshine State (2001) with Angela Bassett and Edie Falco, and Randall Wallace's We Were Soldiers (2002) with Mel Gibson and Chris Klein. He also joined the casts of the Gwyneth Paltrow comedy A View From the Top (2002), the thriller They (2002), and the period piece I Capture the Castle (2002).While still swearing to fans that he will return to Buffy the Vampire Slayer as soon as he can, Blucas signed on to director Alex Steyermark's Pray for Rock 'n' Roll, which stars Gina Gershon, Jennifer Esposito, Jane Adams, and Shelly Cole as a struggling Los Angeles-based girl band. Despite his onscreen success and his busy schedule, the actor still makes time for basketball. He plays on an adult team and serves as a referee for a Los Angeles youth league.

Trivia: The classically beautiful, Massachusetts-born actress Anne Dudek received formal training in a number of theatrical masterworks, including the lead in a Chicago production of Iphigenia in Taurus, staged by JoAnne Akalaitis, before transitioning to supporting roles in filmed work. After a 2001 guest spot on ER, Dudek played Lisa Silk, daughter of racially masked professor Coleman Silk (Anthony Hopkins) in Robert Benton's thoughtful drama The Human Stain (2003). Dudek offered a memorable comic turn as snooty heiress Tiffany Wilson in the Wayans Brothers farce White Chicks (2004), and guest spots on such series programs as Six Feet Under (in 2003) and Desperate Housewives (in 2004), then scored her highest billing to date as Lorraine in Brad Silberling's 10 Items or Less (2006), starring Morgan Freeman. That same year, Dudek landed a plum role in Kurt Voelker's nutty, ensemble-driven farce, Park. In 2007, the actress scored several memorable and notably diverse supporting roles on the small screen: a '60s housewife on the critically acclaimed AMC drama Mad Men; one of the wives of the scheming Alby Grant on the HBO polygamist drama Big Love; and one of Dr. Gregory House's (Hugh Laurie) possible new employees at the start of the hit medical drama House's fourth season. Her ambitious character on the latter show, dubbed by House as "Cutthroat Bitch," was ultimately not chosen for his elite medical team, but she returned later in the season as the love interest of his best friend, Dr. Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard).Over the next several years, Dudek would land starring roles on still more successful shows like Big Love and Covert Affairs.

Trivia: Lived in the Bahamas, England, Hong Kong and Italy while growing up; eventually settled in Toronto. Prior to acting, worked in the restaurant business with his father, who's a noted Italian chef. Was named Best Maître d' in the City by Toronto Life magazine. Began his showbiz career at age 30. Cocreated The Great Canadian Food Show, which he hosted; was nominated for a Gemini Award as best host in 2001. Best known for his roles on Little Mosque on the Prairie and 24.

Trivia: Discovered by a modeling agency at 13 and spent two years modeling around the world. Appeared in the music videos for the Backstreet Boys' "As Long As You Love Me," Will Smith's "Wild, Wild West" and Lenny Kravitz's "American Woman." Hired as a recurring character on season three of Blue Bloods before being promoted to a series regular the following season. Supports HIV/AIDS charities.

Trivia: Best known to Gen-Y'ers as Shawn Hunter, the resident high-school heartthrob and best friend of teen Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) on the ABC Friday-night sitcom Boy Meets World (1993-2000), Rider Strong was born in San Francisco and entered show business with a portrayal of Gavroche in a local stage production of Les Miserables. He first moved into television work at age 12 as the son of Julie Andrews on the star's eponymous sitcom, Julie (1992), then landed guest-star bits on such programs as Evening Shade, Empty Nest, Davis Rules, and Going Places. World, of course, represented Strong's career breakthrough and secured a major fan base for him (particularly among teenage girls). As the series neared closure in the late '90s, Strong branched out into film roles -- first with a small part in the sentimental Billy Crystal comedy My Giant (1998), then as a horror star in such opuses as Cabin Fever (2002), Borderland (2007), and Cabin Fever 2 (2009). Strong later switched his focus to writing, directing and starring in short films. In 2014, Strong returned to his roots, reprising his role of Shawn Hunter on the Boy Meets World spin-off Girl Meets World.