Trivia: Bearing talent and good looks in equal measure, African American actor Omar Epps first became visible to audiences and critics alike with his 1992 film debut in Ernest R. Dickerson's urban drama Juice. Epps shone in his role as one of a group of four Harlem friends trying to make good, with the praise he earned for his work paving the way for steady industry employment.Born Omar Hashim Epps in Brooklyn, New York, on July 23, 1973, Epps was raised by his mother, an elementary school principal. He nurtured his interest in acting at both the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and the New York High School for the Performing Arts. After his breakthrough in Juice, Epps ran the risk of being typecast, playing athletes in a series of films. However, his performances were consistently solid, and he earned particular acclaim for his portrayal of a young man attending college on an athletic scholarship in John Singleton's Higher Learning (1995). Around this same time, Epps also excelled in a brief recurring role as an emotionally stressed intern on E.R.; he would later identify that role as the one that made it possible for audiences to finally put a name to his face.After some memorable roles in Scream 2, In Too Deep, and Love & Basketball, Epps entered the 2000's strong. He would appear in various films over the coming years, like Perfume, Big Trouble, and Against the Ropes. Epps would also find tremendous success on the small sceen, with a starring role on the massively popular medical drama House M.D.

Trivia: As the dignified and relentlessly photogenic object of Angela Bassett's affections in How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Taye Diggs made an immediate and unforgettable impression on legions of filmgoers. Diggs came to film by way of the theater. Born in 1971 in New Jersey, he was raised as the oldest of five children in Rochester, NY. After earning a B.F.A. in musical theater from Syracuse University, he made his way to Broadway, debuting in the Tony-winning production of Carousel. In 1996, Diggs got his big break, originating the role of the nasty landlord, Benny, in Jonathan Larson's Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning Rent. He then moved from stage to television, with a role on Guiding Light, and in 1998 he made his film debut in How Stella Got Her Groove Back. The excitement surrounding Diggs' performance netted him both media exposure and more work, and the following year he could be seen in no less than four films. First up was his turn as a tantric sex god in Doug Liman's Go; audiences could next see him as an AWOL groom in the coming-of-age drama The Wood; Malcolm D. Lee's The Best Man featured Diggs as another member of the wedding, this time as the titular best man suffering from his own pre-wedding jitters; finally, he starred as a guest at Geoffrey Rush's allegedly haunted mansion in the remake of William Castle's The House on Haunted Hill.In 2001, Diggs returned to the small-screen with a recurring role on Fox's Ally McBeal. And when subsequent film roles in such unsuccessful projects as Equilibrium, Basic, and Malibu's Most Wanted did his career no good, he decided to try on a full-time television gig with Kevin Hill. Premiering in 2004 on UPN, the primetime drama starred Diggs in the title role, a fast-living bachelor who finds his life turned upside down with the unexpected introduction of an infant. In 2006, after a stint as the title character's gay boyfriend on the final season of Will & Grace, Diggs gave TV stardom another shot as a cop trapped in a time loop in the high-concept, 24-esque Day Break, but the show was yanked after a handful of episodes. His TV career was finally resuscitated by the Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice, in which he was cast in the role of Sam Bennett, an internist trying to survive the medical and romantic entanglements at the Oceanside Wellness Center. Later, the actor would play the role of Vargas in the live adaptation of the comic Dylan Dog: Dead of Night, and narrate The Fab Five, a documentary following five famous basketball players from the University of Michigan. In 2013, he reprised his role of Harper Stewart in The Best Man sequel, The Best Man Holiday. Diggs returned to television the next year, starring in Steven Bochco's Murder in the First, and booking a recurring role on The Good Wife.

Trivia: African-American supporting player Richard T. Jones boasts a resumé exhibiting the genre versatility of the most gifted character actors. Jones made his first significant onscreen appearance in 1993, with a bit part as Ike Turner Jr. in the harrowing drama What's Love Got to Do With It? He then branched out into supporting roles in such pictures as the military comedy Renaissance Man, the goofy Pauly Shore yuck-fest Jury Duty, the sci-fi horror film Event Horizon, and the psychological thrillers Kiss the Girls (1997) and Twisted (2004). In addition, Jones played Officer Clement Johnson on the short-lived cop drama Brooklyn South in the late '90s. The actor was particularly memorable in his regular role opposite Amy Brenneman on the legal drama series Judging Amy (1999-2005), as Court Services officer Bruce Van Exel. After taking appearing in multiple episodes of the sitcom Girlfriends as Aaron and in supporting roles in films such as Why Did I Get Married? and Vantage Point, Jones scored a regular part on the hit sci-fi series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, playing FBI agent James Ellison, who is constantly on the hunt for the fugitive Sarah Connor. He also appeared in J. J. Abrams 2011 Spielberg homage Super 8.

