Career: At the age of 11, Danes appeared in the short film Dreams of Love. Two years later she made her TV debut in an episode of Law & Order. 1994 became a big year for her - she had a leading role in an acclaimed adaptation of Little Women, alongside Susan Sarandon, and launched her own drama series, My So-Called Life. However, it was her appearance in Romeo + Juliet on the big screen alongside Leonardo DiCaprio that made her an international star. Notable films since include The Hours, Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines, Stardust, and Me and Orson Welles. She returned to TV for Temple Grandin (for which she won an Emmy and a Golden Globe) in 2010. She has also won numerous awards for her work on Homeland.

Career: Pfeiffer gained regular parts in short-lived sitcom Delta House in 1979, and crime drama BAD Cats. Her first film was 1980's The Hollywood Knights. Landing the lead in Grease 2 should have boosted her career, but the film was a flop. Parts in Scarface, Ladyhawke, and Sweet Liberty followed, and The Witches of Eastwick made her star in 1987. Since then, she's received Oscar nominations for Dangerous Liaisons, The Fabulous Baker Boys, and Love Field. She also starred in Frankie and Johnny, Batman Returns, The Age of Innocence, One Fine Day, and I Am Sam. After some time away from the movies, she returned with a vengeance in star-studded fantasy Stardust and won rave reviews for her role as a courtesan in Cheri. More recently she's appeared in New Year's Eve, Dark Shadows and The Family, and claims she plans to work a lot now that her children are grown up.

Career: De Niro made a handful of films in the 1960s and early 1970s, but it wasn't until 1973's Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets (his first collaboration with Martin Scorsese) that his career took off. He received an Oscar for The Godfather Part II a year later and was nominated Academy Awards for Taxi Driver and The Deer Hunter, and took home his second Oscar for Raging Bull. The King of Comedy, Once Upon A Time in America, Brazil, The Mission, Angel Heart and The Untouchables followed. Over the past few decades, De Niro has made crowd pleasers such as Cape Fear, Casino, Heat, Meet the Parents and Analyze This, as well as directing A Bronx Tale and The Good Shepherd. He gave a fabulous comic performance in the fantasy movie Stardust, before starring alongside fellow big-screen icon Al Pacino in cop thriller Righteous Kill. His more recent films have included Silver Linings Playbook and The Family.

Career: Strong made his TV debut in a 1989 episode of After Henry and followed this up with a number of guest roles in the likes of The Bill, Inspector Morse, Prime Suspect 3 and Kavanagh QC. In 1996, he had a starring role in acclaimed BBC miniseries Our Friends in the North. Since then he has appeared in dozens of TV shows and featured in a number of films, including Revolver (2005), Syriana (2005), RocknRolla (2008), Kick-Ass (2010), Robin Hood (2010), Green Lantern (2011), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), John Carter (2012) and Zero Dark Thirty (2012). In 2013, Strong played a detective in short-lived AMC crime drama Low Winter Sun, reprising the lead role he played in the original 2006 British miniseries.

Career: Prior to her acting career, Miller worked as a photographic model for Coca-Cola, and Italian Vogue, and posed topless for the 2003 Pirelli calendar. Her career then rocketed when she signed a two-year deal with Pepe Jeans London. She made her film debut alongside Rupert Everett and Elle Macpherson in South Kensington. Then came Alfie, Layer Cake and her stage debut in a West End production of Shakespeare's As You Like It. Other work on the big screen includes roles in Stardust, The Edge of Love, and GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra; her performance as Tippi Hedren in TV drama The Girl was widely acclaimed.

Career: O'Toole's professional career began at the Bristol Old Vic in 1954. Rave reviews led to film roles, but he didn't become a star until Lawrence of Arabia in 1962. He gained an Oscar nomination for his outstanding performance; further nods came for Becket, The Lion in Winter, Goodbye Mr Chips, The Ruling Class, The Stunt Man, My Favourite Year and Venus. During the late 1970s, he concentrated on health issues following serious illness, but on his recovery appeared in the likes of Casanova, The Tudors, Iron Road, Troy, Lassie, Stardust and Dean Spanley. In 2012, he announced his retirement from acting. He died a year later on December 14.

Career: McKellen started out on stage, gaining acclaim in Britain and America, and winning a prestigious Tony award for his performance in the original Broadway production of Amadeus. He didn't become a household name until his film career took off with hits such as Scandal, Richard III, and X-Men and its sequels. He received Oscar nominations for Gods and Monsters and the first part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. More recently, he reprised the role of Gandalf in The Hobbit movies. He continues to appear on stage.

Career: Gervais started out in radio on Xfm, where he met Stephen Merchant, who would become his writing partner. His first taste of stardom came via Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show. Tongue-in-cheek chat show, Meet Ricky Gervais, paved the way for BBC sitcom The Office. Extras, Life is Short and An Idiot Abroad (featuring his sidekick Karl Pilkington) have also been TV hits. He's also continued to work on radio, done stand-up, wrote the children's books Flanimals, worked on The Simpsons, appeared in various Hollywood movies and wrote and directed (with Merchant) as well as appeared in the film Cemetery Junction. Gervais has won many awards, including several Baftas, Emmys and Golden Globes. His most recent project is the Channel 4 comedy Derek, in which he stars as well as directing and writing each episode.