Trivia: Was an athlete as a child; involved with Little League baseball but primarily played basketball. Studied acting at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford after graduating from Howard University in Washington, United States. Originally aspired to be a director. Made his TV debut in a 2003 episode of Third Watch. Trained for five months with baseball coaches to prepare for his role as Jackie Robinson in 42 (2013).

Trivia: Took tap-dancing lessons as a youngster. Modelled for Modell's Sporting Goods and Toys"R"Us. Appeared in Pleasure P's 2008 music video for "Did You Wrong." Provided the voice of Jace in the video game Gears of War 3. Was homeschooled but was allowed to play on the basketball team at New Jersey's Newark Arts High School. Once received a $40,000 royalty check that was supposed to be sent to NBA great Michael Jordan, who starred in Space Jam. The catchphrase "Where's Wallace?", a reference to his teen drug-dealer role in HBO's The Wire, became popular among fans of the series. His middle name, Bakari, is Swahili and means "of noble promise."

Trivia: Although Lupita Nyong'o might seem like an overnight success story at first glance -- she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her feature-film debut, 12 Years a Slave -- her meteoritic rise is really the product of an artsy, globe-hopping upbringing and a tremendous amount of hard work.The second of six children, Nyong'o was born on March 1, 1983, in Mexico City to Kenyan parents Peter Anyang' and Dorothy. Her father was a visiting lecturer in political science at the Colegio de México at the time, and according to the Kenyan custom of naming children after current events, her parents chose the Spanish name "Lupita" (a shortened version of "Guadalupe").The family returned to Kenya the following year, and Nyong'o grew up in a middle-class community in Nairobi. She got the acting bug early on, appearing in school plays and making her professional debut at 14 as Juliet in a performance of Romeo and Juliet by the Phoenix Players, a Nairobi-based repertory company.At 16, her parents sent her back to Mexico, where she learned Spanish while studying at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México's Learning Center for Foreigners (in fact, she's fluent in four languages total: English, Spanish, Luo, and Swahili). She went to the United States for her undergraduate education, earning a degree in film and African studies at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. Afterwards, she worked as a production assistant on a number of movies, including The Constant Gardener, which filmed near Nairobi. During the shoot, star Ralph Fiennes gave her the following advice when she said she wanted to be an actress: "Only act if you can't breathe without it." Nyong'o said those words stayed with her, reminding her of how difficult and volatile her chosen profession could be.Deciding to commit herself fully to acting, she enrolled in a Master of Fine Arts program at the Yale School of Drama -- just after appearing in the Kenyan TV series Shuga and writing, directing, and producing a documentary about Kenya's albinos and the discrimination they face. During her time at Yale, she acted in such productions as Uncle Vanya and Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, and won the Herschel Williams Prize for "acting students with outstanding ability." Her extraordinary talent did not go unnoticed for long: Only weeks before graduating, she was cast in 12 Years a Slave as Patsy, the role that would win her an Oscar.Since then, she's appeared in the 2014 thriller Non-Stop, and brought to life the CGI character Maz Kanata in the 2015 blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens. She is also known as a style and fashion icon: In 2014, she was named the new face of Lancôme cosmetics, and was touted as the most beautiful woman in the world by People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" issue. At the same time, Nyong'o continues to support causes near and dear to her heart, serving as an ambassador for the conservation organization WildAid.

Trivia: Parents are from Zimbabwe; she moved there with them when she was 5. Has written three plays that she says are "a trilogy of Zimbabwe's coming-of-age from a female perspective." Calls herself a Zimerican because of her roots in Zimbabwe and America. Speaks four languages: French, Shona, Xhosa and English. Taught playwriting and acting in Zimbabwe, Liberia and South Africa. Received the Macalester College 2011 Young Alumni Award.

