A gregarious actor with a smile that lights up the screen, Cuba Gooding, Jr. experienced the highs and lows of show business growing up as the son of his famous singer father. As he explained to the Los Angeles Times on January 5, 1997: "We lived in a big house and had chauffeurs, we'd go backstage at the concerts and then in the fifth grade . . . bang! Rock bottom." When his parents divorced, he moved with his mother, brother and sister out of the limelight and began facing financial hardships, which included stretches of being evicted and living in a car, as well as time on the welfare rolls. While the family was staying in a cheap motel in suburban Orange County, Gooding befriended future personal assistant Shawn Suttles and production company partner Derek Broes, and the three perfected their breakdancing moves, christening themselves the Majestic Vision Breakdancers.

CoCo Lee, née Ferren Lee, was born in Hong Kong on the 17th of January 1975. Although she was born in Hong Kong, CoCo was raised in San Francisco where she grew up with her mother, stepfather and two older sisters (her father passed away when she was young). She shared her singing talent with her two older sisters and her mother, who was a doctor. Although the mother of the Lee sisters wanted her daughters to pursue more practical careers, the youngest CoCo knew at a young age that she would become a singer.
During her free time, CoCo would practice her singing abilities by singing material from her favorite pop artists, such as Madonna, Whitney Houston, George Michael and Debbie Gibson.

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.

With her sensuous lips, high forehead, and piercing eyes, Claire Forlani is a stunning beauty, and the London native, who moved with her family to Northern California just shy of her 21st birthday, has had a quick rise up the pecking order in Hollywood. Forlani made eight films in four years before being chosen for the plum female lead opposite Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins in "Meet Joe Black" (1998). Her first role of note in a Hollywood film came in 1994's "Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow" in which she played an interpreter for the visiting cops. She went on to play Brandi, the girlfriend to Jeremy London who ditches plans to travel with him in order to appear on a TV dating show in Kevin Smith's uneven "Mallrats" (1995) and had a small but memorable role as Sean Connery's angry daughter in "The Rock" (1996).

Attractively rumpled blue-eyed blond performer Chad Michael Murray began as a model and successfully segued to an acting career with high profile roles on The WB on the small screen and parts as teen queen love interests on the big screen.

Perhaps no actress had a faster ride to the top than Cameron Diaz, who was launched into stardom with “The Mask” (1994), her first-ever onscreen performance. Though originally slated for a minor role, Diaz won over the movie’s producers with her unique charm and looks, and took on the lead actress role with verve.

 A handsome, muscular leading man, Burt Reynolds first achieved prominence on TV's "Riverboat" (NBC, 1959-61). Although he made his film debut in 1961, he remained best known for his small-screen work, notably as partly Native American characters on "Gunsmoke" (CBS, 1962-65; a blacksmith), and "Hawk" (ABC, 1966; a detective).

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 A statueque platinum blonde former model, Nielsen is best known for her brief marriage to actor Sylvester Stallone (1985-87). Her muscular physique was often on display in her film roles, which include her film debut in "Red Sonja" (1985), "Rocky IV" (1985) and "Cobra" (1986), both with Stallone, and "Beverly Hill Cops II" (1987).

• Born:
  July 15, 1963 in Copenhagen, Denmark
• Job Titles:
  TV host, Actor, Singer, Model