Trivia: A successful standup comedian, the headliner of one of television's most popular sitcoms, a movie star, and a best-selling author, Tim Allen spent much of the '90s being a "Male Pig," a source of pride for countless men, and a franchise unto himself. He was born Timothy Allen Dick, in Denver, CO, one of ten brothers and sisters. Mercilessly teased by his peers because of his last name, Allen developed a keen sense of humor to protect himself. His father died in an auto accident in 1964 when Allen was 11, and his mother later married an old high school flame who had also lost his wife in a car crash. Eventually the family moved to a suburb of Detroit. In 1976, Allen graduated from Western Michigan University with a degree in television production and went on to work in a sporting goods store and then in an advertising agency. He made his debut as a standup comedian at Detroit's Comedy Castle in 1979 after accepting a dare from a good friend, but his career was cut short when he was arrested for dealing cocaine and sentenced to 15 months in federal prison. Following his release, Allen decided to turn over a new leaf and concentrate on his standup career. His early comedy routines were characterized by their vulgarity, and Allen did not find success until he perfected his "Men Are Pigs" routine. A glorious celebration of the masculine mystique centering on the joys of big block engines and tools (especially power tools), punctuated by his trademark manly grunting, the routine made him a hot property on the nightclub circuit and led to a series of televised specials on the Showtime cable network in the early '90s. While constructing his career, Allen moonlighted in television commercials, including spots as Mr. Goodwrench. It was while performing for a Showtime special that he got his break in series television. Jeffrey Katzenberg, the chairman of Disney Studios, saw his act, liked it, and with Walt Disney Company chairman Michael Eisner, offered him the lead in a couple of planned series based on popular films; but Allen didn't feel they were right and suggested instead that they do a series based on his comedy character. They agreed, and Home Improvement, the continuing saga of bumbling TV handyman (whose show somewhat resembled This Old House) Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor and his brood, debuted on the ABC television network in September 1991. It quickly went on to become one of the most consistently highly rated shows on television. Allen made his starring feature film debut in 1994 with the box-office busting The Santa Clause. That same year, he also published a best-selling book, Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man. In 1995, he provided the voice for the heroic toy astronaut Buzz Lightyear in Disney's computer-generated extravaganza Toy Story, and the following year published his second book I'm Not Really Here, a more philosophical look at his life, his fame, and his family. In 1997, he starred in the largely panned Jungle to Jungle, and could not be seen on the big screen again until 1999. That year -- the same year Home Improvement ended its highly successful run -- he reprised his Buzz Lightyear role for Toy Story 2 and starred in the sci-fi spoof Galaxy Quest. Though his next film, Big Trouble, was pulled from its original release date and delayed by Touchstone (the studio thought audiences may find the plot involving a missing nuclear bomb distasteful after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks), fans could still get their fill of the popular funnyman with the release of Joe Somebody in late 2001.When Big Trouble and Joe Somebody proved to be box-office duds, Allen returned to familiar territory in 2002, starring in the sequel The Santa Clause 2. With the success of that sequel under his belt, Allen stuck with the holiday genre for his next starring role. Playing opposite Jamie Lee Curtis, Allen filled the lead for 2004's adaptation of John Grisham's Skipping Christmas, Christmas with the Kranks; in what was becoming a pattern in his career, the movie was reviled by critics, but did well at the box-office. Allen fared slightly better with his first 2006 effort, a remake of Disney's The Shaggy Dog. Summer 2006's superhero-school comedy Zoom came and went; a second Santa Clause sequel, entitled The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, did modest business considering the franchise. The early-2007 weekend-warrior comedy Wild Hogs -- in which Allen joined Martin Lawrence, John Travolta and William H. Macy -- may not have seemed like a good bet on paper, but its surprise success did much to establish Allen in a new, non-holiday franchise.Allen went outside his comfort zone to play a spoiled Hollywood superstar in David Mamet's Redbelt in 2008, and a couple of years later he directed Crazy on the Outside. He reliably returned to voice Buzz Lightyear in a third Toy Story film, as well as in a handful of shorts created by Pixar featuring the character. In 2011 he returned to the small-screen as the star of Last Man Standing, and the next year he narrated the Disney nature film Chimpanzee.

