If there’s one kind of actor whom I love to celebrate in the Celebrity Birthday of the Day…it’s the character actor. But second to that is the Joss Whedon cast member! Like today’s Celebrity Birthday: Marc Blucas. Blucas is an interesting case, because he started off as a promising basketball player, playing basketball in high school and university. However, after he failed to make it into the NBA, he moved into acting and has been doing it ever since. His first role was in the TV movie Inflammable, and he had a small role in Pleasantville before becoming a member of the Whedonverse in season 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. His role as Buffy’s demon-ass-kicking boyfriend Riley helped give his career a big boost, and he went on to appear in the films They, I Capture the Castle, The Killing Floor, Stay Cool, The Jane Austen Book Club, Knight and Day, and Red State. He’s also made appearances on the TV shows House, Lie to Me, and Castle, and can now be seen starring in the series Necessary Roughness. Marc Blucas turns 40 today.