Trivia: A film that unquestionably proves the effectiveness that positive word of mouth can have, Nia Vardalos' My Big Fat Greek Wedding was the very definition of the independent sleeper that came from virtually nowhere to become an Oscar nominated breakout hit that would compete with such summer 2002 heavies as Signs, Austin Powers in Goldmember, and XXX. With virtually no television advertising to speak of and no billboards to build an audience in the weeks before its release, My Big Fat Greek Wedding continued to build box-office momentum to become one of the most successful independent features ever released. Born Antonia Eugenia Vardalos in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in September 1962, Vardalos' good-natured and eccentric family encouraged the talented youngster's creativity she began exhibiting when she was merely six years old. Her love of performing led Vardalos to begin her professional career at the Rainbow Stage, a theater company that eventually provided her with the means to get a scholarship to Toronto's Ryerson University in 1986. It was two short years later that the emerging performer would join Toronto's Second City theater troupe, moving to Chicago's Second City stage shortly thereafter. Introduced to future husband Ian Gomez while performing in the Windy City, the couple married in September 1993 and moved to Los Angeles shortly thereafter. Both Vardalos and Gomez began appearing on numerous small-screen shows such as The Drew Carey Show, and it wasn't long before Vardalos, inspired by her eccentric family and her colorful childhood, began to pen a stage play entitled My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Penning her first draft in a mere two weeks, the play was assembled based on her friends' recollection of humorous stories about her family and centered around her account of her and Gomez's memorable wedding. A stage hit that soon drew the attention of actress Rita Wilson, Wilson recommended the play to husband Tom Hanks and after Hanks attended the following night's performance of the charming one-woman play, the couple agreed that a film version would captivate audiences. Though she faced much adversity by means of executives eager to cast a major star and tinker with her winning script, Vardalos stuck to her guns and brought her vision to the screen fully intact for a paltry five million dollars, a gamble that paid off when word of mouth found audiences flocking to the film in record numbers. She adapted her massive sleeper hit into a short-lived sitcom, My Big Fat Greek Life. Her feature follow-up was the female buddy film Connie and Carla - where she played opposite Toni Collette. Vardalos made her directorial debut with 2009's I Hate Valentine's Day, and she co-wrote Tom Hanks' sophomore directorial effort Larry Crowne.

Trivia: With his ability to seamlessly alternate between a laid-back rugged handsomeness and fashionably well-coifed GQ good looks, John Corbett's endearingly goofy charm and picture-perfect smile have built the talented actor a devoted female fan base in addition to making him perfectly suited for roles in such diverse beloved television hits as Northern Exposure and Sex and the City. With his role as the culture-shocked WASP groom introduced into an extended Greek family in Nia Vardalos' surprise breakout hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding, longtime fans of Corbett's small-screen work were delighted to see the actor finally match that success in feature films. Born and raised in West Virginia, Corbett initially moved to California not to seek success in the bright lights of Hollywood, but to pursue a decidedly less glamorous career working in a steel factory. Concurrently taking classes at a local college, fate had other plans for Corbett as he was forced to halt his factory work after six years due to an injury. Deciding to sit in on a friend's drama class on a lark and called to the stage by the teacher to assist in an exercise, Corbett's talent was clear to all and he was soon on his way to forging a new career on-stage. The encouragement and support of his teacher gave Corbett the confidence to develop his talents and seek a career as an actor, and it wasn't long before he was finding frequent work in commercials. Corbett's big break would come in the late '80s with an appearance on The Wonder Years, though it was his Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated performance in the popular television drama Northern Exposure (1990-1995) that endeared him to audiences and officially commenced his career in the public eye. As the free-thinking intellectual disc jockey who finds himself settled in the quirky town of Cicely, AK, Corbett settled into a role that would gain him a considerable fan base. Roles in numerous television productions followed, and Corbett's appearances in such features as Tombstone (1993) and Volcano (1997) found him successfully developing as an actor while maintaining his unique and likeable presence in front of the cameras. His role as Sarah Jessica Parker's love interest on the breakout HBO hit series Sex and the City found audiences sympathizing with the marriage-minded but lovelorn character, and after a role as a new age musician in the romantic comedy Serendipity, Corbett finally tied the knot in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Shot on a miniscule budget but becoming a massive success in the weeks following its release, My Big Fat Greek Wedding delivered Corbett's small-screen promise to the big screen with effectively side-splitting results and paved the way for a successful feature career. He had another brief TV run as a gambler in the cable series Lucky in 2003. In 2004 he appeared in the Kate Hudson romcom Raising Helen. Though he continued to work steadily in film, he returned to TV in order to be in The United States of Tara on HBO. He appeared in Sex and the City 2 and played the father in Ramona and Beezus in 2010.

