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: 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: Lead actress, onscreen from the late '80s.

Trivia: Blue-eyed British actor Malcolm McDowell has a history of playing angry, cruel characters that still managed to be charming. Born in working-class Leeds, England, he sold coffee around Yorkshire before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in the late '60s. By 1967, he had made his big-screen debut in Poor Cow, the first feature-length film from director Ken Loach. Moving to New York, McDowell met director Lindsay Anderson and appeared in his off-Broadway production of Look Back in Anger. (He would reprise his role of angry young man Jimmy Porter in the 1980 film version.) He then played Mick Travis, the rebellious boarding school student in If.... (1968), a role he would continue in Anderson's next two films, O Lucky Man! (which he co-wrote) and Britannia Hospital (1982). Director Stanley Kubrick took notice of his work with Anderson and gave McDowell his international breakthrough with A Clockwork Orange, based upon the novel by Anthony Burgess. His portrayal of the sadistic Alex earned him two Best Actor nominations, but also cemented a dark image that would persist throughout his career. He would occasionally get breaks with characters such as Captain Flashman, the hero in the adventure satire Royal Flash or the naïve fighter in the WWI drama Aces High. But his unscrupulous reputation was reinforced in 1979, when he starred in the title role as the Roman emperor in Bob Guccione's notorious production of Caligula. He made his first American film the same year, playing H.G. Wells in Time After Time alongside young actress Mary Steenburgen (they were married from 1980-1990). McDowell went on to star in the horror remake Cat People, the action-adventure Blue Thunder, and the rock musical-comedy Get Crazy. McDowell made several TV movies toward the late '80s, including Gulag, Arthur the King, and Monte Carlo. After a serious bout with a persistent drug problem, his hair turned white and he started playing regular villains in largely forgettable U.S. releases. He had better casting luck abroad, such as the leading role in the Russian film Assassin of the Tsar. After a cameo in The Player in 1992, the actor started lending his voice talent to cartoons, including Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Superman, Spider-Man, Batman: The Animated Series, Biker Mice From Mars, and the features The Fist of the North Star and Happily Ever After. He also provided the voice of Commodore Geoffrey Tolwyn for the Wing Commander video game series and subsequent cartoon. His villainous roles started to gravitate toward science fiction with Tank Girl, Cyborg 3: The Recycler, and, most notably, Dr. Soran in Star Trek: Generations. On television, he played the evil Benny Barrett on the BBC series Our Friends in the North and the sinister Mr. Roarke on the ABC revival series Fantasy Island. In the late '90s, he appeared in a lot of direct-to-video and made-for-cable movies before making a return to U.K. theatrical features with the family drama My Life So Far in 1999 and Gangster No. 1 in 2000. In 2003, he appeared in the horseracing film Hidalgo, Robert Altman's The Company, and the Russian film Evilenko as serial killer Andrei Chikatilo. For better or worse, McDowell's most recognizable role of the decade would likely be that of Dr. Samuel Loomis in Rob Zombie's Halloween (2008) and its 2009 sequel -- thouigh a recurring role on the NBC hit Heroes certainly didn't hurt in boosting his exposure among viewers too young to remember his dramatic defining roles. Occasional voice work in The Disney Channel's Phineas and Ferb continued that trend - albiet in a less conspicuous manner -- then in 2011 the screen veteran turned in a brief but memorable performance in Michel Hazanavicius' Oscar favorite The Artist, proving that even without so much as a line of dialogue, McDowell still had the charisma to command the screen.

Trivia: The physically striking actor Eric Winter originally started out as a model before he cut his acting chops in the early 2000s, with periodic contributions (in guest-acting roles) to such programs as Charmed and CSI. In 2002, he found regular work on the soap opera Days of Our Lives, playing the mysterious Rex Brady for several years. When Winter left that show, there was no shortage of work for the handsome thespian, who was soon appearing on such programs as Wildfire, Viva Laughlin, and Brothers & Sisters. On the latter series (the most popular of the bunch), he portrayed gay minister Jason McCallister, the brother of Republican presidential candidate Senator Robert McCallister (Rob Lowe) and a love interest for lawyer Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys). Winter followed that up with a recurring part as ADA Benjamin Talbot on the short-lived vampire detective series Moonlight. Also in 2007, he appeared in the stoner comedy Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (the sequel to the massive sleeper hit Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle) as Colton Graham, the outwardly perfect but secretly manipulative and smug Republican fiancé of Kumar's ex-girlfriend (whom Kumar is still in love with).

