Career: Keaton's big break came when he landed a lead role in the short-lived sitcom Working Stiffs in 1979; it led to an appearance in the 1982 film Night Shift in 1982. Mr Mom, Johnny Dangerously and Gung Ho followed, but it was his role as the title character in the 1988 Tim Burton horror-comedy Beetlejuice that boosted him onto the A-list. He reunited with Burton in 1989 to make Batman, the highest-grossing film of the year. After an equally popular sequel to that film, Keaton remained in demand during the 1990s, appearing in Pacific Heights, One Good Cop, the star-studded Shakespeare adaptation Much Ado About Nothing and the thriller Desperate Measures. Since 2000, Keaton has provided the voices of Chick Hicks in Cars and Ken in Toy Story, and received major critical plaudits, including an Oscar nomination, for his role in Birdman.

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: DeVito's first movie was 1970's Dreams of Glass. Small roles followed in Bananas, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (produced by Douglas), and The Van. His big break came when he was cast as acerbic boss Louie in hit sitcom Taxi. Since then, he has worked steadily in such films as Terms of Endearment, Romancing the Stone, The Jewel of the Nile, Twins, Batman Returns, Big Fish and Be Cool. DeVito has also directed several movies and has his own production company, Jersey Films, which was responsible for classics such as Pulp Fiction and Erin Brockovich.

Career: For the next few years, Walken appeared in musical productions. After 1966's Barefoot in Athens, small roles in The Anderson Tapes and Annie Hall followed. His big break came in 1978 when he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for The Deer Hunter. He's been in demand ever since. Other films include A View to a Kill, Batman Returns, True Romance, Pulp Fiction and Catch Me If You Can. He continues to be an in-demand character actor, excelling in both comedy and serious drama. Dancing in Fat Boy Slim video Weapon of Choice introduced him to a new generation of fans. More recent work includes Wedding Crashers, Man of the Year, Hairspray and Seven Psychopaths.

Career: Having seen Frankenweenie, comedian Paul Reubens chose Burton to direct his 1985 movie Pee Wee's Big Adventure. That paved the way for his first blockbuster, Beetlejuice. Burton was entrusted with the long-awaited Batman movie, and when that became a huge hit in 1989, he pressed on with personal project Edward Scissorhands. A commercial and critical success, he followed it up with stylish sequel Batman Returns. Although 1994 offering Ed Wood was a commercial disaster, his biopic of the eponymous film-maker remains one of his finest works and also won Martin Landau an Oscar. Other hits include The Nightmare Before Christmas (which he produced), Mars Attacks!, Sleepy Hollow, Planet of the Apes, Big Fish, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Alice in Wonderland was a huge commercial success when it was released in 2010.