Trivia: When British actor Benedict Cumberbatch signed for his first cinematic roles in the early 2000s, he immediately unveiled a proclivity -- and a gift -- for essaying a diverse array of characterizations. Cumberbatch began with BBC television productions, notably a supporting part in the lesbian-themed period drama Tipping the Velvet (2002) and the lead role of the brilliant, physically disabled scientist Stephen Hawking in the BBC telemovie Hawking (2004). Cumberbatch landed one of his first significant international crossover roles (and his first major big-screen assignment) as one of the leads in Michael Apted's arthouse hit Amazing Grace (2006) -- portraying William Pitt, an 18th century British prime minister who crusaded against slavery. While appearing on the British stage and in British television shows, Cumberbatch slowly built up an impressive résumé of supporting film roles. He had a small (but significant) part in Joe Wright's period drama Atonement (2007), and played William Carey, Mary Boleyn's husband in The Other Boleyn Girl (2008).In 2010, Cumberbatch took on his breakout role, playing Sherlock Holmes in a BBC series reboot. His career exploded after the show took off. He played The Necromancer/Smaug in The Hobbit trilogy, Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness, a plantation owner in 12 Years a Slave and nabbed his first true starring role playing Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate. In 2014 Cumberbatch portrayed the pioneering British mathematician Alan Turing in The Imitation Game, and his work earned him a Best Actor nomination from the Academy, the first nod of his career.

Trivia: The sons and daughters of the rich and famous may have a reputation for being embarrassing, vapid fodder for the paparazzi and reality TV, but Rashida Jones has nothing in common with her peers. The daughter of music mogul and world-famous songwriter Quincy Jones, Rashida began working hard to make herself educated and accomplished from the time she was five years old, when her father would catch her reading with a flashlight after he'd put her to bed. She attended Hebrew school and excelled academically at the Buckley School in Los Angeles, an independent school known for tiny class sizes and a sharp focus on students' development both as people and as scholars. Jones then attended Harvard, where she studied religion and philosophy while pursuing her musical gifts as a member and music director of the a cappella group The Harvard Opportunes. After graduating, she continued to include singing in her list of projects, singing backup on tracks for the band Maroon 5, in major ad campaigns for The Gap, on tracks for hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur (who was engaged to Jones' sister), and on various film soundtracks. Jones also tried her hand at modeling, strutting her stuff for clothing lines like Triple 5 Soul and The Gap, as well as appearing in editorials for Vogue and In Style. Jones had studied theater in college, but acting was only a hobby for her until she was cast in 1997's The Last Don and realized what inspiration she got from the craft. She was later cast as a regular on the hit TV drama Boston Public, and appeared as a guest star in one episode of the fanatical cult favorite Freaks and Geeks. She also lent her talents to appealing independent films like Death of a Dynasty before being cast as Karen in the third season of the much-adored comedy series The Office. Despite the fact that Jones was playing the third point in an awkward love triangle, audiences took to her immediately, not only for her expert comic timing and ability to handle the show's mockumentary format, but for maintaining a realness and likability throughout the story. Jones next signed on to appear in co-star John Krasinski's movie Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. She appeared in the comedy The Ten which featured many members of the comedy troupe The State. In 2009 she landed a part on the new show Parks & Recreations, which turned into a well-respected sitcom for NBC. That same year she had a hit on the big screen as Paul Rudd's fiancé in I Love You, Man. The next year she played a lawyer in The Social Network. She worked with Rudd again in 2011's Our Idiot Brother, and appeared as a TV executive in The Muppets.

