Trivia: One of the most endearing goofballs to ever grace the stages of Saturday Night Live, affectionately offensive funnyman Adam Sandler has often been cited as the writer/performer who almost single-handedly rescued the long-running late-night television staple when the chips were down and it appeared to have run its course. Though his polarizing antics have divided audiences and critics who often dismiss him as lowbrow and obnoxious, Sandler's films, as well as the films of his Happy Madison production company, have performed consistently well at the box office despite harsh and frequent critical lashings.Born in Brooklyn on September 9th, 1966, it may come as no surprise that Sandler was a shameless class clown who left his classmates in stitches and his teachers with a handful. Never considering to utilize his gift of humor to pursue a career, Sandler eventually realized his potential when at the age of 17 his brother encouraged him to take the stage at an amateur comedy competition. A natural at making the audience laugh, the aspiring comedian nurtured his talents while attending New York University and studying for a Fine Arts Degree. With early appearances on The Cosby Show and the MTV game show Remote Control providing the increasingly busy Sandler with a loyal following, an early feature role coincided with his "discovery" by SNL cast member Dennis Miller at an L.A. comedy club. As the unfortunately named Shecky Moskowitz, his role as a struggling comedian in Going Overboard (1989) served as an interesting parallel to his actual career trajectory but did little to display his true comic talents.It wasn't until SNL producers took Miller's praise to heart and hired the fledgling comic as writer on the program that Sandler's talents were truly set to shine. Frequent appearances as Opera Man and Canteen Boy soon elevated him to player status, and it wasn't long before Sandler was the toast of the SNL cast in the mid-'90s. While appearing in SNL and sharpening his feature skills in such efforts as Shakes the Clown (1991) and Coneheads (1993), Sandler signed a recording contract with Warner Bros., and the release of the Grammy-nominated They're All Gonna Laugh at You proved the most appropriate title imaginable as his career began to soar. Striking an odd balance between tasteless vulgarity and innocent charm, the album found Sandler gaining footing as an artist independent of the SNL universe and fueled his desire -- as numerous cast members had before him -- to strike out on his own. Though those who had attempted a departure for feature fame in the past had met with decidedly mixed results, Sandler's loyal and devoted fan base proved strong supporters of such early solo feature efforts as Billy Madison (1996) and, especially, Happy Gilmore (1996).His mixture of grandma-loving sweetness and pure, unfiltered comedic rage continued with his role as a slow-witted backwoods mama's boy turned football superstar in The Waterboy (1998), and that same year found Sandler expanding his persona to more sensitive territory in The Wedding Singer. Perhaps his most appealing character up to that point, The Wedding Singer's combination of '80s nostalgia and a warmer, more personable persona found increasing support among those who had previously distanced themselves from his polarizing performances. As the decade rolled on, Sandler also appeared in the action-oriented Bulletproof (1996) and the even more affectionate Big Daddy (1999). In 2002, Sandler starred in a re-imagining of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, titled simply Mr. Deeds.Beginning in the late nineties, Sandler's Happy Madison production company launched such efforts as Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999), Little Nicky (2000), The Animal and Joe Dirt (both 2001). Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo appeared in (2005), and Grandma's Boy in (2006). Despite critical castigation for scraping the bottom of the barrel with these efforts, Sandler's commercial instinct remained intact; the films all hit big at the box office and drew an ever-loyal base of fans who gravitated to any feature with Sandler's name attached.The early 2000s also saw Sandler attempting to branch out in a number of unusual directions, which included the animated "Hanukkah Musical" 8 Crazy Nights (2002). Sandler also began dipping his toes into the realm of drama with a starring role in the eccentric, critically acclaimed tragicomedy Punch-Drunk Love (2002), directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Sandler also starred in the Jim Brooks-helmed comedy/drama Spanglish (2004), an unsually subdued and gentle turn away from the irascible types that Sandler usually played. The critical receptions were, again uneven, as reviewers loathed 8 Crazy Nights, justifiably praised Punch-Drunk across the board, and espoused mixed feelings about Spanglish.Perhaps well aware of the extent of these risks that he was taking with his career, Sandler continued to sustain his popularity with a steady (and reliable) stream of crowd-pleasing star vehicles throughout the early 2000s. 2002's self-produced Sandler vehicle Anger Management (which teamed him up with a maniacal Jack Nicholson); the 2004 effort 50 First Dates, in which he co-starred with fellow Wedding Singer alum Drew Barrymore; and the 2005 remake of Robert Aldrich's The Longest Yard all made box office gold. In 2006, Sandler starred in yet another hit: Click, a surrealistic comedy directed by Frank Coraci, co-starring Sean Astin, Kate Beckinsale and Christopher Walken. The film was a big hit and, having spent the past few years playing it safe, Sandler decided it was a good time to take another chance. He signed on to star with Don Cheadle in the 2007 drama Reign Over Me, playing a man who lost his wife and children in the 9/11 attacks, and is headed for complete self-destruction. The critics weren't as enamored with this dramatic attempt as they were with Punch-Drunk Love, but Sandler was mostly well received even when the film wasn't. Always tempering his risks with more predictable career moves, the actor next signed on to appear alongside King of Queens star Kevin James in the buddy movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, a comedy about two straight firefighters who pretend to be a gay couple to receive domestic partner benefits.On a seemingly never-ending roll with his broadly appealing comedic roles, Sandler next played an Israeli secret agent and skilled beautician in 2008's You Don't Mess with the Zohan. He followed this up with a turn in the kids comedy Bedtime Stories in 2009, before adding a dash of dramatic acting to a humorous role once more, with the 2009 Judd Apatow flick Funny People. For Sandler's next project, he reteamed with Cuck and Larry co-star Kevin James for the 2010 romp Grown Ups, before cozying up to Jennifer Aniston for the romantic comedy Just Go With It in 2011. Despite his beautiful co-star, Just Go With It did poorly at the box office, and so for his next movie, the funnyman chose a more bankable supporting actor: himself, playing both a man and his own annoying twin sister in the 2012 comedy Jack and Jill.

