Career: After deciding to become an actor, Stallone struggled to find decent roles. After running out of money and being made homeless he appeared in soft-porn flick The Party at Kitty and Stud's and had bit parts in several mainstream movies before writing Rocky. He persuaded producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler to not only buy it, but also let him star in it. The film was a massive success, won three Oscars and was followed by five sequels. He's directed several other movies and had hits with the Rambo series, Cliffhanger and Cop Land. Other films include a remake of Get Carter, Paradise Alley and Judge Dredd. More recently he's starred alongside other macho stars in The Expendables and its sequel. He was also behind TV series The Contender.

Career: The US success of Mad Max 2 led to Gibson being offered mainstream Hollywood roles, including The Bounty, Mrs Soffel, and The River, before Lethal Weapon turned him into an A-list star in 1987. His directorial debut was 1993's The Man Without a Face, and his follow-up in front and behind the camera, Braveheart, won several Oscars. His company, Icon, has backed a string of hit-and-miss movies in recent years, including Kevin and Perry Go Large, and What Women Want. Gibson has also starred in Signs, and The Patriot, and wrote and directed controversial drama The Passion of the Christ, which Gibson himself funded. After taking a break from acting, he returned with Edge of Darkness and The Beaver.

Career: While modelling, he met then-unknown film-maker Guy Ritchie, who cast him in his first film, 1998's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which put them both on the showbiz map. Statham went on to star in Ritchie's follow-up movie Snatch, and then started forging a career in Hollywood. Although John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars was a flop, he soon proved to be one of Britain's most reliable action stars, thanks to hits such as The One, The Transporter and its sequel; The Italian Job; Cellular; Chaos; Crank; War, and The Bank Job. He was among the action star dream line-up in The Expendables and its sequels, and has several more films in production.

Career: Athletic roles in Wildcats gave way to tough guy parts in New Jack City (1991), and to the action hero in Passenger 57 (1992). He went on to star alongside some of Hollywood's most famous leading men, all of whom hand-picked him for the roles. He further came to audiences' attentions in White Men Can't Jump (1992), Demolition Man (1993), Rising Sun (1993) and One Night Stand (1997), before landing the lead role in Blade (1998). Two more Blade films were made. He made a number of straight-to-DVD movies before returning to form in Brooklyn's Finest (2010). In 2008, Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison for failing to file federal income tax returns. After his conviction was upheld after an appeal, Snipes reported to federal prison in December 2010. He was released in April 2013. He returned to the big screen in 2014 in The Expendables 3.

Career: Lundgren made the move into acting and had a bit part in the 007 adventure A View to a Kill in 1985, but it was Rocky IV the same year that made him a household name. Lundgren also played He-Man in the movie Masters of the Universe (1987) and was the first actor to play Marvel comics hero The Punisher on the big screen in 1989. Other notable projects include 1992 blockbuster Universal Soldier and Keanu Reeves' sci-fi flop Johnny Mnemonic (1995). He's spent the past few years making a string of low-budget action adventures, including The Peacekeeper (1997), Hidden Agenda (2001) and The Defender (2004), appeared in Sylvester Stallone's action flick The Expendables (2010) and its two sequels and returned to the Universal Soldier franchise for two sequels. In 2013, he began starring in American TV action drama SAF3.

Career: In 1992, Banderas made his Hollywood debut with The Mambo Kings. Because he didn't then speak English, his dialogue was taught to him phonetically. He shot to international fame with his sensitive performance as Tom Hanks' lover in Philadelphia, then played opposite Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in Interview with the Vampire in 1994. He established himself as one of Hollywood's leading men after co-starring with Madonna in Evita in 1996. In 1998 he won acclaim for his performance in Zorro, opposite Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and later returned to the role in The Legend of Zorro. In 1999 he made his directorial debut in Crazy in Alabama and showed his comic ability as the voice of Puss in Boots in the Shrek franchise and its spin-off. He is a hugely busy actor.

Career: After being hired to make cabinets for George Lucas, Ford was cast in the director's 1973 film American Graffiti. They reunited for the original Star Wars trilogy, which made both their names. His role as intrepid archaeologist Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark and its sequels cemented his position as one of the world's best-loved heroes. Ford was Oscar-nominated for Peter Weir's thriller Witness. He worked with the director again on 1986 project The Mosquito Coast, which despite being a flop remains one of his favourite movies. Other notable projects include The Fugitive, Blade Runner, Working Girl, Patriot Games and Cowboys & Aliens.

Career: Made his movie debut in 1970's Hercules in New York, and gained a Golden Globe for Best Newcomer in 1976's Stay Hungry, but didn't become a star until Conan the Barbarian in 1982.The 1980s proved a successful decade thanks to hits Raw Deal, Predator, The Running Man, The Terminator and Twins, a rare foray into comedy. Terminator 2, True Lies and Junior followed these in the 1990s. In the latter years of his career he suffered a number of flops, and Terminator 3 was his last moderate hit. Today he is best known as the former Governor of California, although he has resurrected his big-screen career with roles in The Expendables 2, The Last Stand and The Tomb.