Trivia: Mirroring the origins of his wife and professional partner Tamela Mann (who often appeared opposite him in musical and dramatic contexts), David Mann grew up in the Bible Belt, with a childhood and adolescence spent in the Texas heartlands. The product of a strict, disciplinary Pentecostal home, David began singing in the church choir at an early age and later joined then nascent gospel ensemble Kirk Franklin and the Family, where he both obtained stardom as a recording artist (thanks in no small part to the group's eponymous multiplatinum debut) and met future wife Tamela.Mann gravitated to acting around the age of 15, initially via comedic roles in high school productions and community theater. He later embarked on a professional acting tenure, first with a popular turn as the gangster Forty Ounce in David E. Talbert's play He Say? She Say? But What Does God Say? (subsequently adapted for television on UPN) and then via a series of stage and screen collaborations with popular African American playwright turned writer/director Tyler Perry, in whose films David and Tamela often costarred. Their efforts together include the 2008 Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns and the 2009 Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail.

Trivia: Multifaceted performer Tamela Mann began life as the youngest of 14 children in a Fort Worth, TX, family. Significantly, she grew up in a household firmly rooted in the Christian faith, which paved the way for Mann's own devotion to the gospel as an adult. In time, this dovetailed with the young woman's preternatural gifts as a vocalist (which first revealed themselves during stints in her local church choir). She teamed up with the powerhouse worship ensemble Kirk Franklin and the Family during the early '90s, and attained fame alongside them, ultimately evolving into one of the most sought-after gospel recording artists of the early 21st century. Mann's later efforts as a soloist only heightened her popularity and visibility and included collaborations with artists such as Al Green, Mary J. Blige, Bono, and Celine Dion.During the mid-2000s Mann smoothly expanded her repertoire to include film roles via a series of collaborations with her husband, theater actor David Mann. The two frequently worked in tandem and made the majority of their appearances under the aegis of writer/director/star Tyler Perry, in whose stage plays they had starred. Efforts that featured the Manns included Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (2008) and Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail (2009).

Trivia: Ran track and field competitively in high school. Attended the Barbizon Modeling School of Atlanta; upon graduation, was immediately signed by a talent scout. Worked a one-episode-a-day schedule on Meet the Browns, considerably faster than most sitcoms. Had no professional dancing experience before landing role in Hit the Floor, which features full dance numbers in every episode. Was a featured speaker at December 2016's PowHERful Summit, annual conference for professional development of young women.

Trivia: Graduating cum laude from the University of Tulsa, Rue McClanahan studied acting with Uta Hagen and at the Perry-Mansfield school. After her professional debut with a Pennsylvania stock company in 1957, McClanahan headed to New York, where between acting gigs she worked as a waitress, took shorthand and sold blouses. Grabbing any opportunity available, she made her TV bow on a 1960 episode of the TV series Malibu Run, then appeared in a handful of exploitation films with come-hither titles like Five Minutes to Love (she played "Poochie, the girl from the shack," a credit she has since dropped from her resumé). She managed to find more prestigious work on the New York stage, starring in such well-received productions as MacBird, Jimmy Shine, Sticks and Bones and California Suite. She also played regular roles on the TV soap operas Another World and Where the Heart Is. A 1972 guest shot on Norman Lear's controversial series All in the Family led to her being cast as Vivian Harmon on Lear's popular sitcom Maude, a role she played until the series' cancellation in 1978. McClanahan's next project was her own starring series, 1978's Apple Pie, which unfortunately bit the dust after three shows. She went on to play the vitriolic Aunt Fran on the network version of Mama's Family (1983-85), then was co-starred with her Maude colleague Bea Arthur in The Golden Girls (1985-92). Her well-rounded portrayal of overly amorous museum worker Blanche Devereaux won her an 1986 Emmy award; she reprised the character in the Golden Girls spin-off Golden Palace (1992-93). The star of several made-for-TV movies, McClanahan co-produced and appeared in a brace of "dramedies," Mother of the Bride (1991) and Baby of the Bride (1992).