Trivia: A veteran of Los Angeles' famed Groundlings comedy troupe who would later find fame as a key cast member of Saturday Night Live, Maya Rudolph set her sights on a comedy career early on when, as a young girl, she would sit before the television screen marveling at the comic talents of SNL star Gilda Radner. The daughter of 1970s soul singer Minnie Riperton and music producer Richard Rudolph, the future comedy star lost her mother to breast cancer at the tender age of six, leaving father Richard to raise both her and her older brother, Marc, as a single parent. Though her mother was gone, the musical influence lived on, and after majoring in photography at the University of California it was finally time to try her own hand at music as the keyboardist for Weezer spin-off band the Rentals. Of course, performing was always the thing that interested Rudolph most, and what better way to become a performer than to join one of L.A.'s hottest comedy troupes? A stint with the Groundlings gave Rudolph the skills she needed to hone her comic talents, and between 1996 and 2000, the aspiring starlet made a name for herself on screens both big and small with a recurring role on the television medical drama Chicago Hope, and opposite such screen heavies as Jack Nicholson, Uma Thurman, and Gwyneth Paltrow in As Good As It Gets, Gattaca, and Duets. A popular cast member from the moment she joined SNL in 2000, Rudolph successfully navigated the notoriously testosterone-laden hallways of Studio 8H to create a variety of original characters in addition to skewering such celebrities as Christina Aguilera, Oprah Winfrey, and Donatella Versace. One of the few SNL cast members who had the luck of establishing herself as a feature-film player before joining the cast of the weekly comedy staple, Rudolph always seemed to find time for the big screen even when her status as a late-night queen was exploding. With roles in such films as Duplex, 50 First Dates, and Robert Altman's A Prairie Home Companion giving great testament to Rudolph's remarkable versatility, it seemed like only a matter of time before she made the leap to features full-time. A hilarious trip into a dim-witted future came when Rudolph took a role opposite Luke Wilson in Mike Judge's 2006 sci-fi comedy Idiocracy, and in 2007 filmgoers could hear her familiar voice when she essayed the role of Rapunzel in the animated children's film Shrek the Third. Memorable performances in Away We Go and Grown Ups preceded a featured role in the Oscar-nominated 2011 comedy Bridesmaids, with Rudolph announcing that same year that she would be returning to NBC opposite Christina Applegate in the working mom sitcom Up All Night. The sitcom was short-lived, but Rudolph continued to prove she could work in all mediums. She filmed a supporting role in the indie film The Way, Way Back, and appeared in the sequel Grown Ups 2 in 2013 before hosting her own variety special on NBC in 2014 called (what else?) The Maya Rudolph Show.

Trivia: Best known for her role as Deputy Clementine Johnson on the series Reno 911! between 2003 and 2009, actress and comedian Wendi McLendon-Covey has also garnered fans as a member of the popular Groundlings improv troupe. Following her run on Reno 911!, McLendon-Covey began making more appearances on the big screen, in films like 2010's Public Relations and 2011's Bridesmaids -- the later of which found the emergnig actress scoring her biggest mainstream hit to date. Meanwhile, the former Reno 911! star could once again be seen on the small screen thanks to a recurring role on the hit sitcom The Rules of Engagement.

Trivia: Missouri native Ellie Kemper may have studied English at Princeton University, but her real passion was theater. After learning all she could with an improvisational comedy troupe, she would go on to write for the satirical newspaper The Onion and literary journal McSweeney's, participate in troupes like Upright Citizen's Brigade and People's Improv Theatre, and appear in comedy videos at CollegeHumor.com. Kemper's big break came in 2009, when she was cast as Erin the receptionist on the popular sitcom The Office. She would go on to appear in several movies over the coming year, including Get Him to the Greek, Bridesmaids, and 21 Jump Street.

Trivia: As both a frequent onscreen presence in Hollywood comedies and the occasional writer of a daft and pickled Hollywood laugh-fest, Ohio-born Michael Hitchcock began his career in the early '90s as a screenwriter. Though Hitchcock actually debuted as co-scenarist with Marc Rocco's 1992 urban drama Where the Day Takes You, he failed to break through to the American public prior to his critically maligned but lucrative authorship of such comic vehicles as Problem Child 3 (1995) and House Arrest (1996). Aside from periodic contributions to the long-running sketch comedy series MADtv, Hitchcock then abandoned scriptwriting for many years to focus exclusively on acting.Hitchcock established himself as a character player, demonstrating solid comedic timing, a genial humorous presence, and an actor's raw instinct. His appearances include supporting roles in such comedies as the well-received Happy, Texas (1999) and the Christopher Guest mockumentaries Best in Show (2000) and For Your Consideration (2006). Though Hitchcock occasionally attempted to expand his range, with such projects as a supporting turn on an episode of NYPD Blue and a small role in the space adventure Serenity (2005), he generally clung to his comedic roots and found greatest success in that arena.