Trivia: Though she is a classically trained dramatic actress and has played a variety of roles, Sigourney Weaver is still best known for her portrayal of the steel-jawed, alien-butt-kicking space crusader Ellen Ripley from the four Alien movies. The formidably beautiful, 5'11'' actress was born Susan Weaver to NBC president Pat Weaver and actress Elizabeth Inglis. Her father had a passion for Roman history and originally wanted to name her Flavia, but after reading F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby at the age of 14, Weaver renamed herself Sigourney, after one of the book's minor characters. After being schooled in her native New York City, Weaver attended Stanford University and then obtained her master's at the Yale School of Drama where, along with classmate Meryl Streep, she appeared in classical Greek plays. After earning her degree, Weaver was only able to find work in experimental plays produced well away from Broadway, as more conventional producers found her too tall to perform in mainstream works. After getting her first real break in the soap opera Somerset (1970-1976), she made her film debut with a bit part in Woody Allen's Annie Hall in 1977. Weaver had her first major role in Madman which was released just prior to Alien in 1979. Though the role of Ripley was originally designed for Veronica Cartwright (who ultimately played the doomed Lambert), scouts for director Ridley Scott saw Weaver working off-Broadway and felt she would be perfect for the part. The actress' take on the character was laced with a subtlety that made her a new kind of female action hero: Intelligent, resourceful, and unconsciously sexy, Weaver's Ripley was a woman with the guts to master her fear in order to take on a terrifying unknown enemy. Alien proved to be one of the year's biggest hits and put Weaver on Hollywood's A-list, though she would not reprise her character for another seven years. In between, she worked to prove her versatility, playing solid dramatic roles in Eyewitness (1981) and The Year of Living Dangerously (1982), while letting a more playful side show as a cellist who channels a fearsome demon in Ghostbusters (1984). In 1986, Aliens burst into the theater, even gorier and more rip-roaring than its predecessor. This time, Weaver focused more on the maternal side of her character, which only served to make her tougher than ever. Her unforgettable performance was honored with a Best Actress Oscar nomination, and was followed up by Weaver's similarly haunting portrayal of doomed naturalist/animal rights activist Diane Fossey in Gorillas in the Mist (1988). The role won Weaver her second Best Actress Oscar nomination, and that same year, she received yet another Oscar nomination -- this time for Best Supporting Actress -- for her deliciously poisonous portrayal of Melanie Griffith's boss in Working Girl. After 1992's Alien 3, Weaver had her next big hit playing President Kevin Kline's lonely wife in the bittersweet romantic comedy Dave (1993). She then gave a gripping performance as a rape/torture victim who faces down the man who may or may not have been her tormentor in Roman Polanski's moody thriller Death and the Maiden (1994). During the latter half of the decade, Weaver appeared in Alien Resurrection -- perhaps the most poorly received installment of the series -- but increasingly surfaced in offbeat roles such as the coolly fragile Janey in Ang Lee's The Ice Storm and the psychotic, wicked Queen in the adult-oriented HBO production The Grimm Brothers' Snow White (both 1997). In 1999, she starred in the sci-fi spoof Galaxy Quest, making fun of her image as a sci-fi goddess while continuing to prove her remarkable versatility.Weaver's first high-profile project of the new millenium saw her swindling Ray Liotta and Gene Hackman as a sexy con-woman teamed up with Jennifer Love Hewitt. Already into her fifties, Weaver proved she still possessed plenty of sex-appeal even alongside a substantially younger starlet like Hewitt. She played up her sultry side some more in the well-received 2002 indie-comedy Tadpole, but changed gears a bit in 2003, playing a villain in the family sleeper hit Holes.In 2004, Weaver could be seen as part of the ensemble cast in M. Night Shyamalan's summer thriller The Village. She played a tough-as-nails network executive in the satire The TV Set, and provided the voice of the ship's computer in WALL-E. In 2008 she appeared in projects as diverse as Baby Mama and Be Kind Rewind. She had a major role in the box-office blockbuster Avatar - teaming up with director James Cameron again. Her very busy 2011 included the role of a government official in the sci-fi comedy Paul, the girlfriend of a sheltered insurance salesman in Cedar Rapids, and a part in Oren Moverman's cop drama Rampart.Weaver has been married to stage director Jim Simpson since 1984. When not appearing in films, she continues to be active in theater.

