Trivia: Studied acting in England at Strode's College, as well as at the Oldham Theatre Workshop and the Northern Kids Theatre Company. Got his first break playing a 3232-year-old pharaoh on a Canadian-produced family sitcom called I Love Mummy. Nominated for Best Newcomer at 2005's National Television Awards in the U.K. for his role on the BBC medical drama Casualty. Likes to play sports, including tennis and English football. Is a singer-songwriter who has recorded several songs.

Trivia: While significant mainstream recognition has eluded Robert Patrick, with two notable exceptions -- he all but replaced David Duchovny in the waning days of The X-Files and admirably portrayed "the liquid metal cop guy" in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) -- he has nonetheless built an impressive resumé with over 60 television and film appearances since the mid-'80s. The eldest of five children, Patrick didn't choose to pursue a career in acting until his mid-twenties, despite having a bona fide diva moment during a third-grade production of Peter Pan, for which he refused to wear the required green tights. Rather, after a successful stint as a linebacker for Bowling Green University, Patrick became a house painter and may have continued as such were it not for a serious accident in the waters of Lake Erie, where he nearly drowned. The accident served as a revelation of sorts for Patrick, who promptly quit his day job and moved from Ohio to Los Angeles. It took more than a few sacrifices -- a then 26-year-old Patrick lived in his car and tended bar for his major source of income -- but the young actor found himself playing small roles in various low-budget films, which he credited to his tough-looking exterior and motorcycle-riding abilities.Though Patrick spent most of the late '80s paying his dues, his breakout performance landed him opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in director James Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Patrick readied himself for the role of the T-1000 android in a rather unique fashion; in addition to martial arts, endurance, and strength training, he observed the movements of cats, eagles, and praying mantises. Odd as that may have sounded at the time, it certainly enhanced one of the most memorable roles in one of the most memorable films of the decade. After T2, Patrick was able to leave the world of B-movies and hold his own alongside some of the most established actors in Hollywood, including a second performance with Schwarzenegger in Last Action Hero (1993) and a more prominent role opposite Demi Moore in Striptease (1996). Patrick also expressed a fondness for martial arts films, and starred in both Double Dragon and Hong Kong 97 in 1994. However, it was his 1993 performance as a stoic regular-guy-turned-UFO-believer in Fire in the Sky that caught the attention of X-Files director Chris Carter. Carter immediately thought of Patrick when David Duchovny distanced himself from The X-Files, and, after auditioning 70-odd actors for the role of John Doggett, became determined to initiate Patrick into his long-running world of conspiracy theories and paranormal phenomena. To the surprise of fans and critics alike, Patrick was received quite well on The X-Files, and quickly found himself gracing the covers of many a genre magazine -- he was even anointed one of the Ten Sexiest Men of Sci-Fi by TV Guide.By the time The X-Files aired its last show, Patrick had developed a solid reputation within the industry; critics, fans, and co-stars alike praised him for his work ethic, personality, and consistent performances. Rather than fading into the scenery, Patrick starred as the mysterious Mr. Lisp in Spy Kids (2001), and later starred as a reclusive wilderness tracker in Pavement (2002). After making appearances in Richard Shepard's Mexico City (2002), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), and the sci-fi spin-off series Stargate: Atlantis, Patrick filmed director Jay W. Russell's Ladder 49 (2004). A memorable performance as Johnny Cash's distant father Ray in Walk the Line followed in 2005, with a subsequent role as a security expert in the Harrison Ford thriller Firewall preceeding a return to weekly television in the David Mamet-created series The Unit in 2006. Later in 2006, Patrick would incur the wrath of WWE superstar John Cena with his role as a ruthless kidnapper in the explosive action thriller The Marine. Patrick lives with his wife, Barbara, whom he married during the filming of T2, and their two children.