Trivia: Actress Malinda Williams launched her career with scattered guest appearances on The Cosby Show and NYPD Blue, but branched out into big-screen roles in the mid-'90s. At an early stage, Williams vocally and pointedly expressed an interest in seeking out parts for African-American women characterized by their accuracy, incisiveness, and realism -- a desire that would shape and hone many of her subsequent project choices. She took two of her earliest big-screen bows in 1996 -- with small supporting roles in the Jon Lovitz laugher High School High and the Martin Lawrence sex comedy A Thin Line Between Love and Hate -- then appeared in such films as The Wood (1999), Idlewild (2006), and Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls (2007). Williams next signed for a pivotal supporting role in the crime comedy First Sunday (2008), about a couple of criminals who take hostage a bunch of church members.

Trivia: An actress who has been noted equally for her talent and beauty, Sanaa Lathan first caught the attention of critics and audiences alike in a series of witty, thought-provoking late-'90s films about the lives of young African-Americans. Featured prominently in such ensemble pieces as The Best Man and The Wood (both 1999), Lathan won her first starring role in Gina Prince-Bythewood's widely acclaimed Love & Basketball (2000), playing a talented basketball player who finds her professional dreams complicated by her relationship with her boyfriend and her own expectations of herself. Lathan's work in the film, along with her performance that same year in Prince-Bythewood's HBO movie Disappearing Acts, announced the actress as a charismatic new talent to watch. Born on October 19, 1971, Lathan -- whose first name is Swahili for "work of art" -- was the second oldest of five children born to Broadway actress and dancer Eleanor McCoy and director/producer Stan Lathan. Surrounded by show business since day one, Lathan began training in dance and gymnastics at an early age. Following her parents' divorce, she grew up shuttling between her mother's home in New York and Los Angeles, where her father lived. During her undergraduate education at UC Berkeley, where she studied English and toyed with the idea of becoming a lawyer, Lathan became involved with the Black Theater Workshop. Thanks in part to her stage experiences with the Workshop, she was encouraged to try out for the Yale School of Drama, where she was ultimately accepted.Following her training at Yale, where she performed in a number of Shakespeare's plays, Lathan earned acclaim both off-Broadway and on the Los Angeles stage. Encouraged by her father to make L.A. her professional base, the young actress found early TV work on episodes of such shows as Family Matters, NYPD Blue, and Moesha. During that same period, she won raves and a Best Actress nod from the Los Angeles NAACP Theatrical Award Committee for her performance in To Take Arms.In 1998, Lathan earned a degree of big-screen recognition with her role as the mother of Wesley Snipes' title character in Blade. She followed this the subsequent year with back-to-back turns in The Best Man and The Wood. The former was a comedic ensemble piece starring Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Harold Perrineau Jr., and Monica Calhoun, and featured Lathan as Diggs' girlfriend; while the latter, another ensemble piece starring Diggs, Omar Epps, and Richard T. Jones, cast her as the love interest of Epps, who also happened to be her real-life boyfriend. In 1999, Lathan played yet another girlfriend, this time Eddie Murphy's, in Ted Demme's comedy Life. Lathan and Epps were reunited onscreen in Prince-Bythewood's Love & Basketball, this time playing a couple as passionate about basketball as they are about each other. The widely lauded film served as a break-out role for Lathan, who was finally able to play a leading character instead of the girlfriend of one. Her work in Love & Basketball earned her Best Actress nominations for both the N.A.A.C.P. Image Award and the Independent Spirit Award. That same year, Lathan earned additional acclaim for her work in the multicultural comedy Catfish in Black Bean Sauce and for her second collaboration with Prince-Bythewood, Disappearing Acts. Based on a novel by Terry McMillan, the HBO movie cast Lathan as an aspiring singer/songwriter in love with a carpenter, played by her Blade co-star Wesley Snipes. For her work in the film Lathan earned an Essence Award for Best Actress, as well as the added assurance of a very busy work schedule.

Trivia: Appeared in Tupac Shakur's final music video, "Toss It Up," in 1996. Served as First Lady of Turks and Caicos during her marriage to Michael Misick. Founded the Turks and Caicos Film Festival with Jasmine Guy. Is a Global Ambassador for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure foundation. Made her directorial debut with the 2014 film Skinned.

Trivia: Actress Tamala Jones launched her career as a model, appearing in magazine ads and television commercials, before landing her first acting job on an episode of the preteen sitcom California Dreams, but her interest in the craft goes back to early childhood, when Jones and her cousin would stage backyard shows. Los Angeles-born and raised, Jones first studied drama in the sixth grade. As a young woman, she guest starred on series ranging from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to E.R. to The Wayans Brothers. She had her first regular television role playing a student in the ABC network's short-lived drama Dangerous Minds. Jones entered feature films with a small role in How to Make an American Quilt (1995) and had her first starring film role in Booty Call (1997). In 1998, Jones starred in the short-lived NBC summer replacement sitcom For Your Love. After appearing in Blue Streak and The Wood the following year, Jones began to gain even more momentum in 2000 with roles in Ice Cube's Next Friday and the Tim Meadows SNL vehicle The Ladies Man. Jones would later share the limelight with a talented cast in Kingdom Come in 2001. She continued to work steadily in a variety of projects including Head of State, Daddy Day Camp, Who's Your Caddy?, and What Love Is before being cast on the television show Castle as Lanie Paris. In 2010 she starred in and co-produced the romantic comedy 35 & Ticking.