Trivia: Although he made his name playing ruthless, genteel villains like Die Hard's Hans Gruber and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' Sheriff of Nottingham, Alan Rickman proved himself equally remarkable in romantic, comic, and good-guy dramatic roles. An actor of brooding charisma who intones his lines in a deep, milky baritone, Rickman began his career on-stage, building up a sizable résumé before embarking on a film career.Of Irish and Welsh parentage, Rickman was born in London's Hammersmith district on February 21, 1946. His father, who was a painter and decorator, died of cancer when the actor was eight, leaving behind Rickman, his mother, and three siblings. After winning a scholarship to West London's Latymer Upper School, Rickman began acting at the encouragement of his teachers. He also developed an interest in art, and he went on to study graphic design at the Royal College of Art. He founded a Soho-based design company, but after deciding that his heart was in acting, he abandoned the company when he was 26 to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He spent three years there, serving as a dresser to such actors as Ralph Richardson and Nigel Hawthorne. After leaving RADA, Rickman began to make his name on the stage, first appearing in repertory and then landing lead roles in London productions. He gained particular acclaim for his portrayal of Valmont in a West End production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, eventually reprising his role for the Broadway production and winning a Tony nomination.In 1988, Rickman got his first dose of big-screen recognition with Die Hard. After the film's huge success, and praise for his delightfully nasty portrayal of the film's villain, he went on to make a couple of poorly received features, including 1989's The January Man and 1990s Quigley Down Under. Success greeted him again in 1991: playing Kevin Costner's nemesis, the vile and loathsome Sheriff of Nottingham, in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Rickman proved to audiences why being bad could be so much fun. The same year, he endeared himself as a markedly more sympathetic character in Truly, Madly, Deeply. As a deceased cellist who reappears to comfort his lover (Juliet Stevenson), Rickman proved himself adept at romantic comedy, and began to accrue a reputation as a thinking woman's sex symbol (something he vocally resented).The actor spent the remainder of the decade turning in solid performances in a number of diverse films: he could be seen as an actor with a troubled past in An Awfully Big Adventure (1994), a very sympathetic Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility (1995), Eamon de Valera in Michael Collins (1996), a has-been sci-fi television star in Galaxy Quest (1999), and a grumpy angel in Dogma (1999). In 1997, Rickman branched out into directing, making his debut with The Winter Guest. Starring real-life mother and daughter Phyllida Law and Emma Thompson as an estranged mother and daughter, the film won a number of positive notices, further establishing Rickman as a man of impressive versatility, both in front of and behind the camera. Though Rickman's voice would be featured on the animated television series King of the Hill in 2003, he wasn't truly absorbed into mainstream pop-culture among the kid circuit until after starring in the movie adaptations of author J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Rickman played the sinister Professor Snape in the films, one of the few post-pubescent constants in the franchise.In 2005, just months before the fourth installment in the Potter series, Rickman showed up in the first big-screen adaptation of another literary series with a rabid fan base, lending his voice to the character of Marvin the neurotic robot in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.He went on to appear in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, and in 2007 he played Judge Turpin in Tim Burton's adaptation of Sweeney Todd. E reteamed with the director for Alice in Wonderland in 2010, and the next year saw the final installment of the Harry Potter franchise hitting screens. In 2013, he played President Ronald Reagan in Lee Daniels' The Butler and club owner Hilly Kristal in CBGB. The following year, Rickman directed his second feature film, A Little Chaos, and also appeared in the film as King Louis XIV. Rickman died in 2016, at age 69.

