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: After becoming a cult favourite with Radio 4's On the Hour, Coogan made his TV breakthrough in 1993 with roles on Saturday Zoo and The Day Today. The former introduced his foul-mouthed Mancunian layabout Paul Calf, and the latter brought his most famous radio creation, Alan Partridge, to the small screen. He appeared in horror spoof Dr Terrible's House of Horrible and also made a handful of hit-and-miss films, including Terry Jones's version of Wind in the Willows, The Parole Officer and 24 Hour Party People. He's enjoyed success in America with such films as Around the World in 80 Days, A Night at the Museum and Tropic Thunder. In 2010 he appeared with Rob Brydon in contemplative BBC sitcom The Trip, and more recently in its sequel, The Trip to Italy. He also co-wrote and starred in Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa and Philomena.

Career: Mendes had small roles in a number of TV shows and films before her big break came when she played Denzel Washington's girlfriend in Training Day (2001). This led to roles in 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) and Stuck on You (2003). She played the female lead opposite Will Smith in Hitch (2005). Recent work includes roles in Ghost Rider (2007), We Own the Night (2007) and The Other Guys (2010). Away from acting, Mendes has appeared in promotional work for Revlon Cosmetics and a number of other brands, and she has launched a number of household products under the Vida brand at Macy's department store.

Career: Jackson's first film was Together for Days in 1972. He later spent two years as a stand-in on The Cosby Show, before starring in the original Broadway production of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson. A series of walk-on parts in films and on TV followed. Spike Lee cast him as the crack-addicted Gator in Jungle Fever, which gained him international acclaim. His most notable films have included Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction (for which he was Oscar-nominated), Star Wars: Episodes One, Two and Three, Shaft, The 51st State, Unbreakable, Changing Lanes, Black Snake Moan, Django Unchained, Thor, The Avengers and many more. He is regarded as one of the most bankable assets in the movie business and always has a number of films in the pipeline.

Career: In 2001, Johnson appeared as a warrior in The Mummy Returns, and reprised his role a year later as the eponymous hero in The Scorpion King. He went on to star in a series of hit-and-miss projects, including Welcome to the Jungle, Be Cool, Walking Tall, Get Smart, Race To Witch Mountain, Tooth Fairy, Faster and The Other Guys. He returned to form in 2011 in the hugely popular Fast and the Furious sequel Fast Five alongside Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. More recently, he has starred in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Snitch, GI Joe: Retaliation, Fast & Furious 6 and Hercules.

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: Stevenson's first break as an actor was a recurring role on TV drama Band of Gold. He went on to make guest appearances in number of programmes, including Peak Practice, Holby City, The Bill, Dalziel and Pascoe, Red Cap, Murphy's Law and Waking the Dead. He had a recurring role on At Home with the Braithwaites but he is best known for playing Titus Pullo in historical TV drama Rome. On the big screen, he has starred in Outpost (2008), The Book of Eli (2010), The Other Guys (2010), The Three Musketeers (2011), Thor (2011), G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), Thor: The Dark World (2013) and Divergent (2014). In 2012, he had a recurring role in the seventh season of Dexter.