Trivia: Though frequently cast in Jewish roles, actor Michael Constantine was actually of Greek extraction. The son of a steel worker, Constantine studied acting with such prominent mentors as Howard DaSilva. The prematurely balding Constantine was playing character roles on and off Broadway in his mid-twenties (he was the Darrow counterpart in the original production of Compulsion), supplementing his income as a night watchman and shooting-gallery barker. In 1959, slightly weary of being ignored by callous Broadway producers and casting directors, Constantine appeared in his first film, The Last Mile (1959), thereby launching a cinematic career that has endured into the mid-1990s. Michael Constantine is perhaps best known for his extensive TV work, notably his four-season (1969-1974) stint as long-suffering high school principal Seymour Kaufman on Room 222 and his starring appearance as night-court magistrate Matthew J. Sirota on the brief 1976 sitcom Sirota's Court.

Trivia: Hofstra-educated singer/actress Lainie Kazan became a celebrity by indirection. In 1964, Kazan was engaged to understudy Barbra Streisand in the Broadway production of Funny Girl; the disappointed boos and catcalls that often greeted Kazan when she subbed for Streisand were generally dissipated by the standing ovations she'd receive at performance's end. In 1966, Kazan was hired for her first weekly-TV stint on The Dean Martin Summer Show, exhibiting a keen sense of comic timing in the presence of such funsters as Dom DeLuise and Rowan & Martin. A firmly established nightclub star by 1980, Kazan made her official screen bow in 1980's One From the Heart (her actual screen debut in an obscure 1968 film was passed over in the studio publicity). In 1982, she essayed her most memorable screen role, as the brash, blunt Brooklynite Bella Carroca in My Favorite Year; she would repeat this role many years later in the Broadway musical version of that film. She had a memorable turn in the weepie Beaches, and appeared in a variety of projects including Honeymoon in Vegas and Love Is All There Is. Kazan had the biggest movie success of her career at the beginning of the 21st century when she was one of the leads in the indie smash My Big Fat Greek Wedding, setting in motion a career resurgence that included the short-lived TV spinoff of that movie as well as Gigli, Red Riding Hood, and the Adam Sandler movie You Don't Mess With the Zohan. Kazan's series-TV assignments included the role of Rita in the 1986 Robby Benson detective series Tough Cookies, the "best friend" part of Claire Steiner in the Fox Network Patty Duke sitcom Karen's Song, and recurring appearances in the hospital drama St. Elsewhere. Few of these appearances, however were of the zany calibre of Kazan's outrageous portrayal of an Italian-accented fairy godmother in Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre's version of "Pinocchio." Still a top attraction on the supper-club circuit, Lainie Kazan has opened two cabarets bearing her name in New York and Los Angeles.

Trivia: Gia Carides had been acting in her native Australia for over a decade before she finally made the move to the U.S. Born in Sydney, Carides was cast in her first film at age 12. Throughout the 1980s, she acted in a number of Australian theater productions and Australian films, including Phar Lap (1983), the award-winning Bliss (1985), and Backlash (1986). With a supporting role in Baz Luhrmann's cult art house favorite Strictly Ballroom (1992), Carides scored her first international success. She co-starred opposite eventual husband Anthony LaPaglia in the Australian-made Paperback Romance (1994) and Brilliant Lies (1996). After she relocated to the United States in the mid-'90s, Carides acted in off-Broadway theater and won roles in several studio and independent films, including CIA drama Bad Company (1995) and erotic thriller Lifebreath (1997). Winning fans for her looks as well as her talent, Carides played the small yet crucial part of Gennifer Flowers-esque Cashmere McLeod in Mike Nichols' adaptation of political roman à clef Primary Colors (1998) and lent her sensual presence to the blockbuster Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) as Dr. Evil's seductive assassin Robin Swallows. Carides scored another, if far less expected, box office smash with her supporting role in My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). As writer-star Nia Vardalos's Cousin Nikki, Carides was a key figure in the comic Greek clan benevolently plaguing Vardalos and John Corbett's ethnically mismatched couple, helping to turn the modest indie romantic comedy into a record-breaking sleeper hit. She reprised the role in the short-lived television spin-off the following year. Carides played The Queen in Year One (2009) and appeared on several Australian television series, including East of Everything.

