Trivia: Getting her start in a comedy team called "My Mother's Fleabag" while studying at Boston College, the frantically energized Amy Poehler (born September 16th, 1971) has become an improv queen of sorts on the comedy circuit. After graduation, Poehler got involved with Second City and ImprovOlympic in Chicago, where she worked with improv guru Del Close and began touring. After joining up with the sketch comedy group The Upright Citizens Brigade, she moved to New York City with them in 1996. The group had a show on Comedy Central for three seasons and opened their own theater in New York. Her big mainstream breakthrough came in January 2002, when she was promoted from featured player to member of the repertory cast of Saturday Night Live. Two of her most well-known SNL characters have been the one-legged dating show contestant and the combative trailer-park wife. Her other television appearances included recurring characters on Late Night With Conan O'Brien and Undeclared. On the big screen, she seemed to make an impression despite her small roles. In Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, she played a Tourette's Syndrome sufferer, and in Wet Hot American Summer she was a snobby drama club leader. After appearing in the feature Martin & Orloff with the other members of the Upright Citizens Brigade, she would star with Jack Black and Ben Stiller in Envy in 2004, the same year that she memorably portrayed a wannabe hip mom in the Tina Fey-penned comedy Mean Girls. The following few years found Poehler skillfully balancing her small-screen career with her feature aspirations, and whether she was sitting at the "Weekend Update" desk, playing the wife of then-real-life husband Will Arnett on Arrested Development, or waiting tables in Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny, the increasingly busy actress/comedian could always be counted on for a few hearty laughs. Additional appearances in both the kiddie-friendly Spongebob Squarepants and the terrifyingly hilarious Wonder Showzen during this period in her career would offer hilarious proof of Poehler's crafty ability to alternate between subversive adult material and harmless kid cartoons with an ease that no doubt helped to make her a hit with audiences young and old alike. Despite substantial appearances in (Donnie Darko director) Richard Kelly's eagerly anticipated sophomore feature Southland Tales and Alec Baldwin's remake Shortcut to Happiness going largely unseen when both films languished without a release date for far longer than anyone would have anticipated, fans in need of a Poehler feature fix would find little cause to complain as the actress turned up in The Ex, Blades of Glory -- again opposite then-husband Arnett -- and Shrek the Third in 2007.Poehler continued to be a popular choice for voice roles, lending her vocal talents to Monsters vs. Aliens (2009), Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009), and The Secret World of Arrietty (2010). In 2008, she reunited with Tina Fey to play the freewheeling surrogate mother to a high-strung, career-oriented woman (Fey) who desperately wants a baby. Poehler's star continued to rise with the sitcom Parks and Recreation. Introduced in 2009, the popular comedy series follows Leslie Knope (Poehler), a mid-level bureaucrat working for the parks department in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana.

Trivia: The professional reputation of some actors and performers is inextricable from that of a larger ensemble to which they belong. Comedian/actor/screenwriter Aziz Ansari epitomizes this idea. Ansari shot to fame in the mid- to late 2000s as a member of the three-person comedy troupe responsible for The Human Giant -- a weekly, SNL-style collection of outrageous and irreverent comedy sketches that the group wrote and performed on MTV.Ansari is -- like Jay Chandrasekhar and a few other comics to emerge during the early 2000s -- of Tamil Indian heritage. Ansari grew up and attended university in rural South Carolina, then studied business at New York University. As a student, Ansari took classes with the famed Upright Citizens Brigade and mounted solo standup comedy gigs at Manhattan-area clubs. After a brief stint working on an Internet advertising business, Ansari discovered that he was earning enough with his standup efforts to focus on this full-time. His association with the Brigade ultimately led to a regular gig as emcee of "Crash Test," a weekly standup comedy showcase at the UCB Theatre, and -- in time -- to the creation of the Human Giant series.In 2009 Ansari landed a regular part on NBC's well-respected Amy Poehler-led sitcom Parks & Recreation. He parlayed that shows success into small parts in comedies like Judd Apatow's Funny People, Jody Hill's Observe & Report, and Get Him to the Greek. This led to his biggest role to that point as the best friend of a slacker forced to rob a bank in 30 Minutes or Less.In 2012 he contributed his vocal talents to Ice Age: Continental Drift.