Trivia: Standing four feet five inches tall, actor Peter Dinklage has had a prolific career both on-stage and in film. After graduating from college in Vermont, he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and the Welsh School of Music and Drama in Wales. He worked in several productions off-Broadway and wrote his own play entitled Frog. He made his film debut in Tom DiCillo's 1995 independent comedy Living in Oblivion as the dwarf in the dream sequence. He then appeared in Safe Men, Bullet, Never Again, and Just a Kiss before returning to independent comedies. In 2001 he had a substantial role in Michel Gondry's Human Nature, written by Charlie Kaufman. In 2002, he played Binky, the sidekick to the clown Bananas played by Steve Buscemi in Alexandre Rockwell's 13 Moons. His first starring film role was in Tom McCarthy's The Station Agent as Finbar McBride, a lonely misfit who shacks up in an abandoned railway depot. Also starring Patricia Clarkson and Bobby Cannavale, the film won festival acclaim at Sundance. In 2003, Dinklage can be seen in both the Lincoln Center production of Toulouse Lautrec and the Jon Favreau holiday comedy Elf starring Will Ferrell. After a supporting role in The Baxter found Dinklage appearing in one of the year's most off-beat romantic comedies, and the sci fi television series Threshold afforded him the opportunity to appear alongside Star Trek: The Next Generation star Brent Spiner, Dinklage would next share the screen with the most popular canine in film and television history in the 2006 family-oriented adventure Lassie. In 2005, Dinklage took on a starring role in Threshold, a short-lived science fiction series from CBS, and joined the cast of filmmaker Michael Showalter's comedy The Baxter, in which he played a wedding planner. The following year the actor would make waves in Ryan Murphy's highly sexed drama Nip/Tuck. After appearing in a variety of television roles (including a stint playing himself on HBO's popular series entourage) Dinklage once again teamed with HBO to join the cast of Game of Thrones. This proved a fateful decision on his part, as the adaptation of George R. R. Martin's popular series of novels would become wildly successful, in no small part due to Dinklage's portrayal of Tyrion Lannister, the "imp" whose political savvy and brilliant mind allow him to thrive in a world that is less than kind to those it perceives as physically limited. The role led to an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film in 2012.