Trivia: Best known for his 2005 live-action rendering of the Bill Cosby character Fat Albert on the big screen -- a character he brought to life with the aid of a trusty fat suit and the trademark, "Hey, Hey, Hey!" -- wunderkind comic Kenan Thompson honed his skills as a small fry by entertaining classmates with uproarious comedy routines on the playground in his childhood home of Atlanta. Thompson landed his big break by auditioning at age 15 for All That, a Nickelodeon sketch comedy series that (like The Mickey Mouse Club of years prior) functioned as a kind of unofficial petri dish for burgeoning young talent. Series producer and director Brian Robbins reportedly viewed Thompson's audition, tagged his ability to mimic and his comic timing as "dead-on," and hired the young man on the spot. The young comic wowed Nickelodeon, and network heads not only offered him his own sitcom within a year, co-starring another young schtickmeister, Kel Mitchell, but a network-produced movie, the 1997 Good Burger (also starring Mitchell). Numerous additional film roles ensued, and though Mitchell began with goofy, schtick-heavy comedies (Master of Disguise [2002], My Boss' Daughter [2003]), he periodically revealed an interest in stretching his ability into other genres, such as avant-garde/experimental video (Public Lighting [2004]) and action-saturated horror (Snakes on a Plane [2006]). In 2008, however, Thompson hearkened back to comedy by voicing one of the titular primates in the goofy live-action fantasy Space Chimps. Meanwhile, alongside his film work, Thompson achieved even greater success on the small screen. His debut series, All That, had been conveniently described by more than one critic as "SNL for the small set," and paved the way for Thompson's involvement in the real Saturday Night Live; he joined the SNL cast in 2003.

Trivia: Angela Lansbury received an Oscar nomination for her first film, Gaslight, in 1944, and has been winning acting awards and audience favor ever since. Born in London to a family that included both politicians and performers, Lansbury came to the U.S. during World War II. She made notable early film appearances as the snooty sister in National Velvet (1944); the pathetic singer in The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), which garnered her another Academy nomination; and the madam-with-a-heart-of-gold saloon singer in The Harvey Girls (1946). She turned evil as the manipulative publisher in State of the Union (1948), but was just as convincing as the good queen in The Three Musketeers (1948) and the petulant daughter in The Court Jester (1956). She received another Oscar nomination for her chilling performance as Laurence Harvey's scheming mother in The Manchurian Candidate (1962) and appeared as the addled witch in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), among other later films. On Broadway, she won Tony awards for the musicals Mame (1966), Dear World (1969), the revival of Gypsy (1975), Sweeney Todd (1979) and, at age 82, for the play Blithe Spirit (2009). Despite a season in the '50s on the game show Pantomime Quiz, she came to series television late, starring in 1984-1996 as Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote; she took over as producer of the show in the '90s. She returned to the Disney studios to record the voice of Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast (1991) and to sing the title song and later reprised the role in the direct-to-video sequel, The Enchanted Christmas (1997). Lansbury is the sister of TV producer Bruce Lansbury.

Trivia: Formed the production duo the Neptunes with Chad Hugo after they met as junior-high students in band camp; teamed with Hugo and childhood friend Shae Thornton to form the alternative rock trio N.E.R.D. Fired from three different McDonald's restaurants as a teen. The owner of his own skateboarding team, Williams was nicknamed Skateboard P in high school. Wrote pop producer Teddy Riley's rap verse for Wreckx-n-Effect's 1992 double-platinum single "Rump Shaker." Hired by Sean "Diddy" Combs to produce songs for Total and Mase. Founded the apparel lines Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream. Partnered with Louis Vuitton on sunglasses and jewelry. Has collaborated as a producer, songwriter and vocalist with an elite list of artists, including Britney Spears, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Gwen Stefani, Nelly, Justin Timberlake, Daft Punk, Jay-Z, Adam Levine and Robin Thicke. Established the charity organization From One Hand to Another in 2008, which helps kids ages 7 to 20 meet their potential through music, technology, art and motivation.

Trivia: Started performing in television commercials at the age of 3. Has appeared in over 20 commercials, for companies including Home Depot, Ross and Toyota. First appeared in a film in the short feature The Magic Bracelet, from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, with co-stars including James Van Der Beek and Hailee Steinfeld. Appeared in the Dominic Russo-written pilot for the TV series Redeeming Dave.

Trivia: Appeared in a Shakey's Pizza commercial at the age of 5.Started doing comedy at Gotham City Improv in New York.In 2014, was honored with two awards at the first annual Voice Arts Awards.Rescued her dog, Sir Philip Bumble Pickle Pants, at a mobile station.Supports the Pickle Pants Dog Rescue in Los Angeles and the Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM).

