Career: Costner believed his break would come in 1983's The Big Chill - but he was cut from the final film. However, director Lawrence Kasdan cast him in Silverado, which boosted his career. His first major leading role arrived in 1987 in The Untouchables. Since then he has picked up a Best Director Oscar for Dances with Wolves, and had box-office hits with The Bodyguard, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Field of Dreams and JFK. He has struggled to find successful projects in recent years, but Open Range in 2003, which he starred in as well as directing and producing, was a return to form. He won a 2012 Emmy Award for his role in miniseries Hatfields & McCoys. He's also appeared in Mr Brooks, The Guardian and Man of Steel.

Career: After graduating, Liotta moved to New York and began appearing in commercials. Six months later he became a star thanks to a recurring role in soap Another World. He quit after four years in 1981, but struggled to get a break in movies, appearing instead in numerous TV dramas and low-budget productions. In 1986, his friend Melanie Griffith got him a role in her movie Something Wild, which was the lucky break he needed. He hasn't looked back. Projects since include Field of Dreams, Goodfellas, Turbulence, Cop Land, Hannibal, Blow and Narc. As busy as ever, his recent work includes Revolver, Wild Hogs, Crossing Over, Observe and Report, Youth in Revolt, Date Night, and Charlie St Cloud.

Career: After appearing in a Broadway play, Lancaster attracted the attention of a Hollywood agent, which led to him making his film debut alongside Ava Gardner in The Killers (1946). Lancaster went on to win an Academy Award for Elmer Gantry (1960) and he was also nominated for From Here to Eternity (1953), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) and Atlantic City (1980). He demonstrated his acrobatic ability in The Crimson Pirate (1952). Other film credits included Apache (1954), The Kentuckian (1955), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), and The Unforgiven (1960). In a glittering career, he worked alongside a number of Hollywood icons, including Kirk Douglas, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Audrey Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Paul Newman and Sophia Loren. He died on October 20, 1994, at the age of 80.