Trivia: Internationally known for his charisma and smoldering good looks, Antonio Banderas is the ultimate manifestation of the Latin heartthrob. Born in Málaga, Spain on August 10, 1960, Banderas wanted to become a professional soccer player until a broken foot sidelined his dreams at the age of fourteen. He went on to enroll in some drama classes, eventually joining a theatre troupe that toured all over Spain. His work in the theatre, and his performances on the streets, eventually landed him a spot with the National Theatre of Spain. While performing with the theatre, Banderas caught the attention of director Pedro Almodóvar, who cast the young actor in his film debut, Laberinto de Pasione (Labyrinth of Passion) (1982). He went on to appear in the director's La Ley del Deseo (Law of Desire) (1984), making headlines with his performance as a gay man, which required him to engage in his first male-to-male onscreen kiss. After Banderas appeared in Almodóvar's Matador (1986), the director cast him in his internationally acclaimed Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) (1988). The recognition Banderas gained for his role increased two years later when he starred in Almodóvar's controversial Atame! (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) as a mental patient who kidnaps a porn star (Victoria Abril) and keeps her tied up until she returns his love.Banderas made his first stateside appearance as an unwitting object of Madonna's affections in Truth or Dare (1991). The following year, still speaking next to no English, he starred in his first American film, The Mambo Kings. It was a testament to his acting abilities that, despite having to learn all of his lines phonetically, Banderas still managed to turn in a critically praised performance as a struggling musician. He broke through to mainstream American audiences as the gay lover of AIDS-afflicted lawyer Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) in Philadelphia (1993). The film's success earned Banderas wide recognition, and the following year he was given a substantial role in Neil Jordan's high-profile adaptation of Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, which allowed him to share the screen with the likes of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Banderas subsequently appeared in a number of films of widely varying quality, doing particularly strong work in Desperado (1995), Evita (1998), and The Mask of Zorro (1998). In 1999, he made his first foray into directing with Crazy in Alabama, a black comedy starring Melanie Griffith, to whom he had been married since 1996. The following year he starred as an aspiring boxer opposite Woody Harrelson in Play It to the Bone, portrayed a Cuban tycoon with a bad seed bride (Angelina Jolie) in Original Sin, and starred alongside Bob Hoskins and Wes Bentley in The White River Kid. Well established as a hearthrob and a talented dramatic actor by the end of the 1990s, the fact that Desperato director Robert Rodriguez was the only director to have expolored Banderas' comic potential (Banderas provided one of the few memorable performances in Rodriguez's segment of the otherwise abysmal Four Rooms (1995)) hinted at a heretofore unexplored but potentially lucrative territory for the actor. Later approached by Rodriguez to portray the super-spy patriarch in the family oriented adventure comedy Spy Kids (2001), Banderas charmed children and adults alike with his role as a kidnapped agent whose children must discover their inner stregnth in order to rescue their mother and father. After reprising his role in the following year's Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams, Banderas would next return to more adult oriented roles in both Brian DePalma's Femme Fatale and the ill-fated Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (both 2002). After essaying a more historic role in the dramatic biopic Frida (also 2002), the remarkably diverse actor would one again team with Rodriguez for the sprawling Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003). In 2004 he joined the highly successful Shrek franchise voicing Puss In Boots, and the character became so popular that he appeared in each of the following sequels, and was the subject of his own feature in 2011. In 2005 he played Zorro again, and he had a major part in the dance film Take the Lead. In 2011 he reteamed for the first time in two decades with Pedro Almodovar in the Hitchcock-inspired The Skin I Live In, and the next year he appeared as a mysterious international espionage figure in the action film Haywire. He appeared in a small role in Rodriguez's Machete Kills (2013) and later appeared in The Expendables 3 (2014).

Trivia: Brazilian-born actor Rodrigo Santoro discovered his interest in performing, like a lot of actors, while he was still a teenager. He would sometimes travel from his suburban home to nearby Rio de Janeiro for auditions, though his efforts wouldn't pay off until he'd already moved to the city. He was in his first semester of college when he was cast in a Brazilian soap opera, which he worked on while still living in the dorms. Santoro continued to work in his home country, soon transitioning to the big screen, where he gained more and more fame, as well as critical respect. Then, in 2003, Canadian producer Robert Allan Ackerman contacted Santoro after seeing him give such impressive performances in Brazilian cinema. Ackerman offered him a role in his TV movie The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, starring Helen Mirren, Anne Bancroft, and Brian Dennehy. Santoro jumped at the chance to work with such great actors and hopefully transition into North American film, and sure enough, after filming wrapped, he was offered a role in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Next, he played the office mate and potential love interest of Laura Linney in Love Actually, and by 2007, Santoro had a major role in one of the biggest blockbusters of the year, playing Xerxes, king of Persia, in the action-packed 300. Santoro also joined the third season of the hit prime-time drama series Lost in 2006, but protective fans of the show didn't take well to the addition of a new character, so his tenure with the series was short.

