Happy St. Patrick's Day! In honor of Irish actors and musicians, Starpulse salutes those who have brought a wee bit of luck and whimsy to fans across the world:

Happy Birthday to "Dawson's Creek" actor James Van Der Beek (1977), "Scooby-Doo" actor Freddie Prinze Jr. (1976), TV actress Andrea Parker (1969), singer Shawn Mullins (1968), Kathy Ireland (1963), "The Practice" actress Camryn Manheim (1961),

The feature film debut of renowned opera and theater director Chen Shi-Zheng, Dark Matter delves into the world of Liu Xing (Chinese for "Shooting Star"), a Chinese science student pursuing a Ph.D. in the United States in the early 1990s. Driven by ambition, yet unable to navigate academic politics, Liu Xing is inexorably pushed to the margins of American life, until he loses his way.

There’s something undeniably sexy about an Irish accent. Add celebrity into the mix, and you have a pretty powerful combination. Here are some of the Irish actors whose charisma, talent and lilting speech have made them favorites among moviegoers and TV fans:

Happy Birthday to "Dawson's Creek" actor James Van Der Beek (1977), "Scooby-Doo" actor Freddie Prinze Jr. (1976), TV actress Andrea Parker (1969), singer Shawn Mullins (1968), Kathy Ireland (1963), "The Practice" actress Camryn Manheim (1961), TV/film actor Aiden Quinn (1959),

Celebrated actor, producer, and two-time Emmy nominee Aidan Quinn will receive the Magners Irish Film Festival's prestigious Excellence Award on Thursday, November 8, at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA. The Excellence Award acknowledges an individual’s contributions and talent to the Irish film and television industries.

Winners in major categories for the 59th annual Primetime Emmy Awards announced by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (in bold):

Aidan Quinn will have a recurring role on "Canterbury’s Law," the upcoming series premiering midseason on FOX. Quinn plays Matt Furey, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney who began teaching law after his and Elizabeth Canterbury’s (Julianna Margulies) young son went missing.

Nominees in major categories for the 59th annual Primetime Emmy Awards announced Thursday by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences: Drama Series: ''Boston Legal,'' ABC; ''Grey's Anatomy,'' ABC; ''Heroes,'' NBC; ''House,'' Fox; ''The Sopranos,'' HBO.

Happy Birthday to "Dawson's Creek" actor James Van Der Beek (1977), "Scooby-Doo" actor Freddie Prinze Jr. (1976), TV actress Andrea Parker (1969), singer Shawn Mullins (1968), Kathy Ireland (1963), "The Practice" actress Camryn Manheim (1961), TV/film actor Aiden Quinn (1959), British singer Gary Numan (1958), former Eagle Randy Meisner (1946), Monkee Micky Dolenz (1945), English actress Lynn Redgrave (1943), Canadian actress Susan Clark (1940), New York Yankees pitcher/author Jim Bouton (1939), pianist Dick Hyman (1927), dancer/actress Cyd Charisse (1921), "Gilligan's Island" skipper Alan Hale Jr. (1918; d. 1990), and "Key Largo" actress Claire Trevor (1909; d. 2000).