Stars Who Trekked

Dean Stockwell

publication date: Friday, May 27, 2022

category: Movies

clue: This one-time child actor had a career spanning the films Sons and Lovers, Married to the Mob, and To Live and Die in L.A., so it's appropriate that his best-known TV role cast him as a time-traveling hologram.

explanation: Stockwell starred in Quantum Leap. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, and Erik Bates

Melanie Scrofano

publication date: Thursday, May 26, 2022

category: Television

clue: She has starred in two TV series set in rural Canada, one a horror series in which she plays a demon-slaying descendant of Wyatt Earp, and the other a comedy series in which she plays the flirtatious, swinging wife of a farmer.

explanation: Scrofano starred in Wynonna Earp and Letterkenny. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, and Erik Bates

trivia: Scrofano appeared on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on May 5, 2022, after the "Stars Who Trekked" theme had already begun.

Christopher Plummer

publication date: Wednesday, May 25, 2022

category: Theater

clue: He made his name performing Shakespeare around the world, but The Sound of Music was too plum of a role to decline.

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, and Erik Bates

Idris Elba

publication date: Monday, May 23, 2022

category: Movies

clue: You might know him as a wandering gunslinger, a blind Asgardian, a South African president, a dying mecha veteran, or a Baltimore drug kingpin.

explanation: Elba starred in The Dark Tower, Thor, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Pacific Rim, and The Wire. more…

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, and Erik Bates

Malcolm McDowell

publication date: Sunday, May 22, 2022

category: Movies

clue: He played a violent hoodlum for Stanley Kubrick, a pornographic emperor for Bob Guccione, and a child psychologist for Rob Zombie.

explanation: McDowell starred in A Clockwork Orange, Caligula, and Halloween. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Chris Lemler, and Erik Bates

Rainn Wilson

publication date: Friday, May 20, 2022

category: Television

clue: He starred in a mom show and worked the graveyard shift in another TV role, but he's best known for his role in an office comedy.

explanation: Wilson starred in Mom, Six Feet Under, and The Office. more…

intended difficulty: hard

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Chris Lemler, and Erik Bates

Whoopi Goldberg

publication date: Monday, May 16, 2022

category: Comedy

clue: Although she's as funny as the whoopie cushion that provided her nickname, she's also a serious actress, one of only sixteen people to pull off an EGOT.

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, and Erik Bates

Sarah Silverman

publication date: Friday, May 13, 2022

category: Comedy

clue: Her sexually frank and boundary-crossing stand-up comedy is a far cry from her squeaky-voiced sweet kid in Wreck-It Ralph.

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

Iggy Pop

publication date: Tuesday, May 10, 2022

category: Music

clue: His work with the Stooges — "Search and Destroy," not "nyuk nyuk nyuk" — earned this "pop" star his nickname, the Godfather of Punk.

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, and Erik Bates

Joan Collins

publication date: Sunday, May 8, 2022

category: Television

clue: After starring in films about a Lady, a Queen, and Pharaohs, she was more than ready to star in a 1980s TV series about a family dynasty.

explanation: Collins starred in Lady Godiva Rides Again, The Virgin Queen, Land of the Pharaohs, and Dynasty. more…

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

Joe Piscopo

publication date: Wednesday, May 4, 2022

category: Television

clue: He co-starred with Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, and Treat Williams in a series of cinematic flops in the 1980s, but he had a notable small-screen partnership with Eddie Murphy in the same decade.

explanation: Piscopo starred in Johnny Dangerously, Wise Guys, and Dead Heat. Piscopo and Murphy were the only Saturday Night Live cast members considered good enough to keep when the rest of the cast was fired by showrunner Dick Ebersol in 1981. more…

intended difficulty: hard

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, and Chris Lemler

Daniel Dae Kim

publication date: Sunday, May 1, 2022

category: Television

clue: His roles as a plane crash survivor and an expert cop have made him synonymous with Hawaii, even though he's from South Korea.

explanation: Kim starred in Lost and Hawaii Five-O. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

Dwayne Johnson

publication date: Thursday, April 28, 2022

category: Movies

clue: Today he has a rock-solid career as a furious action movie star, but he was once a professional wrestler known for particularly aromatic cooking.

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

Benedict Cumberbatch

publication date: Tuesday, April 26, 2022

category: Movies

clue: Is it strange that he has played so many pop-culture icons, from Arthur Conan Doyle's master detective to J.R.R. Tolkien's hoarding dragon to Marvel's sorcerer supreme?