Trivia: When James Brolin was 15, his parents invited Hollywood producer/director William Castle to dinner. Impressed by Brolin's self-confidence and teen-idol looks, Castle invited him to audition for a film role at Columbia Pictures. When he failed to land the part, Brolin decided to "show 'em" by studying diligently for an acting career, eventually logging 5,000 hours of class time. While still attending U.C.L.A., he landed a small role on the Bus Stop TV series, which led to a 20th Century Fox contract. For the next five years, he marked time with bits and minor roles in such Fox features as Take Her, She's Mine (1963), Goodbye Charlie (1964), Von Ryan's Express (1965), Our Man Flint (1966), and Fantastic Voyage (1966). His first real break came with a peripheral but noticeable recurring role on the 1966 TV Western The Monroes. In 1968, Brolin finally attained stardom with his Emmy-winning characterization of Dr. Steve Kiley on the popular TV medical series Marcus Welby, M.D. During his five years with Welby, Brolin returned to films to play such choice roles as the unbalanced Vietnam vet in Skyjacked (1972) and ill-fated vacationer John Blaine in Westworld (1973). The most conspicuous of his post-Welby film assignments was 1976's Gable and Lombard, a cinematic atrocity redeemed only slightly by Brolin's earnest portrayal of Clark Gable. His most endearing screen assignment was his extended cameo as P.W. in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985), and in 1992 he had one of his strongest roles to date as a wayward father in Allison Anders' Gas Food Lodging. Periodically returning to television, Brolin has starred on the weekly series Hotel (1983), Angel Falls (1993), and Extremities (1995). James Brolin is the father of actor Josh Brolin, who co-starred with his dad in the made-for-cable Finish Line (1989). In 1998, Brolin assumed one of his most high-profile real-life roles to date as the husband of Barbra Streisand, whom he married in July of that year.He remained one of the most respected actors of his generation and continued to work steadily for directors all over the world. In 2002 he was cast in Martin Scorsese's epic historical drama Gangs of New York. In 2003 he took a cameo part in Bright Young Things. In 2004 he returned for the Bridget Jones sequel, and took a bit part in Mike Leigh's Vera Drake. He worked in a number o animated films including Doogal, Valiant, and Robots. In 2007 he had the title role in Longford, a historical drama about the infamous Moor Murders, and the next year he was part of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls.He became part of the Harry Potter family with Half-Blood Prince, and played King William in the costume drama The Young Victoria, all in 2009. In 2010 he reunited with Mike Leigh and earned excellent reviews yet again for Another Year, and the next year he helped support Meryl Streep to an Oscar play the dutiful husband to The Iron Lady.

