Trivia: New York City native Rachel True longed to be an actress from her youngest years, watching the performances of her stepmother, renowned stage actress Verona Barnes. True's own first break came when she was cast for several episodes of The Cosby Show in 1991, as a friend of Theo's. She would later score recurring television roles on Beverly Hills 90210, The Drew Carey Show, Once and Again, and HBO's Dream On.In 1993, True moved to Los Angeles, which kick-started her film career. Her first notable appearance was opposite Chris Rock in the rap parody CB4 (1993). She next starred alongside Alyssa Milano in Embrace of the Vampire (1994), then stayed with the occult theme for the more widely seen witch flick The Craft (1996). True plays the most underwritten of four young Wiccan worshipers (opposite Fairuza Balk, Robin Tunney, and Neve Campbell), one of several roles she has taken that was originally written for a white actress. She and Campbell became best friends as a result of working together on the project.True ventured into indie filmmaking with Gregg Araki's Nowhere, the third installment in his "teen apocalypse trilogy," in which she won some acclaim for her portrayal of Mel, a sexually confused central cog of Araki's dystopian soap opera. She returned briefly to more commercial fare with Half Baked (1998), in which she plays Dave Chappelle's love interest and one of the few non-stoned characters. Since then it's been back to lesser-seen films -- most notably as a veteran rave girl in Greg Harrison's Groove (2000) -- as well as her television work.

Trivia: Actress Essence Atkins began appearing onscreen in the late '80s, with small appearances on shows like Saved By the Bell and The Cosby Show. She would go on to land a series of starring roles on short-lived series throughout the '90s like Under One Roof and Smart Guy before finding lasting success with a starring role on the comedy series Half and Half, which she stayed with from 2002 to 2006. After the show ended its run, Atkins made a number of appearances in movies like Love for Sale and Dance Flick.

Trivia: A Broadway actress by training, Valarie Pettiford earned a Tony nomination for her role in the principal cast of the musical Fosse. She would also earn critical acclaim for roles in shows like Chicago, but most viewers would become acquainted with Pettiford for her film at TV work. Beginning with appearances on shows like Another World and Walker, Texas Ranger, Pettiford spent the '90s building up her résumé. In 2002, she was cast in the recurring role of Gayle Noland on the crime drama The District. Around the same time, she took on the role of Big Dee Thorn on the comedy series Half and Half, which she'd stay with for the next four years. In 2008, she began a professional relationship with Tyler Perry, playing Sandra on the sitcom House of Payne, and playing weary wife Harriet in Perry's 2010 dramedy Why Did I Get Married Too?

Trivia: An inimitable comedian (and comedic actor) who billed himself as "America's favorite gaysian sweetheart," Alec Mapa (pronounced moppa) indeed played off of his Asian American identity and open homosexuality, to such a degree that they became veritable cornerstones of his shtick, as well as his spate of role choices. Mapa grew up in San Francisco during the 1970s, raised in a conservative, Catholic Filipino family but surrounded by bohemian lifestyles and multiculturalism that influenced and shaped him. He formally broke into show business with a role in an ABC After School Special and small turns in Alan Alda's seriocomedy A New Life (1988) and James Bridges' urban addiction drama Bright Lights, Big City (1988). The actor scored his broadest acclaim, however, in 1991, with a lead role as the transvestite opera star Song Liling, in the Broadway production of David Henry Hwang's play M. Butterfly. In the years that followed, Mapa moved into television and enjoyed guest bits on series including NYPD Blue, Friends, Roseanne, and Seinfeld. With many subsequent roles (including assignments as series regulars), Mapa aggressively strove to break new ground and open new doors in small-screen depictions of gay culture and lifestyles, and won broad acclaim and support in the LGBT community for doing so. Key assignments in this vein included a role as gay, plutonic best friend of homosexual writer Jason Bateman on the short-lived CBS sitcom Some of My Best Friends (2001), a multiseason turn as the gossip-driven executive assistant Adam Benet on the UPN sitcom Half & Half (2003); and, even more visibly, a portrayal of Vern, Gaby's gay best friend, on the series blockbuster Desperate Housewives. Additional features in which Mapa costarred included Connie and Carla (2004), Tru Loved (2007), and You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008).

Trivia: Rising to fame as a lovable dim-witted television teen heartthrob in Blossom (1991-1995) after charming primetime viewers as the adorable youngster in such sitcoms as Diff'rent Strokes, Silver Spoons, and Gimme a Break!, Joseph Lawrence has since gone on to numerous film and television roles in addition to maintaining an active recording career as a Philly soul-inspired singer/songwriter. Born Joseph Lawrence Mignogna in a suburb of Philadelphia, PA, in 1976, Lawrence was the oldest of three brothers and by age four had convinced his parents that he had what it took to become an actor. Landing the first job he auditioned for and crooning "Give My Regards to Broadway" and "Zippity Do Da" on The Tonight Show shortly thereafter, it was obvious to many that the eager youngster indeed had the energy, talent, and dedication to make it as an entertainer. Making his mark on various television sitcoms before he became a fixture for four seasons on Gimme a Break!, it was as a teenager that Lawrence made his true mark on the small screen. As the titular character's goofy brother in the popular sitcom Blossom, Lawrence's charming aloofness endeared him into the hearts of starry-eyed teenage girls everywhere. His 1993 self-titled debut album quickly went gold as it sold over two million copies worldwide, proving that Lawrence's fans were indeed loyal. Following a public persona change in which he adopted the more mature moniker of Joseph, the actor/singer continued to make numerous appearances in such made-for-television films as Prince for a Day (1995) and Romantic Comedy 101 (2001) and such features as Tequila Body Shots (1999), Urban Legends: The Final Cut (2000), and Pandora's Box (2001). Lawrence made his directorial debut while simultaneously acting alongside brothers Matthew and Andrew in the mid-'90s sitcom Brotherly Love, and went on to produce (as well as star in) such made-for-television films as Horse Sense (1999) and Jumping Ship (2001). In 2002, Lawrence joined the cast of the period drama American Dreams, playing the recurring character of Michael Brooks. The following year, he starred in the sitcom Run of the House, which he followed with another comedy role, playing Brett on the series Half and Half until 2006. Later that same year, Lawrence took to the floor as a competitor on the reality series Dancing With the Stars and proved a popular addition to the show's roster. The stint led to Lawrence hosting the reality show Master of Dance in 2008, though it wasn't long before he was making waves with a comedic role again, appearing in the popular TV movie My Fake Fiancé with Melissa Joan Hart in 2009.

Trivia: When he initially surfaced as an on-camera presence during the 1990s and 2000s, supporting actor Aldis Hodge recalled a young Will Smith, with his looks, his relaxed charm, and easygoing manner; like Smith, Hodge made one of his first significant impressions on the small screen, yet he maintained a lower profile. Parts included guest starring appearances on such series programs as ER, CSI, NYPD Blue, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Around 2005, Hodge broke into big-screen features, first with small-scale roles, such as an appearance in the David Mamet-Stuart Gordon thriller Edmond, then in that same year's Snoop Dogg-headlined urban drama The Tenants. Hodge also provided one of the adorable penguins' voices in George Miller's animal picture Happy Feet (2006). One the small screen that year, Hodge could be seen in a recurring role on the critically acclaimed sports drama series Friday Night Lights as Ray "Voodoo" Tatum. He enjoyed a healthy run on the hit cable program Leverage as part of a group of criminals who take revenge against other scammers in order to help out those who have been victimized. Aldis Hodge is not to be confused with Al Hodge (Captain Video and His Video Rangers), a television actor from the '50s and '60s -- nor are they related.