Trivia: Has British and Swiss-German ancestry. Attended high school with actor Lee Pace and remains good friends with him. Got his acting start in a Houston stage production of A Streetcar Named Desire while in high school. After graduating from college, moved to New York and landed recurring roles on daytime soaps All My Children and Guiding Light. Was tipped to star in Superman Returns (2006), until a change of directors led to Brandon Routh being cast as the titular superhero. Gained a higher profile with starring roles on the short-lived ABC drama Traveler and the acclaimed USA Network series White Collar. Named People magazine's Sexiest Rising Star in 2009. Was awarded a Golden Globe in 2015 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in The Normal Heart. Supports 12 charities involving research into AIDS and cancer, as well as equal rights and family life.

Trivia: Theatrical actor Tim DeKay graduated from Rutgers University, where he met his wife, actress Elisa Taylor. In 1987, he quit his job with a casket company in Syracuse, NY, in order to pursue an acting career. Most of DeKay's work has been on or off Broadway, in regional theater, and on national tours. On television, he's appeared on SeaQuest, Party of Five, The Larry Sanders Show, Sports Night, and Ally McBeal, among others. A few of his memorable role include Bizarro Jerry on Seinfeld and Rev. Keyes on Everwood. On the big screen, he was in the action thriller Swordfish, the romantic drama Big Eden, and the independent film Welcome to the Neighborhood. DeKay got his breakthrough role on HBO's Carnivàle, as Samson's (Michael J. Anderson) right-hand man, Jonesy. Subsuquently, DeKay would remain a consistent presence on screen, appearing in movies like Peaceful Warrior and Get Smart, and on TV shows like Tell Me You Love Me and White Collar.

Trivia: Curvaceous brunette Tiffani Thiessen is best known for her roles on two teen-oriented television shows, Saved by the Bell and Beverly Hills 90210. Originally credited as Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, the actress dropped the second half of her first name as she tried to progress into more adult roles, both on television and in the Born on January 23, 1974, in Long Beach, CA, Tiffani Thiessen found her good looks and composure recognized early on in life. She was crowned Miss Junior America in 1987 and won Teen Magazine's Great Model Search in 1988, the end product of a string of pageants throughout her childhood. In 1989 she began a four-year stint on the teen soap opera/sitcom Saved by the Bell, the show that launched Elizabeth Berkeley and Mark-Paul Gossalaar, portraying the wholesome Kelly Kapowski. When she materialized on Beverly Hills 90210 in 1994, midway through the show's run, she had reinvented herself as a vixen and sex object, courtesy of a shorter haircut and breast implants. Her Valerie Malone crossed purposes with almost every character on the show during her four years appearing on the Fox mainstay. A regular TV-movie actress and guest performer in sitcoms, Thiessen began venturing into feature films by the late '90s. She appeared in Love Stinks (1999) and The Ladies Man (2000), as well as the straight-to-video parody Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th (2000). Her most reputable film role came when she was cast in Woody Allen's Hollywood Ending (2002). In the fall of 2002, she began another gig as a series regular on Fox's Fastlane, a hip, pastel-colored hybrid of The Fast and the Furious and Miami Vice, overseen by Charlie's Angels director McG. Thiessen continued to work mostly on television, with recurring roles in Good Morning, Miami and What About Brian before landing a lead role on USA's White Collar, which ran from 2009 to 2014. She memorably reprised her Kelly Kapowski character for a Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon sketch in 2015.

Trivia: A bald and frequently bespectacled screen presence whose "average Joe" appearance and keen talent allow him the unique ability to truly transform into the character at hand, Willie Garson may have won over Sex and the City viewers as protagonist Carrie's (Sarah Jessica Parker) endlessly loyal friend, but with over a decade of film and television appearances to his credit by that time, his success should certainly be labeled more "long-time coming" than "overnight sensation." Garson began training as an actor at New York's Actor's Institute in his early teens, and in the years following high school graduation he studied theater and psychology at Wesleyan University. It didn't take long for the talented stage and screen presence to find roles following his higher education, with guest appearances in such popular television shows as Family Ties, Mr. Belvedere, and Quantum Leap eventually leading to a supporting role in the well-received made-for-television feature The Deliberate Stranger. If his film roles throughout the majority of the '90s were generally of the thankless variety, Garson nevertheless grew increasingly active thanks to roles in such high-profile features as Groundhog Day, Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead, The Rock, and There's Something About Mary. A three-year stint in a supporting role in NYPD Blue showed Garson lending the series a decidedly human presence as Detective Simone's (Jimmy Smits) landlord. The stage-minded actor never forgot his roots, remaining constantly active with such New York-based theater companies as The Manhattan Theatre Club and The Roundabout Table. A long-time friend of actress Parker, Garson's friendship with the actress no doubt contributed to the easy rapport shared by the duo in the hit HBO series Sex and the City. With subsequent roles in Steven Spielberg's acclaimed sci-fi miniseries Taken, and in addition to such features as Freaky Friday proving that he was as much an "actor's actor" as a crowd-pleaser, Garson's post-Sex and the City career seemed as healthy as ever. He worked steadily in projects such as House of D, Fever Pitch, and in appeared in Jackass: Number Two. He returned to the small-screen as the lead in the series White Collar in 2009. In his increasingly non-existent spare time, Garson can be found reading to school children on a weekly basis as part of the Screen Actors Guild popular "Bookpals" program.

