Trivia: Possessing the sort of ironclad genetics that virtually ensure a career on daytime television if all else fails, actor Josh Duhamel, not surprisingly, earned his breakthrough feature role playing the eponymous, lusted-after Hollywood hunk in the 2004 romantic comedy Win a Date With Tad Hamilton! Though subpar grades may have kept the aspiring cavity warrior from pursuing his childhood dreams of earning his keep as a dentist, a move to the West Coast eventually found Duhamel embarking on a career as a fashion model. It didn't take long for the photogenic cover boy to make the leap from still life to moving pictures, and in 1999, the fledgling actor made his small-screen debut in the long-running daytime drama All My Children. Having just come off his role as the titular character in 2002's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Duhamel found the ideal platform on which to hone his skills with the popular soap opera. Further schooling was no doubt provided when Duhamel appeared opposite Hollywood heavy James Caan in the 2003 television series Las Vegas -- in which he was cast as casino surveillance head "Big Ed" Deline's (Caan) eager young protégé. By the time the 2000's got rolling, Duhamel was a leading man, cashing in at the box office with roles in films like Turistas, the Transformers franchise, Life as We Know It, and New Year's Eve.

Trivia: Katherine Heigl was an experienced movie actress by the time she was cast as one of the out-of-this-world teenagers on WB's Roswell in 1999. Born and raised in Connecticut, Heigl began modeling and appearing in TV ads as a child. After making her film debut in That Night (1992), Heigl balanced movie work with high school, playing a small role in Steven Soderbergh's Depression-era drama King of the Hill (1993), starring as Gérard Depardieu's difficult daughter in My Father the Hero (1994), and Steven Seagal's niece in the action sequel Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995). Heigl headed to Los Angeles after high school to make acting her full-time job. Following a leading role in Wish Upon a Star (1996) and a small part as a Rita Hayworth stand-in in Stand-Ins (1997), Heigl made a foray into horror with Bug Buster (1998) and Bride of Chucky (1998).Branching out into television, Heigl co-starred with Peter Fonda in a Shakespeare-via-Civil War reworking of The Tempest (1998). Benefiting from the late-'90s wave of youth-driven TV shows, Heigl stayed with television and attracted an avid following as alien beauty Isabel on the cult hit Roswell. The doctors-in-love dramedy Grey's Anatomy, however, catapulted its entire cast to full-fledged stardom when it premiered in 2005; Heigl's role as the tough-cookie intern Izzie endeared her to countless fans of the show. The actress savvily parlayed this success into a movie career, although not by going the traditional three-hanky drama route. After winningly playing a Special Olympics counselor in 2005's broad comedy The Ringer, Heigl seemed the perfect choice for writer-director Judd Apatow's follow-up to The 40-Year-Old Virgin, 2007's Knocked Up. The improv-heavy tale of an unlikely one-night-stand - and its consequences - relied upon Heigl's charm and crack comedic timing to balance out the dude-centric humor supplied by co-stars Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd. The combination worked, as audiences made Knocked Up a bona-fide summer hit.In the coming years, Heigl woudl find herself becomming the go-to actress for successful, light, romantic comedies, like 27 Dresses (2008), The Ugly Truth (2009), Life as We Know It (2010), New Year's Eve (2011), and One for the Money (2012).

Trivia: Parents were peace/anti-nuclear activists who moved frequently while he was young. As a result, he lived in 30 different places before he turned 13. His family did not have a TV until 1984, when they purchased one to watch the Olympics. Realized he wanted to become an actor in 1987 when he was mesmerized by Michael Douglas's Oscar-winning portrayal of Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. Made film debut in 1993's Alive. As an up-and-coming actor, he appeared in a number of off-Broadway shows in New York, including Terrence McNally's controversial drama Corpus Christi in 1998. Made his Broadway debut in 2005 in a revival of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie. Put on 43lbs. for the part of Texas Western coach Don Haskins in Glory Road (2006). In 2008, he appeared in an off-Broadway production of Fault Lines, a play directed by David Schwimmer. Portrayed a crime boss opposite James Franco in the drama William Vincent, an independent feature that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2010.

