Shane West

Shane West was born Shannon Bruce Snaith on June 10, 1978 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to both musician parents (Leah Catherine and Don Snaith). He has a younger sister Simone and a much younger half-sister Marli Ann. His parents got divorced when he was young and eventually decided to move to California with his mother and younger sister Simone. He is of Cajun French descent through his mother.
West began to pursue an acting career at the age of fifteen, gaining bit parts on various television shows like “ER” as Dr. Ray Barnett and “Once and Again” as Eli Sammler where he got his major breakthrough. He also had a small appearance in the television series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” in the episode "Go Fish" before leading role as Landon Carter opposite Mandy Moore in the film “A Walk to Remember”. West won the “Young Hollywood Award” Male Superstar of Tomorrow in 2002. He also won a Teen Choice Award for Choice Chemistry with Mandy Moore for the film A Walk to Remember. West has made his mark on the screen within such films as “Liberty Heights” and “Whatever It Takes”. Aside from acting, West continues the musical traditions of his family with his punk rock band, Average Jo, for which he writes and plays guitar.

Jim Caviezel

He was born James Patrick Caviezel Jr. on September 26, 1968 in Mount Vernon, Washington to parents Margaret and James Caviezel, a homemaker and chiropractor, respectively. He grew up hoping to one day play basketball at the University of Washington. While working towards that goal with a spot on the basketball team at Bellevue Community College, Caviezel's professional sports dreams ended with a sidelining injury. His interests soon drifted elsewhere, including "discovering" the school's acting program. He auditioned for a small part as an Italian ticket agent in Gus Van Sant's “My Own Private Idaho” (1991). He landed the role by fooling casting agents into believing he was a recent Italian immigrant.
Caviezel was best known for his sensitive portrayal of Jesus Christ in Mel Gibson's controversial "The Passion of the Christ" (2004), though the actor's resume included dozens of other memorable dramatic performances in blockbusters and indie films alike. From his earliest supporting roles in films like Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line" (1998), Caviezel was often cast as brooding, deeply pained men like the mourning firefighter who communicates with his dead father in "Frequency" (2000) or the vengeful military reject in "Déjà vu" (2006). With his compelling screen presence and dashing, vintage Hollywood looks, he carried off a successful remake of "The Count of Monte Cristo" (2002); likewise making an excellent showing in the remake of the television series "The Prisoner" (AMC, 2009- ), which showcased the actor's forte for playing introspective but imperilled protagonists.

Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Rodney Reynolds was on born October 23, 1976 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to a father who is a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police who later became a food wholesaler and a mother who is a retail salesperson. He is of Irish ancestry and the youngest of four brothers and were raised Roman Catholic. Hailed by his northern countrymen as "The Canadian Ham," actor Ryan Reynolds was even better known as the supreme idol to a mostly intoxicated, segment of the population, following his starring role in "National Lampoon's Van Wilder" (2002). The predictably bawdy flick helped him gain notice, but he suffered through a slow-moving portion of his career that nearly prompted him to quit.
In 2003, Reynolds went back and did notable remakes like "The In-Laws" (2003) and "The Amityville Horror" (2005) before donning a fat suit to play an obese high school student in the romantic comedy "Just Friends" (2005). It was followed with an appearance in the all-star ensemble crime thriller "Smokin' Aces" (2006) and starred in lower profile films like "The Nines" (2007), "Definitely, Maybe" (2008) and "Adventureland (2009). Stepping into the blockbuster arena, he was the mercenary Deadpool in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (2009) before heading back to the comfortable confines of romantic comedies with "The Proposal" (2009). Reynolds finally earned respect with the performance of his life in the indie drama "Buried" (2010), playing an Iraq War contractor buried inside a coffin and held for ransom. From there, he followed up with a high-profile starring turn as "The Green Lantern" (2011), which allowed the affable Reynolds to demonstrate his mettle as a leading man in all types of genre films.

