Meet the Cast of Friday Night Lights

"Friday Night Lights," a one-hour made-for-television drama series, debuted on NBC on Oct. 3, 2006. It is loosely based on a 2004 major motion picture of the same title. The action is centered around the small town of Dillon, Texas, where high school football is king. The Dillon Panthers are the main attraction. The show is filmed in Austin, Texas.

Here's a look at the people who make up the main cast of the show, which is set to return this fall for its sophomore season.

The Taylors

In the series premiere, we meet newly hired Panthers coach Eric Taylor, played by Kyle Chandler. Chandler has had a long career in television, playing regular roles on series including "Early Edition," "Tour of Duty" and "Homefront." He has also had big screen roles in such films as "Pure Country" and the 2005 remake of "King Kong," as well as in numerous made-for-television movies.

Chandler was born Sept. 17, 1965, and was raised in the small town of Loganville, Ga., on his family's farm. He majored in drama at the University of Georgia, and was discovered and signed in 1988 by a talent scout from ABC.

In a 1994 interview with USA Today, Chandler recalled his first few months in Los Angeles as relatively uneventful

"I poured beer and sold souvenirs at the Museum of Natural History," he said.

Kyle married Katherine Kyl in 1995. The couple and their two daughters, Sydney and Sawyer, now live in Los Angeles. Katherine is a television writer.

Eric Taylor's wife Tami, who works at Dillon High School as a guidance counselor, is portrayed by Connie Britton.

Britton, who has a fraternal twin sister, was born in Boston on March 6, 1968. She also played the coach's wife in the 2004 movie "Friday Night Lights" (Billy Bob Thornton played her husband).

Britton has a varied acting resume. In 2004, she starred in Edward Burns' independent film "Looking for Kitty." The year before, she was a member of the cast of ABC's short-lived series "Lost at Home." Her other television series work includes "The Fighting Fitzgeralds," "The West Wing" and "Spin City."

Britton had leading roles in two other films by Burns, "The Brothers McMullen" and "No Looking Back."

She moved to Lynchburg, Va. when she was 7. She majored in Asian studies at Dartmouth College, spending a term in Beijing, China. After her college graduation, Britton moved to New York and for two years performed at the Neighborhood Playhouse. For two years after that, she performed in regional theater and off-Broadway productions. She relocated to Los Angeles after the release of "The Brothers McMullen."

Today, Britton has homes in New York and Los Angeles. In her spare time, likes to hike, bicycle, run and do volunteer work.

The Taylor's precocious 15-year-old daughter Julie is played by Aimee Teegardin.

Teegardin hails from Downey, Calif. She was born Oct. 10, 1989.

Teegardin's acting career took off in 2003 with a guest spot on CBS' "Cold Case." In 2005, she had a role in the film "Sailing for Madagascar," which was followed with guest spots in Nickelodeon's "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" and the Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana."

The Panthers

Ill-fated Panthers star quarterback Jason Street (who was paralyzed from the waist down during a game in the pilot of "Lights") is played by Scott Porter, who was born Matthew Scott Porter in Omaha, Neb. on July 14, 1979. Porter attended Lake Howell High School in Winter Park, Fla.

Porter's first major acting gig was a stint as Casey Hughes on the CBS soap opera "As the World Turns" in 2006. He also had a small role in the pilot of the hit television series "Ugly Betty."

In 2007, he has appeared in the motion pictures "Music and Lyrics" and "Descent." He is currently filming the thriller "Prom Night," which is scheduled for release in April 2008.

Gaius Charles plays Brian "Smash" Williams, a fun-loving, outspoken member of the Dillon Panthers who lives with his single mother and sister.

Charles was born May 2, 1983, in New York City and was raised in Queens, N.Y. and northern New Jersey. His faith is a huge part of his life, and he has been active in youth ministry for the past eight years.

"God allows me to have all the fun as long as I give him all the glory ... that's not a bad deal," he has been quoted as saying.