Trivia: Parents show dogs professionally. Encouraged her siblings, Ryot and Liberty, to try out for the first season of Amazing Race Australia. Contracted malaria while serving a year in South Africa as a Rotary International Youth Ambassador from Australia. Became a spokeswoman for Jenny Craig in Australia in 2011. Trained at the New York Film Academy and the Second City Training Center, after receiving a scholarship via the Australian Theatre for Young People. Launched her own clothing line, for Torrid, in 2015.

Trivia: Due to Alopecia, lost all his hair at age 6. Attended the same boarding school as Sacha Baron Cohen, who was in Lucas's older brother's class. Met longtime comedy collaborator David Walliams when both attended the National Youth Theater (which also boasts alumni such as Helen Mirren and Daniel Craig). The pair debuted on stage together in 1995 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Lucas and Walliams co-created Little Britain for BBC 4 Radio in 2001, BBC television in 2003 and then HBO (as Little Britain USA) in 2008. Entered into a civil partnership with Kevin McGee at a December 2006 ceremony, which included guests such as Elton John and Courtney Love; the union was legally dissolved in October 2008.

Trivia: African American stand-up comic Franklin Ajaye has always seemed to be just on the verge of Bigger Things. The eternally "promising" Ajaye has been a popular TV talk-show guest, as well as the host of the syndicated variety series National Lampoon's Hot Flashes. He was also a regular (together with fellow "newcomers" Didi Conn, Charles Fleischer, Wayland Flowers and Jack Riley) on the 1975 summer-replacement laughfest Keep on Trucking. In theatrical films, Franklin Ajaye has enlivened such noisy farces as Car Wash (1977) and The 'Burbs (1990).

Trivia: Comedian Tim Heidecker is often recognized for his colllaborations with fellow comedian Eric Wareheim. The duo, who met while both were students at Philadelphia's Temple University, have created and starred in two successful Adult Swim series: Tom Goes to the Mayor (2004) and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2007). The two have also released several comic albums; created and starred in the film Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie (2012); and codirected a series of popular Old Spice commercials starring actor Terry Crews. Outside his collaborations with Wareheim, Heidecker has been featured in film roles (including 2011's Bridesmaids) and released additional comic albums, including a 2011 collection of onetime presidential candidate Herman Cain-inspired music.

Trivia: After graduating from Stanford, decided to move to New York City to focus on acting. After struggling a few years, he turned his attention to the finance world. Was part of the comedy group "House of Floyd" with future Bridesmaids costars Melissa McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone. Appeared in the Reba McEntire video for "I'd Rather Ride Around With You" and the sequel "What If It's You" as the singer's love interest. Landed a "life imitates art" role on the NBC series The Office—his character is CFO for the fictional Dunder-Mifflin, while Buckley is a wealth-management adviser for an investment bank.

Trivia: Comedian Nancy Carell began honing her professional skills in college, cutting her teeth with the improve comedy troupe My Mother's Fleabag at Boston College. After graduating, she joined another improve troupe, the legendary Second City. This soon led to Carell joining the 1995-1996 cast of Saturday Night Live, later moving over to Comedy Central's The Daily Show, where she appeared as a correspondent from 1999 to 2002. She would also appear in movies like 2004's The 40-Year-Old Virgin and take on a recurring role on the hit sitcom The Office, before joining the voice-cast of the cult hit The Goode Family in 2009, a satirical animated series about a family obsessed with doing the right thing. Carell married fellow comedian Steve Carell in 1995 after meeting him at a Second City workshop. The two have appeared in several projects together.

Trivia: Met husband Dan O'Brien while performing improv comedy together in college. Performed at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York and Los Angeles. Wrote episodes of her sitcom BFF by recording herself and cowriter Lennon Parham improvising, then transcribing it later.

Trivia: Is of Italian descent.Performed for her family at a young age doing impressions.After graduating college, she worked in several odd jobs in children's parties.Was a member of The Groundlings improv company.Made her debut as an actress on screen as an extra.Is a close friend of Kristen Wiig and have worked together on several projects over the years.

Trivia: Participated in community theater throughout Southern Illinois. Scored paid gigs on camera as a youth, through his father's production company, PoleStar Productions. Performed annually in a sketch-comedy show on New Year's Eve in Springfield, Illinois, with his brother and father. Wrote songs for the animated series The Looney Tunes Show. Performs with the Groundlings improv troupe, where he met wife Melissa McCarthy.