Trivia: An everyman comic who shot to stardom thanks to a series of guest appearances on friend and fellow funnyman Ray Romano's popular sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, Kevin James wasn't exactly the class clown fans might assume during his formative years. Though his healthy sense of humor did help the Mineola, Long Island native to make plenty of friends while growing up, it wasn't until he took a public speaking class in college that James truly discovered the power of laughter. The son of an insurance agent and a devoted housewife who only worked off-jobs when necessary to support the family, James majored in sports management at State University of New York at Cortland before dropping out to hone his talents as an entertainer in community theater and various improvisational groups. Subsequently following his older brother to the standup stage, James made his debut at Manhattan's East Side Comedy Club in 1989 to surprising, if not predictable, results. Though James made a killing his first night, a disheartening appearance the following night with the very same material and a whole new crowd would teach the aspiring comic an important lesson in failure. Undaunted by his death on-stage and determined to roll with the punches, James quickly learned that the unpredictable world of standup comedy was filled with as many ups as it was downs. His survival instinct ended up serving him well; a fateful set at the 1996 Montreal Comedy Festival became the defining performance of his early career. James was soon signed to appear on Romano's fledgling sitcom in addition to receiving his very own development deal. In 1998, The King of Queens debuted to healthy ratings. A blue-collar sitcom that countless viewers could relate to, The King of Queens detailed the life of a hapless postal carrier who shares his Queens, NY home his wife, Carrie (Leah Remini), and her eccentric father, Arthur (Jerry Stiller). With success on the small screen soon prompting James to try his talent in feature films, a supporting role in 50 First Dates and a co-starring role opposite Will Smith in Hitch found the television favorite's amiable humor translating well to the big screen. A team effort with longtime friend Romano would result in the straight-to-video comedy Grilled in 2006, with subsequent voice work in the animated family comedies Monster House and Barnyard arriving in theaters later that same year.James would maintain his position as a go-to guy for family friendly comedy over the coming years, appearing in films like I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Grown Ups, and Zookeeper and providing a voice in Hotel Transylvania. James then reprised his roles in Grown Ups 2, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 and Hotel Transylvania 2, while also appearing in Pixels, opposite his frequent co-star Adam Sandler.

Trivia: Michelle Monaghan enjoyed a successful modeling career with plans to pursue a career in journalism before a full-time acting career became an option. She'd made some minor appearances on TV shows such as Young Americans and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as some nationally run commercials, but it was a recurring role on the acclaimed series Boston Public in 2002 that really opened doors for the young actress. Over the next few years, she scored big-screen parts in It Runs in the Family, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and The Bourne Supremacy. She shortly thereafter scored a role alongside Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand in North Country and a starring role in the black comedy Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang with Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. In 2005, she appeared as the love interest of Tom Cruise in the hotly anticipated Mission: Impossible III, making her a far more familiar face and name. She immediately signed on to next appear in the Ben Affleck film Gone, Baby, Gone, which she followed with a starring role in the critically acclaimed independent film Trucker. She would go on to keep up her interest in the thriller genre, with roles in Eagle Eye in 2008 and Source Code in 2011.

Trivia: A musical theater veteran, Jane Krakowski is best known for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of scheming law secretary Elaine on the Fox TV hit Ally McBeal. Raised in Parsippany, NJ, Krakowski began taking dance lessons at age three. After making her movie debut as an orally skilled teenager in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), she garnered two Emmy nominations during her 1984-1986 stint on the serial Search for Tomorrow. Though she acted in several TV productions, including Men and Women II (1991) and Queen (1993), and had small feature film parts in Fatal Attraction (1987) and Stepping Out (1991), Krakowski found more success on Broadway in the first half of the 1990s. After she earned a Tony nomination for her work in the 1990 musical Grand Hotel, the actress was featured in several shows, including the revival of Once Upon a Mattress starring Sarah Jessica Parker. Krakowski became a TV star, however, when she was cast in Ally McBeal in 1997. As ambitious busybody Elaine, Krakowski became a bombshell comic foil to Calista Flockhart's neurotic Ally, asserting her power over the series' law office with her well-honed observational skills. The actress also displayed her versatile talents in the show's whimsical song-and-dance interludes. Bolstered by her TV success, Krakowski played a supporting role in the dance romance Dance With Me (1998), appeared as the seemingly lascivious wife of William Fichtner's bizarre narc in Go (1999), and starred as Betty in the sequel The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000). After Ally McBeal went off the air in 2002, Krakowski continued to divide her time between TV, features and the stage. Along with voicing one of the female sloths in the hit animated movie Ice Age (2002), Krakowski starred in the made for TV romantic comedy Just a Walk in the Park (2002) and played a supporting role in the Lisa Kudrow comic vehicle Marci X (2003). As in the early 1990s, though, Krakowski wound up attracting more attention on Broadway. Drawing positive notice for her acrobatic entrance via a bed sheet as well as her musical gifts, Krakowski earned another Tony nomination for her sexy supporting performance as Antonio Banderas's mistress in the acclaimed revival of Nine, the musical version of Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 (1963).She was one of the female conquests for Jude Law in the remake of Alfie in 2004, and had a great success starting in 2006 when she was cast as Jenna Maroney, the oversexed, undereducated, deeply vain, and paranoid actress at the center of the fictional show within the show on the highly-respected sitcom 30 Rock. She provided a voice for the animated flim Open Season, and its sequel.

