Career: After attending Georgia State University, Julia moved to New York to begin her career. She also did some modelling. Her first role was in Blood Red, alongside her brother, in 1986, although it wasn't released for three years. Mystic Pizza was her first notable project in 1988, and a year later she received her first Oscar nomination for Steel Magnolias. Pretty Woman made her a massive star. Hits since then include Flatliners, Sleeping with the Enemy, My Best Friend's Wedding, Notting Hill and Ocean's Eleven. She won an Oscar for Erin Brockovich, becoming Hollywood's highest paid actress in the process.

Career: Further guest appearances followed in a number of TV shows, including Ally McBeal, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Practice, Spin City and Malcolm in the Middle. She was still only seven when she starred opposite Sean Penn in the movie I Am Sam (2001), a role that earned her a Screen Actors Guild nomination. A year later, she played the lead child role in Steven Spielberg miniseries Taken. One of the busiest child actors of her generation, she went on to star in Home Alabama (2002), Hansel & Gretel (2002), Uptown Girls (2003), Dr Seuss' The Cat in the Hat (2003), War of the Worlds (2005), Hounddog (2006), Charlotte's Web (2006) and the Twilight movies. Fanning has successfully made the transition to more grown-up roles. Her recent work includes The Motel Life (2012), Very Good Girls (2013), The Last of Robin Hood (2013) and Every Secret Thing (2014).

Career: Buscemi's early roles included several in experimental theatre, co-written by himself and fellow actor/writer Mark Boone Jr. He also appeared in Miami Vice, The Equalizer, and films The Way It Is, Tommy's and Parting Glances. He received excellent reviews for the latter, which led to parts in Lonesome Dove and New York Stories. He's since become a stalwart of indie movies thanks to his scene-stealing appearances in Reservoir Dogs, Miller's Crossing, Fargo and The Big Lebowski. Bigger-budget films include Armageddon, Con Air and The Wedding Singer. Buscemi has also written, directed, and produced several projects, and appeared in TV show The Sopranos. More recently he's played Enoch "Nucky" Thompson in acclaimed drama Boardwalk Empire, for which he won a Golden Globe in 2011.

Career: Cleese's showbiz break came with The Frost Report. By 1969, he and Chapman were working alongside Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam on Monty Python's Flying Circus, which made them household names. He left the group in 1972, although they reunited for several films. In 1975, Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth wrote and starred in Fawlty Towers, which was a worldwide hit. Projects since include A Fish Called Wanda, which he co-wrote, two Bond movies, and two Harry Potter films. He has also appeared in 3rd Rock from the Sun and Will & Grace. His stand-up show, The Alimony Tour, proved hugely popular in 2010; his most recent film, God Loves Caviar, was released in 2012.

Career: In 1971, while still at school, Winfrey worked part-time as an announcer at a local radio station. After graduating from Tennessee State University, she moved on to another station, then spent six years as a news anchor in Baltimore. In 1984, Winfrey took over the ailing AM Chicago show. Within a year, it was a huge success and was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show. Its massive worldwide popularity enabled her to build a media empire. Away from TV, she has also acted, most notably in The Color Purple, for which she was Oscar-nominated, Lee Daniels' The Butler and Selma. Her long-running daytime TV show ended in 2011, but she launched Oprah's Next Chapter on her own US channel a year later.

Career: Cedric made his TV debut on talent show It's Showtime at the Apollo, and shortly after on HBO's Def Comedy Jam. In 1994, he won BET's Richard Pryor Comic of the Year Award. In 1996, he moved into acting with a role on the sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, which ran for six seasons until 2002. He made the move into films and his big-screen credits include Barbershop (2002) and its 2004 sequel, Johnson Family Vacation (2004) and The Honeymooners (2005). He has also voiced characters in Ice Age (2002) and the Madagascar films. In 2013, he began hosting the American version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He continues to perform stand-up.

Career: During the 1970s, Bates concentrated on New York stage work. Her first film was 1971's Taking Off, and she continued to work steadily on TV and in movies until her big break in 1990's Misery. She won an Oscar for her portrayal of a psychotic nurse in the production. Bates disrobed for the films At Play in the Fields of the Lord and About Schmidt (which also landed her an Oscar nomination), and won acclaim for Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe and Primary Colors. She's also appeared in Titanic, Dolores Claiborne and The Waterboy. She had a lead role in David E Kelley's American TV legal comedy-drama Harry's Law.