Trivia: Hampshire, England native Martin Freeman can be seen in a variety of television, theater, and radio productions, though he is probably best known for his role as Tim Canterbury in the BBC's award-winning sitcom The Office, and as everyman Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005). Freeman's credits also include the British police comedy Hot Fuzz, a brief appearance in Shaun of the Dead, and the lead role in director Gavin Claxton's The All Together. In addition to his comedy roles, Freeman has turned in a number of dramatic performances, including a turn as Lord Shaftesbury in Charles II: The Power & the Passion, a 2003 BBC historical drama, and the legendary painter Rembrandt in Nightwatching (2007). In 2010 he had a hit on the small screen playing Dr. Watson to Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock, and two years later he took the pivotal role of Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Hobbit.

Trivia: Is of Ugandan descent. Was part of the cast for the first two series of Skins, and is also credited as a writer on two episodes. Performed and recorded a parody of Boy Better Know song "Too Many Men" with Jason Lewis. Won a special Evening Standard Award in 2010 for his work in Sucker Punch at the Royal Court Theatre in London. Was named one of BAFTA's Brits to Watch in 2011. Was selected for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab in 2016.

Trivia: Moved to London, England, at the age of seven.The film Akeelah and the Bee (2006) inspired her to become an actor.Studied at the Identity School of Acting.Found out she got the role of Shuri in Black Panther (2018) while she was at a bus stop in London.Featured in Drake's music video "Nice for What."Skilled at rapping and freestyling.

Trivia: Recalled helping her mother in her restaurant when he was young.At the age of 9, he moved from Trinidad and Tobago to the United States along with his family.Actress Jenna Marbles studied with him in high school.While in college, he acted in theater.Studied along with actress Lupita Nyong'o at Yale School of Drama.Is an advocate for the awareness and prevention of diabetes, and has contributed to the American Diabetes Association.

Trivia: After pursuing academic success at Stanford University and later the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, actor Sterling K. Brown began pursuing professional success, appearing on episodes of TV series like NYPD Blue, Boston Legal, and Alias. The appearances bolstered his popularity, and Brown went on to land a number of recurring roles on the shows Starved, Supernatural, and Army Wives. In 2008 he landed a part in the Pacino/De Niro cop thriller Righteous Kill, and three years later stretched his comedic muscles in Our Idiot Brother.

Trivia: A respected actress of the stage, screen, and television, Angela Bassett has been one of the few African-American actresses to break Hollywood's color boundary. She has specialized in playing strong women familiar with adversity and has worked in genres from "chick flick" (Waiting to Exhale) to sci-fi action (Strange Days) to biography (What's Love Got to Do with It?), the last of which featured her in a star-making performance as Tina Turner.Born in New York City on August 16, 1958, Bassett was raised in St. Petersburg, Florida by her mother. Growing up in a household where money was tight, she was taught determination and independence. These values were called into service after an eleventh grade Upward Bound trip to Washington, D.C., when Bassett saw James Earl Jones in a Kennedy Center production of Of Mice and Men. Deciding that acting was her calling, she became involved in a number of local productions in St. Petersburg. She continued to act at Yale University, where she earned a scholarship; after completing a B.A. in African-American studies, she also spent three years at the Yale School of Drama. One of Bassett's mentors at Yale was the drama school's dean, stage director Lloyd Richards, who was so impressed with her talent that he cast her in two of his productions, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Joe Turner's Come and Gone. Although she enjoyed relative success on the stage, Bassett, like other African-American actors, had a difficult time finding roles in television and film.In 1986, Bassett made her screen debut in the cult favorite F/X. Following supporting roles in Kindergarten Cop (1990) and John Sayles' City of Hope (1991), she had her first significant screen role in John Singleton's acclaimed Boyz 'N the Hood, playing a struggling single mother. Two years later, after playing the wife of civil rights leader Malcolm X in Spike Lee's biopic and the Jackson Family matriarch in the made-for-TV The Jacksons: An American Dream, Bassett had her screen breakthrough as Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It?, a performance that earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe. As her newfound status allowed her to expand her range of work, Bassett went on to star in a series of diverse films. In 1995, a foray into futuristic action in Strange Days was complemented by a lead in the successful women's ensemble drama Waiting to Exhale (based on the novel by Terry McMillan), in which Bassett starred alongside Whitney Houston, Lela Rochon, and Loretta Devine. In 1998, she starred as the title character in another McMillan adaptation, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, playing a divorcee whose discontent is ably assuaged by a hunky twenty-year-old (Taye Diggs). The following year, she had a supporting role in Music of the Heart and again tried her hand at action in Supernova, a sci-fi thriller. Starring in former Orson Welles collaborator and blacklisted director John Berry's critically panned swansong Boesman and Lena in 2000, Bassett (along with co-star Danny Glover) earned praise for their sensitive performances as a troubled South African couple striving to seek stability in the face of Apartheid.Her career continued to evolve with a part in The Score in 2001. The next year she executive produced and starred in a biopic about civil rights figure Rosa Parks. She was part of the large ensemble John Sayles brought together for Sunshine State, and co-starred opposite Bernie Mac in the sports comedy Mr. 3000. In 2006 she played the mother in the spelling bee drama Akeelah and the Bee, and she continued to land parts in big-budget blockbusters such as Green Lantern and This Means War.Since 1997, Bassett has been married to actor Courtney B. Vance, whom she had known since their days at Yale.

