Career: After working on stage, Kilmer got his big break in 1984 comedy Top Secret!, in which he also sang all the songs. After a year spent backpacking through Europe, Kilmer landed the role of Iceman in Top Gun, and his career took off. Films including Willow (in which he met his future wife Joanne Whalley), The Doors, Tombstone, Batman Forever and The Island of Dr Moreau followed. After the failure of Dr Moreau, Kilmer turned his attention to crafting character parts, and won praise from critics for his turns in The Salton Sea and Kiss Kiss, Bang, Bang. Other films include The Bad Lieutenant: Port Call of New Orleans, MacGruber and Kill the Irishman.

Career: Jones landed an agent and a role in a Broadway production of A Patriot for Me just 10 days after graduating from Harvard in 1969. A year later he made his film debut in Love Story, based on Erich Segal's novel of the same name. Segal claimed he based the lead character of Oliver (played by Ryan O'Neal) on Jones and Gore. Jones then spent four years in soap opera One Life to Live. The film Coal Miner's Daughter made critics sit up and notice him in 1980. Acclaimed performances in Lonesome Dove, The Fugitive, JFK and Men in Black followed. Other well-received projects include No Country for Old Men, In the Valley of Elah (for which he received an Oscar nomination), Lincolm and The Homesman.

Career: Carrey dropped out of high school at 16, but began appearing as a stand-up comedian in Toronto clubs. After moving to Los Angeles, he made a name for himself at The Comedy Store before moving into films and TV. Small roles in Peggy Sue Got Married, Earth Girls Are Easy and The Dead Pool followed. The series In Living Color helped make his name in the US, while the success of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective turned him into a global star. Hit films since include The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Liar Liar, The Truman Show, Bruce Almighty, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. His recent work includes Mr Popper's Penguins, Kick-Ass 2 and Dumb and Dumber To.

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: Since his breakthrough, O'Donnell has appeared in a number of major motion pictures including Fried Green Tomatoes, the sensational Scent of a Woman, The Chamber, Circle of Friends and Vertical Limit. Big hits included fun offerings like The Three Musketeers. He also tried his hand at romantic comedy in films such as The Bachelor, and starred as Robin in the Batman franchise. For a time, he was tipped to be a true A-list star after building up an impressive body of work in a short time, but then he took some time away from the movies to be with his family and take some stage roles. He has since become a major small-screen presence in the hit series NCIS: Los Angeles.

Career: Started out in commercials as a child, appeared in two TV movies, then hit the big time as Gertie in ET when she was just seven. In the same year, 1982, she became the youngest person to host Saturday Night Live. She missed out on a role in Poltergeist, but starred in Firestarter, See You in the Morning and Far from Home. She found it difficult to make the transition to adult roles, but gained plaudits for 1992's Poison Ivy. Bad Girls and a short but attention-grabbing turn in Scream helped her cause, before The Wedding Singer made her a major star all over again. Since then, Barrymore has appeared in such hits as Ever After, Never Been Kissed, Donnie Darko, two Charlie's Angels movies, 50 First Dates and Going the Distance. She is also a respected producer and has branched out into directing with 2009's critically admired Whip It.