Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Comic actor Christopher Mintz-Plasse was still in high school when he landed the role of Fogell -- a.k.a. "McLovin" -- in the Seth Rogen comedy Superbad (2007). Although he had been involved in student theater, Mintz-Plasse had no professional acting experience prior to the scene-stealing turn that launched his career. Since then he's toured the world and the talk show circuit to promote Superbad, appeared in some short films online and been cast in more movies, including an animated feature based on the children's book How to Train Your Dragon (by Cressida Cowell).

Thomas Haden Church

Thomas Haden Church won an Oscar nomination for his ripe comic turn as Jack, the aging and philandering actor in the 2004 comedy Sideways. Church was already known to TV audiences as Lowell ... more

Elijah Muhammad

The self-proclaimed "Messenger of Allah," Elijah Muhammad was the leader of the Nation of Islam from 1934 until he died in 1975. He grew up ... more

Osamu Tezuka

Osama Tezuka made cartooning and animation into serious art forms in Japan, where he is often compared with Walt Disney. Tezuka was still a ... more

Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston was the flamboyant author of the 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, and a leading figure in African-American literature of the 20th century. She grew up in Florida, ... more

Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry is best known as the big, sassy grandma Madea from the movies Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005) and Madea's Family Reunion (2006). From his home base in Atlanta, Georgia, ... more