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: 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: 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: 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: Though Charisma Carpenter refers to her first name as an "absolute curse" (it was derived from an ill-conceived Avon perfume line), it certainly hasn't proved detrimental to her career. Born in Las Vegas, NV, Carpenter had exhibited an interest in the performing arts by the age of five, when she began studying classical ballet. Though her family moved to Mexico in 1985, the fast-paced, entertainment-laden Las Vegas atmosphere had already had a profound effect on a then 15-year-old Charisma -- so much so that she embarked on an hour-long, daily commute to San Diego, where she attended the prestigious School of the Performing Arts.Carpenter had somewhat drastically changed her career plans after her graduation, when she moved to San Diego and took on a series of odd jobs, ranging from a video clerk to a member of the San Diego Chargers' cheerleading squad, in hopes of funding a college education. The non-aspiring actress was hoping to become an English teacher. To the eventual delight of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans nationwide, however, this wasn't to be. While waiting tables on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, Carpenter was discovered by a commercial agent who promptly recommended she continue attending acting school. Her penchant for show business piqued once again, Carpenter decided to test her chops at the reputable Playhouse West, where she spent 18 months honing her skills. While there, Carpenter appeared in series of commercials, though her first true television role wouldn't occur until much later, in 1995, when she made a guest appearance on Baywatch.Seven long years after dedicating herself to acting, Carpenter managed to land a starring role on prime-time soap guru Aaron Spelling's Malibu Shores opposite Keri Russell. The show, however, was short-lived, and Carpenter was once again left with no solid job of which to speak, despite sporadic appearances on Boy Meets World and Pacific Blue. In 1997, Carpenter's agent found the then very much aspiring actress two separate auditions for a role the same show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a teen-oriented horror comedy series based on 1992's much less successful movie of the same name. One of the auditions was for Buffy, the intrepid vampire slayer, while the other was for Cordelia Chase, snooty high school student extraordinaire. As fate would have it, Sarah Michelle Gellar would win the part of Buffy, while Carpenter would ignite many an Internet fan site as Cordelia. So popular was her role that in 1999, when the Buffy spin-off Angel was launched, Carpenter was able to continue and expand the role.Though the series couldn't last forever, Carpenter continued to act after its cancellation. In 2004, she starred in What Boys Like, a sex comedy directed by Lawrence Gay, and played a reoccurring role in NBC's short-lived Alicia Silverstone vehicle Miss Match. Carpenter remained active the mid-2000s, and continued to find success playing characters with some sort of supernatural ability (as indicated by her appearances on the television shows Charmed and Supernatural). The actress played the girlfriend of a mercenary (Jason Statham) in 2010's The Expendables, and reprised the role for The Expendables 2 (2012). Off screen, Carpenter enjoys a variety of outdoor activities -- rock climbing, horseback riding, biking, and rollerblading, to name a few -- and spending time with her son.

Trivia: Actor Steve Guttenberg, trained at New York's High School of the Performing Arts, Julliard and the Actors Studio, was already a professional as a teenager, making his off-Broadway debut in a revival of The Lion in Winter. In 1976 he was first seen before the cameras in the made-for-TV Something for Joey. The following year, he made his big-screen bow in The Chicken Chronicles, and within three years was starring in his own weekly TV series, Billy (he was subsequently top-billed in the bizarre 1982 summer-replacement weekly No Soap, Radio. After a flurry of excellent film roles--the foredoomed Barry Kohler in Boys from Brazil (1978), football-obsessed groom-to-be Eddie in Diner (1982), etc.--Guttenberg settled into workaday parts. He seemed to have a propensity for getting involved in film series: he was seen as Michael Kellan in both 3 Men and a Baby and 3 Men and a Little Lady, Jack Bonner in the two Cocoon films, and Mahoney in the first four Police Academy entries. In 1991, Steve Guttenberg made his belated Broadway debut in Prelude to a Kiss. In the decades to follow, Guttenberg would appear in films like Home Team, Domino One, Fatal Rescue, and A Novel Romance, as well as a memorable arc on the cult hit series Veronica Mars. He would also appear on Dancing with the Stars.

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).

