Trivia: His role as the cherubic, bespectacled Dilbert-esque everyman on the long-running sitcom The Drew Carey Show has endeared comedian Drew Carey to the downtrodden cubicle-dwelling masses everywhere, making him one of the most beloved and popular characters in '90s and '00s television. However, Carey's massive success didn't come without some harrowing struggles with depression and numerous suicide attempts during his dark and directionless early years. Born and raised in Cleveland, OH, Carey suffered a devastating early blow when his father died of a brain tumor when Carey was only eight years old. Working long overtime hours to provide Drew and his brothers with the best childhood possible, his mother's frequent absence found the depressed youngster spending many nights home alone seeking solitude in cartoons and comedy albums.Upon entering Cleveland's Rhodes High School, Carey spent much of his free time playing coronet and trumpet in the school's marching band. Enrolling in Kent State and joining the Delta Tau Delta fraternity upon graduation, Carey found great difficulty balancing his studies and personal life, with his lack of direction compounding his depression and resulting in another suicide attempt before being expelled twice and dropping out of school with no degree. Subsequent years found the aimless youth drifting across the country with dreams of stability slowly fading from his horizon, but a return to Cleveland resulted in newfound hope when Carey decided to make a last-ditch effort and immerse himself in self-help books. Signing up with the Marine Corps Reserves in 1980 provided Carey with just the discipline that he needed, and following a six-year service and some newly instilled confidence, a close friend working in radio asked Carey to write some jokes to use on-air. Honing his skills and becoming increasingly focused on channeling his energy into humor, Carey took his act to local comedy clubs and, after winning an open-mic contest, began working as emcee at the Cleveland Comedy Club in 1986.The following years found Carey moving frequently between Cleveland and Los Angeles and gaining increasing recognition on the comedy circuits. Offered the rare privilege of joining Johnny Carson on the couch following a 1991 appearance on The Tonight Show proved a career-defining moment, and after a series of HBO specials and television appearances, Carey joined forces with writer/producer Bruce Helford (who had worked on such successful sitcoms as Family Ties and Roseanne), and in 1995 The Drew Carey Show was born. Endearing himself to television audiences with his small-town persona and everyman attitude, The Drew Carey Show quickly became one of the most popular sitcoms on television. Though his success may have been beyond any of his wildest dreams during his clouded formative years, Carey remained loyal to his hometown, always maintaining a level head. Serving as host of the American version of the massively popular British improvisational comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? (frequently featuring his Drew Carey Show cohort Ryan Stiles), Carey's small-screen presence increased, and appearances on such television comedy specials as Drew Carey's Improv All Stars and The New York Friar's Club Roast of Hugh M. Hefner (both 2001) ensured audiences that Carey's humor was as sharp and in tune as ever. Aside from his small-screen work, Carey has appeared in such comic features as Coneheads (1993). The September 1997 release of his autobiography, entitled Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined, provided fans with detailed and humorous insight into Carey's sometimes dark past, and emergency angioplasty in mid-2001 found the well-loved comedian going under the knife but making a quick recovery. In the summer of 2007, Carey's emcee experience paid off, as he was named the host of the venerable game show The Price Is Right, replacing much-loved Bob Barker. He also hosted the game show Power of 10, and in 2011 he appeared in the Adam Sandler comedy Jack and Jill.

Trivia: Versatile character actress Kathy Kinney gained considerable popularity in the late '90s for playing Mimi Bobeck, the outrageously made-up, flamboyantly vulgar, and vindictive nemeses of Drew Carey on the ABC sitcom The Drew Carey Show, but she had been involved with television, feature films, and stage work for years. Fans of the long-running CBS comedy Newhart may remember Kinney for playing Miss Goddard, the town librarian. She started out as an improvisational comedienne, performing in various New York comedy clubs. It was her friend Bill Sherwood who provided her film debut, when he cast Kinney as an artist who throws a going away party for a homosexual friend who has just broken up with his longtime lover in Parting Glances (1986). Armed with this success, Kinney moved to Los Angeles the following year and became a hard-working character actress. Her other film credits include appearances in This Boy's Life (1993), Stanley and Iris (1990), and Three Fugitives (1989).

