Courage Under Fire

Denzel Washington (Actor) .. Nat Serling

Born: December 28, 1954 in New York

Best Known For: A string of hit movies.

Early-life: Born Denzel Hayes Washington Jr on December 28, 1954, in Mount Vernon, New York. His father was a minister, his mother a beautician. He's the second of three children. After his parents divorced, Denzel was sent to a military academy, and claims its discipline saved him from a life of crime. On graduating from high school, he studied drama and journalism at Fordham University, after which he decided to concentrate on acting. He went on to study at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco.

Career: Early in his career, Washington landed small parts on TV, and made his movie debut in 1981's Carbon Copy. A starring role in St Elsewhere led to bigger projects such as Cry Freedom, Glory (for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar), and Mo' Better Blues. The eponymous role of Malcolm X made him a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood in 1992. Since then, he's starred in Philadelphia, Crimson Tide, The Hurricane, Training Day (picking up a Best Actor Oscar for his role as a crooked cop), American Gangster, The Book of Eli, Crimson Tide, Unstoppable, Flight, 2 Guns and The Equalizer. He continues to act on stage whenever his schedule allows.

Quote: 'I remain thankful for the gifts that I've been given and I try to use them in a good way.'

Trivia: Washington is a devout Christian who considered becoming a preacher before turning to acting.

Meg Ryan (Actor) .. Karen Walden

Born: November 19, 1961 in Fairfield, Connecticut

Best Known For: When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle.

Early-life: Born Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra on November 19, 1961, in Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. She is the daughter of casting agents, who divorced in 1976. She has two sisters and a brother. After graduating from high school, she enrolled in a journalism course at New York University. To make ends meet, she began auditioning for small acting roles, using her new moniker - Ryan is her mother's maiden name.

Career: Ryan made her film debut in 1981's Rich and Famous, opposite Candice Bergen. She became a famous face on US TV thanks to a two-year stint on soap As the World Turns. International recognition followed her role in 1986's Top Gun. A year later, Innerspace consolidated her position as a rising star. When Harry Met Sally made her a force to be reckoned with in 1989, and since then, she's appeared in such blockbusters as Sleepless in Seattle, French Kiss, You've Got Mail and controversial thriller In the Cut. Recent projects include The Deal, My Mom's New Boyfriend and The Women.

Quote: 'People say that chivalry is dead. I don't think that it's dead, I think it's just got the flu.'

Trivia: Was offered the role of 'Molly Jensen' in Ghost (1990), but turned it down. The part later went to Demi Moore.

Lou Diamond Phillips (Actor) .. Monfriez

Matt Damon (Actor) .. Ilario

Born: October 08, 1970 in Boston, Massachusetts

Best Known For: Jason Bourne and a string of hit movies.

Early-life: Born Matthew Paige Damon on October 8, 1970, in Boston, Massachusetts. He has a brother who is now an artist and sculptor. Their father is a retired investment banker, their mother is a professor of education. They divorced in 1973, and the boys moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, with their mother. Damon met fellow actor Ben Affleck when he was 10 and they have been friends ever since.

Career: Damon dropped out of Harvard to concentrate on acting. He struggled to get roles and made his film debut in 1988's Mystic Pizza. Playing a troubled soldier in 1996's Courage Under Fire got him noticed. A year later, Good Will Hunting, based on a story by Damon and Affleck, became a major success and won them Best Screenplay Oscars. Since then, Damon has appeared in several hits, including Saving Private Ryan, Dogma, The Talented Mr Ripley, Stuck On You, The Departed, True Grit, Invictus and the Ocean's Eleven and Bourne franchises. He is now among the world's most bankable stars.

Quote: 'If anybody wanted to photograph my life, they'd get bored in a day. 'Here's Matt at home learning his lines. Here's Matt researching in aisle six of his local library'. A few hours of that and they'd go home.'

Trivia: He enjoys playing poker and has competed in several World Series of Poker (WSOP) events.

Scott Glenn (Actor) .. Tony Gartner

Michael Moriarty (Actor) .. Gen Hershberg

Bronson Pinchot (Actor) .. Bruno

Seth Gilliam (Actor) .. Altameyer

Sean Astin (Actor) .. Patella

Born: February 25, 1971 in Santa Monica, California

Best Known For: Playing Sam in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Early-life: Sean Patrick Duke was born in Santa Monica, California on February 25, 1971. He's the son of actress Patty Duke and her second husband Michael Tell, although he didn't know Tell was his biological father until a blood test proved it in 1990. Tell and Duke's marriage was annulled after just one month and Sean was adopted at the age of three by Addams Family star John Astin. Sean has four half-brothers, one of whom, Mackenzie, is also an actor. After leaving school he gained a degree in history and English from the University of California.

Career: At the age of nine, Sean made his acting debut opposite his mother in TV movie Please Don't Hit Me Mom. Other early roles include The Goonies, Like Father Like Son and The War of the Roses. More mature parts came in the 1990s in Memphis Belle, Bulworth and Courage Under Fire, but didn't become a famous name until The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was released in 2001; he starred in the trilogy's second and third films too. He's worked almost non-stop since; his CV includes 50 First Dates, 24, Click, Forever Strong and The Witches of Oz. He's also in demand for voiceover work and has branched out into directing.

Quote: 'I'm not really Sam. Nobody could be that good, that noble. He's just better than the rest of us. I'm a lot more Hollywood than Sam would ever be.'

Trivia: He received an Oscar nomination for producing and directing acclaimed short film Kangaroo Court in 1994.

Edward Zwick (Director)

10:01 pm - 11:30 pm, Wednesday, April 8 on Great! Action (42)

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