Trivia: After a brief-role in the Christian-themed direct-to-video feature Mary and Joe (2002) -- a kind of contemporary update about the immaculate conception set in modern-day New York City -- actor Josh Gad distinguished himself with a colorful supporting role on the Kelsey Grammer/Patricia Heaton-headlined sitcom Back to You (2007). The Fox series told of the hilarious and often biting rivalry between two newscasters, professionally reunited after more than a decade apart. Gad played 26-year-old Ryan Church, the diminutive, overweight, and wet-behind-the-ears news director with a mile-long geek streak. He was in the gambling drama 21, and the Rainn Wilson comedy The Rocker. He had a major supporting turn in Love and Other Drugs, and lent his voice to the 2012 animated film Ice Age: Continental Drift. Gad has also enjoyed great success acting on the Broadway stage in both The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and The Book Of Mormon.

Trivia: Before enrolling in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Sean Bean was going to enter his father's Sheffield steel fabrication business as a welder. He changed his mind after he garnered praise for acting in a few roles in local theater while taking an art class at Rotherham College. Bean received a scholarship to the prestigious academy and graduated a few years later with the Silver Medal for his performance in Waiting for Godot. Shortly thereafter, Bean performed in several West End productions. He also appeared in Romeo and Juliet with the Glasgow Citizens Theatre and with the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford-upon-Avon. In the first he played Tybalt and in the second he played Romeo. Following more stage experience, Bean made his feature film debut in 1986 in Derek Jarman's Carvaggio. Two years later, after returning to the stage, Bean appeared in Mike Figgis' Stormy Monday and in another Jarman effort, War Requiem. In addition to his filmwork, Bean also has a thriving television career that began in the mid-'80s. Notable television work includes Clarissa (1992) and Sharpe (1993). It is as a "bad guy" in films such as Patriot Games and Golden Eye that Bean is best-known in the U.S., though in the 1997 remake of Anna Karenina, he plays the dashing and romantic Count Vronsky. After joining Robert De Niro and Jean Reno for some international espionage in John Frankenheimer's Ronin (1998), taking a psychotic turn in Essex Boys (2000) and kidnapping the daughter of a respected adolescent therapist in Don't Say a Word (2001), Bean made his way to New Zealand for a role in director Peter Jackson's highly-successful Lord of the Rings trilogy.Bean maintained his career working in diverse projects such as Equilibrium, the old fashioned sword and sandal epic Troy, and National Treasure.He scored a supporting part in 2005's drama North Country, as well as a major part in Michael Bay's sci-fi spectacle The Island. He returned to the role of Sharpe for 2006's Sharpe's Challenge as well as 2008's Sharpe's Peril, and in between took on the role of the serial killer made famous by Rutger Hauer in the remake of The Hitcher.The steadily working actor continued his hot streak in such projects as Percy Jackson & the Olympians and Death Race 2, and he found success on the small screen when he was cast in a pivotal part in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones.

