Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury

Jay Baruchel (Actor) .. Hiccup

Born: April 09, 1982 in Ottawa, Ontario

Best Known For: A string of Hollywood films.

Early-life: Jonathan Adam Saunders Baruchel was born in Ottawa, Ontario, on April 9, 1982 to Robyne and Serge. He has a younger sister, Taylor. He grew up in Montreal. One of his earliest acting roles was in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous (2000).

Career: Baruchel went on to star in Judd Apatow's short-lived sitcom Undeclared. In 2004, he played a boxing hopeful on the big screen in Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby. His other film credits include Knocked Up (2007), Tropic Thunder (2008), Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008), Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), This Is the End (2013) and RoboCop (2014). He voices Hiccup in the How to Train Your Dragon film and TV franchise.

Quote: "I have a maple leaf tattoo over my heart, quite literally, and my two favourite things on Earth are being in Canada and making movies."

Trivia: He played drums in Canadian rock group Martin.

Gerard Butler (Actor) .. Stoick

Born: November 13, 1969 in Glasgow

Best Known For: Taking the lead in sword and sandals epic, 300

Early-life: Born on November 13, 1969, in Glasgow, he's the youngest of three children. His parents divorced when he was young, and he had little contact with his father until he was 16, when they became close; Gerard was devastated when his dad died of cancer six years later. He attended the University of Glasgow, where he studied law, eventually becoming president of the school's Law Society. He also spent a year living in California. Gerard landed a trainee lawyer's position at an Edinburgh law firm, but was fired a week before gaining his qualifications.

Career: Butler's first role of note was in a stage production of Coriolanus directed by Steven Berkoff. After playing the character of Renton in the stage adaptation of Trainspotting, he made his big-screen debut in Mrs Brown. Small roles in James Bond outing Tomorrow Never Dies and Tale of the Mummy followed. His sensuous turn as Dracula in Wes Craven's horror caught the eye, and he's been busy ever since. Among his biggest projects since are the lead role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, 300, RocknRolla, PS I Love You and Law Abiding Citizen. Butler is clearly a man who likes to keep busy - he usually has lots of films in various stages of production.

Quote: "During some of the most miserable periods of my life, people thought I was very happy. And now that I'm actually happier, I don't have to show it. I'm more comfortable with myself."

Trivia: Butler is a big fan of Celtic FC and owns a stake in the Jamaica Tallawahs cricket team.

Craig Ferguson (Actor) .. Gobber

America Ferrera (Actor) .. Astrid

Born: April 18, 1984 in Los Angeles

Best Known For: Ugly Betty.

Early-life: America Georgina Ferrera was born in Los Angeles on April 18, 1984. She's the youngest of six children, and was brought up by her Honduran mother after her parents split. America began appearing in school plays and community theatre productions at the age of eight. Although she made her film debut at the age of 18 playing an overweight teenager in the 2002 drama Real Women Have Curves, her mum was keen for her to continue her education, and America combined acting with studying for a degree in International Relations and Theatre at the University of Southern California.

Career: Ferrera followed her appearance in Real Women Have Curves with roles in TV series including Touched By An Angel and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She also starred in the movies The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (2005), Lords of Dogtown (2005) and Steel City (2006), but only became a household name after she was approached by Salma Hayek to take the lead role in Ugly Betty, the US remake of a successful Colombian soap opera. The series was popular on both sides of the Atlantic and ran for four series. Since Ugly Betty ended, she has appeared in The Good Wife, and in November 2011, she made her London stage debut playing Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago in the West End. She voices the character Astrid in the How to Train Your Dragon movies.

Quote: "It's so reassuring to have a woman heroine who triumphs with more than just what she has on the outside, who has more to offer the world than just a pretty picture."

Trivia: Ferrera won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for Ugly Betty.

Jonah Hill (Actor) .. Snotlout

Born: December 20, 1983 in Los Angeles

Best Known For: Superbad.

Early-life: Jonah Hill Feldstein was born in Los Angeles on December 20, 1983. His mother is a costume designer and fashion stylist, his father is a tour accountant for Guns N' Roses. Jonah graduated from Crossroads School in Santa Monica and studied acting at The New School in New York.