Charles was more of an artist than an athlete in high school, where he originally joined the track team but quit so he could be in the school play. He earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in drama from Carnegie Mellon University, and studied with the National Institute for Dramatic Arts in Australia.

Determined to win his role on "Friday Night Lights," he spent time getting shape for the audition, only to sprain his foot. But he says that downtime allowed him to refocus and nail his audition.

Taylor Kitcsh portrays Tim Riggins, the womanizing, heavy-drinking rebel of the Panthers who lives with his older brother. Kitcsh was born in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, on April 9, 1981.

Before "Friday Night Lights," he appeared in the Canadian TV series "Godiva's," and on the ABC Family show "Kyle XY." His movie credits include "John Tucker Must Die," "Snakes on a Plane" and "The Covenant."

In addition to his acting, he has also modeled for Diesel and Abercrombie & Fitch. He has appeared on the covers of magazines "Men's Health" and "Dish Entertainment Magazine."

Quiet Panthers quarterback Matt Saracen is played by the understated Zach Gilford, a native of the Chicago suburb of Evanston. He was born Jan. 14, 1982.

Gilford has been seen in the independent films "Handbook to a Casual Stalking" (2003) and "The Last Winter" (2006). He had a guest-starring role on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" in 2005. This year, he will appear in the film "Rise: Blood Hunter," which stars Lucy Liu and Marilyn Manson (scheduled for release July 20).

Gilford attended Evanston Township High School, where he graduated with the Class of 2000.

Others

Minka Kelly plays Lyla Garrity, a Panthers cheerleader (they're called the Rally Girls) and Jason Street's on-again, off-again girlfriend who had a fling with Tim Riggins. Kelly's date of birth is June 24, 1980. She is the daughter of Aerosmith guitarist Rick Dufay.

Kelly appeared in several series before landing on "Friday Night Lights." They included the short-lived Fox comedy "Cracking Up," Nickelodeon's "Drake & Josh." NBC's "American Dreams" and the WB's "What I Like About You." Her big screen credits include "Devil's Highway" (2005), "The Pumpkin Karver" (2006) and "State's Evidence" (2006). She recently wrapped production on "The Kingdom," which is set for a Sept. 27, 2007 release and stars Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Chris Cooper and "Lights" cast mate Kyle Chandler.

Tyra Collette, the high school girl with a heart of gold but a bad reputation, is played by Adrianne Palicki, a native of Toledo, Ohio, who was born May 6, 1983.

Palicki graduated from Whitmer High School in Toledo (where she was a homecoming queen runner-up). She performed for the first time in a school play her sophomore year. She was involved in basketball and track while in high school, and her parents still live in West Toledo.

When she first arrived in Los Angeles, Palicki made her living as a sandwich maker at Togo's.

Palicki (who is sometimes credited as Annie Palicki) has appeared in the short comedy film "Rewrite" (2003) and the short mystery/thriller "Getting Rachel Back" (2003). She starred with David Cassidy and Aaron Carter in the 2005 movie "Popstar," and had a small role in "Seven Mummies" in 2006.

On television, she has appeared in the series "Smallville," "Quintuplets," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "North Shore," "Mercy Reef," "South Beach" and "Supernatural."

She also starred as Judy Robinson in the unaired Fox pilot "The Robinsons: Lost in Space" in 2004.

Jesse Plemons portrays Matt Saracen's studious best buddy Landry Clarke. He was born in Dallas, Texas on April 2, 1988.

Plemons has had several big screen roles in movies including "The Flyboys" (2006), "When Zachary Beaver Came to Town" (2003), "Children on Their Birthdays" (2002), "Like Mike" (2002), "All the Pretty Horses" (2000), "Varsity Blues" (1999) and "Finding North" (1998). On television, he has appeared on "Grey's Anatomy," "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service," "Huff," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "The Lyon's Den," "Judging Amy," "The Guardian," "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch," and "Walker, Texas Ranger."