Career: After making the decision to get into acting in 1956, Hackman joined the Pasadena Playhouse in California (where incidentally, he struck up a friendship with Dustin Hoffman). After performances in several off-Broadway plays, Hackman's first movie was Lilith alongside Warren Beatty, who then cast him in his breakthrough film, Bonnie and Clyde. Hackman was soon in demand, showcasing his talents in everything from comedy (in Young Frankenstein) to villainy (as Lex Luthor in Superman). He's also won two Oscars - Best Actor for The French Connection, and Best Supporting Actor for Unforgiven. He retired from acting in 2004 to concentrate on writing novels.

Career: Freeman's first credited big-screen appearance was in 1971's Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow?, before he landed a regular role on children's show The Electric Company. In the mid-1980s, Freeman started getting more prominent roles in movies. Among his biggest hits have been Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption, Se7en, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Glory, Amistad, Deep Impact and Bruce Almighty. He is also an in-demand voice-over artist, lending his dulcet tones to sci-fi blockbuster War of the Worlds and the Oscar-winning documentary March of the Penguins. Freeman received an Academy Award of his own for his supporting role in Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby. A prolific actor, he has more recently appeared in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy and always has several films in pre-production.

Career: Bellucci's role in the 1996 French thriller, L'appartement (1996), shot her to stardom as she won the French equivalent of an Oscar nomination. She came to the attention of casting directors the world over and roles in major blockbusters soon followed, though she proved her commitment to taking roles that intrigued her with the controversial and thoroughly brutal Irreversible in 2002. Other credits include Malèna (2000), Under Suspicion (2000) and Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001), as well as Tears of the Sun, The Passion of the Christ and two of The Matrix films. Her recent work includes Don't Look Back, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, The Whistleblower, and The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

Career: Jane made his film debut in 1986 in the Indian film Padamati Sandhya Raagam. His early roles included Zeph in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer film in 1992. He had supporting roles in several high-profile films, including The Crow: City of Angels, Boogie Nights, The Thin Red Line and Magnolia. After receiving critical acclaim as baseball player Mickey Mantle in 61*, Jane began to win leading roles. He's since appeared in Dreamcatcher, The Punisher, The Mist and Killshot. He also starred in the acclaimed HBO comedy drama Hung.