Career: Early in his career, Washington landed small parts on TV, and made his movie debut in 1981's Carbon Copy. A starring role in St Elsewhere led to bigger projects such as Cry Freedom, Glory (for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar), and Mo' Better Blues. The eponymous role of Malcolm X made him a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood in 1992. Since then, he's starred in Philadelphia, Crimson Tide, The Hurricane, Training Day (picking up a Best Actor Oscar for his role as a crooked cop), American Gangster, The Book of Eli, Crimson Tide, Unstoppable, Flight, 2 Guns and The Equalizer. He continues to act on stage whenever his schedule allows.

Career: Wahlberg's film career kicked off in 1993 with TV movie The Substitute. A year later he made his big-screen debut in flop comedy Renaissance Man. Impressive turns in The Basketball Diaries and Fear made critics realise he was more than just another pop star-turned-actor. It was 1997 drama Boogie Nights that made his name as an actor. By 2000 he was a Hollywood hot property with roles in Three Kings and The Perfect Storm. Although a revamp of Planet of the Apes divided critics, Wahlberg delivered fine turns in The Italian Job remake, Four Brothers, I Heart Huckabees, The Departed and The Fighter. He is also a respected producer, with credits on Entourage, In Treatment, Boardwalk Empire, and How to Make It In America.

Career: Paxton returned to Los Angeles, and began winning parts in movies including Stripes, Weird Science and Streets of Fire, as well as making the acclaimed short film Fishheads. During the early 1980s, he struck up a friendship with aspiring director James Cameron, who would go on to cast him in The Terminator, Aliens, True Lies and Titanic. His other notable flim appearances include Predator, Apollo 13, Twister and Spy Kids 2. He reportedly turned down the lead role in The Da Vinci Code to star in the acclaimed American TV series Big Love. On February 25, 2017, Paxton died of a stroke following complications from heart surgery.

Career: Marsden's first acting job was in the pilot episode of sitcom The Nanny in 1993. A year later, he starred in Canadian TV series Boogies Diner. His big break came in 1996 when he landed the lead role in ABC drama Second Noah. He went on to star in the films Disturbing Behaviour (1998) and Gossip (2000) and joined the cast of TV comedy drama Ally McBeal in its final season. Since then he has filled out his CV by playing Cyclops in three hugely popular X-Men movies and starring in Superman Returns (2006), Hairspray (2007), Enchanted (2007), 27 Dresses (2008), Death at a Funeral (2010), Bachelorette (2012) and 2 Guns (2013). He also had a recurring role in sitcom 30 Rock.

Career: Patton made the switch to acting and her first role was a small part in Hitch (2005). Her big break came a year later when she was cast in Denzel Washington-fronted action thriller Déjà Vu. She went on to star in Swing Vote (2008), Mirrors (2008), Precious (2009), Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) and 2 Guns (2013).