Trivia: Christina Hendricks jump-started her career on television in the early 2000s, with a particularly effective multi-episode contribution to the medical drama ER. On that program, she played Joyce, a battered housewife given solace -- and shelter -- by one of the female employees of Cook County Hospital. Also in 2002, Hendricks appeared in a memorable role on the short-lived cult sci-fi series Firefly as the seductive, scheming conwoman Saffron (in two episodes, one of which never aired). She continued to find steady work on television, notably co-starring with Taye Diggs on the short-lived legal drama Kevin Hill (2004-2005). In 2007, Hendricks took on a prominant role on one of the most promising and original new series of 2007: Mad Men. Her work as Joan on the show earned her strong reviews as the show became the most respected on television winning the Emmy for best drama series each of its first four seasons. She parlayed that into a film career that includes appearances in I Don't Know How She Does It, Detachment, and the cult hit Drive, where she played a lethal criminal.

Trivia: Stand-up comedian Hayes MacArthur studied government at Bowdoin College before changing career directions, pointing himself toward show business. After spending some time with the Groundlings Theatre Company, he transitioned into film and TV, making guest appearances on shows like King of Queens and Medium, and in movies like 2007's National Lampoon's Homo Erectus. In 2008, he had a recurring role in the short-lived series Worst Week. MacArthur continued to have supporting roles in films, like She's Out of My League (2010), though he mostly stuck to television. In 2010, he appeared in the short-lived series Perfect Couples and popped up in guest apeparances on a long list of comedies, including Happy Endings, Suburgatory and Go On.

Trivia: Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, comedian-turned-actor DeRay Davis developed and honed a hip, sardonic, streetwise mentality at an early age and parlayed it smoothly and efficiently into the comedy-club circuit. Davis achieved his career breakthrough at the Laffapalooza Festival in Atlanta, GA, then scored a triple whammy by winning the Comedy Central Laugh Riots Competition and landing covetable spots in the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival and the Cedric the Entertainer Festival. Throughout, the comic wove vulgar and droll, yet also telling and deeply personal, routines around the subjects of race, poverty, and his challenging experiences growing up in the Windy City projects with a dysfunctional African-American family. The transition from behind-the-mike spots to movie roles represented a relatively short jump, for most of Davis' early film assignments emphasized the same subject matter as his routines; for example, he played the "Hustle Guy" in Barbershop (2002) and its sequel, Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004), rapper Mario "Fa Real" Greene in the Martin Short comedy Jiminy Glick in La La Wood (2004), and a Jamaican stoner in Johnson Family Vacation (2004). Davis expanded his genre focus with roles in Rupert Wainwright's supernatural horror outing The Fog (2005), and Todd Phillips' comedy remake School for Scoundrels (2006). Subsequent feature assignments include License to Wed (2007), Semi-Pro (2008, as basketball player Bee Bee Ellis), and Nowhereland (2009). Meanwhile, Davis also appeared on television series including Entourage and Reno 911!, and televised comedy revues such as Comedy Central's Premium Blend.

Trivia: Irreverent sketch comic Rob Huebel gained recognition for producing episodes of several of television's most popular comedy showcases during the 1990s, including Michael Moore's politically charged The Awful Truth and Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Huebel also appeared in guest roles on the sitcoms Arrested Development and Curb Your Enthusiasm. In 2007, Huebel, Aziz Ansari, and Paul Scheer signed with MTV as the lead players in Human Giant, a weekly compendium of offbeat and humorous short films.