Trivia: A uniquely gifted and versatile actor possessing the distinct ability to immerse himself in a role so convincingly that he becomes almost unrecognizable -- from a quality obsessed restaurateur (Big Night, 1996) to a master criminal bent on world domination (Spy Kids, 2001) -- one can always count on Tony Shalhoub to deliver a memorable performance no matter how small his role may be.Well-known to television audiences for his extended stint as a self-deprecating cabbie on the long-running series Wings, Shalhoub made the often-painful transition from television to film with a grace seldom seen. Born on October 9th, 1953 in Green Bay, WI, Shalhoub developed his passion for theater at the youthful age of six when he volunteered via his sister to play an extra in a high-school production of The King and I. Shalhoub was hooked. After earning his master's degree from the Yale Drama School and spending four seasons at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA, Shalhoub packed his bags for New York where he began a luminous career on Broadway. Broadway brought Shalhoub success not only in his career, but in his personal life as well: he was nominated for a Tony for his role in Conversations With My Father and he met his future wife, actress Brooke Adams, while acting in The Heidi Chronicles. It was not long after his Broadway success that Shalhoub made his feature debut, as a doctor in the 1990 AIDS drama Longtime Companion.Shalhoub's film career has been a testament to his range and a compliment to his abilities. Though prone to comedy, his dramatic roles have gained him just as much, if not more, recognition than his comedic roles. Winning the Best Supporting Actor award from the National Society of Film Critics for his well-researched role in Big Night (1996), Shalhoub expanded his dramatic film repertoire with roles in A Civil Action and The Siege (both 1998), while always maintaining his knack for humor (1997's Men in Black). Shalhoub's role as the ultra-mellow "anti-Scottie" in the Star Trek send-up Galaxy Quest (1999) proved that his comic persona was indeed still as sharp as ever. Sticking in the sci-fi/fantasy mold for his roles in Imposter and Spy Kids (both 2001), Shalhoub once again proved that he could do 180-degree character turnarounds with ease.Though Shalhoub would stay in sci-fi mode for his role in Men in Black 2, he would return to solid ground with his role as an obsessive-compulsive detective in the well-received television pilot Monk (2002). Directed by Galaxy Quest helmer Dean Parisot, the pilot for Monk successfully paved the way for the curiously innovative USA series to follow and found the actor warmly re-embracing the medium that had propelled him to stardom. As Monk's popularity continued to grow, Shaloub found success on the big screen in the role of a gifted psychologist for The Great New Wonderful (2005), and voiced the lovable Luigi in Cars (2006) and Cars 2 (2011). In 2007, he worked alongside John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson for the supernatural horror film 1408.

Trivia: Was a member of '80s hip-hop group Groove B. Chill. Paralyzed from the waist down as the result of a November 2001 motorcycle accident in South Carolina. Has served as a spokesman for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. Established the Daryl Mitchell Foundation, which was founded on the principles of awareness, education and advocacy for those impacted by spinal-cord injuries.

Trivia: Chances are likely that you would recognize his face, and it's even more likely that although the face is familiar, you don't know that his name is Enrico Colantoni. Though he struck a funny bone in audiences with his role as a befuddled alien in the 1999 comedy hit Galaxy Quest, Colantoni had been appearing in minor film and television roles since the late '80s. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in February of 1963 and raised in a prominent Italian neighborhood of the city, his early interest in acting would result in frequent neighborhood skits to entertain family and friends. His interest in performing peaked after seeing his older brother in a high school play, and despite his interest in the stage Colantoni would later opt to study law at the University of Toronto. Coming from an inartistic background, his parents frowned upon Colantoni's passion for acting, and the aspiring thespian quietly opted for a drama class as an elective as he focused most of his energy on law studies. Colantoni's drama teacher quickly recognized the young actor's potential, and it wasn't long before the bright lights of New York City became to glaring to resist. When his parents announced that they were moving back to Italy, Colantoni made the difficult decision to remain in New York and live the life of a struggling actor. His gamble would soon pay off when Colantoni made his television debut in an episode of Friday the 13th: The Series in 1989. Later deciding that he still needed time to refine his talent, Colantoni subsequently attended Yale and later spent a season at Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater in 1994. Soon thereafter returning to the Big Apple, more stage roles followed until Colantoni was cast in an episode of NYPD Blue as the schizophrenic son of Peter Boyle's character. He made his film debut in the 1995 action comedy Money Train, and subsequent feature roles included Albino Alligator (1996), The Wrong Guy (1997), and 1999's Stigmata. It was during this time that Colantoni was also cast in the weekly comedy series Just Shoot Me. Later essaying the aforementioned role in Galaxy Quest, Colantoni appeared as a murderer in Steven Spielberg's A.I. before taking on roles in The First $20 Million is Always the Hardest and Full Frontal in 2002. He continued to have success in television series' throughout the 2000s, and became known for his roles as Keith Mars on Veronica Mars (2005-2006), and Sergeant Greg Parker on Flashpoint (2008-2011).

