Trivia: For some actors, success just seems to come naturally. In the case of talented stage and screen beauty Kristen Bell, it wasn't so much a matter of if she was going to be a star after realizing her dream during an early performance as a banana in Raggedy Ann and Andy at the tender age of 12 -- but when she would finally make the big time. Paralyzed with stage fright as she waited for her cue off-stage, Bell was offered a word of encouragement by her supportive mother that would ultimately give her the drive to realize her life's calling. A native of Detroit whose early stage experiences eventually led her to study at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Bell saw early success when she was chosen to portray Becky Thatcher in a Broadway production of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Realizing that she had what it took to find success onscreen as well as on-stage, Bell was soon packing her bags for Los Angeles and landing small supporting roles in such features as Polish Wedding and Pootie Tang. In 2003, Bell impressed television viewers with a solid performance in the made-for-television dramas The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay and Gracie's Choice. She next appeared in David Mamet's 2004 thriller Spartan, before landing the lead as a sort-of new-millennium Nancy Drew on UPN's Veronica Mars. If the show's ravenous cult following wasn't enough to make young Bell a household name, even after its much mourned cancellation in 2007, her subsequent performance in the awesomely successful comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall cinched it for her. Bell would go on to play a recurring role on the landmark TV series Heroes, before appearing in a number of comedies over the next few years, like Fanboys, Couples Retreat, and When in Rome. Bell would even appear in slightly less prestigious movies, like Burlesque and Scream 4, but remained one of the most in-demand young actresses in Hollywood, especially in the realm of comedy. She would play a memorable role on Don Cheadle's comedy series House of Lies, and co-produced and starred in an action-oriented romcom with Bradley Cooper called Hit and Run (which was written and co-directed by Bell's real-life love, Dax Shepard).In 2013, Bell and Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas launched a Kickstater campaign to raise funds for a Veronica Mars movie. The campaign proved to be wildly successful, raising more than was needed to fund the film, which was released in 2014. Bell also voiced Anna in the Disney film Frozen, which significantly raised her profile, and showcased her singing voice, holding her own opposite Broadway heavyweight Idina Menzel.

Trivia: Raised in the Southern California community of Glendale, actor Jason Dohring achieved greatest prominence when he signed for a multi-season portrayal of the embittered and resentful ex-boyfriend Logan Echolls on the teen-oriented mystery series Veronica Mars (2004-2007). After the series folded, Dohring took another ongoing prime-time assignment, this time as Josef Konstantin, an over 400-year-old vampire on the supernaturally charged prime-time drama Moonlight. Dohring's resumé also sports guest appearances on such prime-time series as Baywatch, JAG, Boston Public, and The Division.

Trivia: Is of Italian and Dominican descent.Was raised in The Bronx.Was discovered by Robert De Niro during the casting of one of his films.Practiced boxing briefly when he was a teenager.Is skilled at bowling.Is a fan of Star Wars.Is a fan of The Lord of the Rings books.

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: The similar cognomen is not coincidental: actress Sydney Tamiia Poitier is indeed the daughter of legendary stage and screen icon Sidney Poitier. Born to the famous thespian and actress Joanna Shimkus in 1973 (the youngest of Sidney's six daughters), Sydney attended New York University beginning in 1991, then started to chalk up acting assignments in the late '90s, including the telemovie Free of Eden (opposite her dad), the Clint Eastwood thriller True Crime, and the miniseries Noah's Ark (all three in 1999). In time, Poitier also landed the lead (and title character) on the 2003 UPN sitcom Abby, co-starring Kadeem Hardison (A Different World), but that program folded soon after it bowed; the actress fared better with her role as Mallory Dent on the teen-oriented detective series Veronica Mars (2004). Poitier achieved her breakthrough, however, with two roles: that of Jungle Julia, a young vixen hunted down and slain by psychopathic Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof segment of the exploitation tribute Grindhouse (2007), and FBI agent Carrie Rivai in Knight Rider (2008), director Steven Shill's made-for-television tribute to the iconic 1980s series of the same name.