Trivia: A household name to fans of the reality series American Idol, Katharine McPhee participated as a contestant in that program's 2006 season, drawing recognition and widespread praise for the range and mellifluousness of her classically trained voice within the context of traditional pop. Though the young diva officially lost the competition to vocalist Taylor Hicks, the accolades she garnered from hypercritical judge Simon Cowell (in particular) served as a testament to her ability and made viewers sit up and take notice, while the extent of her popularity on Idol promised a long and viable career as an entertainer.A native of Sherman Oaks, CA, McPhee was born in 1984 and received extensive formal training as a vocalist under the aegis of her mother, established singer Peisha McPhee. Musical performance and drama characterized Katharine's childhood and adolescent years, but she first began to take serious career interest in the arts while enrolled as a musical theater major at the esteemed Boston Conservatory. Within a few semesters, however, the blossoming performer grew restless and dropped out of school, taking off for the film studios and theaters of Los Angeles. She landed a role in the 2006 musical biopic Crazy, participated in an MTV series that failed to make it to the air, and essayed roles in productions of Annie Get Your Gun and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Idol, of course, represented McPhee's breakthrough, and shortly thereafter (fall 2006) the young diva began recording her eponymous debut album, which hit shelves in early 2007. Meanwhile, roles in such features as The House Bunny, Shark Night 3D, and Bruce Beresford's Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding found the emerging songstress branching out into acting, and in 2012 she seemed to find a happy middle ground with her role on the musical television series Smash, which followed a group of ambitious Broadway performers as they prepared to stage a musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. Seemingly finding her niche in TV, once Smash wrapped up, she joined the cast of CBS' Scorpion.

Trivia: Actor Eddie Kay Thomas first rose to national prominence for his work in the teen comedy hit American Pie, but Thomas' background and resumé are a good bit more varied and distinguished than that credit might lead one to expect. Eddie Kay Thomas was born in New York City on October 31, 1980, and won his first stage role at the age of seven. By the time Thomas graduated from New York's Professional Children's High School, he was already a seasoned veteran of the Broadway stage, appearing in Four Baboons Adoring the Sun in 1992 and The Diary of Anne Frank (opposite Natalie Portman) in 1997. Thomas made his screen debut in 1996, appearing in an episode of the TV series Law and Order (it was the first of three appearances on the show for Thomas), as well as landing a small role in the independent feature Illtown. In 1999, Thomas made a strong impression in the otherwise poorly received horror opus The Rage: Carrie 2, and also appeared in James Toback's controversial Black and White, but from a commercial standpoint the highlight of Thomas' year was American Pie, in which he gave a memorable comic performance as the uptight would-be continental hipster Finch. In 2000, Thomas was cast as the mischievous Russell on the WB sitcom Brutally Normal, which unfortunately lasted a mere five weeks before being canceled by network brass. The following year found Thomas back in the sitcom harness, playing Mike on the series Off Center, which was executive produced by Chris and Paul Weitz, who produced and directed American Pie. That same year, the Weitz brothers brought Thomas back to re-create the role of Finch in American Pie 2, while gross-out comic Tom Green tapped Thomas to play the title role in his first directorial effort, Freddie Got Fingered. The third chapter in the American Pie series, entitled American Wedding, was soon to follow in 2003.

Trivia: Has a black belt in karate. Trained in classical piano. Studied at Medicine Hat College's Conservatory of Music and Dance. Made her professional acting debut in the miniseries Broken Trail.

Trivia: Began playing the piano at 4 years old. Participated in the American Conservatory Theater program in San Francisco. Was a junior apprentice in the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival at California Lutheran College for three years. Performed with the improv group ComedySportz in Hollywood. Is a second degree black belt in karate.

Trivia: Was named after the legendary singer/ songwriter B.B. King, who was born Riley B. King.Started acting when he was 3.Made his TV debut playing Three-Year-Old Axl in the 2009 episode "The Front Door" of the sitcom The Middle.Has appeared in commercials for Netflix, DirecTV, Clear Mobile Internet and Lowe's.Is perhaps best known for his role of Ralph Dineen on the action-drama CBS series Scorpion.

Trivia: While still a child, Linda Hunt decided to become an actress, and began taking drama lessons at age 13. As she was quite small (4'9") and not a great beauty, she also studied directing, in case she never landed any acting roles. Hunt majored in directing at the prestigious Goodman Theater School in Chicago, and went on to spend several years in New York, working as a stage manager, director, and occasionally as an actress; during some of that time she worked in alternative theater with companies such as La Mama and the Open Theater. Following years of getting bit parts and directing for a children's theater, Hunt finally started landing good roles and ultimately won two Obie awards and a Tony nomination. She debuted onscreen in Robert Altman's Popeye (1980), but it was her second film, The Year of Living Dangerously (1983), that made her internationally known; for her portrayal of a male Indonesian dwarf, she won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. She followed that up with a part in David Lynch's infamous adaptation of the sci-fi classic Dune, and immediately segued into the part of a beloved saloon owner in Lawrence Kasdan's throwback western Silverado. She maintained a steady career appearing in various projects including She-Devil, Kindergarten Cop, Maverick and Stranger Than Fiction. Her distinctive voice led to steady gigs in animated films and as a narrator of documentary films.