Trivia: After spending his formative years in Utah and Alaska, actor James Morrison became a successful stage actor. By the early '80s, he had won several awards for his theater performances and cultivated a lively screen career, as well, appearing in films like 2002's Catch Me if You Can and on the popular TV series 24.

Trivia: Was encouraged to channel her energy toward acting by her second-grade guidance counselor. Studied acting as a child at the Berkshire Public Theatre. Played soccer and basketball in high school; also ran track. After graduating from college, she trained at New York's Circle in the Square Theatre. Appeared as Bridget in singer R. Kelly's hip-hopera Trapped in the Closet. First series-regular role came on the short-lived ABC drama October Road, starring Bryan Greenberg and Laura Prepon.

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: 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: Originally went to college to become a teacher and tutored elementary students throughout high school and college. Married with two children. Crossed paths with Tony Soprano as a compulsive gambler in the pilot episode of The Sopranos. Made his Broadway debut in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, opposite Eddie Izzard, in 2003. Originally read for the role of Johnston Green for Jericho.

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: Character actor Gregory Itzin's tall and conservative appearance seemed to call for, even demand, sober and distinguished parts, such as those of corporate heavies, cutthroat attorneys, etc. It was with immense irony, then, that Itzin took his cinematic bow on a completely loony note -- as one of the proselytizing cultists karate-chopped by Robert Stack at the airport in the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker classic Airplane! For a time, Itzin seemed to take this as a cue and placed a strong emphasis in his career on comedies, such as the 1982 Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (as one of religious crusader Melvin P. Thorpe's minions) and episodes of Murphy Brown and Night Court. The late '80s, however, saw Itzin turn toward more straight-faced material; he tackled small roles in the Gary David Goldberg melodrama Dad (1989) and Steve Kloves' justly praised seriocomedy The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989). In the 1990s, Itzin's diversity broadened further, with periodic contributions to the domestically themed prime-time dramas ER, Murder One, and (expanding into the fantasy realm) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. Itzin extended his heavy emphasis on television work into the 2000s, with a particularly high profile in 24, as Vice President (then President) Charles Logan. In 2007, the actor received renewed attention (not all of it positive) with his portrayal of Dr. Greg Jameson, the physician who treats psychopath victim Lindsay Lohan, in the critically despised torture-fest I Know Who Killed Me. Itzen continued his role on 24 throughout 2010, and took on a small supporting role in actor/director George Clooney's political drama The Ides of March (2011).