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: One of the most unique voices to emerge during the American independent filmmaking renaissance of the 1990s, Kevin Smith was born in New Jersey on August 2, 1970. Smith later attended the New School for Social Research's creative writing program, dropping out after administrators contacted his parents to report that their son had been caught launching water balloons out of his dormitory window. He subsequently enrolled in the Vancouver Film School, but again ended his stay after just four months. Returning home to New Jersey, Smith accepted a job in a local convenience store and began plotting his next move. Inspired by the success of director Richard Linklater's 1991 low-budget hit Slacker, he contacted former film-school comrade Scott Mosier, and together the duo began discussing producing their own feature.After rounding up just over 27,000 dollars -- collected from parents, credit-card advances, and the sale of Smith's beloved comic book collection -- they shot Clerks, a hilariously scabrous look at American consumer culture steeped in Smith's own experiences behind the cash register. Shooting each night in the same convenience store where the director worked by day, they completed production in just three weeks and began promoting the feature on the festival circuit. In 1994, Clerks debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, becoming the breakout hit of the event. Suddenly Smith, with his flair for raunchy yet heavily stylized dialogue, colorful characterizations, and keen cultural perceptiveness, was the toast of the indie community, swiftly acquiring Creative Artists Agency representation and a distribution deal with Miramax. After winning a court battle to replace the often-vulgar movie's NC-17 rating with a more commercially palatable R, Clerks hit the arthouse circuit, where it recouped its initial investment many times over and became a critical smash. Soon Smith was at work on the 1995 comedy Mallrats, the second chapter in his self-described "New Jersey trilogy." Despite reprising a number of characters from the previous film -- including the director's own onscreen alter ego, Silent Bob -- Mallrats was both a commercial and critical disaster, and while members of his avid cult audience remained enthusiastic, he publicly "apologized" for making the movie at the 1995 Independent Spirit Awards ceremony. In 1997, Smith resurfaced with Chasing Amy, the final film in the trilogy and his most mature effort to date. Unlike its predecessor, the film won wide critical acclaim, with many critics praising Smith's insightful exploration of love and loss.In 1999, Smith was back in the spotlight with Dogma, a film centering on the last living descendent of Jesus Christ, a woman named Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) who works as a clerk in an abortion clinic. Unsurprisingly, the film, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, garnered more than its share of controversy even before being released theatrically. Dogma's distributor, the Disney-owned Miramax Pictures, announced that they would not release the picture and intended to sell it to another distributor. They did so, as Smith all the while maintained that the film -- which also starred Alanis Morissette as God -- was about the importance of faith, rather than an attempt to ridicule it.Scaling down his themes somewhat, Smith dedicated his next film, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, to the stoner duo who appeared on the sidelines in each of his first four efforts. Prepped for a wide, late-August 2001 release, the 20-million-dollar road comedy seemed affable in terms of overall concept, until a sneak preview left representatives of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) up in arms over the film's derogatory language and recurring gay-sex jokes. Stopping short of issuing an apology, Smith again defended his right to portray uncouth characters: Jay and Silent Bob's homophobia, he argued, further illustrated their idiocy. Unconvinced, Smith's detractors compelled him to tack on a closing-credit anti-defamation comment and make a 10,000-dollar goodwill donation to the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Little of this mattered to critics or fans, as JASBSB garnered mixed-to-poor reviews and decent (if precipitous) opening weekend box-office totals, proving that Smith had indeed cultivated a core audience.After another turn in front of the camera in 2003's Daredevil, Smith returned to directing with 2004's Jersey Girl. The film had plenty of buzz surrounding it because it was one of two films starring über-couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez slated for release. However, when the other film Gigli became a failure of nearly-Ishtarian proportions and the celebrity-duo called off their wedding, that buzz turned into a stigma. Attempting to remove some of the Gigli-residue on the film, Smith retired to the editing room and excised much of Lopez's role in the film. Nonetheless, Jersey Girl was largely panned and became a box-office failure.In dire need of a hit in the wake of Jersey Girl, Smith returned to the work that ignited his career by turning out a sequel to that opus, Clerks II. Released in July 2006, the movie picks up on the lives of Dante and Randall , the two slackers from the first film, who lose their jobs at the convenience store and video rental when a fire burns the strip mall to ashes. The buddies are forced to don uniforms and man the counters at Mooby's, a fast-food restaurant whose supremely irritating bovine mascot also appeared in Smith's Dogma. Smith took a supporting role in Catch and Release as the slovenly, yet philosophical roommate of a woman (Jennifer Garner) mourning the loss of her fiancé in 2007, and directed comedy drama Zack and Miri Make a Porno in 2008 The film featured Seth Rogen and Elizabeth banks as a longtime friends who agree to make a pornographic film to get out of debt. Smith took a supporting role in Catch and Release as the slovenly, yet philosophical roommate of a woman (Jennifer Garner) mourning the loss of her fiance. The director went a different direction for Red State, a horror film with resounding political undertones. Released in 2011, the film followed the aftermath suffered by teens and their families following a kidnapping spearheaded by a fanatical religious group.

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.