Trivia: An international star of extraordinary, almost otherworldly beauty, French actress Juliette Binoche was born March 9, 1964, in Paris. The daughter of a sculptor/theater director and an actress, Binoche studied acting at the National School of Dramatic Art of Paris. After graduation, she followed in her mother's footsteps and became a stage actress, occasionally taking small parts in French feature films. Binoche first earned recognition in 1985 for playing a modernized, teenaged version of the Virgin Mary in Jean-Luc Godard's controversial Je Vous Salue, Marie (Hail Mary). The actress became a bona fide French star the same year with an acclaimed performance in André Téchiné's Rendez-Vous. Though she was the darling of the 1985 Cannes Film Festival, Binoche did not gain true international acclaim until she played Tereza in Philip Kaufman's The Unbearable Lightness of Being in 1988.In the meantime, Binoche become involved with Leos Carax, a then-hot young filmmaker who cast her in a lead role in his chilling Mauvais Sang (Bad Blood). While involved with Carax, Binoche appeared in his Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (Lovers on the Bridge), a film they began in 1988 but did not finish until 1991 due to financial difficulties. She and Carax parted ways two years later after Binoche's great success starring opposite Jeremy Irons in Louis Malle's Damage (1992). The same year, the actress appeared with future English Patient co-star Ralph Fiennes in a new film version of Wuthering Heights, and followed that with the lead role in Krzysztof Kieslowski's Blue (1993). (She also appeared briefly in the trilogy's other installments, Red and White.) Following her work in that acclaimed film, Binoche took time off to have a son and did not return to her career until 1995 with Le Hussard sur le Toit (The Horseman on the Roof). In 1996, Binoche earned further international recognition with a Best Supporting Actress Oscar (as well as a host of other awards) for her role in The English Patient. Returning to her native France amidst a golden haze of critical acclaim, Binoche appeared in the same year's Un Divan à New York (A Couch in New York), a romantic comedy in which she starred opposite William Hurt. In 1998, she again collaborated with director Téchiné, this time on the romantic drama Alice et Martin.Revered as near royalty by the French press (who often simply refer to her as "La Binoche") and a beloved star worldwide, Binoche's remarkable second wind found her popularity soaring and her screen presence more powerful than ever. Binoche's daring and intense performance as 19th-century literary icon George Sand in the misguided drama The Children of the Century (1999) indeed impressed audiences and critics, though the film itself failed to live up to expectations. Of course, it wouldn't take long before Binoche was cast in a film whose quality would match her ample talent, and The Widow of Saint-Pierre (2000) would serve as just that cinematic endeavor. Not only did the redemption-themed drama perform smashingly at the international box office, but it also found its star honored with a César nomination for Best Actress. A collaboration with notorious feel-bad filmmaker Michael Haneke resulted in the intersecting lives drama Code Unknown (2000), though that role was ultimately overshadowed by Binoche's captivating performance in that same year's arthouse hit Chocolat. Cast opposite Johnny Depp as the free-spirited owner of a chocolate shop located in a small French town, the dedicated actress actually prepared for the role by learning to make chocolate at a popular Paris sweetshop. The film was an international runaway hit, and the beloved starlet was nominated for best actress awards across the globe. Following a lighthearted performance opposite French icon Jean Reno in the romantic comedy Jet Lag (2002), Binoche appeared with American star Samuel L. Jackson in director John Boorman's politically oriented drama Country of My Skull in 2004. Binoche maintained her status as one of the most respected actresses in the world by appearing in the well-regarded thriller Cache. She also co-starred with Richard Gere in the drama Bee Season. In 2006 she would appear alongside other stars as Jude Law, Robin Wirght Penn, and Ray Winstone in Anthony Minghella's drama Breaking & Entering.Binoche took on a starring role as Suzanne, a voice actress in a puppet theater and mother to a young boy in the award-winning drama Flight of the Red Balloon (2007), and found success once more with a co-starring part in filmmaker Peter Hedges' comedy Dan in Real Life (2007). The actress played another mother figure in 2008's Paris, a critically lauded romantic drama following a group of friends who find themselves at a crossroads in matters of love, health, and career. Binoche played yet another starring role Certified Copy, which followed the relationship between a British author and a French art-gallery owner (Binoche). 2012 found Binoche co-starring with Paul Giamatti and Keira Knightly for David Cronenberg's sci-fi thriller Cosmopolis, and in another lead role for the drama Open Heart.

Trivia: Born in Chile but raised in Miami, actress Cote de Pablo developed an impressive resumé on both stage and screen. In 2001, she appeared in a New York City Public Theater production of Measure for Measure, and in 2005, she made her Broadway debut in The Mambo Kings. In 2006, she joined the cast of the series NCIS, playing Mossad operative Ziva David. She made her big-screen in the western The Last Rites of Ransom Pride.

Trivia: Was raised in Colombia, Argentina and Spain. Worked as a model and studied advertising before pursuing a career in acting. Studied performing arts at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. Rose to fame after appearing in various telenovelas, including Mi Gorda Bella and Los Caballeros Las Prefieran Brutas. Supports animal-rights initiatives and is an ambassador for Juanfe, a non-profit organization aiming to improve the quality of life for impoverished women and children. Is an avid mountain biker who participates in races.

Trivia: The daughter of a popular Mexican soap opera actor, the beautiful Kate del Castillo had been a working actress for over a decade when she had her big breakthrough in the telenovela Muchachitas in 1991. She worked on a number of those programs for the next ten years, and then had a successful run with a worldwide tour of the play Love Letters. Her fame became large enough that the Spanish language version of People magazine named her one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world in 2011. Castillo was married for more than three years to soccer player Luis Garcia, and she was also hitched to fellow Mexican actor Aaron Diaz, for just shy of two years.In addition to her acting work, Castillo has taken many public political positions, some of which were considered controversial. She has worked to stop human trafficking, and has done work with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.She has appeared in a handful of films including Bordertown, No Good Deed, and provided a voice for the animated movie The Book of Life. She also has appeared on the television programs CSI: Miami, Grimm, and she enjoyed a recurring part in the fifth season of the Showtime series Weeds, where she played a political power broker and was a nemesis to the program's main character.