Trivia: Comedian and actress Aubrey Plaza honed her skills with the renowned Upright Citizen's Brigade comedy troupe beginning in 2004, as well as performing standup at places like the Laugh Factory. She graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2006, and soon began making the transition to the screen, appearing as Daisy in the 2009 Judd Apatow comedy Funny People, and as Robin on the series Mayne Street. In 2009, Plaza joined the cast of the comedy series Parks and Recreation, acting alongside Upright Citizen's founding member Amy Poehler. Her performance as bored teenage intern April was a hit with audiences, and Plaza followed it the next year with a role in the quirky 2010 graphic novel adaptation Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. She appeared in Whit Stillman's Damsels in Distress, as well as the comedy Safety Not Guaranteed opposite the Duplass brothers.

Trivia: Actor Nick Offerman honed an immediately identifiable image -- that of a rugged, imposing presence with an unmistakably menacing onscreen aura, occasionally tempered by nuttiness -- and parlayed it into a long string of offbeat characterizations. After guest spots on such prime-time series as ER and Gilmore Girls, and bit parts in features including Treasure Island (1999), Groove (2000), and November (2003), Offerman graduated to lead status with a decidedly wacky triple role in Martin Hynes' road movie The Go-Getter (2007). That same year, audiences could also catch Offerman via his small supporting role as a cop in Goran Dukic's jet-black comic romance Wristcutters: A Love Story. Meanwhile, Offerman also signed for one of the lead roles -- as an auto mechanic -- on the satirical Comedy Central series American Body Shop (2007). In 2009 he was cast as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, and this turned out to be his breakthrough role. He parlayed that success into appearances in films like The Men Who Stare at Goats, All Good Things, Casa de me Padre, and the big-screen comedy version of 21 Jump Street.

Trivia: Born June 21, 1979, native Minnesotan actor Chris Pratt scored his first big break on television as the troubled physician's son Bright Abbott on the WB series drama Everwood, opposite Treat Williams and others, and segued into film with a prominent role in the biting satire Strangers with Candy (2005) alongside Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert. Successive features included Deep in the Valley (2008), Wanted (2008), and Bride Wars (2009) (as the ineffectual fiancé of Anne Hathaway). In 2009, Pratt joined the NBC sitcom Parks & Recreation as a guest star, but his turn as the dim-witted Andy Dwyer was so well-received that he was promoted to series regular for season 2. While on the show, Pratt also juggled some major movie roles, co-starring with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill as baseball player Scott Hatteberg in the blockbuster Moneyball (2011) and appearing as a Navy SEAL in 2012's controversial Zero Dark Thirty.

Trivia: Parents are Liberian; her family is related to Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Planned to attend medical school, but changed her career path in 1996 when she participated in a local open-mic night. Made her TV debut on Moesha in 1997. Started a series of college comedy tours in 1998; received a nomination from Campus Activities Magazine for Female Comedian of the Year. Won Comedy Central's first Laugh Riots Stand-Up Competition in 1999. Cast as a recurring guest star on NBC's Parks and Recreation in 2009 before becoming a series regular in the show's third season.

Trivia: Did improv training with Second City in Chicago. Was a member of Chicago theater troupe White Noise in the 1980s and '90s. Guest-starred as a fired department-store Santa in two David E. Kelley series: Ally McBeal and Boston Legal. Originally auditioned for the role of boss Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation, but was instead cast as associate director Jerry.

Trivia: A native of Santa Cruz, CA, who was born in 1973, actor Adam Scott first encountered acting in elementary school, on a decidedly negative note (thanks to a not-so-pleasant experience in a science play), but by mid-adolescence changed his views about the craft and aggressively pursued a career in drama. He applied, and was accepted to, the American Academy of Dramatic Art in Pasadena, then made the short move west to Hollywood with several buddies. The actor took his bow with a guest bit on the series Dead at 21, and thereafter largely divided his time between television and the theatrical stage. In the television venue, guest roles followed on series including ER and NYPD Blue, as well as a recurring parts on Murder One, Party of Five, and on the Friday-night ABC sitcom Boy Meets World as high school senior Griff Hawkins. Scott moved into features in the late '90s and scored supporting roles in A-list Hollywood features; thereafter, the roles arrived quickly and furiously. Projects included Payback (1997), The Aviator (2004), Art School Confidential (2006), Knocked Up (2007), and Step Brothers (2008). Small-screen enthusiasts may also remember Scott for his role as Palek, one of the troubled husbands on the racy HBO relationship drama series Tell Me You Love Me (2007). He appeared in Step Brothers, but started to generate buzz as the lead in the made for cable comedy series Party Down. He joined the cast of Parks and Recreation in that show's second season which led quickly to roles in a number of big-screen comedies including Leap Year, Our Idiot Brother, and Friends With Kids.