Trivia: As a respected American supporting player in film, television, and theater who occasionally moonlights as a screenwriter, Patrick Breen first culled recognition in the American press in 1991. That spring, the then-30-year-old delivered a bravura performance as an emotionally damaged son in Jon Robin Baitz's disappointing play The Substance of Fire. Breen hit his zenith as a film actor during the mid-'90s, with turns in several memorable (if uneven) Hollywood movies. These included For Love or Money (1993), Barry Sonnenfeld's Get Shorty (1995) and Men in Black (1997), and Carl Franklin's One True Thing (1998). Breen's generally nondescript, albeit pleasant, appearance enabled him to fill practically any role, from a doctor (in the Sonnenfeld picture) to Mr. Tweedy (in the Franklin film).Breen first branched off into screenwriting just after the turn of the new millennium, with back-to-back indie features which he both acted in and scripted. The 2000 picture East of A constitutes a slice-of-life drama about a trio of New York City roommates over the course of ten years. Unfortunately, East of A received extremely limited distribution and was reviewed by very few mainstream critics. Its follow-up, the 2002 ensemble comedy Just a Kiss (directed by the character actor and comic Fisher Stevens and starring Ron Eldard, Kyra Sedgwick, and Marisa Tomei) provides a surrealistic exploration of the romantic vicissitudes among a group of swinging singles. That film fared better in terms of pedigree, but demonstrated an extremely unstable overtone, meandering between lighthearted romantic comedy and darker, more cynical black comedy; perhaps as a result, it premiered in 2002 to almost unanimously devastating reviews, opening and closing practically overnight, and effectively turning Breen away from produced screenwriting work for quite some time. In 2004, he returned to A-list acting as a character player in the holiday comedy Christmas with the Kranks, starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis. He was away from movie screens for five years, returning next in 2009's Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant and had the leading role two years later in the horror film The Bleeding House.

Trivia: Born Andrea Kay Pyle in Houston, TX, a six-month-old Pyle was given the fateful nickname of "Little Missi," which would stick to her throughout her childhood and to the present day. Pyle was infatuated with acting by the age of 13, and attended Germantown High School in Tennessee, one of the top three performing-arts high schools in the United States. While there, Pyle was tapped as a lead singer in several musical productions, though her eventual goal remained a career in television and film. After graduation from Germantown High, Pyle was accepted to the prestigious North Carolina School of the Arts and was cast as the female lead in a series of Shakespearean productions. During the summer, she crossed the Atlantic to attend the Oxford School of Drama in England, where she further honed her acting skills.By 1996, Pyle had made her film debut in The Cottonwood, which followed a group of wannabe actors hoping to use their lottery winnings to score big in Hollywood. Pyle's breakout role, however, wouldn't come until several years later, when she played a supporting role as a love-struck alien in Galaxy Quest alongside Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver. Though the early 2000s did little to bring Pyle much in the way of mainstream success, they nonetheless helped the actress develop a loyal fan base; her performances in The Wayne Brady Show, Ally McBeal, and Josie and the Pussycats (all 2001) were solid enough to grab the attention of several prominent casting directors. Surely enough, by 2003, Pyle had been chosen for a supporting role in Bringing Down the House with Steve Martin and Queen Latifah, as well as a small but indelible role in Tim Burton's big-budget fantasy comedy Big Fish (2003). In 2004, Pyle worked with Ben Stiller in Along Came Polly and lent her support to Soul Plane and 50 First Dates. Working with Stiller proved a lucky experience for Pyle, who accepted a larger supporting role in Stiller's Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), which also stars fellow Galaxy Quest alumni Justin Long. When she isn't filming, Pyle continues her work with the all-female sketch comedy group Bitches and Funny.

