Career: After several TV roles, Hanks made the transition to movies and became one of the biggest stars of the past three decades. His breakthrough came in 1984's Splash, and was followed by hit after hit, including Bachelor Party and Dragnet. When he took the lead in Oscar-nominated Big in 1988, he transformed a simple comedy into something much more powerful, before truly proving his acting credentials with an Oscar-winning turn as an Aids-afflicted laweyer in Philadeplhia. He gave terrific turns in romantic comedies like Sleepless in Seattle, then another Oscar followed for Forrest Gump. Many expected him to garner a third for Saving Private Ryan. He has been a successful director of several projects and helped bring iconic TV projects like Band of Brothers to the screen. Recent hits include The Da Vinci Code and its follow-up, and the Toy Story films.

Career: Shallow Grave kick-started McGregor's film career in 1994, then Trainspotting made his name on both sides of the Atlantic two years later. He went on to make Brassed Off, A Life Less Ordinary, Little Voice and the three Star Wars prequels. He formed production company Natural Nylon with friends Jonny Lee Miller, Sean Pertwee, Jude Law and Sadie Frost, but that has since disbanded. Other movies include Moulin Rouge!, Black Hawk Down, Young Adam, Big Fish, Deception, Angels & Demons, The Ghost and Mortdecai. The prolific actor always has a number of films in the pipeline, and occasionally tackles theatre work.

Career: Skarsgard's first American film was Noon Wine (1985). Since then, he has starred in a number of high-profile films, including The Hunt for Red October (1990), Breaking the Waves (1996), Good Will Hunting (1997), Amistad (1997), Ronin (1998), Dogville (2003), Mammia Mia! (2008), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) and two Pirates of the Caribbean movies. In recent years, he has played Dr Erik Selvig in the Marvel movies Thor (2011), The Avengers (2012) and Thor: The Dark World (2013).

Career: Films such as The Courtship of Eddie's Father and American Graffiti turned Howard into one of the most reliable young actors of his generation. Sitcom Happy Days made him a major star around the world, but by then he was already interested in directing after being encouraged by Henry Fonda, his co-star in TV series The Smith Family. After making several short films, he wrote, directed and starred in Grand Theft Auto in 1977. Since then he's made several successful movies, including Splash, Cocoon, Parenthood, Backdraft, Apollo 13, The Grinch, A Beautiful Mind (for which he won an Oscar) and The Missing. He was also the narrator on TV series Arrested Development. His most recent work as a director includes The Da Vinci Code, Frost/Nixon, Angels & Demons and The Dilemma.