Trivia: Says he was "painfully shy" as a child. Was trained as a Shakespearean actor, but became interested in comedy after he was exposed to improv in college. First TV appearance was in a 1994 episode of ER. Returned to Detroit in 1997 and joined the Second City as a performer and writer. Has received multiple Joseph Jefferson Awards, given to honor achievement in Chicago theater. A founding member of the Planet Ant Theatre.

Trivia: Intended to be a puppeteer in college, but dropped out to study comedy, including a stint with Boom Chicago in Amsterdam; while on a cast swap with Second City in Chicago in 2002, met his future comedic partner Keegan-Michael Key. Before the premiere of Key & Peele on Comedy Central in 2012, overlapped with Key for several seasons in the cast of MADtv. Unsuccessfully auditioned to play Barack Obama on Saturday Night Live in 2008 (the role went to Fred Armisen), but would earn acclaim for impersonating the president on Key & Peele in 2012. Like Key, has a black father and a white mother, a biracial status that provides a unique cultural sensitivity and informs much of their comedy.

Trivia: Involved in the Invisible Children charity that aids youngsters in war-torn northern Uganda. One of the stars of an online series called Rockville CA, which was created by Josh Schwartz (The O.C., Gossip Girl). Among his hobbies are dancing, surfing, skating, skateboarding and snorkeling. Father is a pastor. Member of CYT (Christian Youth Theater). Shaved his head for a role in Power Rangers.

Trivia: Handsome, dark-haired comedian Ken Marino is one member of the sketch-comedy troupe The State that seems to have broken off from the group in favor of a career in television sitcoms. Born in Long Island, he studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute and N.Y.U. before working in touring companies and off-Broadway plays. In the early '90s, he joined up with the gang that would become The State, the hilarious comedy show that aired on MTV from 1994-1995. His good looks and memorable characters (the Talking Hormone and Louie, the guy who's gonna dip his balls in it) earned him many admiring fans. After the show's cancellation, he was cast in the NBC sitcom Men Behaving Badly. (Starring Rob Schneider and Ron Eldard, the short-lived show was an Americanized version of a popular, long-running British series.) Several guest-starring appearances followed, leading to a recurring role as Professor Wilder on the WB's teen drama Dawson's Creek.Marino made his film debut with a small role in Gattaca, which was followed by several poorly distributed independent comedies (Love Happens, Carlo's Wake, and 101 Ways [The Things a Girl Will Do to Keep Her Volvo]). He also had supporting roles in the more mainstream romantic comedies Tortilla Soup and Joe Somebody. In 2001, he reunited many other members of The State for the teen satire Wet Hot American Summer as sexually desperate camp counselor Victor. Back on NBC, he starred as young San Francisco lawyer Miles Lawton in the series First Years, another short-lived Americanized version of a popular, long-running British TV series. When the show was canceled after a month, he starred in the NBC sitcom Leap of Faith as magazine reporter Andy, best friend of the titular Faith (Sarah Paulson). When this show was canceled after a month, he went back to guest-starring roles on shows like Las Vegas and Rock Me Baby. Projects for 2004 include a leading role in the independent romantic comedy feature Love for Rent opposite Colombian actress Angie Cepeda.In 2006 he made his feature screenwriting debut with Diggers, and followed that up the next year with the script for The Ten, and had his biggest success to date the year after that with his screenplay for Role Models. He was a regular on the short-lived but highly-respected sitcom Party Down, and in 2012 he wrote and had a superb supporting part in the comedy Wanderlust.