Trivia: An actor whose wide, affable grin and heavy eyebrows lend him an uncanny resemblance to Tim Allen, Justin Long unwittingly became a footnote to the illustrious history of Britney Spears' ascent to world domination when he appeared with the post-pubescent entertainer in her 2002 film debut, Crossroads. Cast as Britney's prom date, Long shared a kiss with the singer that earned him breathless adulation on Britney websites everywhere.Three years before he locked lips with the peppy pop star, Long made his screen debut as a sci-fi geek in Galaxy Quest, a quirky genre parody that starred Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and Long's would-be doppelganger, Allen. He then landed a role on the TV sitcom Ed (2000), which he followed in 2001 with a part as a lonely bunkmate in Happy Campers. That same year, he starred in Jeepers Creepers, a sleeper comedy-horror outing that cast him as one of two siblings terrorized by an inhuman monster. Long subsequently appeared in Crossroads, sealing his newfound popularity among teenage girls with a kiss.In 2003, Long popped up briefly in the sequel Jeepers Creepers 2 while continuing to appear on Ed. However, the following year saw the conclusion of Ed and Long embarked on his film career full-time. First up was the sports comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. Stealing scenes while co-starring with the likes of Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller, Long proved to critics and audiences alike that his comedic skills could translate from the small-screen to the big one with ease. In the wake of Dodgeball's box-office success, audience's could next find the actor starring in the independent films Raising Genius and Waiting... and adding his voice to the Bill Plympton film Hair High. He appeared opposite Linday Lohan in Herbie: Fully Loaded, executing a perfect pratfall worthy of silent film comics in once scene. In 2006 he was one of the two leads in a series of witty television advertisements for Apple computers directed by Junebug's Phil Morrison. With Accepted, about a high-school graduate who starts his own college after being rejected by the institutions to which he applied, Long was finally allowed to take the lead in a big-screen comedy. The following year found the rising star voicing everyone's favorite singing squirrel in Alvin and the Chipmunks (a role that he would reprise in both the 2009 and 2011 sequels), and in 2001 Long returned to the small screen for a recurring role in FOX comedy series New Girl.

Trivia: As the son of ever-present television star David Reivers (Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Corbin Bleu (born Corbin Bleu Reivers on February 21st, 1989) was ushered into the spotlight by his parents at a remarkably early age. Before his third birthday, Bleu's face had adorned television commercials for such consumer brands as Nabisco, Life Cereal, and Bounty paper towels; by the age of four, he had secured representation with the prestigious Ford Modeling Agency in Manhattan, and promoted American chains such as Toys 'R' Us and Macy's, via inclusion in their print ads. As a youngster, Bleu also happened upon a deep-seated love of dancing -- a passion that carried him through his adolescent years. Bleu moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1996, and thus transposed his acting ambitions to Hollywood. After bit parts in such movies as Mystery Men and Galaxy Quest (both 1999) and such series as Malcolm & Eddie and ER, Bleu landed his first starring role in a feature: that of Austin, the Afroed accomplice of pint-sized bank robber Maddy (Kristen Stewart), in Bart Freundlich's family-oriented action comedy Catch That Kid (2003). Bleu gained his broadest exposure, however (and truly found his niche), via the Disney Channel pay-cable service, with several original telemovie musicals that enabled the rising young star to exhibit his singing and dancing skills onscreen -- and then some. These included High School Musical (2006) and Jump In! (2007). The former attained such popularity among young people that it spawned two successful sequels: the 2007 High School Musical 2 and the 2008 Haunted High School Musical. In each of those successive installments, Bleu reprises his role as basketball player Chad -- a teammate of lead character Troy Bolton (Zac Efron).In 2008, Bleu starred as a motorcross racer for the sports drama Free Style, and took on a voice role in 2011's The Little Engine that Could. Bleu appeared in 2012's Nurse 3D, and continues to be active in film and television. He booked a recurring gig on One Life to Live in 2013 and appeared on season 17 Dancing with the Stars, coming in second place. Bleu maintained a strong presence on TV with guest gigs on shows like Castle and The Fosters.