Mark Matkevich

Mark Matkevich is an American actor born on June 19, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He appeared in 17 episodes of the television teen program “Dawson’s Creek” and perhaps best known for his role as Drue Valentine. Matkevich has also had recurring roles on “Ed and Joan of Arcadia”. He portrayed the role of Dan - a medical student in an episode of “True Calling” (episode entitled "Haunted") and had a guest star role in Season 5 (series five) of “NCIS”. He also was a guest star on “Drake & Josh” in an episode entitled "Guitar," where he plays a rock guitarist for whom Drake substitutes in a concert after Josh accidentally breaks the hand of Mark Matkevich's character. Despite of tight schedules, he still manages to get into music. He is a member of Los Angeles indie rock band “The Spies”.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar

Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar is an American actor born on March 1, 1974 in Panorama City, California to a Dutch father and Dutch-Indonesian mother. He is a former child model segued to acting with a 1987 guest appearance on “Highway to Heaven” and soon added roles in “Charles in Charge” and “Punky Brewster” to his resume. Gosselaar rose to fame among the “Tiger Beat” set during his four-year (1989-93) stint as the cute preppy blond Zack Morris in NBC’s “Saved by the Bell” which led to a primetime spin-off “Saved By the Bell: The College Years” and various TV-movies based on the series.
Gosselaar branched out to serve as creative consultant and host of the short-lived NBC game show "Brains and Brawn" (1993) prior moving to films. Unfortunately, most of his efforts were in low-budget genre fare that moved directly to video (i.e., "Twisted Love" 1995). The actor found a niche playing against type (and often with dark hair) in more dramatic TV-movies along the lines of his accused rapist in "She Cried No" (NBC, 1997) before heading to the big screen as a wealthy student with poor grades who seeks a loophole in the uneven comedy "Dead Man on Campus" (1998). The same year, he played the central character in the TV drama Hyperion Bay, which lasted 17 episodes. A follow-up series, the youth-minded political drama “D.C.” failed to score, however, his career fortunes soared and managed to evolve into a primetime leading man when he joined the cast of ABC’s long-running police drama “NYPD Blue” in 2001. He was also starred in the movie “The Princess and The Marine” with Marisol Nicholas.
After “NYPD Blue”, Gosselaar joined the cast of ABC's Commander in Chief, starring Geena Davis; however, that series lasted only one season. He also appeared as a guest on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” an on the HBO series “John from Cincinnati”. Soon after, he landed the role of defense attorney Jerry Kellerman in the Steven Bochoco-produced “Raising the Bar” but was cancelled after a year. He made his Off-Broadway stage debut in Theresa Rebeck’s play “The Understudy” with The Roundabout Theatre Company in October 2009 which was extended its limited New York run until January 17, 2010.

Kevin Costner

Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman born on January 18, 1955 in Lynwood, California . He is the youngest of the three sons (the middle of whom died at birth) of Sharon Rae, awelfare worker, and William Costner, an electrician and later utilities executive. He has German, English, Irish, and Cherokee ancestry (his Oklahoma-born paternal grandfather was half Cherokee). He attended Cabrillo Middle School andVilla Park High School. Costner was not academically inclined. Rather, he enjoyed sports, took piano lessons, wrote poetry and sang in the First Baptist Choir.
This handsome, amiable man with a stoic, deadpan style made his now-infamous major film debut in director Lawrence Kasdan’s “The Big Chill” in 1983. Though his scenes ended up being excised nearly completely, the cutting room disaster only delayed Costner's rise to superstardom. In recompense, Kasdan gave him the prominent, flashy role of the wild gunfighter, Jake, in the action-packed neo-modern western, "Silverado" (1985). Costner's frequent collaborations with Kasdan - as well as directors Ron Shelton and Kevin Reynolds - yielded an impressive string of hits through to the 1990s, cementing his status as one of Hollywood's top leading men. Equally comfortable in variety of genres, Costner's aura of straightforward common virtue earned him comparisons with Gary Cooper and Jimmy Stewart.
Costner has been nominated for three BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards, two-time Academy Award-winner and two Golden Globe Awards. Among of Costner’s renowned films include “Dances with Wolves” portraying the role of Lt. John J. Dunbar, “JFK” as Jim Garrison, “Field of Dreams” as Ray Kinsella, “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” playing Robin Hood, “Bull Durnham” as Crash Davis, in “A Perfect World” as Robert “Butch” Haynes, “The Bodyguard” as Frank Farmer and in “The Untouchables”. He also founded the band “Modern West” in 2007 and has performed with the band since then.