Trivia: After appearing in a number of Mexican television series throughout the 1990s, actress Adriana Barraza was seen by international audiences for the first time in 2000 with a supporting role in director Alejandro González Iñárritu's critically acclaimed ensemble film Amores Perros. In 2006, she re-teamed with Iñárritu for the equally well-received Babel and netted both Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for her performance.

Trivia: Mixed-blood and Filipino-born, Phillips was raised in Arlington, Texas, where he began acting at age 10. After receiving his college degree in theater, he studied film technique with Adam Roarke at the Film Actor's Lab in Dallas. Between 1983 and 1986 he worked at the Lab as an assistant director and instructor. Concurrently, he performed in several plays in Dallas and Fort Worth, including Doctor Faustus and Hamlet. From 1983-87 Phillips appeared in several small, independent, Texas-made films, beginning with Angel Alley; one of these, Trespasses (1987), he co-wrote, while he associate-produced another, Dakota (1988). His big break came when director Luis Valdez was casting the Hollywood biopic La Bamba (1987), which focused on early rock 'n' roller Ritchie Valens. Someone suggested Phillips for the role of Valens' brother, but after he auditioned he was selected by Valdez to play the lead. The film was surprisingly successful and Philips married its assistant director, Julie Cypher. With his performance as a barrio boy in Stand and Deliver (1988) he further established himself as a leading Hispanic star and representative of the Hispanic community. After playing an American Indian in the youth Western Young Guns (1988), he found himself fascinated with Indian culture and became a Cherokee blood brother. He wrote one of his films, Ambition (1991).

Trivia: Whereas many stars are bitten by the acting bug early in life, Gabriel Byrne did not become interested in the craft until he was in his late twenties. Since then, he has worked steadily as a leading and supporting actor in a wide variety of Hollywood and international films, gaining a reputation as one of th e most reliably solid performers on either side of the Atlantic. As a youth, the Dublin-born and bred actor aspired to become a Catholic priest. He was thus sent to a seminary in England, where he studied for four years. His time there came to an abrupt end after the 16-year-old Byrne was caught smoking and expelled. Upon returning to Ireland, he worked at assorted jobs, eventually receiving a scholarship to Dublin's University College. After studying linguistics and archeology, Byrne worked as an archeologist for three years and then taught Spanish and Gaelic at a Catholic girls school for four years. During his teaching tenure, Byrne appeared in an amateur theatrical production and was good enough to attract the interest of an actor from the highly regarded Abbey Theatre, who encouraged him to try acting professionally.After appearing in a few more community theater productions, Byrne became a member of the Abbey Theatre. He also began to work in television, and in 1979 made his film debut in The Outsider. Although his film roles were steady -- albeit small -- TV was where he was most recognizable, particularly thanks to his work in the popular Irish series Bracken. Another notable television role was that of Christopher Columbus in an American miniseries of the same name. Byrne's film career during the 1980s was decidedly uneven. Although there were a few hits, such as the 1981 Excalibur, the number of misses was substantial. One of those misses was the 1987 film Siesta, in which he starred opposite Ellen Barkin. Although the film failed to do well, it did result in a marriage between Byrne and his co-star. The two married in 1988, and during the course of their marriage they collaborated on one film, the children's adventure Into the West (1993). They divorced in 1993.Byrne's film career did not take flight until he starred as an Irish mobster in the Coen brothers' memorable Miller's Crossing (1990). The film helped to establish him as an actor to be taken seriously, and since 1993 -- when he starred in The Point of No Return -- Byrne has enjoyed steady work, appearing in three to four films per year, notably, Little Women (1994), Dead Man (1995), The Usual Suspects (1995), Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997), and The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), in which he and Jeremy Irons, Gérard Depardieu, and John Malkovich starred as the Three Musketeers. In 1999, Byrne starred as a priest asked to investigate the case of a woman (Patricia Arquette) who has developed Christ-like wounds in Stigmata. That same year, he took on an entirely different role, playing Satan himself in the action-thriller End of Days.In 2000 Byrne had a huge success on Broadway as the lead in a revival of Moon for the Misbegotten, a role which earned him a Tony nomination. The next year he had a major role in David Cronenberg's psychological drama Spider. He continued to work steadily in projects including the 2004 adaptation of Vanity Fair, and got good notices for his work in 2006's Jindabyne. In 2008 he took the lead part as the psychiatrist on HBO's In Treatment, a role that earned him a pair of nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

