John Scurti

Biography: While making his film debut in the 1993 comedy Who's the Man, this sympathetic character actor from New York's Long Island struck up a valuable friendship with cast mate Denis Leary. Not only did the duo appear together in The Ref the next year, but a decade later, Leary tapped Scurti for the plum role of a fire fighter-poet in his edgy series Rescue Me. With his everyman visage and blue-collar vibe, Scurti landed small-screen guest spots throughout the 1990s and 2000s, but his parts were rarely pivotal (a transit cop on Monk, a union guy on Ed, etc.). Rescue Me set his career on fire and the multitalented actor, who even went on to pen a couple of episodes, remained committed to the show throughout its run.