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

Andy Dick

publication date: Saturday, April 23, 2022

category: Comedy

clue: This comedian's TV career came to a notorious end when his NewsRadio co-stars found him to be worse than a dick.

explanation: Dick was publicly blamed by his co-stars, most notably Jon Lovitz with whom he got into a fistfight, for causing the drug relapse that caused Bryn Hartman to murder Phil Hartman. more…

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, and Chris Lemler

Stephen Hawking

publication date: Thursday, April 21, 2022

category: Science

clue: It's hard to be brief when you're writing the history of literally all history. Who's the king?

explanation: Hawking's books include A Brief History of Time. more…

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

Kurtwood Smith

publication date: Wednesday, April 20, 2022

category: Television

clue: You'd have to be a dumbass not to recognize a guy who faced off against RoboCop and Rambo.

explanation: Smith played Red Forman (who frequently declared any random teenager on a show a "dumbass") in That '70s Show, as well as Clarence Boddicker in RoboCop and Robert Griggs in Rambo III. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

Brian Bonsall

publication date: Monday, April 18, 2022

category: Television

clue: Starring in a hit sitcom with Michael J. Fox gave him a blank check in Hollywood, but he opted not to stay.

explanation: Bonsall gained fame in Family Ties but left acting behind as a teenager. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

Jason Alexander

publication date: Sunday, April 17, 2022

category: Television

clue: You might know him from his roles in Seinfeld, Pretty Woman, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, or Dream On, not for invading Prussia.

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

trivia: The clue was a throwback reference to the May 4, 1998 goo of Alexander.

Mia Kirshner

publication date: Friday, April 15, 2022

category: Television

clue: She appeared alongside vampires and werewolves in Dracula: The Series, Wolf Lake, and The Vampire Diaries, but she's better known for roles in 24 and The L Word.

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

John Rhys-Davies

publication date: Wednesday, April 13, 2022

category: Movies

clue: Depending on your taste in action, sci-fi, and fantasy, you might know him best for befriending Indiana Jones, or for joining the fellowship of the ring, or for sliding around to alternate dimensions, or for being targeted for assassination by James Bond.

explanation: Rhys-Davies played Sallah in the Indiana Jones films, Gimli in the Lord of the Rings films, Arturo in the TV series Sliders, and Pushkin in The Living Daylights. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, and Chris Lemler

Kelsey Grammer

publication date: Monday, April 11, 2022

category: Television

clue: Getting inebriated at a Boston bar can really make you work up an appetite for tossed salad and scrambled eggs.

explanation: Grammer starred in Cheers and Frasier. more…

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, and Chris Lemler

Bebe Neuwirth

publication date: Saturday, April 9, 2022

category: Television

clue: She's been a cabinet secretary's chief of staff, a detective upholding law & order, and a Boston psychiatrist turned barfly.

explanation: Neuwirth starred in Madam Secretary, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, and Cheers. more…

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

F. Murray Abraham

publication date: Thursday, April 7, 2022

category: Movies

clue: It's hard to keep your composure when beating the likes of Jeff Bridges and Sam Waterson for an Oscar.

explanation: Abraham won an Oscar in 1985 for playing the composer Antonio Salieri inAmadeus. more…

intended difficulty: hard

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, and Chris Lemler

Christian Slater

publication date: Wednesday, April 6, 2022

category: Movies

clue: In some of his best-known roles, he has pumped up the volume, interviewed a vampire, untamed a heart, and gleamed a cube.

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

Ann Magnuson

publication date: Monday, April 4, 2022

category: Theater

clue: She's been a nightclub DJ, a lounge singer, a nightclub manager, a performance artist, a psychedelic rock frontwoman, the star of several one-woman shows, a magazine columnist, and when she has the time, a Hollywood actress opposite stars like John Malkovich, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Wanda Sykes.

explanation: Magnuson has had a long and varied career in theatrical and nightclub performances, and singing for bands including Bongwater. She has starred in film and television roles like Making Mr. Right, Anything But Love, and Wanda at Large. more…

intended difficulty: hard

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

Christopher Lloyd

publication date: Saturday, April 2, 2022

category: Movies

clue: His best-known roles involved bugging his eyes out figuratively in Back to the Future, Taxi, and The Addams Family, and literally in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

Rosa Salazar

publication date: Thursday, March 31, 2022

category: Movies

clue: This actress is drawn to sci-fi and horror series, such as Maze Runner, Divergent, American Horror Story, Undone, and Alita.