Trivia: Born in Puerto Rico, his parents were Canadian and moved the family back to Toronto when he was 13. Was a member of the high school swim team and student council. Enjoys collecting primitive art. Is a resident director at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills. Established an acting scholarship at his high school. Is active in many charities, including Project Angel Food, the AIDS Project Los Angeles and the United Way.

Trivia: Met wife Nia Vardalos when both were in Chicago performing with the Second City comedy group. Says the day he was hired for Second City (which also featured Chris Farley at the same time) was one of the happiest of his life. Made film debut in 1993's Rookie of the Year. His endearing performance as Javier, the flamboyant coffee-shop manager on The WB's Felicity, was originally supposed to be temporary. His character became so popular that he was rescued from deportation and made a permanent fixture. During the same period when he was appearing on Felicity, he held roles as a goofy sidekick on ABC's Norm and as a conniving ladder-climber on The Drew Carey Show. Appeared in wife Nia Vardalos' hit comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), a film she wrote and based on their relationship. In 2008, he and his wife adopted a daughter.

Trivia: Canadian lead actress Jayne Eastwood appeared onscreen during the '70s.

Trivia: A Superman fanatic known to legions of fans for his vocalizing with the phenomenally successful boy band 'N Sync, funky-haired Joey Fatone has also attempted to cross over into the acting arena with fellow bandmate Lance Bass in such productions as Longshot (2000) and On the Line (2001). Born January 28, 1977, in Brooklyn, NY, Fatone graduated from the Orlando, FL, Dr. Phillips High School before taking a job at nearby Universal Studios. Getting his cinematic start as an extra in Joe Dante's Matinee (1993), Fatone has since moved on to more substantial film and entertainment roles and in 2001 took on his most challenging role to date, fatherhood. Highlights of his filmography include the smash indie comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Cooler, and Mancation. He also competed on the reality series Dancing With the Stars, and hosted the program The Singing Bee.

Trivia: From her debut as an improvisational comic on the hit series SCTV to her later status as a voice-over artist for such popular children's shows as Sesame Street and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Emmy-winning actress Andrea Martin has remained a recognizable performer to generations of television viewers. A native of Maine whose relocation to the Great White North found her signing on with the Toronto branch of the famed Second City comedy troupe, Martin formed close working relationships with such fellow improv-ers as Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara. Fueled by a powerhouse group of comic talent that included such future stars as John Candy, Martin Short, and Rick Moranis, the Second City troupe gained a loyal following and after small roles in such features as Cannibal Girls and Black Christmas, Martin followed the troupe to the small screen with Second City TV in 1976. Equally, if not more hilarious than its American counterpart Saturday Night Live in the eyes of many comedy fans, SCTV ultimately went through three small-screen incarnations including SCTV: Network 90 and SCTV Channel before calling it quits in 1984. Though she would remain closely involved with her former cast-mates on such projects as Club Paradise, Innerspace, The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley, and Camp Candy (the latter two marking her entrance into voice-over work), Martin also branched out on her own as the title character in the 1987 television series Roxie and as a cast member in the 1991 version of The Carol Burnett Show. The '90s found her frequently alternating between television and film, and though roles in such features as Boris and Natasha and Bogus did little to further her career, fans could still catch a glimpse of the old magic when Martin joined former cast-mate Short in 1994's short-lived The Martin Short Show. On the heels of more voice-over work in such efforts as television's Recess: School's Out and the hit Disney feature Anastasia, Martin joined the cast of Sesame Street in 1998, marking something of a shift to more family-oriented material (save for an appearance in the 2001 musical comedy Hedwig and the Angry Inch) that would keep her very busy into the new millennium. Even as a voice-over artist, Martin still got the occasional opportunity to perform alongside old friends Levy (The Kid) and Martin (Prince Charming). Even if the next generation would remember her face mainly from appearances in My Big Fat Greek Wedding and New York Minute, the release of SCTV on DVD in 2004 offered parents with fond memories of the series a chance to share it with their children and show them where all the fun began.

Trivia: Is of Greek descent, and his parents are Greek immigrants from the Peloponnese.Played in the Australian National Soccer League in the late 1980s.Is an expert in Muay Thai Kickboxing.Originally pursued a boxing career before being influenced to try acting.Founded production company Krakatau Film which has produced several award-winning independent films.

Trivia: Supporting actress Gale Garnett first appeared onscreen in the '60s.