Trivia: Though known mainly for his role as complicated police officer Vic Mackey on F/X's television cop drama The Shield, Massachusetts native Michael Chiklis has been acting professionally since the age of 13, when he made several appearances at the Town and Country Playhouse in Salem, NH. From there, Chiklis enlisted in a variety of classical, occasionally Shakespearian theatrical productions at the prestigious Merrimack Repertory Theatre and ultimately studied acting in the drama program at Boston University's College of Fine Arts. After graduating, Chiklis traveled to New York and began the auditioning process. In 1988, he was picked to portray John Belushi in the feature film Wired, though litigation and controversy delayed the release and proper promotional process, and the picture itself was a wretched mess (not to mention a depressing affair).By 1991, after making guest appearances in some of the most popular sitcoms of the time (Murphy Brown, L.A. Law, and Seinfeld, to name a few), Chiklis was cast as amiable police commissioner Tony Scali on ABC's The Commish. Though a few extra pounds at that time helped him land the role after his audition, his subsequent weight loss required him to wear a "fat suit" to remain in character (though the actor was only in his mid-twenties, series producers created the role for someone much older). When The Commish ceased to be after a five-year run, Chiklis took on a small role in Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995) and starred in the ill-fated NBC sitcom Daddio (2000). Two years later, the series premiere of The Shield catapulted Chiklis back into the forefront of network success. His role on the popular series would bring him two Best Actor nominations from the Golden Globes, as well as one from the Screen Actor's Guild.Chiklis contented himself with this part for several years, but in 2005, he returned to cinematic ventures and went big budget with the FX-laden summer extravaganza Fantastic Four. This film - like the famous Stan Lee comic strip - concerns a group of individuals who journey into outer space to investigate a cosmic storm, and find each of their DNA codes altered in a unique way; one by one, they become The Human Torch, The Thing, The Invisible Girl, and Mr. Fantastic (four superheroes, each of whom has a unique power) -- and must collectively take on the seemingly invincible Doctor Doom (Julian McMahon). Chiklis plays The Thing (nee Ben Grimm), a creature made entirely of stone. Though broadly derided in the press, the public ignored the negative critical responses and helped The Fantastic Four reel in an estimated worldwide gross of around $330 million -- paving the way for a 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. The Shield would end its run in 2008, but that same year, Chiklis signed for a supporting role in director D.J. Caruso's psychological thriller Eagle Eye. He was soon back on the small screen, however, with a starring role on the short-lived comedy series No Ordinary Family.

Trivia: Best known for his individualistic promulgation of jazz-rap during the 1990s -- a decade when gangsta rap threatened to take over much of the urban music scene -- underground rapper Common attained recognition for the sophisticated lyrics and ever-present political subtexts in his raps. Something of a critics' favorite, Common also achieved commercial success with such albums as Can I Borrow a Dollar? (1992, his debut), Like Water for Chocolate (2000), Electric Circus (2002), and Be (2005). During the first 15 years or so of his career, the Chicago native's filmed activity remained generally confined to music videos, performance films, and also urban and rap-themed documentaries such as the 2003 Soundz of Spirit, the 2004 Letter to the President, and 2005's jubilant Dave Chappelle's Block Party. By 2007, Common began branching out into dramatic roles. That year, the rapper landed supporting parts in such films as Joe Carnahan's darkly comic action thriller Smokin' Aces and Ridley Scott's period crime drama American Gangster.In 2008 he appeared in Wanted, and the next year he landed a role in the high-profile sequel Terminator Salvation. He played the part of an scary bad guy in the comedy Date Night in 2010, the same year he played the lead opposite Queen Latifah in the romantic comedy Just Wright. He was one of the many members of the ensemble cast in 2011's New Year's Eve, and lent his vocal talents to Happy Feet Two that same year. In 2012 he appeared in the family fantasy film The Odd Life of Timothy Green.