Career: Hill began writing his own plays and performing them in the Black and White bar in the East Village neighbourhood of New York. A friendship with Dustin Hoffman's children led to his first film role in I Heart Huckabees (2004). Parts in various films and TV series followed until he landed a lead role in hugely popular teen comedy Superbad (2007). Since then, he has appeared in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), The Invention of Lying (2009), Cyrus (2010), Get Him to the Greek (2010), Moneyball (2011), The Sitter (2011), 21 Jump Street (2012) and the 2014 sequel 22 Jump Street, This Is the End (2013) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2014). He has also lent his voice to the TV series Allen Gregory and the films How to Train Your Dragon (2010) and its 2014 sequel, Megamind (2010) and The Lego Movie (2014).

Quote: "It's harder to be funny if you're handsome than if you're very normal-looking. It's just more relatable. You're the underdog."

Trivia: He received an Oscar nomination for his role in Moneyball.

Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Actor) .. Fishlegs

Born: June 20, 1989 in Los Angeles

Best Known For: Playing McLovin in Superbad.

Early-life: Christopher Charles Mintz-Plasse was born in Los Angeles on June 20, 1989 to Ellen and Ray. He acted in drama classes at school and he was 17 when he landed his first film role as McLovin in the hugely popular teen comedy Superbad (2007).

Career: Mintz-Plasse next appeared in Role Models (2008) and Year One (2009). He was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for Kick-Ass (2010), a part he reprised in the 2013 sequel. His other film credits include Pitch Perfect (2012), Movie 43 (2013) and This is the End (2013). He has also lent his voice to How to Train Your Dragon (2010) and its 2014 sequel, Marmaduke (2010) and ParaNorman (2012). His recent work includes Neighbours (2014).

Quote: "I just hated school. I don't like to learn. Don't teach me anything!"

Trivia: He plays drums for the rock band The Young Rapscallions.

TJ Miller (Actor) .. Tuffnut

Best Known For: Being a stand-up comedian and starring Cloverfield, Deadpool and Silicon Valley.

Early-life: Todd Joseph Miller was born in Denver on June 4, 1981 to Leslie and Kent. TJ went on to study at George Washington University in Washington, DC, where he was a member of the sketch and improv comedy group receSs. After graduating in psychology, he moved to Chicago. He toured with Second City for almost two years and performed stand-up every night for almost four years. He was a regular performer at Chicago's The Lincoln Lodge.

Career: Miller made his TV debut in The Standard Deviants, a PBS educational show. His film credits include Cloverfield (2008), She's Out of My League (2010), Get Him to the Greek (2010), Rock of Ages (2012), Deadpool (2016) and Office Christmas Party (2016). He is the voice of Ranger Jones in Yogi Bear (2010), Fred in Big Hero 6 (2014) and Tuffnut Thorston in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. Since 2014, he has played Erlich Bachman in the HBO comedy Silicon Valley.

Quote: "I laugh at absurdity hardest, then stories, then observations, then bearded men on roller skates."

Trivia: Miller is an accomplished clown and juggler.

Kristen Wiig (Actor) .. Ruffnut

Born: August 22, 1973 in Canandaigua, New York

Best Known For: Bridesmaids and the Despicable Me films.

Early-life: Born Kristen Carroll Wiig in Canandaigua, New York, on August 22nd, 1973. Her father is of Norwegian and Irish ancestry and her mother is of English and Scottish descent. She relocated with her family to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, when she was three and later moved to Rochester, New York. She studied art at the University of Arizona, where she also began acting. After dropping out of her studies she moved to Los Angeles, where she joined the sketch comedy troupe The Groundlings.

Career: In 2003, Wiig made her TV debut in The Joe Schmo Show, a spoof of reality TV. Her big break came in 2005 when she joined Saturday Night Live (SNL). She quit the show in 2012 although she has since returned as a host. During her time on SNL, she also appeared on the big screen in Knocked Up, Ghost Town, Adventureland, Date Night and Paul. Her movie breakthrough came in 2011 when she co-wrote and starred in the hugely popular Bridesmaids. She has also voiced characters in Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, How to Train Your Dragon and its 2014 sequel, and the Despicable Me films in two different roles.

Quote: "People always call me a comedian. And I don't really see myself like that. I guess I just consider myself an actor who does comedy."

Trivia: Wiig used to be a waitress in the executive dining room of Universal Studios. In 2011, she was voted one of Peta's sexiest vegetarians.

Tom Owens (Director)

5:05 pm - 5:25 pm, Tuesday, December 30 on CBBC HD (203)

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