It's been so long since Pam Halpert (née Beesly) has had anything remotely interesting to do on The Office that it's easy to forget the actress playing her, Jenna Fischer, has more range than almost anyone on the series not named Steve Carell. In the first two seasons, she perfectly captured the awkward reserve of a woman so locked onto a specific life course (a dull, but stable clerical job and a looming marriage to a dull, but stable blue-collar guy) that she couldn't -- or wouldn't -- let herself see the professional and personal opportunities cropping up right in front of her. Then when she took the plunge and hooked up with Jim, Fischer took great pleasure in showing how Pam's inhibitions fell away. Certainly, moving to New York to pursue a graphic design career would have been unthinkable to the Pam of Season One. And even now as a happily married mom and office manager at Dunder Mifflin, Fischer is able to occasionally find ways to break through her character's general stasis and show off a little of Pam's newfound swagger and attitude. She's done some strong work outside of The Office as well, from goofy supporting roles in broad comedies like Blades of Glory and Walk Hard to a surprisingly emotional turn in the recent Farrelly Brothers joint, Hall Pass.

Tags: A Little Help, Jenna Fischer