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: Andy Serkis always wanted a future in entertainment. Growing up in Ruslip Manor, England, he visualized himself working behind the scenes in production. Today, he is an impressive British character actor with over 50 stage, television, and film credits, distinguished performances on both Masterpiece Theatre and Mystery!, and a highly coveted role in Peter Jackson's three-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Serkis began his acting career in theater. He has appeared on almost every renowned British stage -- the Royal Court, the Royal Exchange Manchester, the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Hull Truck, Dukes Lancaster, the Nuffield Studio, and Donmar Warehouse -- and in a host of popular plays. His resumé includes performances in King Lear, Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, Faust, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and a star-studded production of Hurly Burly with Kelly MacDonald, Elizabeth McGovern, Rupert Graves, and Stephen Dillane. The actor has fashioned a television career as prolific as his stage work. In 1987, Serkis made his small-screen debut in two episodes of the Rik Mayall vehicle The New Statesman. He then signed on as Sparky Plugs in the BBC series Morris Minor's Marvelous Motors (1989), a comedy about eccentric mechanics that specialize in fixing a type of car that no one in town owns. The next decade saw Serkis acting in several of Britain's heralded miniseries. In 1994, he appeared in the murder-mystery Finney. In 1996, he played Sergeant Corrigan in a television adaptation of Agatha Christie's The Pale Horse. In 1999, he starred in the Mystery! production Touching Evil as a grief counselor who tends to the husbands of women murdered by a brutal serial killer. In 2000, Masterpiece Theatre opened its 30th season with an adaptation of Oliver Twist that featured Serkis as Charles Dickens' terrifying loose cannon, Bill Sykes. That same year, the actor joined the international cast of Hallmark Hall of Fame's Arabian Nights, which included Dougray Scott, Mili Avital, and Rufus Sewell. In between juggling theater and television work, Serkis made his feature-film debut in the thriller Grushko (1993). His big-screen performances include a part in Mike Leigh's Career Girls (1997), a memorable turn as a wacky choreographer in the director's Topsy Turvy (1999), and the portrayal of 18th century English poet John Thelwall in Julian Temple's raucous Pandaemonium (2000). Serkis' most demanding role, however, did not require him to appear onscreen. Serkis supplied the voice and movement for the computer-animated creature Gollum in all three installments of Peter Jackson's trilogy The Lord of the Rings -- The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003). The slithery Gollum, once a naïve hobbit, is driven mad by the force of the ring and displays emotions that range from childlike to menacing. Though Gollum only lurks in the background in the first film, he is of major importance to the rest of the trilogy. Serkis worked closely with technicians from Weta Workshop and Digital to produce an empathetic and palpable representation of Tolkien's character. He performed in a suit covered in reflectors that were tracked by a computer-driven camera. Animation was then superimposed over his movement, producing one of the most realistic computer-generated images in modern cinema. After completing The Lord of the Rings, Serkis quickly returned to the London stage. In the summer of 2001, he starred with Sinead Cusack and Catherine McCormack in the U.K. production of Sam Shepard's A Lie of the Mind at the Donmar Warehouse. The play was one of the last productions overseen by the Donmar's former artistic director, Oscar winner Sam Mendes. The actor also began filming a WWI film with Billy Elliot's Jamie Bell, and wrote and directed his first short film, Snake. Besides starring his Hurly Burly co-star, Rupert Graves, Snake features Serkis' longtime partner, actress Lorraine Ashbourne. The couple has two children, Sonny and Ruby.In 2005 he served as the human model for Peter Jackson's King Kong. The next year he appeared in The Prestige, and the year after that he played a convicted murderer in Longford. He had a major starring role in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll playing legendary British rock star Ian Dury. In 2011 he was the model for Captain Haddock in Steven Spielberg's motion capture version of The Adventures of Tintin, and that same year he earned rave reviews for being the model for Caesar, the creature at the center of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. He returned to the roll of Gollum for Peter Jackson's two Hobbit films in 2012 and 2013.