Trivia: His irises tremble violently as the camera fixes on his glassy gaze, and before you know it, you've once again been entranced by the character with whom you're unsure if you should fear or sympathize. With the rare ability to convey the delicate blend of conflicting emotions that only the most effective character actors can convincingly portray, actor Pruitt Taylor Vince has crafted a successful film and television career playing introspective, often disturbed, loners teetering on the fringes of society. Though the portly Baton Rouge native's first onscreen role was to have been in director Jim Jarmusch's 1986 comedy drama Down by Law, his scenes were cut before the film hit theaters, and audiences would not get their first look at Vince until the release of Alan Parker's Angel Heart the following year. Vince owes something of a debt to the prolific director, since it was Parker's racially charged drama Mississippi Burning that first found audiences taking notice of the burgeoning, sometimes fearsome, actor. In 1990, Vince turned up in yet another of Parker's films, Come See the Paradise, though it was that same year's horrific thriller Jacob's Ladder that truly found Vince setting himself apart from the pack. If the 1990s had proven kind to Vince early on, it was his emotionally compelling role opposite Paul Newman in Nobody's Fool that truly began to give audiences an idea of what Vince was capable of as an actor. Cast as the village idiot who finds a sympathetic ear in Newman's character, Vince lent an uncanny depth to a character that may have otherwise been an instantly forgettable, two-dimensional role. Though Vince's early roles were indeed noteworthy thanks to his uncommon ability to exude repression and deeply rooted malaise as few other actors could, it wasn't until director James Mangold's cast him in the lead for his 1995 drama Heavy that Vince was truly given the opportunity to shine. Mangold did something that few mainstream Hollywood efforts would allow when he dared to offer the overweight and balding actor the dramatic lead -- the role of Victor Modina, a shy cook in a small-town restaurant who secretly longs for the love of an attractive young waitress (portrayed by Liv Tyler). With his expressive eyes (their sometimes discomforting vibration the result of a condition known as nystagmus) effectively conveying the desperation of a trapped animal longing to escape his suffocating existence, Vince's heartbreaking performance eloquently conveyed the internal distress and helplessness felt by his long-suffering character. Though the following years may not have offered Vince more roles the size or caliber of his part in Heavy, a series of small-screen performances in the late '90s showed that his talent was, without question, as potent as ever. Following an unforgettable performance as a mentally unbalanced photographer who kidnaps Agent Scully (Gillian Anderson) in a 1996 episode of The X-Files ("Unruhe"), Vince's turn as a suspicious kidnapping suspect in the miniseries Night Sins and a disturbed serial killer in several episodes of Murder One proved that he could be chillingly effective in menacing roles. The latter role even proved so effective as to earn Vince an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. It was at this point that directors were truly beginning to discover the dramatic possibilities of casting Vince in their films, and his turn as a gifted musician and compelling storyteller proved a highlight of the wistful 1998 drama The Legend of 1900. Supporting performances in Mumford (1999), Nurse Betty (2000), The Cell (2000), and S1m0ne (2002) found Vince steadily becoming a recognizable face to mainstream audiences, and in 2002, he sent chills down the spines of suspense fanatics as the childlike accomplice in a harrowing kidnapping scheme in Trapped. Vince's skittishly ominous performance left viewers on the edge of their seats as he held a young girl (played by Dakota Fanning) hostage with instructions to kill her on a moment's notice, and the film utilized Vince's alternately innocent and threatening character to chilling effect. He again teamed with director Mangold for the 2003 thriller Identity, cast in a key role that proved elemental to the film's startling denouement. Vince also continued to take on guest-starring roles in such TV series as Alias and The Handler. After appearing in the 2003 Aileen Wuornos biopic Monster, Vince would play a priest in the 2004 comic-to-film adaptation of Hellblazer, entitled Constantine.

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: Began acting as a child at the York Little Theatre in York, PA, and attended the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts as a teen. Due to her height in sixth grade, was mistaken for a substitute teacher, and from that time on was drawn to playing strong females, including Lady Macbeth (Jane Comfort's Cliffs Notes: Macbeth in 1999) and Medea (Roger Kirby's Medea in Jerusalem in 2004) on stage, and the faerie Queen Mab (HBO's True Blood) on TV. Is a member of the Fire Dept. and the Big Dance Theater acting troupes. Won an Obie Award for her performance as Nazi-era German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl in Jordan Harrison's Amazons and Their Men (2008).

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.

Trivia: Samaire Armstrong's unique first name is Gaelic for "dawning sun," but despite choosing their daughter's name for its beautiful meaning, Armstrong's parents didn't actually know how to pronounce the name for the first three months of her life. They pronounced it "Sam-Air" until they happened to meet a Gaelic man, who explained that it was in fact pronounced "Sam-eer-ah." The girl with the curious name was born in Japan, and her family lived there, and then in Hawaii, before finally settling in Arizona, where young Armstrong did most of her growing up. She excelled in the theater arts in high school, and she briefly attended the University of Arizona before leaving, frustrated by the fact that freshmen weren't allowed to participate in theatrical productions. Armstrong decided to get started with her career and by 2000, at age 20, she'd done so, appearing in two episodes of the cult favorite Freaks and Geeks. Roles followed in films like Not Another Teen Movie before she scored a career-making gig with a recurring role on the hit show The O.C. While she wasn't made a member of the regular cast, Armstrong became a fan favorite, playing the crucial third member of a love triangle between her character, Anna, her good friend Seth, and Seth's long-time crush, Summer. The O.C. eventually came to an end in 2006, but by 2004, Armstrong had a second series in which she regularly appeared, showing up on the hit HBO program Entourage as agent Ari's assistant, Emily, whom Eric dates briefly. The actress also began stretching her acting muscles on the big screen with roles in Just My Luck, It's a Boy Girl Thing, The Staircase Murders, and Rise: Blood Hunter.Armstrong would faind continued success over the coming years, appearing most notably on shows like Dirty Sexy Money and The Mentalist.