Trivia: Growing up in Scotland, the descendent of Irish immigrants, Brian Cox always felt an affinity to American cinema that eventually led him to pursue his career stateside. Born on June 1, 1946, in Dundee, Scotland, Cox knew he wanted to act from an early age, but identified more with the characters portrayed in American films than in "zany British comedies," to use his phrase. While working at the local theater, where he started by mopping the stage, the 15-year-old Cox would watch the actors and study their styles to separate the wheat from the chaff. He attended drama school in London and got caught up in British theater and television during the 1970s. Cox landed on Broadway in the early '80s, but found more closed doors than open ones. It was while performing a play transplanted from the U.K. that a casting agent for Michael Mann's Manhunter (1986) noticed him. The film would become the first cinematic treatment of Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter (spelled "Lecktor" at the time) character, which Anthony Hopkins would make his own in Silence of the Lambs (1991). Cox was cast in the role, paving the way for the success that had eluded him until his 40th year.Despite the breakthrough, Cox remained better identified with television than film during the late '80s and early '90s, though his roles significantly increased in number. His initiation to regular film work came through appearances in two 1995 sword epics, Braveheart and Rob Roy. Over the latter half of the 1990s he materialized in character-actor roles -- police officers, doctors, fathers -- in such films as The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), Kiss the Girls (1997), Rushmore (1998), and The Minus Man (1999). Although he appears more often in American than British cinema, Cox has also paid homage to his Scottish and Irish roots, such as playing an IRA heavy in Jim Sheridan's The Boxer (1997).In 2001, Cox secured major acclaim -- and an American Film Institute nomination for best supporting actor -- with the release of L.I.E., the debut film of director Michael Cuesta. Like Todd Solondz' critical darling Happiness (1998), the film presents a child molester (Cox) as one of its major characters without condemning him, if not actually leaving him altogether unjudged. Cox's complicated, intense portrayal enabled such shades of gray, raising the character above the bottom rung of the morality food chain.As the decade continued, so did Cox's visibility in bigger hollywood films. In 2002 alone, he took on substantial roles in The Bourne Identity, The Rookie, The Ring, The 25th Hour, and Adaptation, a film that saw him stealing scenes with an appropriately over-the-top turn as blowhard screenwriting guru Robert McKee. The following year audiences could see him in the blockbuster comic-book sequel X2: X-Men United, and in 2004 he starred alongside Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom in the epic retelling of the Iliad, Troy. He returned to the Bourne franchise for The Bourne Supremacy, and appeared in the thriller Red Eye. He was the psychiatrist in the comedy Running With Scissors, and in 2007 portrayed Melvin Belli in David Fincher's Zodiac. He was cast in the geriatric action film Red, and joined up with Wes Anderson a second time to lend his voice to a bit part in Fantastic Mr. Fox. In 2011 Ralph Finnes tapped Cox to play Menenius in his big-screen adaptation of The Bard's Coriolanus.

Trivia: Hofstra-educated singer/actress Lainie Kazan became a celebrity by indirection. In 1964, Kazan was engaged to understudy Barbra Streisand in the Broadway production of Funny Girl; the disappointed boos and catcalls that often greeted Kazan when she subbed for Streisand were generally dissipated by the standing ovations she'd receive at performance's end. In 1966, Kazan was hired for her first weekly-TV stint on The Dean Martin Summer Show, exhibiting a keen sense of comic timing in the presence of such funsters as Dom DeLuise and Rowan & Martin. A firmly established nightclub star by 1980, Kazan made her official screen bow in 1980's One From the Heart (her actual screen debut in an obscure 1968 film was passed over in the studio publicity). In 1982, she essayed her most memorable screen role, as the brash, blunt Brooklynite Bella Carroca in My Favorite Year; she would repeat this role many years later in the Broadway musical version of that film. She had a memorable turn in the weepie Beaches, and appeared in a variety of projects including Honeymoon in Vegas and Love Is All There Is. Kazan had the biggest movie success of her career at the beginning of the 21st century when she was one of the leads in the indie smash My Big Fat Greek Wedding, setting in motion a career resurgence that included the short-lived TV spinoff of that movie as well as Gigli, Red Riding Hood, and the Adam Sandler movie You Don't Mess With the Zohan. Kazan's series-TV assignments included the role of Rita in the 1986 Robby Benson detective series Tough Cookies, the "best friend" part of Claire Steiner in the Fox Network Patty Duke sitcom Karen's Song, and recurring appearances in the hospital drama St. Elsewhere. Few of these appearances, however were of the zany calibre of Kazan's outrageous portrayal of an Italian-accented fairy godmother in Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre's version of "Pinocchio." Still a top attraction on the supper-club circuit, Lainie Kazan has opened two cabarets bearing her name in New York and Los Angeles.

