Career: In 1973, von Sydow was cast in The Exorcist, which became one of his biggest hits to date. He didn't land another career-defining role until 1980 when he played Ming the Merciless in a much loved version of Flash Gordon. A string of hit-and-miss movies followed, including Conan the Barbarian, Never Say Never Again, Dune and Hannah and Her Sisters. He also turned his hand to directing in 1988 with the movie Ved vejen. In recent years he made a return to the world of blockbusters with Minority Report and Rush Hour 3, and also added dramatic weight to TV series The Tudors. His recent work includes Shutter Island, Robin Hood, and Truth & Treason.

Career: Dalton joined the Birmingham Rep and began gaining TV work in the mid-1960s. Peter O'Toole recommended him for a role in Oscar-winning movie The Lion in Winter in 1968. He turned down Bond around this time, claiming he was too young for the part and made several forgettable films instead, including Mary, Queen of Scots, Cromwell, and Sextette. He refused Bond again in the early 1980s, eventually taking the role in 1987's The Living Daylights. Licence to Kill was his second and final outing as 007. Other career highlights include Agatha, Jane Eyre, Hawks and Cleopatra. In recent years he has appeared on the big screen in Hot Fuzz, Toy Story 3 (as Mr Pricklepants), and The Tourist, and on the small screen in Doctor Who, Chuck and Penny Dreadful.

Career: Blessed started out on the stage, but gained fame playing Fancy Smith in Z Cars from 1962 to 1965. He's rarely been out of work since and has tackled a wide variety of roles on TV, stage and in films. Among his most memorable projects are Henry VIII and his Six Wives, I, Claudius, Flash Gordon, The Black Adder, Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet. More recently, he featured in Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace and Oliver Stone's Alexander. In 2014, he was the subject of an edition of Who Do You Think You Are? He is in constant demand for voiceover work.