Trivia: An actress whose piercing, pale blue eyes could give even Meg Foster a run for her money, Emily Deschanel has come quite a long way since being listed as one of Interview magazine's "Six Actors to Watch" back in 2001. The firstborn daughter of Oscar-winning cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and actress Mary Jo Weir (their second was starlet Zooey), Emily received her B.F.A. in theater from Boston University before launching her career on the stage and screen. Early roles in It's a Shame About Ray and Rose Red found the rising starlet gradually gaining her footing before the cameras, and as her confidence as an actress increased, so did her screen time. By the time Deschanel appeared in such features as Cold Mountain and The Alamo, viewers were already beginning to pick up on her talent, while she could also still be seen acting on-stage, frequently appearing in plays for the Interact Theatre Company. In 2003, Deschanel appeared in minor capacity as a receptionist in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2, with her role in Ghost House Pictures' 2004 frightener Boogeyman serving to prove that she was much more than just another pretty face.As the 2000's rolled on, Deschanel would prove to be an even bigger force on the small screen, playing forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan, partner of FBI agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz), on the popular Fox crime drama series Bones.

Trivia: Look up the words "handsome" and "brooding" in any dictionary and chances are you'll have a pretty good description of actor David Boreanaz. Tall, dark, and possessing the sort of alluring charisma that suggests an Abercrombie and Fitch model from the dark side, Boreanaz flourished on the small screen in the early 2000s when his Buffy the Vampire Slayer role was spun off into the supernatural-flavored series Angel.Born in Buffalo, NY, and raised in Philadelphia, Boreanaz was inspired at age seven to pursue a career in acting after witnessing the legendary Yul Brynner's performance in The King and I. In the years that followed, the aspiring actor would strive to keep the dream alive, and when it came time for higher education, Boreanaz opted to study his craft at Ithaca College in New York. The allure of a life in films soon drew Boreanaz to Los Angeles, although it wouldn't take him long to realize that struggling actors were a dime a dozen in sunny California. Dreams of his name in lights soon gave way to realities such as earning a living by parking cars and handing out towels at a sports club -- and uncredited parts in such films as Aspen Extreme and Best of the Best 2 (both 1993) certainly weren't paying the rent. A one-time role on Married...With Children as daughter Kelly's (Christina Applegate) motorcycle-riding boyfriend gained the struggling actor modest exposure -- and his luck would soon change in the most unexpected (though somewhat typical by Hollywood standards) way. While Boreanaz was walking his dog in Hollywood, a manager was taken by his captivating intensity, and a subsequent introduction to casting agent Marcia Shulman almost immediately ensured his landing the role of the vampire Angel on the soon-to-be-hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Two years after the premiere of Buffy, Boreanaz's character proved popular enough to earn his own eponymously titled spin-off series, and the show proved a solid hit for the WB until it was inexplicably canceled in mid-2004. Of course, by this point, Boreanaz could rest fairly easy thanks to roles in such features as Valentine (2001) and I'm With Lucy (2002). Fans who couldn't get enough of the actor's dark side could look forward to his role as the villainous Luc Crash in The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2004).Soon however, Boreanaz found another compelling small-screen role, playing Special Agent Seeley Booth on the hit detective series Bones.

Trivia: A Boston native whose early work included stints with the Dallas Theater Center and New York's Mint Theater Company, actor T.J. Thyne studied his craft with theaters throughout the United States and British Columbia before receiving his B.F.A. in acting from the USC School of Theater. Numerous television roles were quick to follow after Thyne hit the audition circuit with unusual ferocity, and by the year 2000, Thyne had racked up nearly 50 small-screen credits thanks to appearances on such shows as Home Improvement, Party of Five, Walker, Texas Ranger, and Just Shoot Me. In 2002, Thyne founded the Los Angeles-based Theater Junkies Productions with the aim of producing for both stage and screen; their popular short film Validation subsequently screened at film festivals across the country. Memorable supporting roles in such high-profile features as Erin Brockovich Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Ghost World, How High, and Something's Got to Give made Thyne an increasingly familiar face to movie fans, though it was the actor's casting as bug expert Dr. Jack Hodgins in the hit Fox forensics drama Bones that would transform him into a bona fide television star. Thyne has also done frequent commercial work, with his role as a Shania Twain-singing Chevy truck passenger proving a particularly memorable television spot.