Trivia: Raised in Yonkers, NY, with five brothers, and admits to growing up a tomboy. Began modeling as a teen. Worked as a bartender in Hollywood. Enjoys traveling, hiking, cooking and boxing. Originally thought she would be playing a basketball player on Showtime's The L Word, instead of a captain in the National Guard. After The L Word ended in 2009, she took a role on NBC's crime drama The Chase in 2010.

Trivia: Was an Army brat who lived in Germany for 10 years. Mother is from Trinidad. Won breaking and popping dance contests as a preteen. Posted sketch/parody videos on YouTube that became very popular. Made a series of viral commercials with Dr. Dre and LeBron James. Has a production company called Lejan Entertainment, Inc.

Trivia: One of the most vibrant comic personalities of the 1970s and '80s, as well as a noted actor and screenwriter, Dan Aykroyd got his professional start in his native Canada. Before working as a standup comedian in various Canadian nightclubs, Aykroyd studied at a Catholic seminary from which he was later expelled. He then worked as a train brakeman, a surveyor, and studied Sociology at Carleton University in Ottawa, where he began writing and performing comedy sketches. His success as a comic in school led him to work with the Toronto branch of the famed Second City improvisational troupe. During this time -- while he was also managing the hot nightspot Club 505 on the side -- Aykroyd met comedian and writer John Belushi, who had come to Toronto to scout new talent for "The National Lampoon Radio Hour." In 1975, both Aykroyd and Belushi were chosen to appear in the first season of Canadian producer Lorne Michaels' innovative comedy television series Saturday Night Live. It was as part of the show that Aykroyd gained notoriety for his dead-on impersonations of presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter. He also won fame for his other characters, such as Beldar, the patriarch of the Conehead clan of suburban aliens, and Elwood, the second half of the Blues Brothers (Jake Blues was played by Belushi). Aykroyd made his feature-film debut in 1977 in the Canadian comedy Love at First Sight, but neither it nor his subsequent film, Mr. Mike's Mondo Video, were successful. His first major Hollywood screen venture was as a co-lead in Steven Spielberg's 1941 (1979). But Aykroyd still did not earn much recognition until 1980, when he and Belushi reprised their popular SNL characters in The Blues Brothers, a terrifically successful venture that managed to become both one of the most often-quoted films of the decade and a true cult classic. Aykroyd and Belushi went on to team up one more time for Neighbors (1981) before Belushi's death in 1982. Aykroyd's subsequent films in the '80s ranged from the forgettable to the wildly successful, with all-out comedies such as Ghostbusters (1984) and Dragnet (1987) falling into the latter category. Many of these films allowed him to collaborate with some of Hollywood's foremost comedians, including fellow SNL alumni Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, and Eddie Murphy, as well as Tom Hanks and the late John Candy. In such pairings, Aykroyd usually played the straight man -- typically an uptight intellectual or a latent psycho. He tried his hand at drama in 1989 as Jessica Tandy's son in Driving Miss Daisy and received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. During the '90s, Aykroyd's career faltered just a bit as he appeared in one disappointment after another. Despite scattered successes like My Girl (1991), Chaplin (1992), Casper (1995), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), and Antz (1998), the all-out flops -- The Coneheads (1993), Exit to Eden (1994), Sgt. Bilko (1996) -- were plentiful. Likewise, the long-awaited Blues Brothers sequel, Blues Brothers 2000 (1998), proved a great disappointment. Aykroyd, however, continued to maintain a screen profile, starring as Kirk Douglas' son in the family drama Diamonds in 1999. During the next few years, he found greater success in supporting roles, with turns as a shifty businessman in the period drama The House of Mirth (2000), Woody Allen's boss in The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001), pop star Britney Spears' father in her screen debut, Crossroads (2002), and (in a particularly amusing turn) as Dr. Keats in the Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore comedy 50 First Dates. Aykroyd also appeared in the 2005 Christmas with the Kranks, alongside Tim Allen and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry with Adam Sandler in 2006. He also provided the voice of Yogi Bear in the big screen adaptation of the titular cartoon -- but none of these projects did particularly well with fans. Aykroyd soon planned to revive the smashing success of the Ghostbusters franchise, collaborating with Harold Ramis to create a script and reunite the original four stars. However, ongoing hold-ups, including the public refusal of pivotal member Bill Murray to participate, continued to push the project back. In the meantime, Akroyd played a recurring role on TV shows like According to Jim, The Defenders, and Happily Divorced.Since 1983, Aykroyd has been married to the radiant Donna Dixon, a model who holds the twin titles of Miss Virginia 1976, and Miss District of Columbia 1977; the two co-starred in the 1983 Michael Pressman comedy Doctor Detroit. In Aykroyd's off time, he claims a varied number of interests, including UFOs and supernatural phenomena (his brother Peter works as a psychic researcher), blues music (he co-owns the House of Blues chain of nightclubs/restaurants), and police detective work.