Trivia: Appeared in commercials as a child. Played John Goodman's son on a Saturday Night Live sketch when he was 12 years old. Performed in an off-Broadway musical before beginning his comedy career. Took classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York City. Created and cohosted a variety show called Creation Nation in 2003, where he first debuted his Billy on the Street character. Starred in a talk-show pilot, which also featured Joan Rivers, but it was never picked up. Nominated for a Daytime Emmy award for Best Game Show Host in 2013.

Trivia: The sons and daughters of the rich and famous may have a reputation for being embarrassing, vapid fodder for the paparazzi and reality TV, but Rashida Jones has nothing in common with her peers. The daughter of music mogul and world-famous songwriter Quincy Jones, Rashida began working hard to make herself educated and accomplished from the time she was five years old, when her father would catch her reading with a flashlight after he'd put her to bed. She attended Hebrew school and excelled academically at the Buckley School in Los Angeles, an independent school known for tiny class sizes and a sharp focus on students' development both as people and as scholars. Jones then attended Harvard, where she studied religion and philosophy while pursuing her musical gifts as a member and music director of the a cappella group The Harvard Opportunes. After graduating, she continued to include singing in her list of projects, singing backup on tracks for the band Maroon 5, in major ad campaigns for The Gap, on tracks for hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur (who was engaged to Jones' sister), and on various film soundtracks. Jones also tried her hand at modeling, strutting her stuff for clothing lines like Triple 5 Soul and The Gap, as well as appearing in editorials for Vogue and In Style. Jones had studied theater in college, but acting was only a hobby for her until she was cast in 1997's The Last Don and realized what inspiration she got from the craft. She was later cast as a regular on the hit TV drama Boston Public, and appeared as a guest star in one episode of the fanatical cult favorite Freaks and Geeks. She also lent her talents to appealing independent films like Death of a Dynasty before being cast as Karen in the third season of the much-adored comedy series The Office. Despite the fact that Jones was playing the third point in an awkward love triangle, audiences took to her immediately, not only for her expert comic timing and ability to handle the show's mockumentary format, but for maintaining a realness and likability throughout the story. Jones next signed on to appear in co-star John Krasinski's movie Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. She appeared in the comedy The Ten which featured many members of the comedy troupe The State. In 2009 she landed a part on the new show Parks & Recreations, which turned into a well-respected sitcom for NBC. That same year she had a hit on the big screen as Paul Rudd's fiancé in I Love You, Man. The next year she played a lawyer in The Social Network. She worked with Rudd again in 2011's Our Idiot Brother, and appeared as a TV executive in The Muppets.

Trivia: American brothers Rob and Chad Lowe became actors in childhood (Chad would ultimately win an Emmy for his TV work). Rob was acting from the age of eight in 1972; seven years later, he was a regular on the TV series A New Kind of Family, playing the teenaged son of star Eileen Brennan. That series was shot down quickly, but Lowe's film career picked up when newspaper and magazine articles began aligning the handsome, sensitive young actor with the burgeoning Hollywood "brat pack," which included such new talent as Molly Ringwald, Matt Dillon, Charlie Sheen, and Anthony Michael Hall. Along with several fellow "packers" (Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, and Emilio Estevez), Lowe starred in 1985's St. Elmo's Fire; this film and the earlier Hotel New Hampshire (1984) represent the most memorable projects in Lowe's otherwise negligible film output. In 1989, Lowe's already flagging film stardom received a severe setback when he was accused of videotaping his sexual activities with an underage girl (the evidence has since become a choice item on the sub-rosa video cassette circuit). Arrested for his misdeeds, Lowe performed several hours' worth of community service, then tried to reactivate his career. Since then, Lowe has matured into something of a brat-pack George Hamilton, successfully lampooning his previous screen image in such comedies as Wayne's World (1992) and Tommy Boy (1995).Though his comedic endeavors would continue throughout the 1990s in films such as Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) and its sequel, Lowe gained notice for such dramatic roles as that of the mute and strangely plague-immune Nick Andros in the long-anticipated TV miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand (1994). Lowe's roles throughout the '90s may have not been the prominently featured roles in A-list films that his early shooting-star may have suggested, though he did maintain steady work in an interesting variety of small-budget projects. Lowe's casting on the popular political drama The West Wing brought the actor back into the public eye in what many considered to be one of the most intelligently written dramatic series on television. His turn as quick-witted liberal speechwriter Sam Seaborn brought Lowe through the dark days of his scandalous past, back to an audience who may have forgotten his charm as an actor. He would stay with the series until 2005, all while continuing to pick new projects that involved creativity and an open mind. He tested his limits with roles in films like Salem's Lot and Thank You For Smoking, and in 2004, he began starring in his own TV series, playing Dr. Billy Grant on the crime drama Dr. Vegas. The show lasted until 2008, by which time he had already signed on for the prime time dramedy Brothers & Sisters, starring alongside Calista Flockhart. He had a major part in The Invention of Lying in 2009, and that same year he landed a regular gig on the well-reviewed NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. In 2011 he was the executive producer and one of the leads in the ensemble film I Melt With You.