Trivia: For athlete/musician-turned-actor Antwon Tanner life is all about goals. From his early days on the south side of Chicago to a flourishing screen career that has included roles in such hits as The Wood, Never Die Alone, and Coach Carter, Tanner cites every successful career step taken as a direct result of well-defined goals and unwavering faith in God. Tanner is good-humored and has a handsome screen presence; his likable persona plays as well on the small screen as the silver screen. He has also become a familiar face to television viewers thanks to prominent supporting roles in such shows as Boston Public and One Tree Hill. With Tanner's substantial role opposite Samuel L. Jackson in the acclaimed 2005 sports drama Coach Carter it appeared as if his career was finally about to break big. Though the streets of Chicago offered little in the way of creative inspiration during Tanner's formative years, the athletically inclined youth made quite a name for himself in the two-guard position during his time at both Corliss and King high schools. After graduating from high school, Tanner eschewed sports in favor of developing his musical talents following a chance meeting with an agent who represented a close friend. It didn't take the aspiring talent long to parlay his musical abilities into an acting career. A role opposite former Cheers star Rhea Pearlman in the 1996 basketball drama Sunset Park served as an ideal introduction to the screen for the former baller with numerous supporting roles in both film and television serving to increase his public profile. In 1997 Tanner received the chance of a lifetime when he received the opportunity to appear on screen opposite personal role model Samuel L. Jackson in the downbeat drama One Eight Seven. A successful run during the millennial changeover found the increasingly in-demand star coming into his own as an actor, and following an appearance in the Takeshi Kitano gangster drama and a turn as a wisecracking thug in Never Die Alone, Tanner could once again be seen opposite Jackson -- basketball in hand -- in 2005's Coach Carter. In 2005, Tanner strapped on his spurs for a role opposite David Carradine in the revisionist Western Brothas in Arms. He went on to appear in Dead Tone, the TV series One Tree Hill, and I Do…I Did.

Trivia: A talented young singer/songwriter whose initial rise to fame came in the wake of collaborations with Ja Rule and Jennifer Lopez, Christina Milian has -- much like her more famous musical partners -- opted to pursue a career not only on-stage, but onscreen as well. A native of New Jersey, Milian was raised by Cuban immigrant parents in Waldorf, MD. An early role in the popular play Annie seemed the idea vehicle to fuse the youngster's singing talent and acting ambitions, and before she had even reached her teens, Milian had also served as a junior journalist on the Disney Channel's Movie Surfers. Numerous television guest roles were quick to follow, and in 1998, the young actress voiced characters in the popular animated feature A Bug's Life. Subsequent roles in American Pie and The Wood found Milian gaining face time in front of the camera, and in 2001 she landed a prime role as hostess of the popular television series Wannabe -- which was soon followed by the release of her self-titled solo debut album. As her presence on the big screen gained momentum, her musical career exploded when the young songstress teamed with rapper Ja Rule for the breakthrough hit "Between Me and You." Of course, with that kind of exposure it doesn't take long for the phones to start ringing, and soon thereafter Milian was teaming with none other than Jennifer Lopez to pen the hit single "Play." As Milian began production on her second full-length album, she could be seen on the big screen in such high-profile releases as Love Don't Cost a Thing (2003) and Torque (2004).Never one to forsake her musical career simply for the silver screen, Milian keptthe grooves coming with the release of her sophomore album It's About Time in 2004. By this time Milian had grown to be as comfortable in front of the camera as she was in front of the microphone, with roles in 2005's Man of the House and Be Cool somehow managing to keep the laughs coming despite her increasingly crowded schedule. Her 2006 album So Amazin' drawing fair enough reviews from critics, Milian would next take a break from the funny to get her fans screaming in the 2006 horror remake Pulse.

Trivia: Is of African-American and Guyanese descent.Co-starred in the sitcom A Different World from 1987 to 1992, playing Jaleesa Vinson.Composed A Different World's theme song with Bill Cosby and Stu Gardner.Played Deloris Van Cartier, the Whoopi Goldberg role, in Peter Schneider's Sister Act the Musical before its Broadway run.Has lent her voice to a number of animated television series such as The Simpsons, Futurama, The Cleveland Show and The Boondocks, as well as to Pixar films Monsters University and Inside Out.