Career: After deciding to become an actor, Stallone struggled to find decent roles. After running out of money and being made homeless he appeared in soft-porn flick The Party at Kitty and Stud's and had bit parts in several mainstream movies before writing Rocky. He persuaded producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler to not only buy it, but also let him star in it. The film was a massive success, won three Oscars and was followed by five sequels. He's directed several other movies and had hits with the Rambo series, Cliffhanger and Cop Land. Other films include a remake of Get Carter, Paradise Alley and Judge Dredd. More recently he's starred alongside other macho stars in The Expendables and its sequel. He was also behind TV series The Contender.

Career: Made his movie debut in 1970's Hercules in New York, and gained a Golden Globe for Best Newcomer in 1976's Stay Hungry, but didn't become a star until Conan the Barbarian in 1982.The 1980s proved a successful decade thanks to hits Raw Deal, Predator, The Running Man, The Terminator and Twins, a rare foray into comedy. Terminator 2, True Lies and Junior followed these in the 1990s. In the latter years of his career he suffered a number of flops, and Terminator 3 was his last moderate hit. Today he is best known as the former Governor of California, although he has resurrected his big-screen career with roles in The Expendables 2, The Last Stand and The Tomb.

Career: Caviezel's first stage work came in Seattle, where he'd originally moved to play basketball. He had a small role in the film My Own Private Idaho in 1991 before relocating to Los Angeles. Parts in Wyatt Earp, Murder, She Wrote and The Wonder Years followed. His breakthrough performance came in 1998's The Thin Red Line, but he didn't become famous until he played the lead role in Mel Gibson's surprise blockbusting hit The Passion of the Christ in 2004, but he suffered for his art - during filming he was struck by lightning, and suffered both pneumonia and hypothermia. He turned down the chance to play Cyclops in X-Men to take the lead in Frequency instead. Other film projects include Madison, Long Weekend and Transit; he also starred in a remake of The Prisoner on TV and crime drama Person of Interest.

Career: Following several little-seen movies, Neill's breakthrough came as Damien in Omen III: The Final Conflict. After the 1983 miniseries Reilly: Ace of Spies, he divided his career between TV work, mainstream dramas and arthouse films, including such projects as Kane and Abel, Plenty, Dead Calm and A Cry in the Dark. Steven Spielberg cast him in Jurassic Park in 1993, the year he was awarded an OBE. He also won critical acclaim for The Piano and Sirens. Other projects include The Horse Whisperer, Restoration, Event Horizon, Jurassic Park III, mini-series Merlin's Apprentice, The Tudors and the BBC's gritty period drama Peaky Blinders. One of the busiest actors in Hollywood, he always has several films in the pipeline.

Career: Following his debut movie, The First Turn-On, in 1983, D'Onofrio became a member of the American Stanislavski Theatre Company and appeared in acclaimed productions of The Petrified Forest, Of Mice and Men, and Sexual Perversity in Chicago. His Broadway debut came in 1984's Open Admissions, and he hasn't looked back since. Films include Full Metal Jacket (for which he gained 70 pounds to play troubled Private Pyle), JFK, Malcolm X, Ed Wood, Men in Black, and The Cell. In 2001, D'Onofrio began playing Detective Robert Goren in TV series Law & Order: Criminal Intent. He quit the role in season nine, but returned in the final season of eight episodes.

Career: Jones was infamous for his brutal hard-man image. He was sent off 12 times in his career, and holds the record for the quickest booking, having been cautioned after only three seconds of play. After spending time at QPR as player/coach, he was in line to become the club's manager, but instead retired from football and moved into acting. His first role came in the British gangster flick Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in 1998, and the intensity of his performance wowed critics. He followed it up with Gone in 60 Seconds, Swordfish and X-Men: The Last Stand. Jones' more recent films haven't been as high profile, but he has had decent roles on TV in Elementary, The Musketeers and Arrow.