Trivia: A native of Cleveland, OH, actress Kathryn Hahn received her first taste of show business in the late '80s, when the then-teenager scored a live-action role opposite several puppets on the locally produced children's program Hickory Hideout. Hahn formally studied acting at the Yale School of Drama, and just prior to her final year of 2000-2001 (in mid-summer stock), the performer caught the attention of an NBC casting recruiter, who tapped her for a regular role on the prime-time drama Crossing Jordan; she played amiable grief counselor Lily Lebowski for the full run of the series (2001-2007).Meanwhile, film roles began pouring in right and left, beginning with visible turns as Kate Hudson's health editor roommate in the hit romantic comedy How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), and as a barmaid with more than a passing crush on Topher Grace in Robert Luketic's gentle romantic comedy Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004). Hahn subsequently commenced a long series of assignments for Hollywood's highest-profiled directors and producers, including bit parts in the Judd Apatow-Adam McKay farce Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) and Nancy Meyers' romantic comedy The Holiday (2006), and a small supporting role in the Robert Shaye-directed fantasy The Last Mimzy (2007). After her Crossing Jordan role ended with the series' cancellation in 2007, Hahn was able to work more freely in other venues, which became apparent with her output in 2008. She took on another cinematic supporting turn in the Will Ferrell-John C. Reilly comedy Step Brothers and starred opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in the period suburban drama Revolutionary Road. That same year, Hahn made her Broadway debut in the Tony award-winning play Boeing-Boeing. Over the next serveral years, Hahn would remain an active force on screen, appearing in fukns kuje The Dictator and Our Idiot Brother, as well as on shows like Parks and Recreation and Girls. Throughout her various assignments, Hahn drew high praise for her comedic ability, which netted occasional comparisons to Carol Burnett.

Trivia: Having appeared on countless runways and magazine covers (including the coveted Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover for three consecutive years), Christie Brinkley is one of the elite few women in the fashion industry who have earned the title "supermodel." The mother of three held a contract for a staggering 20 years with Cover Girl Cosmetics, and continues to appear in magazine ads for mature skin. Aside from being the inspiration for several of former husband Billy Joel's songs ("Uptown Girl," "Christie Lee," and "Blonde Over Blue," among others), Brinkley is known for catching the attention of hapless family man Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), a role she later reprised in the sequel, Vegas Vacation (1997). Brinkley also appeared on the small screen, on shows like Mad About You and Ugly Betty, and had a recurring role on Parks and Recreation, playing the hot wife of hapless Jerry Gergich. She also took her talents to Broadway, playing Roxie Hart in Chicago.

