Trivia: Fair-haired Australian actor Simon Baker (occasionally billed as Simon Baker-Denny, and not to be confused with the Native American performer of the same name) specialized in playing suave, cultured, and sophisticated types, with many assignments as a romantic lead. He debuted as a performer in his native country, with roles on such popular Oceanian series as E Street (1989), Heartbreak High (1994), and Naked (1995), but made the Hollywood leap opposite fellow Aussie import Russell Crowe with a small supporting role in the Curtis Hanson-directed post-noir blockbuster L.A. Confidential (1997). Taking the success of this as a cue, Baker then accepted a lead in the similar, albeit less-favorably received, outing Judas Kiss (1998). He starred opposite Val Kilmer and Carrie-Anne Moss in Red Planet (2000), and opposite Hilary Swank in The Affair of the Necklace (2001), but achieved far greater recognition and acclaim in the lead role on the CBS drama series The Guardian (2001-2004). He played Nick Fallin, a coke-addled attorney who finds redemption via child advocacy, until the series was canceled after three seasons. Successive projects included a turn in the big-budget horror sequel The Ring Two (2005); a role as Anne Hathaway's prospective suitor (whom she rejects in favor of her career) in David Frankel's The Devil Wears Prada (2006); and a part as one half of an interracial couple in Something New, opposite Sanaa Lathan. Meanwhile, at about the same time, Baker played Jeff Breen, a professional thief, on the short-lived CBS crime series Smith, starring Ray Liotta. In fall 2008, Baker headlined the new detective series The Mentalist, playing an investigator with razor-sharp obervational skills. He also took on the lead role -- as a parent who opens up a nasty Pandora's box when he searches for his missing daughter -- in director Dror Soref's supernatural horror outing Not Forgotten (2008). He earned an Emmy nomination in 2009 for his work on The Mentalist, and he appeared in the 2011financial drama Margin Call.

Trivia: Born June 19th, 1972, actress Robin Tunney became known in the 1990s for her work in a number of teen and independent films. A native of Chicago's South Side, where she attended Catholic high school, Tunney studied acting at the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. She spent her summers performing in such stage productions as Bus Stop and Agnes of God. At the age of 18, Tunney moved to Los Angeles, where she began finding work on various television shows. The actress made her screen debut in the 1992 Brendan Fraser/Pauly Shore comedy Encino Man. She had her first lead role in the teen ensemble film Empire Records (1995), playing a suicidal record store employee who announces her presence in the film by walking into the store and shaving her head. A year later, Tunney starred as a member of a group of high school misfits who use witchcraft to take revenge on their tormenters in The Craft. Sort of a Sixteen Candles meets Carrie, the film proved to be a cult hit, particularly with teenage girls. Tunney subsequently made her name in independent dramas and mainstream films alike, doing particularly strong work in Niagara Niagara, earning the Venice Film Festival's Volpi Cup for Best Actress, for her portrayal of a young woman with Tourette's Syndrome. In 1999, she entered into the realm of bloated budgets and equally bloated plot premises, starring as Satan's intended bride alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in End of Days. That same year, she played a 22nd century paramedic in Supernova, a sci-fi thriller that had her racing against time to escape from an exploding star. After braving icy mountains in the adventure nail-biter Vertical Limit (2000) Tunney would turn-up as a fantasy prone animator placed under house arrest after the mysterious hit and run death of a police officer in the comedy thriller Cherish (2002).In the wake of The In-Laws, Tunney would carry an impressive collection of independent thrillers including Paparazzi, Runaway, and The Zodiac, with a continuing role on the popular television drama Prison Break serving well to offer steady employment while letting her chose her film roles as she saw fit. A supporting role in frequent television director Allen Coulter's feature debut Hollywoodland found Tunney joining an impressive cast that included Ben Affleck, Diane Lane, Bob Hoskins, and Adrien Brody to explore the mysterious last days of television Superman George Reevs.Tunney became most recognizable for her starring role on The Mentalist as CBI Senior Special Agent Teresa Lisbon, who leads the Special Crime Unit and works directly with the show's protagonist, Patrick Jane (Simon Baker). The Mentalist first aired in 2008 on CBS and ran through 2015.

Trivia: San Francisco native Tim Kang studied at UC Berkley and Harvard before embarking on a professional acting career in the early 2000s, soon scoring a recurring role on the series Third Watch. He would make regular appearances on television over the coming years, eventually landing a starring role on the series The Mentalist playing Kimball Cho. He landed his first prominant big-screen role with a part in 2008's Rambo.