Trivia: Dennis Franz, David Caruso, and Gail O'Grady may be the best-known actors to achieve stardom out of the series NYPD Blue, but there are others who have moved into the spotlight during the program's run -- Bill Brochtrup is one of the latest. Playing Police Administrative Aide John Irvin since the late '90s, Brochtrup has brought a unique combination of wit and sensitivity to the rough-hewn crime series. Born in California in 1963, Brochtrup was raised in Tacoma, WA, and graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. His early stage credits included roles in D.H. Lawrence's The Fox (earning a DramaLogue Award) and Raft of the Medusa, and he earned rave reviews for his starring role in the off-Broadway production of Snakebit, which he also brought to West Hollywood. He made his television acting debut in the space-alien sitcom ALF in 1990, and did an episode of Diagnosis Murder in (1994) before being picked to play John Irvin in what was originally supposed to be a two-episode arc of NYPD Blue, as the temporary police administrative aide to the detective squad. The character ended up being kept on the series for much of that season, and producer Steven Bochco was sufficiently impressed with Brochtrup's work to ask him to move into the series Public Morals, playing the same role. After its cancellation, Brochtrup moved on to Total Security in the role of George LaSalle, and, after that series' end, returned to NYPD Blue as John Irvin, this time permanently as one of the co-stars. Brochtrup, who also appeared in episodes of Murder, She Wrote, Picket Fences, and Dharma & Greg, has cut a major figure as John Irvin, despite the fact that the character isn't even a police officer. Playing one of the first avowedly gay characters on a prime-time network police drama, Brochtrup walked a fine line, bringing sensitivity and a gentle, subtle wit to the role, which encouraged the writers to do more with the character. In particular, seeing what he could do with the role, the writers made it their business to put Brochtrup's John Irvin together with Dennis Franz's easily exasperated, not very enlightened Detective Andy Sipowicz, and they have used the relationship between the two to help evolve the detective's character. As a result of the series' high profile and the quality of the writing and acting that goes into the character, John Irvin has become something of a minor pop-culture icon among the gay community, while Brochtrup's work has become one of the highlights of the late run of the series. He has also appeared in a handful of movies, including Man of the Year and Space Marines, in between his television and theater roles.

Trivia: After graduating from Stanford, decided to move to New York City to focus on acting. After struggling a few years, he turned his attention to the finance world. Was part of the comedy group "House of Floyd" with future Bridesmaids costars Melissa McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone. Appeared in the Reba McEntire video for "I'd Rather Ride Around With You" and the sequel "What If It's You" as the singer's love interest. Landed a "life imitates art" role on the NBC series The Office—his character is CFO for the fictional Dunder-Mifflin, while Buckley is a wealth-management adviser for an investment bank.

Trivia: Is a founding member of New York improv group the Swarm; has also performed improv with the Upright Citizens Brigade. Has done voice work for Robert Smigel's TV Funhouse cartoons that aired on Saturday Night Live. Among the impressions he performed on MADtv were Carrot Top, Bill Maher, Dick Cheney and Pat Sajak.

Trivia: Is half-Cuban and half-Venezuelan. Moved with her family from Venezuela to Miami at the age of three. Plays the piano and guitar in addition to singing, and has released several albums. She also performed numerous songs on the WB/UPN series Roswell in which she starred. Nicknamed "Majandra" by her sister, actress Marieh Delfino, who couldn't pronounce her name as a child. Performs in a duo with friend Samantha Gibb, daughter of the Bee Gees' Maurice Gibb. Danced with the Miami Ballet in the "Nutcracker." Acted with her sister, Marieh, in the 2005 film Don't Come Knocking. Had her breakout role in 1997 playing Tony Danza's daughter in The Tony Danza Show television series, but found fame on the series Roswell in the late 1990s.

Trivia: Born in the Philippines, but raised in Ohio. Fluent in English and Tagalog. Toured nationally with the theatrical companies that produced Heartstrings and Miss Saigon, and was in the original cast of the 1994 Broadway revival of Carousel. Served as the choreographer for Imelda: A New Musical in 2005. Reprised his Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End role for the movie's video game. Meditates every morning.