Trivia: Best known for playing Deputy James Garcia on the mockumentary series RENO 911! Started out as a stand-up comedian and has done extensive voice-over work for animated shows. Voiced the Taco Bell Chihuahua ("Yo quiero Taco Bell") in the fast-food chain's 1997-2001 ad campaign. Is an avid skydiver.

Trivia: His high school senior class voted him most likely to recede.While working on a dog food commercial, the producer's girlfriend suggested he audition for Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!Originally auditioned for the role of Scooby in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!Voiced eight of the original Decepticons and two of the original Autobots on the animated series The Transformers (1984).His Doctor Claw voice is the result of an impression of singer Barry White.His voice of the Cave of Wonder in Aladdin (1992) was based on Sir Sean Connery.Has voiced most of Scooby-Doo's Fred Jones, including animated series, parodies and cameos.The first voice actor to appear in two films that made $1 billion.Was honored with an Emmy Award for lifetime achievement in 2016.

Trivia: Grew up in Los Angeles, California.Is the son of an ordained minister.Was a contestant in the third season of Endurance.Studied at The Groundlings; Larry Moss Studio with Michelle Danner; The Shop with Andrew Magarian; Actors Point of View Workshop; and Deaf West Theater with Gary Austin.Best known for playing Jake Fitzgerald in Scream: The TV Series.

Trivia: A student of mime artist Marcel Marceau, LA-born Laraine Newman utilized her artistic training in the cause of comedy. In 1972, she joined the Groundlings improvisational troupe (spawning ground for such major comic talents as Phil Hartman and Paul "Pee-wee Herman" Reubens), making her film debut with several fellow improvvers in the 1975 pastiche Tunnelvision. She went on to work as an ensemble player on the 1975 summer-replacement TV variety series Manhattan Transfer. From 1975 through 1980, Laraine was a regular on the ground-breaking weekend comedy series Saturday Night Live. While her contributions were always well-received, Laraine tended to play third banana to the other SNL ladies Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin, reportedly because of her acute shyness. Her best moments on the series occurred when she played alien teenager Laarta in the "Coneheads" sketches; her particular low point was the time she nearly drowned during a "witch-hunt" sketch starring Steve Martin. Free of her SNL duties in 1980, Laraine played a supporting role in Woody Allen's Stardust Memories, and was featured in such "comedy salads" (Ms. Newman's own term for feature films overloaded with TV comedians) as Wholly Moses (1980) and Yellowbeard (1982). The world first saw Ms. Newman's new nose job when she co-starred in the 1985 John Travolta-Jamie Lee Curtis starrer Perfect. The following year, Laraine hosted a syndicated "bad movie" TV anthology, Canned Film Festival. Laraine Newman's screen appearances of the 1990s have included the role of Susan Rock in 1993's The Flintstones and a revival of Laarta in the like-vintage The Coneheads.

Trivia: A renowned character actress, Mindy Sterling honed her skills as a member of the Groundlings improv troupe in 1984. She had already begun building up her acting résumé by this time, making minor appearances on TV, and she would continue to find steady work with small but memorable roles, like as a writer on The Larry Sanders Show in 1992. Sterling's notoriety went up several notches in 1997, however, when she took on the role of stone-cold henchwoman Frau Farbissina in the Mike Myers comedy Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. In the years following, the comedienne would reprise the role for two sequels, but she would also find significant work in television, landing regular roles on series like Robot Chicken, iCarly, and Chowder. She would also find success in the role of voice acting, lending her vocal talents to projects like Mars Needs Moms.

Trivia: Trained with the improvisational comedy troupe The Second City. First major voice role was playing Hello Kitty in the 1987 animated television series Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater. Was housemates with actor Neve Campbell early in their respective careers; she even auditioned for the role of Julia on the '90s teen drama series Party of Five, a role which Campbell ultimately received. Co-created the babababy baby bottle system, the world's first built-in calendar bottle, with her husband, fellow actor Craig Strong. Volunteered for the charity Bronies for Good, helping to raise funds for a family whose daughter had a brain tumor.