Trivia: A theatrically trained actor who has subsequently made a name for himself as a valuable film and television commodity, Rockmond Dunbar is much more than just another charismatic performer -- he's also a talented producer and director. It was Dunbar's role on the mid-'90s sci-fi show Earth 2 that first served to introduce the ambitious cinematic Renaissance man to viewers, with subsequent appearances on The Practice and Felicity preceding more substantial roles on Girlfriends and Soul Food -- the latter of which found Dunbar winning over critics and viewers as a dedicated family man and hardworking entrepreneur. Additional roles in such independent films as Punks, All About You, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Dirty Laundry showed an actor who was as charismatic on the big screen as he was on the small one, with behind-the-scenes work on Dirty Laundry and the 2003 drama The Great Commission marking his arrival as a producer and director as well. In 2005, Dunbar resurfaced on the small screen in a role that couldn't have been more different than the one he previously played in Soul Food. Cast as hardened prison inmate "C-Note" on the hit Fox series Prison Break, Dunbar portrayed his most compelling television character to date. From inmate to medico, the versatile star named one of "Television's 50 Sexiest Stars of All Time" by TV Guide could next be seen as compassionate Dr. Tom Jonas on the small-screen medical drama Heartland. Dunbar continued to showcase strong TV work in the coming years, with guest roles on Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and the Closer and long recurring arcs on The Game, The Mentalist and Sons of Anarchy.

Trivia: Welsh-born actor Owain Yeoman studied theater at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and English Literature at Brasenose College at Oxford University before beginning his professional career, playing the role of Lysander in 2004's Troy. He soon later scored the role of Steven Daedelus on the series Kitchen Confidential, and later Lucas Dalton on The Nine. More TV success would follow in 2008, as Yeoman picked up the roles of Sgt. Eric Kocher on Generation Kill and Wayne Rigsby on The Mentalist.

Trivia: Actress Amanda Righetti personified the ability had by some to catch the eye of television producers with one small, recurring part and spin that into a more permanent and higher-profile success. A native of St. George, UT (and the youngest of eight children), Righetti grew up in Las Vegas, NV, and enjoyed her first taste of fame with a multi-episode run as Hailey on the Fox network's prime-time soap opera The O.C. Though it failed to evolve into a permanent role, it so impressed the program's producers that they insisted on retaining Righetti for a follow-up assignment -- as a regular character, Tessa Lewis, on the Fox ensemble drama North Shore (2004). Unfortunately, that series only lasted one season, as did a regular role on a Fox follow-up series, Jon Harmon Feldman's experimental drama Reunion (2005). Righetti then moved into features, becoming something of a scream queen in horror-oriented work. Projects included director Victor Garcia's Return to House on Haunted Hill (2007) and the 2009 remake of the iconic 1980 slasher film Friday the 13th. She also returned to regular TV work in the fall of 2008, with a supporting role as rookie Grace Van Pelt on the detective drama The Mentalist, opposite Simon Baker.

Trivia: San Francisco-born actress Aunjanue Ellis graduated with a B.A. in African-American studies from Brown University before studying acting at NYU. She began her career in the mid-'90s, appearing in films like Girls Town and A Map of the World. In 2002, she gave a memorable performance as secret agent Sistah Girl in the comedy Undercover Brother, and that same year she was cast in a starring role in the series MDs. In 2005, she nabbed another starring role in a series as MSgt. Jocelyn Pierce on the Pentagon drama E-Ring, and she stayed with the show for 11 episodes. In 2008, she appeared in a starring role as an unlikely murder suspect in the thriller Cover.

Trivia: Planned on starting a career as a Foreign Service Officer after graduating from the University of Virginia in 2001; decided to further her education and study acting after the encouragement of drama teachers. In 2006, made her Broadway debut in High Fidelity, based on the Nick Hornby novel and the 2000 film of the same name. Made her big-screen debut playing Brandi in The Lucky Ones (2008), a dramedy about three wounded soldiers who return to the U.S. from Iraq and unexpectedly end up together on a cross-country road trip. Has performed in a New York-based cabaret group, Jac 'N Swallow, with fellow songstress Jaclyn Huberman.

