Trivia: With her memorably statuesque figure and alluring countenance, African-American model-turned-actress Tracee Ellis Ross (the daughter of chanteuse Diana Ross and Robert Ellis Silberstein) plunged headfirst into print and fashion work with such enthusiasm and vigor that she became a frequent presence on the covers of such magazines as Essence, Jet, and Vibe Vixen, posing for such legends as Herb Ritts and Francesco Scavullo. Within this arena, Ross commandeered attention to rival any of her runway contemporaries. Ross segued into acting in the mid- to late '90s, with contributions such efforts as the low-key, ensemble-oriented psychological drama Far Harbor (1996, her cinematic debut) and Jim Yukich's romantic comedy A Fare to Remember (1999), and hosted the Lifetime talk program The Dish, before making her biggest splash as thirtysomething attorney-turned-restaurant proprietor Joan Clayton on the blockbuster UPN sitcom Girlfriends -- which enjoyed a lengthy run, maintained exemplary ratings, and netted more than a few industry awards for Ross. In 2007, the actress teamed up with writer/director Tyler Perry and actress Gabrielle Union for the big-screen romantic comedy Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls. A recurring role on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation followed in 2011, and that same year Ross starred opposite Cosby Show alumni Malcolm-Jamal Warner in the BET sitcom Reed Between the Lines, which followed a psychiatrist and a professor as they struggled to balance their careers with their roles as parents to three multi-racial children.

Trivia: The lithe and alluring African-American actress Golden Brooks began life in San Francisco in late 1970, and grew up in both the Bay Area and the City of Angels. As a young woman, she attended the University of California at Berkeley as a sociology major, later earning her master's degree from Sarah Lawrence College. Brooks first broke into films in the mid-'90s, with a small role in Spike Lee's phone sex-themed comedy drama Girl 6 (1996); the 2000 series Girlfriends, however, brought Brooks her first recognition in the American press. This rabidly popular sitcom -- which reeled in critical kudos and maintained a broad fan base -- constituted the pet project of Frasier star Kelsey Grammer and producer Mara Brock Akil. It told of four African-American female friends in the Los Angeles -- all white-collar women -- struggling to balance personal and professional demands. Brooks played an assistant at a legal firm and the only woman in the ensemble with a happy marriage and a growing family. After scattered roles in acclaimed features through the first several years of the new millennium, Brooks made the pivotal decision to join the cast of the Queen Latifah-starrer Beauty Shop, about the colorful proprietors and denizens of an Atlanta-based hair salon. The following year, she also starred in Sanaa Hamri's acclaimed dramedy Something New.

Trivia: Texas-born African-American actress and print model Jill Marie Jones (not to be confused with the musician/singer/songwriter Jill Jones, of Prince fame) first landed in the national spotlight for her regular role on the prime-time comedy drama Girlfriends, as Toni Childs, a slightly narcissistic and vociferous mother. Jones also starred in the 2007 black comedy Redrum, as a young woman who learns that she can pep up her flaccid marriage by committing cold-blooded murder. In terms of modeling, Jones maintained her highest profile gracing billboards and print ads for the Bailey's Irish Cream "Serve Chilled" campaign.

Trivia: Actress Anne-Marie Johnson has divided her career between television and feature films with an emphasis on the former. She made her television debut in the short-lived series Double Trouble and in the telemovie His Mistress (1984). Fans of the series In the Heat of the Night (1988-1994) will remember Johnson for playing Althea Tibbs, the wife of Virgil Tibbs. She left the show in 1993 and was cast in Keenen Ivory Wayans' innovative sketch comedy series In Living Color. She had previously worked with Wayans in I'm Gonna Get You Sucka (1988), her second film.

Trivia: Best known as one-half of the magic act "Penn & Teller," Penn Jillette rose to fame in the mid-'80s opposite touring partner Teller (born Raymond Joseph Teller), and graduated in a very short time from performing tricks in small-time dives to co-emceeing one of the most popular nightclub acts in the United States. Time and again, the men's schtick emphasized the hilariously macabre: tricks that involved juggling knives, swallowing massive embroidery needles, eating fire, and all manner of other deadly mayhem. The tall and imposing Penn typically trademarked himself with a vociferous, aggressive, and outsized persona, while the diminutive Teller remained quiet and laconic during performances.Fittingly, the men made many of their earliest on-camera appearances on Saturday Night Live between 1985 and 1986, but within a few years branched out into concert films and movie roles (My Chauffeur, Tough Guys Don't Dance), including their own eponymous vehicle, Penn & Teller Get Killed (1989), directed by Arthur Penn; the picture unequivocally bombed at the box office (and in fact barely got released) but did net a small and loyal cult following. The duo also headlined its own Showtime network series, Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, in which they attempted to debunk what they perceived as cultural myths, from evangelical creationism to UFOs and penis enlargement pills. Jillette subsequently achieved fame in his own right (independently of his performing partner) by executive producing and directing photography for the standup comedy tribute film The Aristocrats (2005), a raunchy, all-star series of variations on a single monologue that featured such luminaries as Phyllis Diller and Bob Saget in its cast. He also participated in season six of the competitive reality series Dancing with the Stars (2008), opposite Kym Johnson. Over the coming years, Jillette would find ongoing success in the media, teaming up with Teller again for the 2011 series Penn & Teller: Fool Us and Penn & Teller: Tell Us a Lie, and acting as a contestant on the 2012 season of The Apprentice. Jillette would also find a large audience with his successful podcast hosted by Ace Broadcasting, Penn's Sunday School.

Trivia: Early jobs included high-school teacher and copywriter. Performed with sketch comedy groups Upright Citizens Brigade and Naked Babies. Was a member of New York City punk band Egghead. Starred with a hand puppet in a series of commercials for Ford.