Trivia: Born in Chile, Pascal and his family fled the country in the 1970s as political refugees during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Spent time in Denmark, Texas and Southern California, before moving to New York City at age 18 to pursue theatre. Was a competitive swimmer as a child, qualifying for the state championships in Texas at age 11. The stage veteran received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award and Garland Award for his role in the International City Theatre production of Orphans. Directed original productions for the Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre and as a member of Off-Broadway's renowned LAByrinth Theatre Company. Before filming Series 1 of Narcos, he and his co-star Boyd Holbrook spent a week in Virginia, during which they were able to train at Quantico and met the real-life undercover DEA agents they portray on the Netflix series. Appeared with Heidi Klum in a video set to Sia's "Fire Meet Gasoline" filmed for the model's Intimates Lingerie collection.

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: Some actors have such defining traits that they seem to have "leading man" written all over them, while others, like Terry Kinney, succeed with an uncanny ability to drastically alter their appearance at the drop of a hat. Though his chameleon-like skills have helped the actor land numerous roles on the stage and screen, it's his talent that ultimately formed the backbone of his enduring career. After graduating from high school, the Lincoln, IL, native attended Illinois State University. It was there that he befriended aspiring actor Jeff Perry, who invited Kinney to Chicago to watch his best friend perform in a stage production of Grease. Perry's friend was an ambitious young actor named Gary Sinise, and the three soon began planning to open their own regional theater. Though it was founded in 1974, the Steppenwolf Theater wouldn't quite get off the ground until two years later -- when Kinney and Perry graduated from I.S.U. The venture was largely unprofitable at first, so its founders supported themselves and their dream through a series of odd jobs before the theater moved from a Highland Park church basement to the old St. Nicholas Theater building in the early '80s. The change of scenery proved to be just what the theater needed to flourish, and it was soon drawing good crowds. In the years that followed, the company moved once again -- this time to a permanent location in Chicago -- and Kinney served as Steppenwolf's artistic co-director alongside Sinise. During this profitable period, Kinney and his co-founders were nominated for numerous theatrical awards, while their productions made headway on Broadway. Kinney, of course, had aspirations beyond regional theater, and, in 1986, made his film debut with a small part in the romantic comedy Seven Minutes in Heaven. The remainder of the '80s found the actor landing bit parts in No Mercy (1986) and Sinise's Miles From Home (1988), in addition to a brief stint on television with thirtysomething. It wasn't until the following decade, however, that his film career truly began to blossom. Following an appearance in The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Kinney drew favorable reviews for his top-billed turn in Abel Ferrara's Body Snatchers, and his billing remained high with The Firm (1993), Fly Away Home (1996), and Sleepers (1998). In 1997, Kinney landed an extended gig on the acclaimed HBO prison drama Oz. Cast as Cell Block Five Unit Manager Tim McManus, Kinney's hardened performance lent the show both dimension and a certain foundation. Kinney frequently balanced his role on this series with a number of feature performances, including such films as The Young Girl and the Monsoon (1999, his second lead), Luminous Motion (1998), and The House of Mirth (2000). Although the bulk of his work in Save the Last Dance (2001) ended up on the cutting room floor, audiences could still get a good look at Kinney in such features as The Laramie Project (2001) and the 2004 soccer drama The Game of Their Lives.