Trivia: Began dancing competitively at 3—studying ballet, jazz, tap and hip-hop—and started singing in choirs and musicals at a young age, performing a solo at her church at 4. Signed with Ford Models when she was 8 and subsequently appeared in a number of print ads. Made her big-screen debut with a bit part in the 2004 comedy 13 Going on 30. Had to overcome her fear of heights in order to perform the cheerleading stunts in the 2007 comedy Bring It On: In It to Win It. Spent three years as a series regular on the daytime soap Days of Our Lives; made the leap to prime time in 2009 with the ABC supernatural comedy Eastwick.

Trivia: Was on the wrestling team in high school and developed his film Win Win with one of his former teammates based on their experiences. During his time at Boston College, was a member of the school's improv comedy group, My Mother's Flea Bag. Was a member of Yale Cabaret while studying at Yale School of Drama along with his classmate Paul Giamatti who would later star in his film Win Win. Made his Broadway debut as Garry Lejeune in the 2001 revival of Noises Off. Received the 2008 Arts Council Alumni Award for Distinguished Achievement from Boston College.

Trivia: One of the most celebrated professional tennis players of the early 21st century, Serena Williams entered the ranks of that sport alongside her older sister Venus. The two did so thanks to the prompting of their dad, onetime security company owner Richard Williams, who had apparently witnessed the astronomical salaries given tennis players and promptly ushered two of his daughters onto the courts after learning the sport himself via instructional videos. The gambit paid off, as each Williams girl battled her way to the very pinnacle of the tennis leagues and earned the number one spot. Serena's records included winning eight Grand Slam singles titles and the Australian Open, and netting an Olympic gold medal in women's doubles, and she also made international headlines by signing a 40-million-dollar endorsement contract with Reebok -- one of the highest such contracts in all of women's sports at the time of its finalization. Serena later began an acting career, with television appearances on such series as The Simpsons (2001), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2004), and ER (2005). She also was a stockcar-driving participant in the competitive reality series Fast Cars & Superstars (2007), in which she squared off against John Elway and Laird Hamilton.

Trivia: Born August 3rd, 1941, Martha Stewart came by many of her skills as a domestic goddess honestly, as her mother taught the young Martha Kostyra how to cook and her father shared his skills as an avid gardener. As a young adult, Martha maintained a successful modeling career, while renovating a few different family homes with her husband, Andy Stewart. Her growing interest in homemaking led her to write a book that, after being published in 1982, made her one of the most sought-after authorities on the subject. Cookbooks, magazines, and television appearances followed. She built a successful empire, but ended up serving five months in jail for an obstruction of justice charge stemming from questionable business practices. She returned to television with The Martha Stewart Show, and a failed attempt to rework The Apprentice with her in the Donald Trump role.

Trivia: Known to many as the guy who appears in all the Adam Sandler movies, Allen Covert grew up in Florida and went to college in New York, where he met Sandler while working at a restaurant. After trying his hand at improv, he became steadily more interested in comedy, and began to collaborate with his friend Sandler, helping write the material for Sandler's comedy albums and eventually appearing in his films. Covert has subsequently appeared in almost all of Sandler's movies, beginning with 1989's Going Overboard (also known as Babes Ahoy). His appearances have ranged from small cameos to major supporting roles, and he even gained 40 lbs. to play Sandler's roommate in Little Nicky. The comedian has also worked as a writer, producer, and actor on his own, for movies like 2006's Grandma's Boy and 2008's Strange Wilderness.