Trivia: An actor of remarkable intensity whether playing comedy, drama, or classical-stage roles, Marton Csokas first became familiar to stateside audiences as Borias on the hit television series Xena: Warrior Princess. And though American audiences may not have been privy to his early stage and screen work, his performance in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring made him a familiar face. Born in New Zealand in June 1966, Csokas' early schooling didn't exactly encourage creativity, and the future actor didn't discover his passion for the stage and screen until his late teens. While studying literature and art history for a year at Canterbury and Christchurch, Csokas became involved with a writer's club and theater company before graduating from the New Zealand Drama School and co-founding the The Stronghold Theater. Steadily gaining experience and harboring a growing passion for classical-stage drama, the actor landed a role in the television series Shortland Street before making his feature debut in Jack Brown Genius (1994). Numerous small film roles followed, and, after becoming a recognizable star in his native country, Csokas began to familiarize himself with American television audiences with Xena and such small-screen features as The Three Stooges (2000). His experience in the fantasy world of Xena prepared him well for his role as Celeborn in the first Lord of the Rings movie in 2001, and American audiences later saw the versatile actor as a villainous criminal mastermind bent on world domination in XXX (2002). He appeared in director Alex Proyas' decidedly upbeat Garage Days the same year and in Richard Donner's time travel fantasy Timeline in 2003.

Trivia: Though he readily admits that people have commented on his similarity to Hollywood megastar Tom Cruise from the time he was just 12 years old, actor Sean Faris still insists that his high-school life couldn't be more different from that of his character on the critically lauded prime-time comedy drama Life as We Know It. On television playing the "cool kid" that every girl wants to hook up with is easy, but in real life, Faris claims that his high-school career wasn't nearly as glamorous. Unwilling to associate himself exclusively with any one particular clique, Faris instead opted to focus his time on enjoying the company of his friends -- no matter what rung of the social hierarchy they occupied. It was early work as a model instilled the Parma, OH, native with a certain amount of confidence before the cameras, but even into his early teens, Faris still had few concrete ideas about which career path best suited him. Of course it wasn't long before fate found the athletic but somewhat aimless teen cast in a local independent film at the age of 17, and Faris immediately realized that film was his true calling. By the time high-school graduation had come and gone and the obligatory wave of graduation parties had winded down, Faris had his bags already packed and made his way to Los Angeles. As the old proverb goes "timing is everything," and almost immediately after arriving in Hollywood, Faris was cast in a supporting role in director Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor. If the immediate success had gone to Faris' head just a bit, reality would soon sink in when the young hopeful was cast in such forgettable low-budget efforts as Twisted and The Brotherhood II: Young Warlocks. Following a few acting classes and some formal training, however, Faris was soon working his way back to the top with small-screen roles in MTV's Undressed and House Blend -- as well as brief supporting appearances in Smallville and Boston Public -- before making a return to A-list features as Alexa Vega's character's love interest in the 2004 teen comedy Sleepover. Later that same year, Faris made a splash on the small screen as one of a trio of tight-knit teens preoccupied with sex in Life As We Know It. In 2005 he joined the cast of Reunion, a television series from FOX chronicling the aftermath of a murder that took place during a high school reunion. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled after only nine episodes. He had similar luck throughout the late 2000s, much of which he spent working on a series of unremarkable films. He took on a starring role for the action thriller Stash House in 2012 and continues to be active in film and television.

Trivia: Forest Whitaker attended college on a football scholarship, then, interested in Opera, transferred to U.S.C. on two more scholarships to study Music and Theater. He landed small roles on television and in two films, beginning with Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). He got his big break when he appeared in Oliver Stone's Platoon and Martin Scorsese's The Color of Money (both 1986). After a few more supporting roles, Whitaker got his first lead in Clint Eastwood's Bird (1988), in which he played the title role -- heroin-addicted jazz great Charlie Parker, a performance which won him the 1988 Cannes Film Festival Best Actor award. Although now better-known as an lead actor, he was unable to greatly capitalize on his success and remained primarily a supporting player in films. He is the older brother of actor Damon Whitaker.