Trivia: An idiosyncratic actor known for both his versatility and sinewy, off-kilter sexiness, Sam Rockwell is one of the stage and screen's most imaginative and least predictable performers. Once dubbed "the male Parker Posey" for his voluminous work in independent films, Rockwell has also earned notice for his work in more mainstream fare, including Frank Darabont's The Green Mile (1999).Born in Daly City, CA, on November 5, 1968, Rockwell enjoyed a steadfastly bohemian upbringing. The son of artists and actors, Rockwell moved to New York City with his parents when he was two. Three years later, his parents divorced, and he spent much of his youth traveling back and forth between them. Raised by his father in San Francisco, he spent his summers in New York with his mother, whose unconventional lifestyle -- replete with sex, drugs, and flamboyant hippies -- introduced Rockwell to some very adult pastimes at an extremely young age. It was through his mother that he became involved in theater, making his stage debut at the age of ten. He later attended San Francisco's High School of the Performing Arts, where, at the age of 18, he was chosen to star in Clown House (1988), an ill-fated thriller revolving around three brothers' fight to the death with a group of maniacal circus entertainers.Following his screen debut, Rockwell moved to New York and proceeded to make 20 more films, including Last Exit to Brooklyn (1990) and Tom Di Cillo's Box of Moonlight (1996). It was the actor's work in the latter film that first won him recognition: as The Kid, a coonskin cap-clad free spirit whose backwoods existence alters the mundane life of a burnt-out engineer (John Turturro), Rockwell gave an engaging performance that sparked industry attention; unfortunately, the independent film disappeared at the box office. The actor next garnered attention for his lead role in John Duigan's Lawn Dogs (1997), a tale about the unconventional friendship between a white trash lawn boy (Rockwell) and a ten year-old girl (Mischa Barton) with a heart problem. Employing a heavy helping of magical realism to tell its story, the film earned fairly positive reviews, and Rockwell drew particular praise for his complex, low-key performance.The actor subsequently appeared in a series of comedies that made good use of his quirky persona, most notably Safe Men (1998), which cast him and Steve Zahn as two singers of dubious quality who find themselves the unwitting targets of the Jewish mafia. In 1999, more mainstream audiences were introduced to Rockwell thanks to his memorable work in three films: A Midsummer Night's Dream, which cast him as the cross-dressing Francis Flute; Galaxy Quest, a comedy spoof in which Rockwell played a cast member of a failing circa-'70s sci-fi TV series; and The Green Mile, in which the actor got to fully exhibit his twisted versatility as Wild Bill, a death-row inmate whom Rockwell himself characterized as "a disgusting, racist, pedophile freak." Switching gears almost as much as humanly possible, Rockwell's following role in Galaxy Quest (1999) found him a quirky cast member of a Star Trek-like television sci-fi series. The contrast between Rockwell's ultra-lightweight Galaxy Quest characterization and his former role as a genuinely revolting criminal was a testament to his versatility, and though he would stick to comedy with Charlie's Angels, a series of small roles would follow before Rockwell teamed with actor George Clooney for Welcome to Collinwood and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (both 2002). Appearing as former host of the cult television sensation The Gong Show in the latter, Rockwell brought Chuck Barris' compellingly quirky (and partially fictionalized) biography to the screen under first-time director George Clooney. In addition to his work onscreen, Rockwell has continued to act on the stage, appearing in such productions as a 1998 off-Broadway run of Mike Leigh's Goosepimples.Over the next several years, Rockwell would remain a constant force on screen, appearing in films like The Assassination of Jesse James, Choke, Frost/Nixon, Choke, Moon, Conviction, Cowboys & Aliens, and The Sitter.