Trivia: First gaining notoriety as Sookie on the hit sitcom Gilmore Girls, actress Melissa McCarthy began her onscreen career with a bit part on her cousin's The Jenny McCarthy Show. Minor film and TV roles followed before she landed the aforementioned part of Sookie St. James, a role she would play throughout Gilmore Girls seven-season run on The WB/CW. In 2007, McCarthy was cast in a supporting role alongside Christina Applegate on the ABC comedy Sam I Am.She found genuine success with the sitcom Molly and Me, playing one-half of a weight-challenged couple opposite Billy Gardel and earning an Emmy nod for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. However, it was her supporting turn in the R-rated comedy Bridesmaids that brought her a taste of mass adulation as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Trivia: Character actor Will Sasso commenced onscreen work in the early '90s and -- while known to tackle material from a plethora of genres -- particularly specialized in comic material. From the late '90s through the early 2000s, Sasso honed his comedic skills a cast member of the popular sketch comedy show Madtv. He also guest-starred on such series as The X-Files, Family Guy, and Entourage; had longer stints on the sci-fi series Sliders and the marriage sitcom 'Til Death; and garnered a regular role on the workplace comedy Less Than Perfect from its second to fourth (and final) season. Early film credits include such farces as Ernest Goes to School (1994), Ski School 2 (1995), Happy Gilmore (1996), and Beverly Hills Ninja (1997). Sasso teamed with Christopher Guest and company for the acclaimed mockumentary Best in Show (2000), and worked for critical favorite Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko) on that director's darkly comic, dystopian epic Southland Tales in 2006. He had a major part in College Road Trip, but he enjoyed his most high-profile exposure when he was cast as Curly in The Three Stooges in 2012.

Trivia: Met husband Dan O'Brien while performing improv comedy together in college. Performed at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York and Los Angeles. Wrote episodes of her sitcom BFF by recording herself and cowriter Lennon Parham improvising, then transcribing it later.

Trivia: Don't let actress Jean Smart's filmography fool you, because though she seems to have a penchant for appearing in fairly light-hearted fare of the family-oriented variety, she possesses all the skill of the most talented dramatic stage and screen actresses around. Unafraid to take the sort of risks necessary to keep her career and her personal life in fair balance, fans balked when Smart left television's hugely popular Designing Women while the series was in its prime, though her subsequent performances have found her sound judgment well justified. A Seattle native who received her B.A. from the University of Washington, it wasn't long before Smart was taking the stage at the 1975 Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Relocating to New York City, Smart's performance in the off-Broadway play Last Summer at Bluefish Cove earned the emerging actress a Drama Desk nomination. Her performance in the Broadway production of Piaf found Smart heading to Hollywood to tape the play for PBS, and it wasn't long before she began appearing in such films as Protocol (1984) and Project X (1987). A pivotal moment came when Smart was cast in the television series Designing Women; following the show's premier in 1986 she would remain a member of the cast until the 1991 season. It was while on that series that friend and fellow castmate Delta Burke set Smart up on a date with actor Richard Gilliland, whom Smart would later wed. The birth of their son Conner prompted Smart to reassess her career; though she would soon depart from Designing Women, she would continue to act in such efforts as the television feature Locked Up: A Mother's Rage (1991) and Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story (1992), in which she essayed the role of America's most notorious female serial killer. As the 1990s progressed Smart became something of a television fixture, and performances in The Yearling (1994) and A Change of Heart (1998) found her career continuing to flourish. Roles in such features as Disney's The Kid and Snow Day (2000) found Smart ever more associated with family-friendly fare, an association which she would continue to embrace with a role in the 2002 Disney Channel animated series Kim Possible. Other series in which Smart appeared included Hercules, Frasier, and The Oblongs; and in 2003 Smart teamed with her husband for the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of Audrey's Rain.In 2004, Smart joined the cast of the bittersweet romantic comedy Garden State, and made a brief appearance in I Heart Huckabees during the same year. In 2006, Smart was earned nominations for two Emmy awards (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series) for her turn as the mentally fragile First Lady of the United States, whom she portrayed in the fifth season of 24. The actress wouldn't win an Emmy, however, until 2008, when she took home the coveted award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on the sitcom Samantha, Who?. Smart played another mother in the film adaptation of C.D. Payne's novel Youth in Revolt in 2009, and took on the role of Hawaii Governor Pat Jameson for Hawaii Five-0, the CBS remake of the popular 1970s police procedural of the same name.

Trivia: Was a writer on Michael & Michael Have Issues. Had a recurring role on The Colbert Report. Performed his one-man show Unpronounceable for the first time in Chicago in 2007.

Trivia: Few could argue that Sarah Burns never paid her dues. During her early days as a struggling actress in New York, Burns paid the bills by performing as Barney the purple dinosaur at children's birthday parties. She began performing with the comedy troupe Upright Citizen's Brigade in 2001 and soon began scoring roles onscreen, notably appearing on Flight of the Conchords and in movies like Serial and I Love You, Man.