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: While modelling, he met then-unknown film-maker Guy Ritchie, who cast him in his first film, 1998's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which put them both on the showbiz map. Statham went on to star in Ritchie's follow-up movie Snatch, and then started forging a career in Hollywood. Although John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars was a flop, he soon proved to be one of Britain's most reliable action stars, thanks to hits such as The One, The Transporter and its sequel; The Italian Job; Cellular; Chaos; Crank; War, and The Bank Job. He was among the action star dream line-up in The Expendables and its sequels, and has several more films in production.

Career: In his teens, he was already a national coach, and before he was 20, he had starred in his first movie, which started the 1980s Kung Fu boom in mainland China. He relocated to Hong Kong, where he was the biggest star of the early 1990s Kung Fu revival as well. After a string of successful films in which he performed all of his own stunts and dazzled audiences with his hand speed, he caught the eye of Hollywood and was cast in Lethal Weapon IV. He has followed it up with mainstream movies both in China and America and despite announcing he would make no more martial arts films, he is still an action star. His recent work includes The Expendables films.

Career: Lundgren made the move into acting and had a bit part in the 007 adventure A View to a Kill in 1985, but it was Rocky IV the same year that made him a household name. Lundgren also played He-Man in the movie Masters of the Universe (1987) and was the first actor to play Marvel comics hero The Punisher on the big screen in 1989. Other notable projects include 1992 blockbuster Universal Soldier and Keanu Reeves' sci-fi flop Johnny Mnemonic (1995). He's spent the past few years making a string of low-budget action adventures, including The Peacekeeper (1997), Hidden Agenda (2001) and The Defender (2004), appeared in Sylvester Stallone's action flick The Expendables (2010) and its two sequels and returned to the Universal Soldier franchise for two sequels. In 2013, he began starring in American TV action drama SAF3.

Career: After minor roles in Steven Spielberg's film 1941 (1979) and a number of TV movies, Rourke first made an impact as an actor in Body Heat (1981). He went on to star in Diner (1982), Rumble Fish (1983), Nine ½ Weeks (1986), Angel Heart (1987) and Wild Orchid (1989). After falling out of favour in Hollywood, he became a professional boxer in 1991at the age of 39 and retired undefeated after eight fights in 1995. He went back to acting but starred in a number of largely forgettable movies. He returned to the spotlight in 2008 when he won a Golden Globe for his role in The Wrestler. Since then, he has appeared in Iron Man 2 (2010) and The Expendables (2010).

Career: Crews went on to play American football for the San Diego Chargers, the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles. He retired from the NFL in 1997 and moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. His first break came in 1999 when he landed a role on extreme sports show Battle Dome. He made his big-screen acting debut in The 6th Day (2000). Since then, he has starred in Starsky & Hutch (2004), White Chicks (2004), Idiocracy (2006), Get Smart (2008), Bridesmaids (2011) and The Expendables movies. He reached a wider audience in 2005 when he starred as the father in the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris. His other TV credits include Are We There Yet?, The Newsroom and Arrested Development. He currently stars in the sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine and hosts Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Career: After a stint with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Austin signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and became a monster hit with his Stone Cold hellraising gimmick, embarking on feuds with company boss Vince McMahon and former boxer Mike Tyson. He revolutionised the notion of sports entertainment and ensured the WWF (later World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)) remained the dominant brand in wrestling. When injury curtailed his glittering career, he moved into movies and became one of the biggest action stars on the planet, following up starring roles in The Condemned and Damage with a role in blockbuster The Expendables.