Career: Early in his career, Washington landed small parts on TV, and made his movie debut in 1981's Carbon Copy. A starring role in St Elsewhere led to bigger projects such as Cry Freedom, Glory (for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar), and Mo' Better Blues. The eponymous role of Malcolm X made him a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood in 1992. Since then, he's starred in Philadelphia, Crimson Tide, The Hurricane, Training Day (picking up a Best Actor Oscar for his role as a crooked cop), American Gangster, The Book of Eli, Crimson Tide, Unstoppable, Flight, 2 Guns and The Equalizer. He continues to act on stage whenever his schedule allows.

Career: A spell in musical theatre led to Crowe's first major big-screen role in 1990 film The Crossing, followed by Proof, for which he won an Australian Film Institute Award. A second gong came for the controversial Romper Stomper, prompting Sharon Stone to headhunt him for The Quick And The Dead in 1995. He followed that with major movies such as LA Confidential, The Insider, and Gladiator, for which he won the 2001 Best Actor award at the Oscars. Since then, he's starred in A Beautiful Mind and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Recent hits have included 3.10 to Yuma, American Gangster, State of Play, and Robin Hood. His recent credits include Les Miserables, Man of Steel, Winter's Tale and Noah.