Trivia: Michaela Conlin knew she wanted to be an actress from the tender age of six, and from the time she appeared in her first play that same year, there was no turning back from her future on the stage and screen.A native of Allentown, PA, who honed her skills in community and regional theater before studying acting at New York City's Tisch School of the Arts, Conlin earned her B.F.A. while simultaneously appearing in productions at the Playwrights Horizons Theater School and the Atlantic Theater Company. Later, she would travel to Amsterdam to take part in the Experimental Theater Wing's International Training Program. While Conlin's first screen role after graduation was grounded firmly in reality (she was chosen to appear in a documentary film detailing the lives of young actors in New York City), it was only after moving to Los Angeles that her career truly began to catch on. Roles in MDs, JAG, and The D.A. quickly helped to establish Conlin as a rising small-screen talent, and in 2005 she signed on to play Angela Montenegro in the Fox forensic crime drama Bones. She made her first post-Bones jump to the big screen playing a detective in the legal thriller The Lincoln Lawyer.

Trivia: Canadian-born Tamara Taylor first caught the eyes of fans with a recurring role on the '90s series Party of Five. She would make numerous appearances on various shows over the coming years, but Taylor's next big break came in 2006, with a starring role on the crime series Bones playing Dr. Camille Saroyan.

Trivia: Many know Illinois native John Francis Daley for his memorable role as high school freshman Sam Weir on the cult hit series Freaks and Geeks. An actor from the age of nine, Daley appeared in the touring production of the Broadway musical Who's Tommy? before branching into screen acting. He would go on to appear in films like Waiting and on the series Kitchen Confidential, later scoring another leading role on the popular crime show Bones, playing psychologist Lance Swees. He turned his talents to work done behind the camera, co-writing the script for the hit 2011 comedy Horrible Bosses.

Trivia: Enjoyed playing the video game Call of Duty 4 with his Mad Men costars. Stated in an interview that "...Los Angeles is the place where British people come to exceed their worth. It's quite true of everything: The British accent does open doors." Extensively researched autism for his role on Alphas.

Trivia: Graduated as salutatorian of her high-school class in Arizona. Worked in interior design and upscale home furnishings before launching her acting and sketch comedy career. Co-founded the annual San Francisco Comedy Festival, or SF Sketchfest, in 2002. Hosts a podcast called The JV Club, chatting with fellow performers.

Trivia: Born in Bombay, India, he was raised primarily in San Jose, CA, but traveled frequently to India and Singapore during his childhood. While attending San Jose's Bellarmine College Preparatory High School, cofounded the Indian-American theater company A'shore Productions, which was the first of its kind on the West Coast. After appearing as an extra on NBC's The West Wing, landed his first credited TV role in a 2005 episode of CBS's CSI: NY. While still attending UCLA, made his feature-film debut with a lead role in 2006 drama American Blend.

Trivia: Discovered acting as a high-school freshman. Received VCU's prestigious Excellence in Theatre award and was also recognized with the Irene Ryan Scholarship. Worked as a waiter and a bartender while pursuing an acting career in New York after college. Is a fan of horror films. Hobbies include surfing, sailing, spending time with his dogs, and working on his 1959 Chevy pickup truck.

Trivia: Was born in Iran, but moved to Paris with his family at the age of 5 and settled in Irvine, California when he was 10 years old. Performed in a stage production of Adoration of the Old Woman at the Sundance Theatre Lab. In 2004, played the role of Porter in Fraulein Else at the McCarter Theatre Center. Made his New York stage debut as Jul in an off-Broadway production of Urge for Going in 2011. Was a judge at the 2014 Noor Iranian Film Festival. Has introduced the year-end Actor Showcase at his alma mater, University of California, Fullerton.

Trivia: Gen-Y television fans (and avid viewers of the old "TGIF" Friday-night prime-time lineup during the 1990s) will perhaps best remember actress Christine Lakin for her multi-season portrayal of tomboy Alicia "Al" Lambert, daughter of contractor Frank Lambert (Patrick Duffy) on the family-themed sitcom Step by Step (1991-1998). Born in Dallas, TX, in 1979 and raised in the vicinity of Atlanta, GA, Lakin caught her first taste of performing at age seven, when she joined the Atlanta Workshop Players theatrical troupe. Lakin quickly secured representation and did a plethora of television commercials before making her dramatic debut on-camera at age 11 in the made-for-television period adventure The Rose and the Jackal (1990) and landing the Alicia role on Step by Step. After the program wrapped in 1998, the actress attended UCLA as a communications major and sought out a myriad of parts in independent films, including Whatever It Takes (2000), Who's Your Daddy? (2003), and Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical (2004). In 2008, Lakin starred opposite Paris Hilton in The Hottie & the Nottie.