Career: Chan had small roles in Bruce Lee movies Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon, and also did stunt work and directed projects. After Lee died, Chan decided he didn't want to imitate him, so he developed his own film-making style, a mixture of action and comedy inspired by Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. By the 1980s, he was Asia's biggest star, and tried to break the US market by appearing in The Cannonball Run and its sequel. These days, Chan is a global superstar thanks to such movies as Rush Hour and Shanghai Knights and their sequels, and The Forbidden Kingdom, Kung Fu Panda, The Spy Next Door and the remake of The Karate Kid. In 2012 Chan announced he would be cutting down on the number of stunts he would perform in an attempt to take better care of himself.

Career: Tucker cut his teeth on the stand-up comedy circuit, before becoming a regular performer on Def Comedy Jam. He made his big-screen debut in House Party 3, before starring alongside Ice Cube in cult comedy Friday and in critically acclaimed Dead Presidents. He became a household name after starring alongside Jackie Chan in Rush Hour in 1998, and its two sequels. He also made a memorable cameo appearance in The Fifth Element. More recently, he starred in Silver Linings Playbook.

Career: The breakthrough film thrust Ziyi into the spotlight, but even she was unprepared for the success of her next project, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000. Made for $17million, the film went on to gross more than $210million. She made her US film debut opposite Jackie Chan in Rush Hour 2 (2001) before reuniting with director Yimou for the epic Hero (2002). Ziyi dipped a toe in the world of the avant garde with Purple Butterfly (2003), and returned to the martial arts genre with the smash-hit House of Flying Daggers (2004). She followed this up with the acclaimed offerings 2046 (2004) and Princess Raccoon (2005), and dazzled Western audiences with her first English-speaking lead role in Memoirs of a Geisha (2005). Her other film credits include The Banquet (2006), Horsemen (2009), Sophie's Revenge (2009), Dangerous Liaisons (2012) and The Crossing (2014). She provided the voice of Karai in TMNT (2007).

Career: Ratner's big break came in 1998 when he directed the action-comedy Rush Hour. Made for $33million, it grossed more than $240million worldwide. The sequels Rush Hour 2 (2001) and Rush Hour 3 (2007) were equally successful. Ratner's other film credits include X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Tower Heist (2011) and Hercules (2014). He was also the producer on the TV series Prison Break and the film comedy Horrible Bosses (2011) and its 2014 sequel.