Career: At 16, Kidman made her TV and film debuts in Young Talent Time and BMX Bandits respectively. Roles in Bush Christmas and A Country Practice followed. In 1989, Dead Calm and miniseries Bangkok Hilton brought her international acclaim, and launched her career in America. Future husband Tom Cruise cast her in Days of Thunder, while To Die For proved she was more than just a pretty face. Since then, she's appeared in a number of Hollywood movies, including Eyes Wide Shut, Moulin Rouge!, The Others and The Hours (for which she won an Oscar). More recent films include Rabbit Hole, The Paperboy, The Railway Man, Grace of Monaco, Before I Go to Sleep and Paddington.

Career: Craig started out on stage, eventually making his film debut in 1992's The Power of One. TV series Our Friends in the North and TV movie The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders made him a star in 1996. The movies Elizabeth (1998), Love is the Devil (1998), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Road to Perdition (2002), The Mother (2003), Sylvia (2003), Enduring Love (2004), Layer Cake (2004) and Munich (2005) followed. He was controversially cast in a five-film deal as James Bond, but proved doubters wrong with an outstanding performance in Casino Royale (2006). He's since followed it up with Quantum of Solace (2008) and Skyfall (2012). He's also appeared in Cowboys & Aliens (2011), and the US remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011).

Career: Green made her film debut in Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers (2003). She followed this up with French crime-adventure Arsene Lupin (2004) and Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven (2005). Her big break came in 2006 when she played Vesper Lynd in the James Bond film Casino Royale (2006). She teamed up again with Daniel Craig in The Golden Compass (2007). More recently, she has appeared in American TV drama Camelot and fantasy war film 300: Rise of an Empire (2014).

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: Elliott started out as a character actor and was often cast in Westerns. His first film was as a card player in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). In the early 1970s, he had a recurring role on the TV series Mission: Impossible. In 1976, he played the lead roles in miniseries Once An Eagle and the film Lifeguard. He made guest appearances in the likes of Gunsmoke, The Streets of San Francisco, and Hawaii Five-O. His film credits include Mask (1985), Road House (1989), Sibling Rivalry (1990), Tombstone (1993), The Big Lebowski (1998), We Were Soldiers (2002), Hulk (2003), Thank You for Smoking (2005), The Golden Compass (2007), Up in the Air (2009) and Draft Day (2014).

Career: Lee hit the big time in 1957 when his formidable height landed him the role of the monster in Hammer's The Curse of Frankenstein. It marked the beginning of his horror movie partnership with Peter Cushing, which also included such films as Dracula, The Mummy, and The Gorgon. Lee went on to become one of the world's most prolific actors. Star Wars episodes II and III and The Lord of the Rings introduced him to a new generation of fans. Other significant titles include The Wicker Man, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Gremlins II, The Man with the Golden Gun and The Golden Compass. He also appeared in Alice in Wonderland, Burke and Hare, Season of the Witch and The Hobbit. He died on June 7, 2015, at the age of 93 due to respiratory problems and heart failure.

Career: Her big break came when she was cast in A Handful of Dust (1988), a role that won her an Evening Standard British Film Award for most promising newcomer. She went on to star in Bitter Moon (1992), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996), The English Patient (1996), The Horse Whisperer (1998), Random Hearts (1999), Gosford Park (2001), The Golden Compass (2007) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008). Thomas has also acted in a number of French films, including Ne le dis à personne (2006), Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (2008), Partir (2009) and Elle s'appelait Sarah (2010).

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.