Trivia: A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, American actor Henry Winkler, born October 30th, 1945, first appeared on Broadway and in films (Crazy Joe, The Lords of Flatbush [both 1974]) before making the guest-star rounds on TV sitcoms. He worked several times for MTM productions, appearing in such roles as Valerie Harper's date on Rhoda and a charming thief undergoing psychoanalysis on The Bob Newhart Show. In 1973, Winkler was selected among hundreds of candidates (including ex-Monkee Micky Dolenz) to play the small recurring role of Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli, a leather-jacketed auto mechanic, on the new TV sitcom Happy Days. Though the series' stars were ostensibly Ron Howard, Anson Williams, and Donny Most, the bulk of the fan mail sent to Happy Days during its first season was addressed to "the Fonz." By the time the second season rolled around, Winkler was afforded second billing and a larger slice of screen time on each week's episode. Soon the more impressionable TV fans of America were parroting such Fonzie catchphrases as "Aaaaay" and "Sit on it!," while the nonplussed Winkler, who always regarded himself as a Dustin Hoffman-esque character actor, climbed to teen-idol status, complete with fan magazine interviews, posters, and Fonzie dolls. He also enjoyed a substantial salary boost, from 750 dollars per episode to (eventually) 80,000 dollars. At first, the off-stage Winkler could be as testy and sarcastic as his on-stage persona, but as Fonzie assumed "role model" proportions, the actor began comporting himself in as polite and agreeable a manner as possible. Accordingly, Fonzie became less of a Marlon Brando-type hoodlum and more of a basically goodhearted, moralistic young fellow who happened to be a motorcycle-racing dropout. By the time Happy Days ended in 1983 (by which time Winkler was elevated to top billing), Fonzie was a "drop-in," with a good job as a high school shop teacher and the possibility of a solid marriage. During his Happy Days heyday, Winkler was determined to prove he was capable of playing parts above and beyond Fonzie by taking film roles as far removed from his TV character: the troubled Vietnam vet in Heroes (1977), the vainglorious actor-turned-wrestler in The One and Only (1981), a '30s-style Scrooge in An American Christmas Carol (1982), and the timorous morgue attendant in Night Shift (1983). Following the example of his Happy Days co-star Ron Howard, Winkler also began working his way into the production and direction end of the business. In addition, Winkler used his name value for the benefit of others, remaining active in charitable and political causes. After several years away from the camera, Winkler returned to acting in the 1991 TV-movie Absolute Strangers, playing the husband of a woman caught in the middle of a volatile pro-life/pro-choice argument. And in 1993, Henry Winkler starred in the brief TV sitcom Monty, portraying a bombastic Limbaugh-type conservative TV personality. Winkler appeared in Little Nicky (2006) and You Don't Mess With the Zohan (2008), both times playing himself. Winkler continued to take small roles and guest spots on television and film throughout the 2000s.

Trivia: Comedian Jenny Slate graduated from Columbia University before making waves in New York as one half of the comedy team Gabe & Jenny. After making a memorable appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Slate went on to join the 2009 cast of Saturday Night Live, where she made a serious impression by accidentally using an expletive on live television. Slate was let go at the end of the season (seemingy because of her on-air slip), but she bounced back quickly with the short film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, which she created with her then-husband. The film gained a following online and gave Slate some favorable press after her SNL incident. Since then, she has carved out an impressive TV career with both guest and recurring arcs on shows like Parks and Recreation and House of Lies and doing voice-over work on shows like Bob's Burgers. In 2014, Slate starred in Obvious Child, her first starring role, and recieved a Critics' Choice Award for her work.

Trivia: Says he was "painfully shy" as a child. Was trained as a Shakespearean actor, but became interested in comedy after he was exposed to improv in college. First TV appearance was in a 1994 episode of ER. Returned to Detroit in 1997 and joined the Second City as a performer and writer. Has received multiple Joseph Jefferson Awards, given to honor achievement in Chicago theater. A founding member of the Planet Ant Theatre.

Trivia: Has a brother and a sister.Started playing the piano at the age of 6.Participated in theater productions while he was in college.Holds minors in political science and environmental studies from Calvin College.Worked on schooners after graduating from college.Became a member of the Second City Detroit main company in 1998.In 2003, joined the improv group The 313.One of the founders of The Detroit Creativity Project.

Trivia: The man who became the first Latino cast member of the enduring late-night comedy staple Saturday Night Live, Horatio Sanz was also a founding member of The Upright Citizen's Brigade.A native of Chile, Sanz joined the SNL cast in September of 1998, becoming a featured player about a year later. With a range of memorable impressions from Larry Flint to Meatloaf, Sanz was always a reliable player to keep audiences laughing. Bidding for big screen success with such efforts as Road Trip (2000) and Tomcats (2001), the SNL funnyman geared up to take to the movies again in 2001 with Boat Trip. He continued his status as a Saturday Night Live cast member even as he attempted to stake out territory on the big screen. He took a small part in the Eugene Levy/Samuel L. Jackson comedy The Man, and he had a large part opposite Martin Lawrence in the family basketball comedy Rebound. He had a large part in Todd Phillips' School for Scoundrels in 2006, the same year he appeared in Curtis Hanson's Lucky You.