Trivia: Spent her childhood in Essen, Germany attending elementary school and high school there. Was inspired to become a performer at age 12 after watching a production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe rock musical Starlight Express. Made her professional screen acting debut playing Silke in the 2001 Dutch motion picture hit Ik ook van Jou. Some of the many musicals in which she has performed include Cats, West Side Story, Beauty and the Beast, Evita, Chicago and The Lion King. Is fluent in English, German and Dutch. Is a passionate martial artist skilled in Tai Chi Chen, Tai Chi Yang, Qi Gong and Shaolin Kung Fu.

Trivia: Parents immigrated to London from Ghana. Grew up in the Hackney, East London. Played Macheath in The Beggar's New Clothes, a reimagining of The Beggar's Opera, in London in 1993. Played the title role of Macbeth in a 2004 touring production directed by Max Stafford-Clark. Appeared in the Young Vic's 2010 production of Joe Turner's Come and Gone, opposite Delroy Lindo.

Trivia: In addition to being the man who crafted both the "Marvel Universe" as well as some of the most popular comic book superheroes of modern times, longtime artist and writer Stan Lee played a pivotal role in bringing genuine human emotion into comic book characters, a trait that, up until the creation of such characters as the enduring Spider-Man, was sorely lacking in comics. Born in New York in 1922, it was at the age of 17 that Lee began work as an assistant editor for Timely Comics. Promoted to editor soon thereafter, Lee remained with the company as it changed its name to Atlas and fought slumping sales in the following years. At first simply carrying on with the stories of the characters that had already been created, the company got a fresh burst of creativity when, in 1961, it changed its name from Atlas to Marvel Comics. Soon carrying stories of emotionally complex and multi-dimensional characters such as Spider-Man, The Hulk, and Daredevil, Lee's intelligent story lines -- coupled with artist Jack Kirby's impressive images -- helped Marvel's popularity surge during the '60s. Advancing to the position of publisher and editorial director in 1972, it was during this decade that such popular television series as The Incredible Hulk and The Amazing Spider-Man truly came to life on the small screen. Though many of the characters had appeared in cartoon form on television in the previous decade, their transformation from animated characters to living, breathing humans truly brought comics into a new light and exposed them to audiences who otherwise might have scoffed at such fiction. Of course, this was only the beginning, and throughout subsequent years, Lee's characters made the leap to feature films in such blockbusters as Bryan Singer's X-Men (2000) and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002). In addition to his role as a popular writer in comics, Lee also played a pivotal role in reducing censorship in the medium. Addressing the issue of drug addition in an issue of The Amazing Spider-Man at the request of public health officials, Lee defied the strict rules set by the Comics Code Authority (which banned any portrayal of drug use whether it be in a positive or negative light) and ultimately put the downfall of the CCA into motion. In the decades since, Lee's creations have not only graced the pages of comic books, but have sprung to life as never before with numerous film and television adaptations most successfully in the box-office smash The Avengers.