Trivia: A talented dramatic actor who first caught the attention of television viewers thanks to his role as the handsome Dr. Michael Gallant on the long-running medical drama ER, former stage actor Sharif Atkins made the transition from stage acting to screen acting with an ease that gave notable testament to his remarkable range. A native of Pittsburgh, Atkins relocated with his family to Chicago when he was six years old. His grade-school stage roles failed to spark the kind of lifelong enthusiasm usually experienced by future thespiansm, and it wasn't until enrolling in Northwestern University that the acting bug truly bit. By the time Atkins had earned his bachelor's degree in 1997, his calling had become crystal clear to the burgeoning star. A series of stage roles in local Chicago productions saw Atkins impressively honing his craft to a fine point before making the transition to the screen with supporting performances in such television efforts as Early Edition. In 1999, he made the transition to feature films with a bit part in Light It Up. Atkins subsequently essayed a handful of small but memorable television appearances that helped to drive his career in the following years. Starting in 2001, he donned scrubs for a two-and-a-half-year stint as an idealistic young doctor on ER. Though Atkins would take a brief trip into the history of television as a musically inclined performer in the 2001 made-for-television feature The Big Time, it was his subsequent turn as a Chicago cop reassigned to Hawaii on the aptly titled NBC series Hawaii that earned the actor top billing and placed him on the cusp of true stardom.

Trivia: Has said that 1976 crime comedy Bugsy Malone inspired her to become an actress. As a child, joined the prestigious Oldham Theatre Workshop, a children's ensemble in Lancashire, England. First television appearance was on 8:15 from Manchester, a British Saturday morning kids' show. Made her big-screen debut in the controversial 1994 drama Priest. Has said that before joining NBC's Las Vegas, she knew nothing about gambling and couldn't even shuffle a deck of cards. Was friends with Lost cast member Dominic Mognahan before joining the series as a recurring guest star.

Trivia: Actress Hilarie Burton launched herself out of obscurity and into celebrity by winning a national competition. In 2000 -- as a student at Fordham University, a Jesuit college in New York -- Burton signed up for a Total Request Live contest to interview celebs at the annual MTV Music Video Awards. Because that position reportedly brought with it some disparaging treatment at the hands of obnoxious celebrities, it toughened Burton up; that spunk, when coupled with Burton's genial on-camera presence and photogenic qualities, paved the way for an acting career, doubtless made possible by the exposure of the MTV gig. The WB's popular drama series One Tree Hill marked Burton's most first major endeavor; she played Peyton Sawyer, a gorgeous teenager who is attracted to the lower-middle-class but warm-hearted local boy Lucas (Chad Michael Murray). Meanwhile, the actress also managed to branch off into films as well, starting with a plum role in Cameron Watson's beautifully crafted, small-town Miramax drama Our Very Own (2005). Burton later worked for Beth Schacter in that director's teen-oriented comedy Normal Adolescent Behavior (2007) and for Blair Witch helmer Daniel Myrick in his supernatural thriller Solstice. In 2008, Burton scored her first major Hollywood film role, playing Deborah Owens, opposite Dakota Fanning and others, in the high-profile movie adaptation The Secret Life of Bees, based on the best-selling Sue Monk Kidd novel.

Trivia: Though fourth-billed in her first film, My Girl (1991), 9-year-old advertising model Anna Chlumsky was clearly the star. Playing a mortician's daughter learning about life and love in the early 1970s, Anna made one of the more auspicious movie debuts in recent memory; she also administered the first screen kiss to juvenile superstar Macauley Culkin. Chlumsky would go on to appear as a child actor in films like My Girl 2 (1993), Trading Mom (1994) and Golddiggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain (1995), but eventually transitioned successfully into adult roles with 2007's Blood Car, and acclaimed series like In the Loop, White Collar and Veep.