Trivia: Actor Ray Liotta's intense demeanor and fondness for edgy roles quickly established him as one of the most interesting and respected supporting players of his generation. Born in Newark, NJ, on December 18, 1955, he was adopted at the age of six months, by Alfred and Mary Liotta, and raised in Union Township, New Jersey. (His parents adopted another child, Linda, three years later.) As a gifted high school athlete, Liotta played varsity basketball and soccer, while working a side job in his father's auto supply shop. After graduation, he left home to attend the University of Miami, where he cultivated an interest in acting and majored in Drama. Liotta appeared in a number of collegiate productions, including a surprising number of musicals (Cabaret, The Sound of Music). Within a year of graduation, Liotta scored a one-shot commercial and a recurring three-year role as Joey Perrini on the daytime soap opera Another World; he also joined the cast of several short-lived prime-time network TV series, including Crazy Times (1981) - with David Caruso and Amy Madigan - and Casablanca (1983) - featuring David Soul in the role Humphrey Bogart made famous, and Liotta as Sacha. Liotta signed for his first film role in the 1983 Pia Zadora vehicle The Lonely Lady, but didn't break into the big time until 1986, when Jonathan Demme cast him as the psychotic Ray Sinclair in the comedy-drama Something Wild. Liotta's well-received performance won him a number of Hollywood offers playing over-the-top villains, but, determined to avoid typecasting - , Liotta rejected the solicitations and traveled the opposite route, with gentle, sensitive roles in Dominick and Eugene and Field of Dreams (as the legendary "Shoeless" Joe Jackson). His determination to wait for the right role paid off in 1990, when he was cast as mobster Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's masterful crime drama GoodFellas. However, while the success of GoodFellas raised Liotta's profile considerably, he clung to his high standards, waiting for the right part (and wary of compromise). While he still found himself playing tough and/or scary guys in the likes of Unlawful Entry and No Escape, in Corrina, Corrina showcased Liotta's talent as a a romantic lead, and he catered to "family friendly" audiences with Disney's Operation Dumbo Drop (1995) and Tim Hill's Muppets From Space (1999). After a productive 2001, with key roles in the blockbuster hits Blow, Hannibal, and Heartbreakers, the actor formed his own production company to ensure a greater diversity of roles and more interesting material. For his debut as a producer, Liotta developed and released the critically acclaimed Narc; he also appears in the film, as a hot-headed ex-cop. Liotta hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live in 2003, the same year he cameo'd in director Peter Segal's Anger Management, starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson. But that year also marked the beginning of a downswing for the gifted thesp. His activity ostensibly crescendoed through the end of 2004 - but, despite scattered encouraging reviews - his trio of major films from that year (a sociopath in Tim Hunter's Control, a corrupt cop in Matthew Chapman's Slow Burn, a bit part in Jeff Nathanson's Tinseltown satire The Last Shot) saw extremely limited release and fell just ahead of going straight to video. As 2005 dawned, he restrategized by sticking with higher-profile directors - specifically, Guy Ritchie for Revolver (second billing, as a casino owner targeted by a vengeful ex-con) and Mark Rydell for the sports gambling drama Even Money. This plan proved uneven: the Ritchie film tanked amid widespread accusations of directorial pretentiousness, while the Rydell film seemed destined to score given the talent in the cast (Danny de Vito, Kim Basinger, Tim Roth, Forest Whitaker).As 2006 rolled around, Liotta returned to the glitter box - for the first time in twenty-five years - with the action-laced ensemble crime drama Smith. Slated with a September '06 premiere, this CBS series follows the adventures of a collective of high-rolling thieves who execute dazzling crimes with cunning and adroitness; Liotta plays one of the criminals. That same year, Liotta continued his big screen forays with appearances in the gentle coming-of-age drama Local Color, as a dad who passionately objects to his son's desire to apprentice a master painter, and Bruce McCulloch's buddy comedy Comeback Season, as a down-and-outer, rejected by his wife, who makes a close friend in prison. These projects suggested a turn away from tough guy roles and Liotta's harkening back to the gently understated work that he perfected in Dominick and Field of Dreams. Working steadily over the next few years -- albeit frewquently in lower-profile productions -- Liotta followed his Emmy-winning 2005 guest appearance on ER with playful turns in the comedies Observe and Report (2009), Crazy on the Outside (2010), and opposite Toby Maguire in The Details (2012). Liotta married actress Michelle Grace (Narc, Baseball Wives) in 1997, who co-produced his dance drama Take the Lead (2006) with him. The couple divorced in 2004.

Trivia: Born in 1985, actress Jessica Szohr earned her laurels as a frequent presence on U.S. television during the 2000s. A native of Wisconsin, Szohr experienced her first taste of show-business life when discovered by a modeling scout at age 16 and tapped to do print ads for Kohl's department store. She then moved to Los Angeles, secured representation as an actress, and began signing for guest spots on various series including Joan of Arcadia and That's So Raven, as well as recurring roles on CSI: Miami, What About Brian, and Gossip Girl. Her role of Vanessa Abrams on the latter series was later expanded to regular status. In the years to come, Szor would remain active on screen, appearing in movies like Tower Heist.

