Career: During his time on SNL, Ferrell impersonated US President George W Bush, singer Neil Diamond, US Vice-President Al Gore and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. By 2001, he was the highest paid cast member, earning $350,000 a season. He left the show in 2002 but has since returned as a guest host. During his time on SNL, he appeared in a number of films, including two Austin Powers movies (1997 and 1999), A Night at the Roxbury (1998), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) and Zoolander (2001). His first lead role was in Old School (2003). Since then, he has starred in Elf (2003), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) and its 2013 sequel, The Producers (2005), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Blades of Glory (2007), Step Brothers (2008), The Other Guys (2010) and The Campaign (2012). He has also turned up on the small screen in The Office, Eastbound & Down and 30 Rock. More recently, he starred in the miniseries The Spoils of Babylon.

Career: Wahlberg's film career kicked off in 1993 with TV movie The Substitute. A year later he made his big-screen debut in flop comedy Renaissance Man. Impressive turns in The Basketball Diaries and Fear made critics realise he was more than just another pop star-turned-actor. It was 1997 drama Boogie Nights that made his name as an actor. By 2000 he was a Hollywood hot property with roles in Three Kings and The Perfect Storm. Although a revamp of Planet of the Apes divided critics, Wahlberg delivered fine turns in The Italian Job remake, Four Brothers, I Heart Huckabees, The Departed and The Fighter. He is also a respected producer, with credits on Entourage, In Treatment, Boardwalk Empire, and How to Make It In America.

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: Lithgow's career started out on the stage and he had many roles on Broadway. During the 1970s, he started to appear in films, such as Obsession (1976). He went on to receive Oscar nominations for his performances in The World According to Garp (1982) and Terms of Endearment (1983). He also appeared in Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), Footloose (1984) and Harry and the Hendersons (1987). From 1996 until 2001, he played Dick Solomon in the TV series 3rd Rock from the Sun. He also voiced Lord Farquaad in Shrek (2001). His film credits since then include Orange County (2002), Dreamgirls (2006), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and Interstellar (2014). He has also had various TV roles, including playing Arthur Mitchell in Dexter, Winston Churchill in The Crown and Larry Henderson in Trial & Error.