Trivia: If you could put a face to the term "smart aleck," it would likely resemble that of That '70s Show star Danny Masterson. Taking sarcasm to a new level with his role as the shaggy-side-burned Steven Hyde, Masterson has become a familiar face to millions of television viewers with his popular character on the enduring retro series. A native of Albertson, Long Island, NY, who was a mere four years old when he got his start in the film industry as a child model, Masterson subsequently moved to Los Angeles, where he made the leap to television with appearances in numerous commercials. The increasingly in-demand actor dropped out of the public-school system in the tenth grade and opted for a tutor when his workload began to infringe upon his education, and though he would pursue an education at the Pasadena Art Center, he was forced to drop out after one semester when work and school became too much to bear. Television work on Cybill, Roseanne, and NYPD Blue was quick to follow, and in 1997, the up-and-coming star could be seen getting a pummeling from John Travolta in director John Woo's Face/Off. The following year, That '70s Show made its debut on FOX television, launching the young actor into the public eye as a close friend of the Forman family. Roles in such high-profile features as The Faculty and Dracula 2000 served to balance parts in more obscure films, including Wild Horses and Dirt Merchant (in which he played the eponymous character). Though Masterson would remain on That '70s Show well into the new millennium, he continued to branch out with a number of smaller, independent features. Outside of his acting career, Masterson has frequently been spotted behind the turntables of some of L.A.'s hottest nightclubs -- spinning the grooves under the guise of his alter ego, DJ Donkey Punch. And while it may be a bit of an overstatement to say that Masterson's film career "took off" after That 70's Show went off the air in 2006, he did remain active on the silver screen -- and even managed to display some versitility -- with roles in such films as Smiley Face, Made for Each Other, The Bridge to Nowhere, California Solo, and The Chicago 8. In 2012, Masterson returned to television in the TBS comedy Men at Work.

Trivia: If you're a fan of movies, you've no doubt seen William Sadler's face countless times. With a versatile career that has spanned from long-haired, small-town rock star to banjo-plucking entertainer to Shakespearean actor to his role as Death in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey (1991), William Sadler attacks all roles with equal gusto with his characters never ceasing to leave an impression on viewers, even if they can't recall the name of "that guy in that movie."Born in April of 1950 in Buffalo, NY, Sadler's imagination was fueled from a young age on his family's sprawling farm where he would pass the time with friends reenacting scenes from their favorite television and radio programs. Around the age of eight, Sadler's father's interest in music sparked a passion in the young boy as well with his father's gift of a ukulele. The two frequently performed at family functions together: Sadler Sr. on the guitar and Jr. on the uke. Later taking interest in a number of stringed instruments, after following in his father's footsteps and taking up the guitar, Sadler quickly learned that the mystique of the musician's life was difficult to resist. Forming a cover band with his Orchard Park High schoolmates, he began to gain popularity and a surprising amount of attention from the opposite sex. Armed with a banjo and a fistful of jokes, Sadler soon took on the persona of "Banjo Bill Sadler" for the school's annual variety show, and the result was an instant success. The students and teachers loved the performance, and English teacher Dan Larkin soon persuaded Sadler to audition for a role in Harvey, the senior play. Winning the lead and igniting a fire within the young performer, Sadler would soon follow his dreams and enroll in the drama program at State University College in Geneseo, NY. After spending two intense years in Cornell University's Fine Arts following his tenure at State University College, Sadler was finally prepared to be humbled in the grueling trials of the aspiring actor.Sadler took his first post-school role in Florida and soon relocated to Boston, moving in with his sister while scrubbing the floors of a lobster boat by day and cutting his acting chops at night. Slowly working up the nerve to take a shot at the big time in New York, a chance meeting with an old schoolmate on a trip into the city resulted in Sadler's casting in an off-off-Broadway production of Chekhov's Ivanov. After a brief turn at the Trinity Square Repertory Company in Providence, RI, Sadler moved back to New York and rented an apartment in the East Village, beginning a grueling 12 years in which he appeared in over 75 productions. It was here that Sadler would meet Marni Bakst, the woman who would soon become his wife, and a young actor named Matthew Broderick, in a Broadway production of Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues, who would kick-start Sadler's film career with a role in Project X (1987).After memorable turns in such films as Die Hard 2 (1990), Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, and The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Sadler found himself becoming one of the most sought-after character actors working in Hollywood. His friendly demeanor and warm sense of humor standing in stark contrast to his usually villainous onscreen antics, Sadler has gained a reputation among actors as a helpful and good-natured craftsman, always willing to offer advise and assistance without being pushy or overbearing. Increasingly busy in both television and films in the latter '90s, Sadler gained widespread recognition with his film roles in Disturbing Behavior (1998) and The Green Mile (1999) and on television with his role as Sheriff Jim Valenti on Roswell.