Career: DiCaprio made his film debut in direct-to-video comedy sci-fi horror Critters 3 in 1991. Shortly after, he had a recurring role on the sitcom Growing Pains. His big break came in 1992 when he beat 400 other young actors to play the lead role in the movie This Boy's Life (1993) alongside Ellen Barkin and Robert De Niro. DiCaprio achieved critical acclaim for his role as a mentally handicapped boy in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993). Roles in a number of popular and acclaimed movies followed, including Romeo + Juliet (1996), Titanic (1997), Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006), Blood Diamond (2006), Inception (2010), Shutter Island (2010), J Edgar (2011), Django Unchained (2012), The Great Gatsby (2013) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013).

Career: In 1980 Malkovich moved to New York to further his career, and won great acclaim in 1984 for his performance opposite Dustin Hoffman in Death of a Salesman. Early films include Places in the Heart, The Killing Fields and Empire of the Sun, but it was 1988's Dangerous Liaisons that made him a star. Further plaudits came for Of Mice and Men and In the Line of Fire. He played a version of himself in Being John Malkovich. He continues to appear on both stage and screen in a variety of projects, including blockbuster hits RED and its sequel, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Career: Irons made his TV debut in 1971 in the series The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes and landed several other roles throughout the decade, including in the children's series Play Away. But it was in the 1980s he became widely recognised, thanks to the movie The French Lieutenant's Woman and TV tour de force Brideshead Revisited. These made him a sought after leading man and he went on to appear in productions such as Dead Ringers, Damage, Lolita, Die Hard with a Vengeance and Reversal of Fortune, for which he won an Oscar. He also lent his voice to The Lion King and has trodden the boards on Broadway, starred with his son Samuel in Danny the Champion of the World, and had a major role in The Borgias.

Career: Depardieu's first film was 1967's Le Beatnik et Le Minet, but he had to wait seven years for his breakthrough role in Les Valseuses. He hasn't been out of work since, and is one of the world's most prolific stars, despite announcing his retirement in 2005. He's equally at home in European and American movies. Among his most memorable movies are 1900, The Last Metro, Jean de Florette, The Return of Martin Guerre, Green Card, My Father the Hero and 36. He was Oscar nominated for Cyrano de Bergerac in 1990, and has won two Cesars, the French version of the Academy Awards.

Career: Byrne started acting at The Focus Theatre and the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, then joined the Royal Court and the National Theatre in London. He landed a part in popular Irish series The Riordans, before making his big-screen debut in 1981 Arthurian epic Excalibur. That brought him to Hollywood's attention, and although some of the films he made in the 1980s had a mixed reception, he went on to star in such well-received movies such as Miller's Crossing, Little Women, The Usual Suspects and Spider. More recently, he gained acclaim for playing a troubled psychiatrist in TV series In Treatment and the period crime drama Quirke.

Career: Fry and Laurie's stage success led to the TV sketch show Alfresco, which also featured Emma Thompson, Ben Elton and Robbie Coltrane. In 1987, Elton cast him in sitcom Blackadder the Third as amiable idiot George. A Bit of Fry and Laurie, and Jeeves and Wooster cemented his reputation as one of the UK's brightest comedy talents. He appeared with several celebrity pals in the movies Peter's Friends, Maybe Baby, and Sense and Sensibility. Other projects include 101 Dalmatians, The Man in the Iron Mask, Stuart Little and its sequel, the Flight of the Phoenix remake and TV series Fortysomething. His novel, The Gun Seller, was also a hit. His award-winning role in House turned him into an international star. Since it ended in 2012, Laurie has largely concentrated on music.

Career: Sarsgaard made his movie debut in Dead Man Walking (1995) alongside Sean Penn. He followed this up with roles in a number of independent films. His first big role came in The Man in the Iron Mask (1998). He enjoyed critical praise for Boys Don't Cry (1999) and his first leading role came in The Center of the World (2001). He went on to reach wider audiences in the likes of K-19: The Widowmaker (2002), Shattered Glass (2003), Garden State (2004), Kinsey (2004), Jarhead (2005), Flightplan (2005), An Education (2009), Orphan (2009), Knight and Day (2010), Green Lantern (2011), Lovelace (2013) and Blue Jasmine (2013). On the small screen, he had a main role in the third season of American crime drama The Killing.