Greg Grunberg

Although he is the first to admit that much of his success is due to his longtime friendship with writer/director/producer J.J. Abrams — who cast Grunberg in plum roles on Felicity and Alias — this lovable actor is no slouch on his own. After studying business in college, Grunberg founded a successful frozen-yogurt business and assisted film producers Dino De Laurentiis and Joel Silver before segueing into acting. The quintessential Average Joe, he quickly landed TV guest spots, small film roles and a number of commercials, often portraying blue-collar guys. But his kindergarten pal Abrams lifted him out of the ranks of no-name players by writing him a role as a sarcastic inventor on Felicity. 2001 found Grunberg briefly appearing on two Abrams shows simultaneously, when he took on a recurring part as a CIA field agent on Alias in addition to his Felicity duties. Although TV remained his primary medium, he popped up in small film roles, notably the Abrams-directed Mission: Impossible III. In 2006 he snagged his highest-profile role to date as a hapless cop who can read minds on Heroes. But Grunberg has proven that his talents aren't limited to the screen. He plays in the charity-benefiting music act Band From TV, which features a star-studded lineup including Hugh Laurie, James Denton, Bob Gulney, Jesse Spencer, Adrian Pasdar and Scott Grimes. Though the band raises money for an array of causes, Grunberg is primarily involved in epilepsy research as his oldest son, Jake, has the disorder. He also created talkaboutit.org, a website to raise awareness for epilepsy and featuring several celebrity videos, and organizes frequent benefits and fund-raisers.