Trivia: Renowned sportscaster Dan Patrick was born in Zanesville, Ohio in 1957. Although he played high-school basketball, a career in broadcasting beckoned. After working at CNN and Headline Sports, Patrick hired on at ESPN where he was teamed with fellow anchor Keith Olbermann and together they helped establish Sportscenter as the most popular sports broadcast of its time. During that era, Patrick coined the catchphrase "en fuego" that he used whenever an athlete was having a very good night. He left ESPN in 2007 and eventually developed his own morning radio show. He also became a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated, and began a professional relationship with NBC that led to Patrick co-hosting Football Night in America, as well as hosting portions of the network's Olympic coverage in 2012 and 2014.Though not an actor, Patrick has made cameo appearances in a number of Adam Sandler's movies including The Longest Yard, Jack and Jill, That's My Boy, Just Go With It, Grown Ups, Grown Ups 2, and Blended.

Trivia: Although probably best known as the voice of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog on Late Night With Conan O'Brien, New York native Robert Smigel's legacy is really more that of a writer. Writing for Saturday Night Live since 1985, he is one of the longest running writers in the show's history, though he's only been producing and acting on it since the '90s. Some of his parodies and sketches include "Superfans" and "The McLaughlin Group." Smigel has also written for Lookwell, The Dana Carvey Show, and Late Night. As an actor, he's had bit parts in such comedies as Wayne's World 2 (1993) and, since then, nearly all of Adam Sandler's movies, including Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, Little Nicky, and Punch-Drunk Love. His puppet character of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog has transcended O'Brien for wider pastures such as Christmas specials and award shows. Some of Smigel's best work has been in animation. Appearing in tiny bursts on cable and late-night programming, his short cartoon bits include "The Ambiguously Gay Duo," co-created with comedian Stephen Colbert, and "Fun With Real Audio," cartoons which re-imagine popular figures of the day. Smigel eventually had enough bits to launch a whole show as creator, executive producer, and voice actor of TV Funhouse on Comedy Central. Aired in eight episodes from 2000-2001, the show was a hilarious blend of live-action, puppetry, and animation. Smigel is also a voice on Crank Yankers and a writer of many television specials.

Trivia: A former ballerina, attended the National Ballet School of Canada from age 3 to 17.Moved to Quebec at age 16 and worked sweeping the sidewalks for the city.Worked at Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, teaching rock climbing.Is a certified scuba diver.Speaks French.Plays the flute.

Trivia: Played basketball and volleyball during her time at Smith College. Gained firsthand experience in the field of media as a member of NBC's Page Program. Began working as a production coordinator for Today in 2002, which eventually led to her role as an on-air contributor during the show's fourth hour with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb from 2009 until 2013. Hosted a video blog for NBC's Today website titled Backstage Pass, a series in which she interviewed celebrities. Joined ABC News as a correspondent in 2013. Appeared as a guest co-host on The View more than 30 times before being named a permanent host in 2016.

Trivia: It's likely that nothing American actor Matt Frewer ever did while training with Britain's Old Vic prepared him for the role that would boost him to stardom. In the early 1980s, Frewer began making appearances on a British music video show in the role of Max Headroom, an ostensibly computer-generated "talking head". Decked out in sunglasses and loud preppie clothes, Max Headroom would break into the middle of videos making nonsensical, obtrusive comments, his voice metallicized and distorted; Max' trademark was an electronic stutter, virtually indescribable on paper. In 1985 Max began conducting celebrity interviews, forever digressing from the conversation with self-involved harangues about his favorite subject, golf. So popular was Frewer as Headroom that Britain's Channel 4 devised a one-hour "documentary" titled Rebus: The Max Headroom Story, which alleged that Max had once been a flesh-and-blood TV newsman who was killed by an oppressive government to keep him from divulging secrets: his name, it was explained, was derived from the last words the "live" Max ever saw, a warning on a bridge reading "Maximum Headroom." This premise was modified a bit when Frewer starred on the 1986 American satirical talk show Max Headroom, which first appeared on the Cinemax cable service. Frewer continued the characterization into a local New York program, then played the dual role of Max and futuristic investigative reporter Edison Carter on ABC's brief Max Headroom comedy adventure series. In addition, Frewer essayed Max for a series of widely-imitated Coca Cola commercials. In 1989, Matt Frewer abandoned Max Headroom to seek out roles that didn't require computer enhancement; he subsequently starred in a few sitcoms, and in 1993 provided the voice of the title character in a new series of Pink Panther TV cartoons.