ANDY LAWRENCE (T.J. Detweiler) plays the gregarious, charismatic center of the group of friends in "Recess: School�s Out." Always the man with the plan, T.J. is a "kid�s kid" who grows up a bit in the film when he begins to see Principal Prickly as more than just an ogre determined to keep him and his pals from having fun. Lawrence says that performing as T.J. has matured him, too. "Working with adults has made me connect with them in ways I might not have done in the past. You know, you have a choice � you can be a little kid and not understand what adults around you are saying, or you can connect with people that happen to be older than you. "I�m also very lucky to have parents that trust me and respect me as a person and not as a little kid," Lawrence notes. Coming from a family of actors, Lawrence has been seen in several television programs. He was a series regular on "Brotherly Love," which also starred his real-life brothers, Joey and Matthew, and on "Tom," starring Tom Arnold. He has also been seen on "Tucker," "Blossom," and "Walter and Family," and heard on "King of the Hill." Lawrence has also appeared in the feature films "Bean" and "White Man�s Burden," as well as the television films "Deadly Web," "Brothers of the Frontier," "Prince for a Day," and "The Other Me" for The Disney Channel. His first role came at the age of 6 for the television film "Cries Unheard: The Donna Yaklich Story."

ASHLEY JOHNSON (Gretchen) plays the pedantic purveyor of particulars, the gifted Gretchen. Like many of the other kids who have grown up with "Recess," Johnson has taken several lessons from the show as she has matured. "I think the whole group of them are so diverse and that they�re all together as friends, it�s great. It teaches kids that though you have to have your one certain group that you rely on, you don�t have to have a clique � you can just be friends with everybody." Johnson most recently starred opposite Mel Gibson in "What Women Want." Other film roles include "Anywhere But Here," "Dancer, Texas," "Nine Months," "Lionheart," and the animated feature, "The Incredible Ince." Johnson began her acting career at age 5, playing Chrissy Seaver on the popular television series "Growing Pains," a role she recently reprised on the top-rated ABC television film, "Growing Pains: A Reunion." Other television credits include regular roles on "All-American Girl," "Phenom," "Maybe This Time," "Moloney," and "Kelly, Kelly," and recurring roles on "ER" and "Chicago�s Finest." In addition to her live-action film and television work, Johnson�s voice has been heard in the animated television programs "The First Snow of Winter," "Jumanji," "Maxine," and "Mina and the Count." Johnson will next be seen in the feature film "Rustin" and the independent film "The Gift Horse."

COURTLAND MEAD (Gus) sees a lot of himself in his character. "Gus has matured a lot since the beginning. When we first started, he was very timid, but now, he�s working his way up. and I think that�s the same with me, because I was kind of shy, and everything, but now, I�m facing my fears. "I was the youngest kid in the group at the beginning, and when I first started, it was hard to pronounce the words, but after a season, I kind of got used to it, and it started flowing, so it became easier." Mead first appeared on-screen in the 1992 film "Only You," and has since been seen in several television films, including "A Child Lost Forever," "What Love Sees," and "Emma�s Wish." For each of these, Mead won a Youth in Film Award for Best Young Actor, and picked up a fourth for his role on "Recess." In 1987, Mead won the role of Danny Torrance in ABC�s miniseries, "The Shining." He was a series regular on "Kirk" and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for his portrayal of Philip Chancellor III on "The Young and the Restless." His voice was heard in the lead role of Disney�s animated series, "Nightmare Ned." Mead�s voice was also heard in the films "A Bug�s Life," "The Haunting," and as the puppy in the smash hit "Babe." He has been seen in front of the camera in "Corrina, Corrina," "Tom and Huck," "The Little Rascals," and, most recently, in "Go." When he�s not at school or work, the little kid with the small voice hangs out with his friends and listens to music, "Just like any other kid." The alternative bands Limp Bizkit and KoRn are current favorites. Mead next takes on the title role in "Disney�s Lloyd in Space," Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere�s new animated television series for "Disney�s One Saturday Morning."

PAMELA SEGALL (Spinelli) might be the only adult to play one of the six main characters, but don�t say she�s out of touch. "Spinelli is very much like I am now," she says. "She wears motorcycle boots. She�s a little toughie. I totally get Spinelli." Segall has appeared in several films, including "Men," "Plump Fiction," "Sgt. Bilko," "Bed of Roses," "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane," "Say Anything," and "Grease 2." Her television work includes regular and recurring roles on "Brothers & Sisters," "Relativity," "Down the Shore," and "Wiseguy." Her voice has been heard in "King of the Hill" (as the voice of Bobby Hill), "Jumanji," "Disney�s Pepper Ann," "Spawn," and "Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot." She has appeared in the television films "The Fantastic World of DC Collins," "Pleasures," "Leftovers," "Breast Men," and "A Family Again." On stage, she has appeared in productions of "Greetings from Venice Beach" (for which she won a Dramalogue Award for Best Performance), "Heartbreak Help," "Pot Roast," "Cup of Joe," and "Waking Jimmy Rizzo."

