TV’s Top FBI Team, the Criminal Minds Cast—Before They Were Stars

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Who Am I?

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A.J. Cook as Jennifer “JJ” Jareau

A.J. Cook was born in Oshawa, Ontario, and attended school at Anderson Collegiate Vocational Institute. She launched her feature film career as one of the five Lisbon sisters in The Virgin Suicides. As JJ, Cook portrays the team’s media liaison. She left the show briefly during the sixth season but returned as a full-time cast member and profiler in the seventh.

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Who Am I?

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Joe Mantegna as David Rossi

Joe Mantegna was born and raised in Chicago, where he attended J. Sterling Morton East High School, graduating in 1965. Mantegna began appearing as David Rossi in season 3 of Criminal Minds. He was brought in to replace the character Jason Gideon (played by Mandy Patinkin). As Rossi, Mantegna portrays the headstrong and often abrasive elder member of the group.

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Who Am I?

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Kirsten Vangsness as Penelope Garcia

Kirsten Vangsness graduated from Cerritos High School in Cerritos, California, in 1990. In 2005, she won an award for Best Emerging Comedic Actress from the L.A. Drama Critics Circle. Shortly thereafter, she won the part of Penelope Garcia on Criminal Minds. As Garcia, she is often overly emotion and eternally optimistic as the team’s technical analyst. Her character also appeared as a series regular in the first (and only) season of Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, a spin-off series.

Who Am I?

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Mandy Patinkin as Jason Gideon

We know, we know. Patinkin hasn't been on the show for years, but it just seemed wrong not to talk about Gideon! Veteran actor Mandy Patinkin portrayed Jason Gideon for the first two seasons of Criminal Minds. Gideon was a longtime fixture in the BAU and considered to be the best profiler in the FBI. He was particularly close to Matthew Gray Gubler’s Dr. Spencer Reid. Patinkin grew up in Chicago and graduated from Kenwood Academy in 1970. One of his most memorable roles was that of Inigo Montoya in the 1987 hit The Princess Bride, a role that Patinkin considers his favorite.

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Who Am I?

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Matthew Gray Gubler as Dr. Spencer Reid

Matthew Gray Gubler grew up in Las Vegas and graduated from the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, a magnet high school, in 1998. Gubler portrays Dr. Spencer Reid, the youngest member of the BAU team and resident genius. Reid holds three Ph.D.s and two B.A.s and has an eidetic memory but suffers from Asperger’s, a mild form of autism. Gubler’s first love is filmmaking, and thus far he has directed eight episodes of Criminal Minds.

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Who Am I?

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Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Cliff Lipson/CBS Broadcasting Inc.

Paget Brewster as Emily Prentiss

Paget Brewster went to several different high schools but graduated from Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York, in 1997. Her first notable role was playing Chandler’s girlfriend in several episodes of Friends. Brewster left Criminal Minds midway through the sixth season but returned for season 7; however, it was recently announced that she would not return for season 8. We'll miss Emily!

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Who Am I?

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Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Cliff Lipson/CBS Broadcasting Inc.

Shemar Moore as Derek Morgan

Shemar Moore was born in California but lived in Denmark and Bahrain with his mother before returning to California and graduating from Gunn High School in Palo Alto in 1988. Before landing his role on Criminal Minds, Moore played Malcolm Winters on The Young and the Restless. On Criminal Minds, Moore plays fun-loving yet quick-tempered Derek Morgan.

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Who Am I?

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Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Cliff Lipson/CBS Broadcasting Inc.

Thomas Gibson as Aaron Hotchner

Thomas Gibson grew up in South Carolina, where he attended theater school and then graduated from Bishop England High School in 1980. His most memorable role, aside from Criminal Minds, was playing Greg Montgomery in Dharma & Greg. On Criminal Minds, Gibson plays Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, or Hotch, the leader of the FBI profiler team. Gibson says of his character, “Unfortunately, he has a very, very, probably-dusty-it's-so-dry sense of humor. It's pretty dark. It's pretty bone dry. We all need a little levity, but I wouldn't necessarily look for him to break into song and dance.”