Patrick Dempsey

Patrick Galen Dempsey was born on Jan. 13, 1966 in Lewiston, Maine to Irish parents Amanda and William Dempsey. He grew up in Lewiston, attending St. Dominic Regional High School in the nearby town of Auburn. Diagnosed with dyslexia as a teenager, Dempsey struggled with the then misunderstood learning disability, but managed to shift focus from his weaker subjects to his talent for dance and acting. An avid juggler, he developed his own act and toured with the New England Vaudeville Circuit by age 15. Exhibiting a natural gift for performance, Dempsey won the Talent America Contest in 1981, catching the eye of an agent, who offered to audition the gangly youngster for the San Francisco production of "Torch Song Trilogy." Portraying the role of David, Dempsey toured with the company for several months.
Dempsey appeared on ABC family on a show “Overnight Success” by Teri DeSario, where he sings and juggles. He followed this with another tour, Brighton Beach Memoirs, in the lead role, which was directed by Gene Saks. He went on to perform with the Maine Acting Company in "On Golden Pond" and in a 1990 Off-Broadway revival “The Subject Was Roses” at the Roundabout Theatre in New York. Making his feature film debut at the age of 21 in the movie “In The Mood” which created a national uproar. The said on-screen role began to mirror his personal life. Shocking his fans in 1987 - at the tender age of 21, he married his 48-year-old manager Rocky Parker.
In 1988, Dempsey landed the lead role in the teen comedy “Can't Buy Me Love”, a role which earned him the 1988 Young Artist Award. Following that year, he had the lead roles in the films “Loverboy” and “Happy Together”. He was able to make a number of featured appearances in television in the 1990s; he was cast several times in pilots that were not picked up for a full season, including lead roles in the TV versions of the films “The Player” and “About A Boy”. Subsequetly, he received good reviews as he portrayed real-life mob boss, Meyer Lansky in 1991, when “Mobsters” was put on the screen. His first major television role was a recurring role as Will's closeted sportscaster boyfriend on “Will & Grace”. He went on to play the role of Aaron Brooks (a role that earned Dempsey an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series) on “Once & Again”. His career on a sudden upswing, he continued to effectively emanate sex appeal as Reese Witherspoon's fiancé in the big screen romantic comedy, "Sweet Home Alabama" (2002). In a less showy part, he appeared as Washington Post cartoonist Ben Weissman opposite Hilary Swank and Anjelica Houston in the HBO suffragette drama "Iron Jawed Angels" (2004). He also appeared as special guest star in “The Pratice” for 3 episodes finale season. He found the break he was looking for in 2005. Up for leads on two network medical dramas (he auditioned for the role of Dr. Gregory House on Fox's "House," which later went to Hugh Laurie), Dempsey landed the role of Dr. Derek Shepherd on the midseason hit "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC, 2005- ).
Dempsey had a high-profile role as the fiancée of Reese Witherspoon's character in “Sweet Home Alabama. He also had a role on “Scream 3”, in 2007 Disney film “Enchanted”, and the Paramount Pictures film “Freedom Writers” where he reunites with his Iron Jawed Angels co-star Hilary Swank. He also voiced the character Kenai in “Brother Bear 2”. In 2008, he starred in the film “Made of Honor” as Tom, and appeared in 2010’s comedy “Valentine’s Day”. Dempsey has acquired the rights to the prize-winning novel "The Art of Racing in the Rain”. He starred as antagonist Dylan Gould in the 2011 movie Transformers: Dark of the Moon.