Safe House

Denzel Washington (Actor) .. Tobin Frost

Born: December 28, 1954 in New York

Best Known For: A string of hit movies.

Early-life: Born Denzel Hayes Washington Jr on December 28, 1954, in Mount Vernon, New York. His father was a minister, his mother a beautician. He's the second of three children. After his parents divorced, Denzel was sent to a military academy, and claims its discipline saved him from a life of crime. On graduating from high school, he studied drama and journalism at Fordham University, after which he decided to concentrate on acting. He went on to study at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco.

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.

Quote: 'I remain thankful for the gifts that I've been given and I try to use them in a good way.'

Trivia: Washington is a devout Christian who considered becoming a preacher before turning to acting.

Ryan Reynolds (Actor) .. Matt Weston

Born: October 23, 1976 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Best Known For: Green Lantern.

Early-life: Ryan Rodney Reynolds was born in Vancouver, Canada, on October 23, 1976, the youngest of four brothers. Their mother is a saleswoman, their father a wholesaler. Ryan started acting in his early teens when he successfully auditioned for a role in the teen soap Fifteen. Other early projects include series such as The Odyssey, The Outer Limits, Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years and The X-Files.

Career: At the age of 18 Reynolds moved to Los Angeles, quickly landing roles in Sabrina the Teenage Witch and In Cold Blood. He then had a regular part in the surprise hit sitcom, Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place. Using the exposure gained from the series, he moved on to feature film work; it was 2002's Van Wilder: Party Liaison that made him a star. Since then, he's cemented his place on Hollywood's A-list with such movies as The Amityville Horror, Blade: Trinity, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, Ted, and playing the title role in Green Lantern. His recent credits include Ted, RIPD, A Million Ways to Die in the West, and The Voices.

Quote: 'I never took acting classes, but I knew I could do it based on the skill with which I lied to my parents on a regular basis!'

Trivia: He voiced the title character in the animated movie Turbo (2013).

Vera Farmiga (Actor) .. Catherine Linklater

Born: August 06, 1973 in Clifton, New Jersey

Best Known For: Up in the Air.

Early-life: Vera Ann Farmiga was born in Clifton, New Jersey, on August 6, 1973, the daughter of Ukrainian immigrants. She has six siblings, including Taissa Farmiga, who is also an actress. Vera went on to attend Syracuse University's School of Visual and Performing Arts. In 1996, she made her acting debut as an understudy in the Broadway play Taking Sides.

Career: In 1997, Farmiga made her TV debut alongside Heath Ledger in fantasy drama Roar. She had her first lead role in the film Love in the Time of Money (2002). Roles followed in The Manchurian Candidate (2004), The Departed (2006) and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008). Her big break came in 2009 when she starred alongside George Clooney in Up in the Air. Since then, she has starred in Source Code (2011), Safe House (2012), The Conjuring (2013) and The Judge (2014). Her TV credits include the US remake of Touching Evil and Bates Hotel.

Quote: On her younger sister Taissa: 'As much of an age difference as there is, she is one of my best friends in the world.'

Trivia: Farmiga was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Up in the Air.

Brendan Gleeson (Actor) .. David Barlow

Born: March 29, 1955 in Dublin

Best Known For: Braveheart

Early-life: Brendan Gleeson was born in Dublin on 29 March, 1955. From a very young age, he loved to read classical texts, including Irish play writers such as Samuel Beckett. This love led to him performing in his school production of 'Waiting for Godot', and determined to pursue acting as a career.. He spent several years on the stage, while working as a teacher, then, at the age of 35, decided to audition for films in the UK.

Career: Gleeson's classical acting skills gained the attention of Mel Gibson and he was cast in Braveheart (1995). Since then he has been in a huge variety of films, such as Mission: Impossible II (2000), Lake Placid (1999), The General (1998) and Gangs of New York (2002). He proved his was in the A-league when he was cast in the Harry Potter films and has several leading man roles to his name, including the popular crime caper, In Bruges.

Quote: 'When I first was able to fill in A-C-T-O-R for the occupation line on my passport - that was the first time I really felt ‘Wow, I'm home'.'

Trivia: Gleeson plays the fiddle.

Sam Shepard (Actor) .. Harlan Whitford

Ruben Blades (Actor) .. Carlos Villar

Nora Arnezeder (Actor) .. Ana Moreau

Robert Patrick (Actor) .. Daniel Kiefer

Daniel Espinosa (Director)

11:45 pm - 01:35 am, Thursday, February 19 on ITV1 London +1 (35)

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