Career: Damon dropped out of Harvard to concentrate on acting. He struggled to get roles and made his film debut in 1988's Mystic Pizza. Playing a troubled soldier in 1996's Courage Under Fire got him noticed. A year later, Good Will Hunting, based on a story by Damon and Affleck, became a major success and won them Best Screenplay Oscars. Since then, Damon has appeared in several hits, including Saving Private Ryan, Dogma, The Talented Mr Ripley, Stuck On You, The Departed, True Grit, Invictus and the Ocean's Eleven and Bourne franchises. He is now among the world's most bankable stars.

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: At the age of 11, Danes appeared in the short film Dreams of Love. Two years later she made her TV debut in an episode of Law & Order. 1994 became a big year for her - she had a leading role in an acclaimed adaptation of Little Women, alongside Susan Sarandon, and launched her own drama series, My So-Called Life. However, it was her appearance in Romeo + Juliet on the big screen alongside Leonardo DiCaprio that made her an international star. Notable films since include The Hours, Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines, Stardust, and Me and Orson Welles. She returned to TV for Temple Grandin (for which she won an Emmy and a Golden Globe) in 2010. She has also won numerous awards for her work on Homeland.

Career: After minor roles in Steven Spielberg's film 1941 (1979) and a number of TV movies, Rourke first made an impact as an actor in Body Heat (1981). He went on to star in Diner (1982), Rumble Fish (1983), Nine ½ Weeks (1986), Angel Heart (1987) and Wild Orchid (1989). After falling out of favour in Hollywood, he became a professional boxer in 1991at the age of 39 and retired undefeated after eight fights in 1995. He went back to acting but starred in a number of largely forgettable movies. He returned to the spotlight in 2008 when he won a Golden Globe for his role in The Wrestler. Since then, he has appeared in Iron Man 2 (2010) and The Expendables (2010).

Career: Voight's professional career began on stage with a role in a Broadway production of The Sound of Music. He made his TV debut in a 1963 episode of Naked City and four years later appeared in Fearless Frank, his first film. He became a star in 1969 thanks to an Oscar-nominated performance in Midnight Cowboy. A series of well-received movies followed, such as Catch-22, Deliverance and The Odessa File. He won a Best Actor Academy Award for 1978's Coming Home. Major films since include Table for Five, The Champ, Heat, Mission: Impossible, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Ali and The Manchurian Candidate. He played Jonas Hodges, the main antagonist of Jack Bauer, in the seventh season of American drama 24. More recently, he has starred in Ray Donovan.

Career: Madsen went on to star in a string of movies, including Candyman (1992), but her breakthrough role came in 2004 in Sideways, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award. Since then, she has starred in Firewall (2006), A Prairie Home Companion (2006), The Astronaut Farmer (2006), The Number 23 (2007) and Red Riding Hood (2011). She has also had recurring roles on the small screen in the likes of Scoundrels, The Event, and Witches of East End.