Steven Soderbergh is executive-producing a movie based on the true story of an FBI undercover agent who nearly became a made man in the mob.

Since her debut in the little seen "Little Witches", (1996) prolific actress Clea DuVall has racked up an impressive number of film credits in a short time. The sandy-haired, freckled player gave a spirited comic performance as the star of the quirky independent feature "How to Make the Cruelest Month", which made the festival circuit in 1998. As Bell Bryant, a young woman desperate to fall in love and determined to quit smoking who reaches a crossroads in her life that coincides with the new year, DuVall won acclaim for her work as the intensely neurotic heroine. Generally cast in roles that downplay her average looks, DuVall, like many enduring actresses before her, has made a name based on her skill and dynamic presence rather than her pretty face.

 Christopher Walken is that rare actor who made the successful transition from child player to adult star. Born and raised in Astoria, Queens, he studied dance as a youngster and, from the age of 10, appeared in live musicals and dramas in the so-called "Golden Age of Television" in the 1950s. (He also occasionally traded off with his brother Glenn playing the character of Mike Bauer on the CBS daytime serial "Guiding Light" between 1954 and 1956.) The tall, angular blue-eyed performer was in his mid-teens when he made his Broadway debut (then billed as 'Ronnie' (short for Ronald) Walken) in Archibald MacLeish's award-winning verse play "J.B." in 1959.

 A child actor who made the transition to adult roles, Christian Slater began his career in NYC on stage and in the world of daytime dramas. The gifted young performer appeared alongside Dick Van Dyke in "The Music Man" (1980) and appeared in the Broadway musicals "Copperfield" (1981) and "Merlin" (1983). Almost simultaneously, he made inroads in soap operas like "One Life to Live" and "All My Children". In 1985, he joined "Ryan's Hope" as the delinquent boyfriend of Ryan Fennelli (Yasmine Bleeth)—a show on which his father had played the leading character of Frank Ryan in the late 1970s.

 Best known for his character work as a cast member of "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1996- ), Chris Kattan got his start with the famed Los Angeles acting troupe The Groundlings, the same place where his father Kip King had previously honed his talents. Short and dark-haired with remarkable energy, Kattan proved his talent for both physical and dialogue-driven comedy there, and went on to great success on the long-running sketch series. Born in California to King and Hungarian model Hajni Biro, Kattan was raised by his mother and psychoanalyst stepfather in a Zen community outside of Los Angeles. The family relocated to Brisbane Island, Washington for Kattan's school years, and his misfit status resulted in the teen developing his comic skills to stay afloat in high school.

 Striking Canadian import Carrie-Anne Moss, a dark-haired, alabaster skinned beauty, journeyed to Europe to pursue a modeling career, but instead landed on American television, fulfilling a lifelong goal of working as a professional actress. Despite always wanting to be an actress, nothing prepared Moss for becoming a cultural icon when she landed the career-defining role of Trinity, the cool, leather-clad, sunglasses-wearing heroine from the futuristic sci-fi phenomenon, “The Matrix” (1999). So great was the film’s impact on the cultural zeitgeist that Moss become more unrecognizable withoutsunglasses than with. Labeled by media and geek fandom as an action chick—a term she wholeheartedly embraced—Moss was wise in not letting the role define her career and instead balanced her resume with more feminine roles in low-budget indies.

A long-time favorite of discriminating theatergoers, Calista Flockhart acted in several Off-Broadway plays (e.g., "All for One", "Sophistry", "Wrong Turn at Lungfish") before triumphing on Broadway in the role of Laura, opposite Julie Harris, in a 1994 revival of "The Glass Menagerie".

As someone who believes that Samuel L. Jackson is a national treasure, I spend all day watching clips like these, showing the actor’s best yelling scenes. Now, it seems, he has a new co-star who might want to invest in a good pair of earplugs.

Petite blonde actress Beverley Mitchell shot to stardom with a regular co-starring role as Lucy Camden on The WB's popular family drama "7th Heaven" (1996- ). She played the teenage daughter of a minister in this sometimes quirky and always heartfelt series, one of the network's highest-rated if lowest-hyped properties. Along with the role came legions of young fans who related to her wholesome but imperfect character who was in a hurry to grow up.

Possessing a sweet, soulful voice and innocent good looks, singer-turned-actress Ashanti (born Ashanti Douglas) exploded onto the music scene in 2002 and quickly became one of the top selling R&B artists in the industry. Originally from Glen Cove, Long Island, NY, Ashanti was raised in a musical family—her dad used to sing and her mom was a dance instructor. At six years-old, she began singing gospel in her church choir, and in 1994, while performing at a local talent show, she attracted the attention of industry players.