Trivia: Has U.S. and U.K. citizenships.Took her first ballet lesson at age five.In 2000, moved to Cincinnati, Ohio.Attended a musical theater program at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and the Interlochen Center for the Arts Summer Camp.Also a musician who writes, sings and plays guitar.Daughter of rock musician Peter Frampton.

Trivia: Her father, Brian Wilson, and uncles Carl and Denis Wilson were members of the Beach Boys. Formed the pop group Wilson Phillips with sister Wendy Wilson and friend Chynna Phillips. Her 1999 gastric-bypass surgery was broadcast via the Internet. Has cowritten two biographical books, Gut Feelings: From Fear and Despair to Health and Hope (2001) and I'm Still Hungry: Finding Myself Through Thick and Thin (2003), and the 2005 cookbook To Serve With Love. Reunited with the other members of Wilson Phillips for the release of the 2010 holiday album Christmas in Harmony.

Trivia: Was given her unusual name after a little back and forth between her parents. Her mother suggested the name India, to which her father replied, "You might as well call her North Vietnam or China." Started her entertainment career as an actress, making her film debut in 1987's Some Kind of Wonderful, before embarking on a career in music. Along with bandmates Carnie and Wendy Wilson, is a member of the pop group Wilson Phillips. Their 1990 self-titled debut album sold more than 10 million copies and garnered numerous music awards. Publicly supported her older sister Mackenzie when her sister claimed in an autobiography that their father forged an incestuous relationship with Mackenzie. Made a bet with husband William when she competed in the 13th season of ABC's Dancing With the Stars that if she won the competition, then he would get a vasectomy. She and partner Tony Dovolani were eliminated in Week 4. Works with the Los Angelitos Orphanage charity in Tijuana, Mexico, helping the displaced children in the city.

Trivia: A native of Flint, MI, who played in the NFL for seven years before segueing into film, athlete-turned-actor Terry Crews made his television debut on the small-screen sports entertainment show Battle Dome and has since moved on to appear in films by such disparate directors as David Lynch, Mike Judge, and David Ayer.During high school, Crews studied at Interlochen Art Academy, and he continued on to Western Michigan University for college; it was during his freshman year that he first took to the gridiron, and after making an impression as a Mid-American Conference defensive end, he solidified his reputation as a star player by leading his team to the Mid-American Conference championship in 1988. Crews married longtime wife Rebecca the day before his 21st birthday, and later went on to have an impressive professional football career while playing for the L.A. Rams, the San Diego Chargers, and the Washington Redskins. Though he had originally intended to become a special-effects artist, Crews gradually became aware of the power of his onscreen charisma when he accepted a role in the short-lived television series Battle Dome in 1999. Despite the fact that only a few episodes of the seires ever made it to the airwaves, the experience left Crews convinced that he had found his calling.Few lifelong actors could even dream of landing roles in such major motion pictures as The 6th Day, Training Day, and Friday After Next so early in their careers, but that's precisely what Crews did, and he has never looked back since. The actor's hulking frame made him an ideal candidate for intimidating onscreen figures, and his disarming sense of humor has found him developing a distinct comic persona in such films as Starsky & Hutch, Soul Plane, White Chicks, and The Longest Yard while also winning over viewers on the small screen with his role as Chris Rock's father on Everybody Hates Chris. As a supporting player, Crews consistently impresses, with his little-seen role as former professional wrestler-turned-President of the United States in Beavis and Butt-Head creator Judge's Idiocracy (2006) offering a telling example of how far he is willing to go to get a laugh. That same year, Crews showed his impressive range by making a brief appearance in surrealist specialist Lynch's Inland Empire, with comic roles in Norbit, Who's Your Caddy?, and Balls of Fury following in short order.2008 proved a busy year for Crews. In addition to his continued work on Everybody Hates Chris, he co-starred in the police drama Street Kings, as well as director Peter Segal's revamp of the classic comedy series Get Smart. Crews played a member of a motley gang of mercenaries in 2010's action blockbuster The Expendables (he reprised this role for the film's sequel in 2012).

Trivia: Began taking improv comedy classes at the age of 8 in a local teacher's backyard. Was voted Most Likely to Be Famous during her senior year of high school. At the age of 18, dropped out of college after one semester and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy. Was a member of the renown sketch-comedy troupe The Groundlings. Auditioned to be a cast member of Saturday Night Live, but was rejected and offered a job as a writer for the show instead.

Trivia: After graduation, he spent a few years working odd jobs until he decided to move to Los Angeles and dedicate to his acting career. Has been a main company member of the Groundling Theater in Los Angeles since 2011. Performed on the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the United Kingdom. Was nominated for the Montreal's Just for Laughs Festival in Canada in the category "New Faces Characters" for best sketch comedy performance. Performed the sketch comedy "Nephew" at the UCB Theatre in New York City.