Trivia: Born January 17, 1988, screenwriter/actress Nikki Reed made an impressive Hollywood debut at the age of 14 when she co-starred opposite Oscar-winner Holly Hunter and fellow newcomer Evan Rachel Wood in the award-winning coming-of-age drama Thirteen. Reed co-wrote the script with director Catherine Hardwicke, who, at one point, had dated Reed's father. Said to be a semi-autobiographical account of her own life, Reed took on the role of Evie Zamora, a highly manipulative high school "It" girl whose lax attitudes toward drug abuse and sex, combined with a reprehensible family life, made for the downfall of good-girl Tracy (Wood). In addition to Thirteen, Reed played a small role in director Kenny Golde's 2003 crime thriller The Job with Daryl Hannah, Dominique Swain, and Brad Renfro. Reed teamed with Hardwicke again in 2004 for Lords of Dogstown. Nikki joined The Twilight Saga in 2008 to play the beautiful but emotionally distant vampire Rosalie Cullen. Once she was finished with her commitment to the big-budget Twilight films, she returned to smaller, independent films like Pawn, In Your Eyes and Murder of a Cat.

Trivia: Upon graduating from Swarthmore College, Stephen Lang worked at the Folger Theatre in Washington, then made his off-Broadway debut in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Thereafter he virtually specialized in Shakespearean roles -- a direct contrast to his All-American demeanor and naval-ensign facial features. Lang was praised for his appearance as Happy in Dustin Hoffman's 1984 revival of Death of a Salesman, reprising the role for the subsequent TV-movie version. The next season, Lang costarred in the original Broadway production of A Few Good Men. From 1986 through 1988, the actor played prosecutor David Abrams on the weekly TV series Crime Story. Stephen Lang has appeared in such films as Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989) and Gettysburg (1993), and in 1991 won the title role in the made-for-TV Babe Ruth. He was cast as the one-armed man in the 2000 remake of The Fugitive TV show. In 2003 he portrayed the legendary historical figure General Stonewall Jackson in the civil war drama Gods and Generals. He continued to work steadily with a particularly busy year coming in 2009 where he could be seen in the box-office smash Avatar, the comedy The Men Who Stare At Goats, and the gangster film Public Enemies. In 2011 he starred as Khalar Zym in the remake of Conan the Barbarian.

Trivia: Though his Hollywood breakthrough may have come with his role as Mariah Carey's ill-fated love interest in the pop singer's film debut Glitter (2000), handsome and sometime-male model Max Beesley was no stranger to the limelight. A well-versed musician who has toured with the likes of George Michael and taken the stage with Jamiroquai, Beesley turned to acting in the latter '90s to find new challenges in life.Born Maxton Gig Beesley Jr. in Burnage, England, in 1971, to drummer Maxton Beesley and jazz singer Chris Marlowe, the hyperactive youngster took to music from early childhood, picking up on numerous instruments and developing his vocal chords. Later obtaining official musical training at Chethams School of Music in Manchester and London's Guildhall School of Music, Beesley was soon hitting the road with his father and learning the trade. It was while watching Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull with his father one day that Beesley Jr. had his thespian epiphany, and before long it was off to New York to take a Method acting course. Considering his first role in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1997) an apprenticeship during which he refined his skills, the avid football (read: soccer) fan followed up with a notably more prominent role two years later in The Match. Utilizing his musical roots for his next role in Five Seconds to Spare (1999), Beesley also appeared in It Was an Accident (2000) before romancing pop diva Carey in Glitter. An energetic performer who's hyperactivity almost reached controlled substance-fueled levels, the humble and level-headed actor recently discovered Buddhism as a means of focus, and has since become a devout follower of the faith. Taking a peek into his love life, Beesley has been romantically linked to Melanie Brown (aka "Scary Spice") of the Spice Girls.

Trivia: Born and raised in Southern California.Decided to enroll in college before pursuing his career as an actor.In 1999, he made his debut as an actor in television.Made a solo backpack trip to Europe.Has provided training in the University of Florida for the students of the School of Theatre and Dance.

Trivia: Worked as a bellboy at the Mercer Hotel in New York before becoming an actor. Is a registered spin instructor. Made his feature film debut in 2004's Mean Girls. Executive produced and starred in the film Authors Anonymous.