Trivia: American actress Nan Martin's first burst of activity was in the late '50s, when TV anthology work abounded. Her film appearances commenced with The Buster Keaton Story in 1957. She remained a busy character actress into the mid '70s, playing such roles as the mother of paralyzed skiier Jill Kinmont (Marilyn Hassett) in The Other Side of the Mountain (1975) and its 1978 sequel. In 1986, Nan Martin had a recurring TV role as typist Grace D'Angelo on the Jeffrey Tambor sitcom Mr. Sunshine.

Trivia: Forget "ingenue" -- by the time the glamorous Diane Farr arrived on set for her first major filmed assignment, with her sun-drenched brunette hair and photogenic Mediterranean complexion, she already qualified as an old pro in the talent realm, as a veteran model from her preteen years. Though her official acting resumé dates back to 1992, Manhattan-born Farr first culled national recognition six years later, as a hostess of the television series Loveline, a somewhat frank spin-off of a popular radio program in which viewers could phone in and ask the hosts questions about health and/or relationships. After a series of occasional turns in low-profiled TV series and telemovies, Farr landed a string of semi-permanent roles on popular small-screen series. She began with the blockbuster sitcom The Drew Carey Show (in 1999). As Tracy -- the object of multiple affections from Drew, Lewis (Ryan Stiles), and Oswald (Diedrich Bader) -- Farr unwittingly instigated a series of cutthroat competitive games among the boys, including her own sporting event, christened "The Tracy Bowl" and announced by broadcaster Bob Costas. The Tracy characterization lasted a short time, but it marked only the beginning of a seemingly unending line-up of roles for Farr. Between 2001 and 2002, she starred as gutsy female police detective Jan Fendrich in the critically praised but all-too-short-lived Denis Leary cop dramedy The Job. Two years after that, Farr worked for director Barnet Kellman in Like Family (2003), a short-lived sitcom about a black family and a white family attempting with great strain to live under the same roof together harmoniously. In 2005, Farr scored critically and commercially as FBI agent Megan Reeves on the detective program Numb3rs, starring David Krumholtz, Rob Morrow, and Judd Hirsch. Carr joined the cast of HBO's Californication in the show's first season, and appeared in Buried (2010), a well-received psychological thriller following a truck driver who becomes trapped underground.In addition to her acting work, Farr is also a published author. Her first novel, The Girl Code, found a considerable audience, and she has penned articles for numerous women's magazines. In addition to her acting and writing work, Farr co-founded and operates a greeting card firm.

Trivia: Character actor John Carroll Lynch first gained notice for his performance as Frances McDormand's sweet and supportive husband in the Coen brother's critically acclaimed Fargo. He subsequently appeared on the ABC sitcom The Drew Carey Show as the title character's cross-dressing brother. The role was initially a recurring one, but Lynch was eventually added as a full-time cast member. Along the way, he also popped up in a number of small roles in large films like 1997's Volcano and 2000's Gone in 60 Seconds.Following the cancellation of The Drew Carey Show, Lynch switched gears from comedy to drama, but stayed on the small screen, taking a role on HBO's bleak and bizarre Carnivàle. That stint was followed by a season on the CBS legal drama Close to Home. And in 2007, he was cast alongside Anthony Anderson and Cole Hauser in Fox's post-Hurricane Katrina cop show K-Ville. That same year, he could be seen on the big-screen in David Fincher's Zodiac. Lynch would remain an active perormer for years to come, appearing in movies like Shutter Island and Crazy, Stupid, Love, as well as starring on TV shows like Body of Proof.

Trivia: Met wife Nia Vardalos when both were in Chicago performing with the Second City comedy group. Says the day he was hired for Second City (which also featured Chris Farley at the same time) was one of the happiest of his life. Made film debut in 1993's Rookie of the Year. His endearing performance as Javier, the flamboyant coffee-shop manager on The WB's Felicity, was originally supposed to be temporary. His character became so popular that he was rescued from deportation and made a permanent fixture. During the same period when he was appearing on Felicity, he held roles as a goofy sidekick on ABC's Norm and as a conniving ladder-climber on The Drew Carey Show. Appeared in wife Nia Vardalos' hit comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), a film she wrote and based on their relationship. In 2008, he and his wife adopted a daughter.