Trivia: Actress Jessica Chastain studied her craft at the Julliard School in New York, before launching into her professional career. After landing a few appearances on TV shows like Veronica Mars and ER, Chastain eventually landed the title role in the 2008 independent film Jolene, and soon found herself in other prominent roles, like a Mossaad agent in the 2009 mystery The Debt, though that film didn't reach American screens unti 2011, a year in which Chastain seemes to be in every movie. In addition to playing the loving mother in Terrence Malick's Tree of Life, and playing the struggling wife of a schizophrenic in the underrated Take Shelter, and being cast as the wife to Ralph Finnes' Coriolanus, and earning good reviews for the indie drama Texas Killing Fields, Chastain played a kooky, mentally unstable Southern woman in the box office smash The Help, and earned her first Oscar nomination for her supporting work in the film. She was back in the Oscar race the very next year, this time in the Best Actress field for her work as a determined CIA agent hunting Osama Bin Laden in Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty.

Trivia: Lived in the same town and attended the same high school as State of Affairs star Katherine Heigl. As he's a few years older, however, they never walked the hallways at the same time. Aspired to become a pro baseball player until his senior year of high school, when he grew tired of the sport. Offered baseball scholarships to three universities, but chose a different life's path instead. Discovered acting through a scheduling fluke. He took Theatre 101 as a college freshman because it was the only elective that fit in with the rest of his planned classes. To his surprise, it spoke to him in a way that he hadn't expected. Post-college, studied acting at the Circle in the Square Theatre School and Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Theater Institute.

Trivia: Involved in the Invisible Children charity that aids youngsters in war-torn northern Uganda. One of the stars of an online series called Rockville CA, which was created by Josh Schwartz (The O.C., Gossip Girl). Among his hobbies are dancing, surfing, skating, skateboarding and snorkeling. Father is a pastor. Member of CYT (Christian Youth Theater). Shaved his head for a role in Power Rangers.

Trivia: From her memorable role in the made-for-television Alice in Wonderland (1999) to feature roles in Waterworld (1995) and Andre (1994), Tina Majorino has made a lasting impression in television and film with her youthful glow. Born Albertina Marie Majorino in Westlake, CA, in 1985, Majorino began her career as an actress in a series of television commercials. Soon making her formal television debut alongside future Oscar winner Hilary Swank in Camp Wilder, the busy young actress would soon have three substantial film roles -- in movies that opened within three months of one another -- at the tender age of ten. Following the triple threat of When a Man Loves a Woman, Corrina, Corrina, and Andre (all 1994), Majorino was soon back in the saddle with Waterworld and gearing up for an even busier year in 1997. With three made-for-television features and a big-screen effort in the same year, it was hard for the 12-year-old black belt to practice Tang Soo Do, much less pursue any other outside interests. Following her role in the lavish television production of Alice in Wonderland in 1999, it came as no surprise that Majorino sought a little time out of the limelight, though audiences could rest assured that she would return in good time.

Trivia: Actor Kyle Gallner commenced film and television roles in the early 2000s; he specialized in supporting portrayals of individuals who fall prey to the destructive influences of more dominant and malevolent characters. Though Gallner began his Hollywood tenure with guest roles on series including Touched by an Angel, Third Watch, and Judging Amy, he quickly moved into more prominent assignments, including season-long runs on the youth-oriented detective show Veronica Mars (as Beaver Casablancas, the younger brother of a twisted bully and the victim of child abuse), and season three of CSI: NY (as Reed Garrett, a former foster child-turned-kidnapping victim). Gallner subsequently moved into feature roles; he was particularly memorable as the son of a mentally ill, emotionally tortured mother (Marisa Tomei) in the independent feature Danika (2006), and Harold, an accomplice of a twisted teen who shoots an old man's dog, in the revenge-fueled thriller Red (2008).