Trivia: Was a self-proclaimed jock during high school, having lettered in three sports - basketball, football and track. His first experience in acting was a theater class at the University of Minnesota. Studied at the William Esper Studio in New York City. Made first TV appearance in an episode of NBC's Law and Order in 1996. In 1998, performed in an off-Broadway production of Chili Queen.

Trivia: A skilled actress with the unique ability to toggle between tough-as-nails conviction and all-too-human vulnerability, actress Catherine Dent possesses the sort of classy timeless beauty that -- when combined with modern sensibility -- makes her the perfect addition to the cast of the acclaimed television police drama The Shield. Though she has received widespread recognition for her role as the street-smart officer Danielle "Danny" Sofer on the series, Dent has also made impressive appearances on the big screen with memorable supporting roles in such features as Auto Focus and 21 Grams. Dent is a Baton Rouge, LA, native who studied her craft at the North Carolina School of the Arts. It didn't take long for the ambitious actress to make her feature debut opposite screen legend Paul Newman in the 1994 drama Nobody's Fool. Her subsequent roles opposite Jim Carrey and Ashley Judd in The Majestic and Someone Like You proved that Dent had what it takes to make it in Hollywood. She did stage work in both Broadway and regional theater giving testament to her deep-rooted love of acting. Though she was an increasingly familiar face to television viewers throughout the '90s -- thanks to guest roles in The X-Files, Frasier, Law & Order, and The Sopranos -- it was a recurring role in the long-running soap One Life to Live (beginning in 1997) that truly put Dent on the map with television viewers. That same year, Dent made a lasting impression by joining the cast of The Shield; she also made her first foray into science fiction territory as a mother whose contact with extraterrestrials profoundly affects her life in the Steven Spielberg produced Sci Fi Channel miniseries Taken. A supporting role in 21 Grams was quick to follow, with a substantial role in the 2005 black comedy The Unseen, assuring audiences that they'll be seeing plenty more of Dent in the years to follow.

Trivia: Lead actress, onscreen from the early '80s.

Trivia: Perry King received his acting training at Yale and Juilliard. Entering films in 1972 with Slaughterhouse Five, the handsome, flinty-eyed King went on to play roles ranging from menacing to passive in such films as The Lords of Flatbush (1974), The Wild Party (1975) and Lipstick (1976). King's plentiful work has included the part of Rory Armagh in the 1976 miniseries Captains and the Kings, starring roles in the weekly series Quest (1981), Riptide (1985) and The Trouble With Larry (1993), and a wealth of made-for-TV movies, among them Foster and Laurie (1975), Golden Gate (1981), The Hasty Heart (1983) and Helen Keller: The Miracle Continues (1984). Perry King is the grandson of fabled literary editor Maxfield Perkins.

Trivia: American leading man Craig Sheffer was first seen on a nationwide basis on the TV-serial circuit. He played Ian Hayden on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, and was cast as the teenaged son of Michael Goodwin and Leigh-Taylor Young on the 1983 prime time serial The Hamptons. Sheffer's earliest starring assignment in films was as the best friend of troubled teenager Emilio Estevez in That Was Then...This Is Now (1985). Among Craig Sheffer's more recent films are A River Runs Through It (1992) (in which he played the older brother of Brad Pitt), Fire in the Sky (1993), and Sleep With Me (1994) (top-billed, as the apex of a romantic triangle which included Eric Stoltz and Meg Tilly). He remained a steadily-working actor, often in indie films. His credits include A Season in Purgatory, Flypaper, and Miss Evers' Boys. In the 21st century he could be seen in Maze, Deep Core, and Killer Buzz before landing the role of Keith Scott on the television series One Tree Hill. In 2007 Sheffer wrote and directed the ensemble comedy American Crude. He starred in the 2008 thriller While She Was Out, and in 2012 he was the lead in Clive Barker's Nightbreed: The Cabal Cut.

Trivia: With his coal-black hair and slightly olive-skinned complexion, U.S.-born supporting actor Michael Rady often fell into an "ethnic" casting niche. His memorable roles included Kostas, the Greek lover of Lena (Alexis Bledel), in Ken Kwapis' delightful coming-of-age tale Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Nick Zingaro in Andrew Davis' adventure drama The Guardian (2006). In 2008, Rady reprised his Traveling Pants role for the sequel. In the years to come, Rady would find success on the small screen on the reboot of Melrose Place and the proceedural The Mentalist.