Trivia: Parents are ministers at the Bridge Church in London, England. Started her performing career by singing with the Bridge Church Youth Band. Got her first break at a performance attended by British pop singer Kelle Bryan, who signed her as a client to her entertainment agency. Has given a solo jazz performance at London's Royal Festival Hall. Was a regular in the Disney Channel UK series Life Bites. Was cast in the 2011 Disney Channel movie Lemonade Mouth after auditioning via video conference from London. Appeared in a promo during the 2011 Super Bowl for the Steven Spielberg time-travel extravaganza Terra Nova, her first U.S. series. Has traveled to Slovakia to teach English and perform with her youth band. Enjoys songwriting, singing, dancing and playing piano.

Trivia: California-born actor Robert Gunton has been essaying film character roles since 1980. Among his film credits are Rollover (1981), Matewan (1987), Glory (1988) and Cookie (1989). Many observers feel that Gunton was at his performing peak in the role of a wildly neurotic streetcorner evangelist in the little-seen satire Static (1985). A seasoned improv performer, Robert Gunton was one of the regulars (along with such future notables as Mark-Linn Baker and Joe Mantegna on the Manhattan-based TV series Comedy Zone (1984).

Trivia: Started her career as a theater actress in 1983 at Chile's Catholic University, in Dónde estará la Jeanette? for which she won an APES award for best actress. Directed her first play, El continente negro, which won her an APES nomination for best director, in 1996. Founded and served on the board of the Association of Theatre Directors, from 1997 to 2001. Wrote and directed the 2003 play Frágil. Won both an APES award and an Altazor award for her 2008 role as a lesbian in the television prison drama Cárcel de Mujeres.

Trivia: Is the son of German-Jewish refugees who fled Nazi Germany. Studied fashion design in New York City to please his father, but fell in love with television while there and changed his career path. Goes by the stage name Don Francisco because he was told his real name is too difficult to pronounce. Hosted the weekly series Sábado Gigante for the show's entire 53-year run, taking off just one night when his mother passed away. Founded Teletón Chile, a telethon that raises funds for disabled children, and worked with Hispanics United for Hurricane Katrina Relief. Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2001. Wrote Don Francisco Life, Camera, Action!: Autobiography in 2002. Made the documentary Witnesses of Silence, which is about his father and other survivors of the Holocaust.

Trivia: Moved to California when he was one year old.Began his acting career at the age of 12 when he was cast as a street dancer after being discovered breakdancing in a schoolyard.Won the ALMA Award for Emerging Artist of the Year in 1995.While working on the movie Flight of the Phoenix (2004), helped co-star Hugh Laurie record his audition tape for House.Founder of the production company Third Son Productions, Inc.

Trivia: Probably best known as Oscar from the TV comedy The Office, Oscar Nuñez was born in Cuba but raised in New Jersey. In addition to graduating from the Warner Bros. Comedy Writer's Workshop, Nuñez performed with The Shock of the Funny Theatre Company in New York, and with the Groundlings in California. He would lend his comedic writing and acting abilities to Reno 911!, 24, Halfway Home, and more before joining up with The Office in 2006. His work on that series as Oscar, the homosexual accountant, gave him his highest profile success to that point and led directly to his appearance as an exotic dancer in the Sandra Bullock hit The Proposal.

Trivia: Is of Purepecha and Nahua descent.Discovered his passion for acting after his father enrolled him in acting school.Worked as a cameraman at the beginning of his career in the entertainment industry.Has supported many causes against racism and racial inequality in the entertainment industry in Mexico.Is a fan of Mexican actor Noé Fernandez.

Trivia: Television news mainstay Anderson Cooper graduated from Yale with a degree in political science, then studied briefly at the University of Hanoi. He inaugurated his career in broadcast journalism as the chief international correspondent of Channel One before leaving his post at that network to join ABC News as a regular correspondent on such series as World News Tonight, 20/20, and 20/20 Downtown. In time, Cooper accepted a position as anchor on his own eponymous CNN talk program, Anderson Cooper 360°. Cooper joined the cast of 60 Minutes as an infrequent correspondent in December 2001, and also made occasional contributions to its sister program, 60 Minutes II. In addition to his news-reporting work, Anderson hosted the competitive reality show The Mole for its first two seasons (2001-2002). In 2003 he began hosting his own hour-long CNN program Anderson Cooper 360 that was so popular it eventually expanded to two hours.