Career: The US success of Mad Max 2 led to Gibson being offered mainstream Hollywood roles, including The Bounty, Mrs Soffel, and The River, before Lethal Weapon turned him into an A-list star in 1987. His directorial debut was 1993's The Man Without a Face, and his follow-up in front and behind the camera, Braveheart, won several Oscars. His company, Icon, has backed a string of hit-and-miss movies in recent years, including Kevin and Perry Go Large, and What Women Want. Gibson has also starred in Signs, and The Patriot, and wrote and directed controversial drama The Passion of the Christ, which Gibson himself funded. After taking a break from acting, he returned with Edge of Darkness and The Beaver.

Career: During the 1980s, Hunt starred in one season of sitcom It Takes Two, popped up in an episode of Highway to Heaven and had a recurring role in medical drama St Elsewhere. After playing the lead role in short-lived drama My Life and Times, Hunt's big break came in 1992 when she co-starred with Paul Reiser in hugely popular sitcom Mad About You. It ran until 1999 and during that time, she won four Emmy Awards and directed several episodes, including the series finale. In 1998, she won an Academy Award for her role in As Good as It Gets (1997). Films since then have included Cast Away (2000), What Women Want (2000), Bobby (2006) and The Sessions (2012).

Career: Tomei followed up a role in daytime soap opera As the World Turns with a part in the sitcom A Different World. Her film debut was a minor role in The Flamingo Kid (1984). Her breakthrough came in 1992 when she starred alongside Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny, a role that earned her an Academy Award. Since then, she has starred in a number of independent and mainstream movies, including Chaplin (1992), Untamed Heart (1993), Only You (1994), What Women Want (2000), In the Bedroom (2001), Anger Management (2003), Alfie (2004), Wild Hogs (2007), The Wrestler (2008), Cyrus (2010), Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011), The Ides of March (2011) and Parental Guidance (2012).

Career: Alda was interested in performing from an early age, appearing in numerous plays and on TV in Amsterdam alongside his father. Movies and US series including The Phil Silvers Show, Route 66 and The Mephisto Waltz followed, but landing the role of Hawkeye Pierce in the TV version of MASH made him a household name. The programme ran from 1972 to 1983, and was a smash hit across the globe. He also directed and wrote several episodes, winning Emmys for his work. He has written and directed movies and continued to act in such projects as ER, The West Wing, Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), The Aviator (2004), 30 Rock, Law & Order: LA, The Big C and The Blacklist.

Career: After graduating, Lauren moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming an actress, making her TV debut in Hill Street Blues. Less than a year later, she landed a role on the soap opera All My Children. Other TV credits include Chicago Hope and Picket Fences, and she's appeared in a number of films including What Women Want, No Looking Back, Any Given Sunday, Sabrina, Turbulence, Beautiful Girls, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, A Smile Like Yours, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, Down Periscope, Entropy and The Last Producer. On the small screen, she has starred in NCIS, Leverage, Rookie Blue, Alphas and Motive.

Career: During the early 1970s, Midler gained a cult following for her concerts in New York's Continental Bathhouse (Barry Manilow was on piano), before becoming a star with the release of her first album, The Divine Miss M. Movie success followed with The Rose, which earned her an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of a Janis Joplin-esque rocker. The film Jinxed! lived up to its name, but Midler was soon back on the big screen in hits including Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Ruthless People and Beaches, which included the classic song Wind Beneath My Wings. Her success continued into the 1990s with The First Wives Club, and films since include What Women Want, The Stepford Wives and Parental Guidance. She continues to act, tour and record.