Trivia: An Iranian actress whose strong political beliefs almost led her to a career as a journalist, Shohreh Aghdashloo decided instead that she could reach more people by working in film and theater -- and with her Oscar-nominated role in the tragedy House of Sand and Fog, she found an audience the size of which she never dreamed possible. Born in Tehran in 1952 to an intellectual, creative family, Aghdashloo was drawn to the theater at an early age, and by her twenties was performing in various cutting-edge performance groups, among them the acclaimed Drama Workshop of Tehran. Filmmakers often drew upon talent from the Workshop, and Aghdashloo was cast by directors Abbas Kiarostami and Ali Hatami -- two towering figures of the nascent Iranian New Wave -- to play starring roles in several of their formally adventurous, socially progressive productions, including 1977's Gozaresh and Sutedelan.But in the late '70s, with the Ayatollah Khomeini reintroducing an era of strict rule based on religious doctrine, Aghdashloo's work as a performer was either censored or forbidden outright. Eager to escape the turmoil of the Iranian Revolution, Aghdashloo left her husband and her career to go to London, where she earned a degree in international relations. She was on the verge of accepting a position at a newspaper when a friend presented her with a play, called Rainbow, about the Revolution and its discontents. He had written a role specifically for her, and Aghdashloo believed in the project enough to put her journalism career on hold -- for what would turn out to be an indefinite length of time. Rainbow was such a success, it toured the United States, where Aghdashloo was reunited with a Workshop colleague of hers, Houshang Touzie; a romance soon developed, and two married in Los Angeles in the late '80s.Discouraged by the dearth of non-stereotyped roles for Middle Eastern women in Hollywood, Aghdashloo focused her attention instead on stage work, even creating a traveling theater troupe with her husband that performed plays in Farsi for Iranian audiences. Her occasional film work included roles in such topical dramas as America So Beautiful and Maryam, both about the struggle of Iranian immigrants in the U.S. It was such work that caught the attention of director Vadim Perelman, who was looking to cast the supporting role of Nadi in his big-screen adaptation of the bestseller House of Sand and Fog. Perelman and his casting agent contacted Aghdashloo directly -- at the time, the actress had no agent or manager -- and were soon convinced that she was the woman for the part. Having read the book upon its release, Aghdashloo had long envisioned ways that she could play Nadi, a strong but subservient Iranian-American wife and mother caught between her husband's wishes and her own conscience. Opposite the formidable Ben Kingsley in a cast of established performers, Aghdashloo's subtle, simmering performance brought her kudos from the New York Film Critics and Los Angeles Film Critics Associations, both of whom named her 2003's Best Supporting Actress. The Academy followed suit, nominating her against such Hollywood stalwarts as Renée Zellweger and Holly Hunter.Following a recurring role on the wildly popular television hit 24 that served well to introduce the increasingly prominant actress to audiences outside of the art-house circuit, Aghdashloo turned in impressive supporting performances in such popular wide release films as The Exorcism of Emily Rose, American Dreamz, and X-Men: The Last Stand. In 2006 Aghdashloo would heed the call of Hollywood once again to take a featured role as the best friend of Sandra Bullock's lonely character in the romantic fantasy remake The Lake House. She went on appear in The Stoning of Soraya M., The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and House of Saddam, and narrated the documentaries Iranium and For Neda.

Trivia: Rafael Sbarge has been acting since his late teens. After studying at the Hagen-Bergdorf studio and making his off-Broadway debut in 1981, Sbarge was fortunate enough to be seen in one of the most popular teen-oriented flicks of the 1980s, Risky Business. He then went on to show up in such roles as Sherman in My Science Project (1985) and Schmoozler in Vision Quest (1985). In the decades to come, Sbarge would find success in numerous projects like Message in a Bottle and Pearl Harbor and on shows like The Guardian, 24, Prison Breakm, and Once Upon a Time.