Trivia: Goofy-looking Morgan Rusler exhibits a kind of PG-rated wackiness in his brand of comedy, although he also accepts supporting roles in feature films. His acting career began with an extensive background in theater productions at the Pasadena Playhouse and other venues around Hollywood. After receiving his M.F.A. from Cal Arts, he made several television guest-star appearances, most notably in Touched By an Angel. His first few films were mostly B-movie thrillers made in collaboration with director Douglas Campbell, including Out of the Darkness, The Perfect Tenant, and The Tomorrow Man. It wasn't until the one-joke independent comedy Shafted that he got his first starring role. He played a white guy named Steve who thought he was a '70s blaxploitation superhero. After a bit part as a sci-fi fan in Galaxy Quest, Rusler has since gained small roles in big movies like Steven Soderberg's Solaris and Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can.

Trivia: Moved to Hollywood with only one show business contact, a friend who wrote movie-trailer scripts. Was the TV spokesperson for fast-food chain Del Taco from 2000 to 2006. Met his wife in an acting class. Gives speeches to high-school students for Media Fellowship International, a Christian media and entertainment organization.

Trivia: Attended Camp Longhorn in Burnet, Texas.Graduated magna cum laude from Pepperdine University.Former associate editor of the Pepperdine Law Review.Co-author of "Tips To Prevent Selective Rejection In Sale-Leasebacks," published in Law360 on October 30, 2014.In 2016, was honored by Pepperdine School of Law as Preceptor of the Year.Retired from acting and now works as an attorney.

Trivia: Born January 26th, 1966, Rainn Wilson is best known for playing über-nerd Dwight Schrute on the NBC comedy The Office, actor Rainn Wilson parlayed a Broadway career into screen work that began with a role on the daytime soap One Life to Live. Bit parts in features such as Galaxy Quest and Almost Famous soon followed before Wilson landed the part of apprentice mortician Arthur on HBO's Six Feet Under during the show's third season. After Six Feet Under bowed in 2005, Wilson was cast in his most prominent role to date, the aforementioned Dwight Schrute, the resident oddball on the critically acclaimed U.S. version of The Office. Wilson so embraced the part that he even personally penned a weblog by the character on the NBC website. In 2006, Wilson was the fourth lead in Ivan Reitman's fantasy romantic comedy My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and a year later he scored his first starring feature role in the children's sci-fi adventure The Last Mimzy.

Trivia: Studied opera and theatre in college before leaving two classes shy of his degree to pursue his career; he re-enrolled in 2007 and received his diploma. Toured with the American National Theatre and Academy for a year. Studied with John Houseman's The Acting Company in New York for three years. Hadn't publicly sung opera in decades when the producer of Brooklyn Nine-Nine asked him to sing in the show.

Trivia: Kevin McDonald may have opted for a movie career in the mid-'90s after their TV series ended, but he is still best known as a member of the Canadian comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall. Born in Montreal, McDonald moved to Los Angeles at age seven and to Toronto as a teen. After taking acting classes in high school, McDonald studied drama in college, but ran into academic problems because he reportedly only had talent for comedy. McDonald's career began to take shape when he enrolled in a Second City improv class in Toronto and met like-minded actor Dave Foley. Together, the two formed The Kids in the Hall in the early '80s. Often compared to Britain's Monty Python, the five-man Kids in the Hall attracted a devoted following for their gender- and age-spanning array of nuttily inspired characters, including McDonald's Apathetic Cop and "Nobody Likes Us" Guy. After the series ended in 1994, McDonald earned a role in National Lampoon's Senior Trip (1995) before reuniting with the Kids for their film debut (as a troupe) in Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy (1996). A send-up of contemporary pharmaceutical culture, McDonald's several roles included the hapless researcher forced to prematurely put his new miracle anti-depressant on the market. Dividing his time between movies and TV in the late '90s, McDonald played guest-starring roles on several series, including Seinfeld, Friends, That '70s Show, and Foley's series News Radio. Less successful on the big screen, McDonald starred in the little-seen Canadian comedy Dinner at Fred's (1997), the Mafia spoof The Godson (1998), and The Wrong Guy (1998), a send-up of The Fugitive (1993) that originated as a Kids in the Hall bit. McDonald scored a moderate movie hit with his cameo appearance in Galaxy Quest (1999). McDonald and the other Kids in the Hall reunited for a tour in 2000.