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

Lori Petty

publication date: Tuesday, March 29, 2022

category: Movies

clue: Her roles in Point Break, A League of Their Own, Tank Girl, and Free Willy were not petit.

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

Stacey Abrams

publication date: Sunday, March 27, 2022

category: Government

clue: She was disappointed after losing the 2018 gubernatorial race in Georgia, and soon turned the whole state blue with her.

explanation: Abrams is widely credited with organizing a voter drive that led to Georgia voting for Democratic politicians in 2020. more…

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

trivia: Abrams appeared on Star Trek: Discovery on March 17, 2022, after the "Stars Who Trekked" theme had already begun.

Michael McKean

publication date: Saturday, March 26, 2022

category: Television

clue: He's had a strange career, going from the Shotz Brewery to Studio 8H, and from a musically challenged English heavy metal band to an ethically challenged Albuquerque law firm.

explanation: McKean's roles Include Laverne & Shirley, Saturday Night Live, This is Spinal Tap, and Better Call Saul. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, and Chris Lemler

James Cromwell

publication date: Wednesday, March 23, 2022

category: Movies

clue: If you don't recognize this actor, don't expect a talking pig to tell you the answer.

explanation: Cromwell starred in Babe. more…

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, and Erik Bates

H. Jon Benjamin

publication date: Tuesday, March 22, 2022

category: Television

clue: You might not know his face (or his first name), but you've heard his voice as Sterling Archer, Bob Belcher, Coach McGuirk, and many more roles.

explanation: Benjamin starred in Archer, Bob's Burgers, and Home Movies. more…

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, and Erik Bates

Big Show

publication date: Sunday, March 20, 2022

category: Sports

clue: This big wrestler wasn't just in the show. He was the show.

explanation: Paul Wight wrestled under the ring name Big Show. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, and Erik Bates

Michelle Yeoh

publication date: Saturday, March 19, 2022

category: Movies

clue: She's had a crazy rich career, with roles opposite the likes of Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan, Chow Yun-fat, Emilia Clarke, Simu Liu, David Thewlis, and Jack Black.

explanation: Yeoh starred in Crazy Rich Asians, the Police Story films, Tomorrow Never Dies, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Last Christmas, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, The Lady, and Kung-Fu Panda 2. more…

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, and Erik Bates

Ted Knight

publication date: Thursday, March 17, 2022

category: Television

clue: In one sitcom, he played an arrogant yet buffoonish TV news anchorman. In another, he played a work-at-home newspaper cartoonist.

explanation: Knight starred in The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Too Close for Comfort. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, and Erik Bates

Rebecca Romijn

publication date: Tuesday, March 15, 2022

category: Movies

clue: She has appeared alongside Charles Xavier and Frank Castle, Ugly Betty and Finn & Jake, and herself in a Brian De Palma film.

explanation: Romijn appeared in the X-Men films, The Punisher, Ugly Betty, Adventure Time, and Femme Fatale. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, and Erik Bates

Peter Weller

publication date: Sunday, March 13, 2022

category: Movies

clue: He'll live in sci-fi infamy forever for playing both RoboCop and Buckaroo Bonzai.

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

Tom Morello

publication date: Friday, March 4, 2022

category: Music

clue: This guitarist must have anger management problems if two of his bands were both named after Rage.

explanation: Morello played in Rage Against the Machine and Prophets of Rage. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

Vanessa Williams

publication date: Wednesday, March 2, 2022

category: Music

clue: Her Miss America reign featured a noble first and an ignoble end, but she saved the best for last in a successful singing and acting career, with roles that feed the soul.

explanation: Williams was the first Black woman to be crowned Miss America, but the controversy around nude photos published without her consent forced her to resign. She went on to a successful career as a singer with hits like "Save the Best for Last," and actress in films like Soul Food. more…

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky

Ed Begley Jr.

publication date: Monday, February 28, 2022

category: Television

clue: He co-starred in films with Richard Pryor, Roseanne Barr, Macaulay Culkin, Larry David, Anna Faris, and Jane Lynch, but he's best known for playing a doctor elsewhere.

explanation: Begley starred in Blue Collar, She-Devil, The Pagemaster, Whatever Works, What's Your Number?, Mascots, and St. Elsewhere. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, and Richard Slominsky