RICKEY D�SHON COLLINS (Vince) has much in common with the character he plays, starting with their home lives: "We both have great parents. We both know that what you are taught and are accustomed to doing is what you put out." However, Collins wants everyone to know that there are important differences between him and his character: "Vince really likes kickball," Collins says, "but basketball is more my thing." The sixteen-year-old Collins has appeared on-screen in numerous commercials and television roles, including "The District," "Brooklyn South," "Kate Joplin," "Baywatch," "Blossom," "Empty Nest," "Hangin� with Mr. Cooper," "In the House," "Sinbad," "Home Improvement," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Roc," and "FBI Untold Stories." His voice has been heard in "Static Shock," an animated series for the WB Television Network. He can be seen in the films "Little Giants," "Jack," "Warriors of Virtue," and heard in the animated film, "Once Upon a Forest." Collins� athletic talents are also noteworthy. He excels in basketball and football, winning MVP awards in basketball in 1997 and 1998. In 2000, he was selected to compete in the Australian Kanga Classic II Basketball Tournament as a Sports Ambassador, representing the USA. He was recently voted to the All-Tournament Team of the Catalina Island Holiday Basketball Classic. Collins was nominated for an Emmy, Young Star Award, and Young Artist Award for his work on "Recess" in 1999-2000. He appears in the 1999-2000 edition of Who�s Who Among American High School Students and is student body vice president.

JASON DAVIS (Mikey) takes his cues from the big lug he plays. "I try to be like him, sincere and going out of my way, doing that extra run to make sure that people are happy before I am," he says. Davis is a veteran of several films, including "Rush Hour," "Jane Austen�s Mafia!," "Fathers� Day," "Breakfast with Einstein," "Beverly Hills Ninja," and "Bio-Dome." He was a series regular on "Saturday Night Special" and had a recurring role on "7th Heaven," in addition to appearing in episodes of "Roseanne," "Totally Pauly," "Dave�s World," and "The Weird Al Show." The versatile actor is as musical as his character, as he is adept at piano, French horn, and violin. He also enjoys playing basketball, swimming, tennis, karate, and scuba diving. He attends Montclair Prep in Southern California.

MELISSA JOAN HART (Becky) became the darling of the preteen set in her role as Clarissa Darling on Nickelodeon�s live-action series, "Clarissa Explains It All." The current star of the hit "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch," Hart is in her fifth year of playing Sabrina Spellman, and this season surpassed the 100-episode mark while setting new ratings records for The WB Television Network and being syndicated around the world. She reprised the role in several television projects, including "The Wonderful World of Disney" movies "Sabrina Goes to Rome" and "Sabrina Down Under," and also voices the parts of aunts Hilda and Zelda in "Sabrina: The Animated Series." Hart�s numerous other television credits include the television films "Twisted Desire," "Two Came Back," "Silencing Mary," "The Right Connections," and appearances on "Saturday Night Live." Additionally, she has also been seen in the feature films "Can�t Hardly Wait," "Drive Me Crazy," and "The Specials." Hart is currently producing projects with Heartbreak Films, including "Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story" for ABC. She will next be seen in the independent feature "Backlash Blues."

DABNEY COLEMAN (Principal Prickly) doesn�t see the principal he plays as such a bad guy. "When push comes to shove, he really does have the kids� interests at heart. He�s egomaniacal and he thinks that running Third Street School is tantamount to running the nation � and, ironically, he wants to move up from there � but when real, critical conflict comes, his true heart and his feelings for the kids comes out." Coleman was born in Austin, Texas. After graduating from the University of Texas, he became a member of the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse School Theatre between 1958 and 1960. His career as an actor in television began in the early 1970s with acclaimed performances in such productions as "I Love My Wife," "Dying Room Only," "The President�s Plane Is Missing" and "Savage." In 1974, he won the role of Dave McCoy in the feature film adaptation of Jill Kinmont�s autobiography The Other Side of the Mountain. In 1976 Coleman was cast as Merle Jeeter on the now-legendary soap opera parody "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman." He continued his role in the series spin-off, "Forever Fernwood." In addition to numerous roles in episodic television, Coleman was seen in the comedy miniseries "Fresno," starring Carol Burnett. He also starred as Otis Drexell in the series "Drexell�s Class" and Jack "Madman" Buckner in "Madman of the People," and starred as the title characters in "Buffalo Bill" and "The �Slap� Maxwell Story." For the latter performance he won the Golden Globe Award. He also won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of Marty Costigan in the made-for-television movie, "Sworn to Silence." In feature films, Coleman was cast as the venomous boss to Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton in the 1980 comedy hit "9 to 5." He followed this with memorable performances in such films as "Melvin and Howard," "On Golden Pond," "Young Doctors in Love," "Tootsie," "WarGames," "The Muppets Take Manhattan," "The Man With One Red Shoe," "Cloak and Dagger," "Dragnet" and "Amos and Andrew." More recently he appeared as Mr. Drysdale in the feature film "The Beverly Hillbillies"; with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in the hit, "You�ve Got Mail"; in the smash family films "Inspector Gadget" and "Stuart Little"; and in the television special, "Must Be Santa." This month, Coleman will appear opposite Camryn Manheim in ABC�s television special, "Kiss My Act."

APRIL WINCHELL (Miss Finster) provides the voice for the punctilious pedagogue of the playground. Whatever the kids are plotting, better make sure she�s not around, or this ominous ogre is sure to nip it in the bud. Winchell has voiced many characters for several Disney productions, starting with "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" in 1988 (as Mrs. Herman, the mother of the rambunctious Baby Herman). She went on to voice parts on several animated television series, including "Disney�s Pepper Ann," "Goof Troop," "Timon and Pumbaa," "Quack Pack," the animated "Mighty Ducks" television series, "101 Dalmatians: the Series," "Pepper Ann," and "Mickey MouseWorks," for which she became the official voice of Clarabelle Cow. Other credits include roles in the Disney video premieres "Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World" and "Belle�s Magical World." She was recently heard in the animated television series "Clerks" and "The Kids from Room 402." Winchell began her performing career at the age of 3, when she appeared on her father's television programs, "The Paul Winchell Show" and "Winchell Mahoney Time." Winchell is also a prominent, award-winning writer and producer, having scripted hundreds of radio commercials and television episodes, including for "Roseanne." She currently hosts a popular talk-radio show on KFI (AM 640) in Los Angeles.

JAMES WOODS (Dr. Philliam Benedict) is no stranger to animated films, having previously supplied the voice of the fiery Lord of the Underworld in Disney�s 1997 film "Hercules," a role he reprised in the animated television series that followed the film. Woods began his acting career while attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As he studied political science on full scholarship, he still managed to appear in over 36 plays at M.I.T., Harvard, and the Theatre Company of Boston. He made his Broadway debut in "Borstal Boy" and followed up with "Saved" (for which he won an Obie Award and the Clarence Derwent Award for Most Promising Actor) off-Broadway. Other New York stage credits include "Finishing Touches," "Green Julia" and "Moonchildren." In film, he made his debut in Elia Kazan�s "The Visitors" followed by a small, but memorable part as Barbra Streisand�s college boyfriend in "The Way We Were." His early major starring roles were in "Alex and the Gypsy" and "Night Moves." But Woods� breakthrough role was that of Gregory Powell in "The Onion Field," which earned him a Golden Globe Award. Other film credits include "Casino," "Nixon," "Eyewitness," "Once Upon a Time in America," "Videodrome," "Diggstown," "Against All Odds," "True Believer" and "The Specialist." On television, he has also appeared in The Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation "All the Way Home"; "My Name is Bill W." (for which he won an Emmy Award); the landmark event "Holocaust"; "Badge of the Assassin"; and "The Boys." For his work in "Citizen Cohn," Woods was honored with the first American Television Award for Best Actor and a Peabody Award. His other accolades include an Academy Award� nomination for Best Actor and the Independent Film Project Spirit Award for his work in "Salvador"; the Golden Globe, Golden Apple and Emmy Awards for Best Actor in "Promise"; and a Golden Globe nomination for his work in "In Love and War." He received a second Oscar� nomination for his portrayal of Byron De La Beckwith, the murderer of Medgar Evers, in "Ghosts of Mississippi." In December, Woods received a Golden Globe nomination for his role in Showtime�s "Dirty Pictures." More recently, Woods has appeared in "The General�s Daughter," "Contact," "Vampires," "True Crime," "The Virgin Suicides," "Any Given Sunday," and "Another Day in Paradise." He will soon be heard in "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" and seen in Penny Marshall�s "Riding in Cars with Boys" and "John Q" for director Nick Cassavetes.