Career: Caine worked on stage and appeared in small roles on TV, often struggling to make ends meet. He was good friends with Terence Stamp during the early 1960s, before either became famous, and they often shared digs. Caine decided if he wasn't successful by the age of 30 he'd quit acting. Days before this milestone he landed the role in Zulu which made his name. The Harry Palmer spy movies, The Italian Job and Alfie secured his star status. Since then, he's made many films, many forgettable and, by his own admission, done for the money. Highlights include Get Carter, Sleuth (plus a remake), The Man Who Would Be King, Educating Rita, Little Voice, Mona Lisa, Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, Harry Brown and Interstellar. He won Oscars for Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules. He claims he will retire from showbusiness when he's 90.

Career: Sutherland appeared in several British TV dramas before making his film debut in 1964's Crypt of Horror. He named his eldest son after its director, Warren Kiefer. More small-screen and low-budget movie projects followed until 1967's The Dirty Dozen. That led to bigger roles in acclaimed films, including 1970's MASH, which made him a star. Impressive yet occasionally offbeat performances followed in films such as Kelly's Heroes, Klute, Don't Look Now, The Eagle Has Landed, Animal House, Ordinary People and JFK. More recently he's featured in Dirty Sexy Money, Astro Boy (as the voice of President Stone), The Hunger Games and The Pillars of the Earth.

Career: Duvall's first professional work came on stage. His TV debut was in a 1959 episode of Armstrong Circle Theatre, while his first film was 1962's To Kill a Mockingbird. Other early movies were The Chase, Bullitt, True Grit and MASH. In 1972, he received his first Oscar nomination for The Godfather. Nominations since have been for Apocalypse Now, The Great Santini, The Apostle (which he also wrote and directed) and A Civil Action. He won the Best Actor award for Tender Mercies in 1983. Other films include The Godfather: Part II, Sling Blade, Open Range, Secondhand Lions, Thank You for Smoking, Crazy Heart and Get Low.

Career: In 1966, Agutter landed her first starring role in Ballerina. She made several forgettable films before her big break - 1970's The Railway Children (she had appeared in the TV adaptation two years earlier and would star in a 2000 remake). A year later, she made the acclaimed Walkabout, and relocated to America. Subsequent roles include Logan's Run, The Eagle Has Landed, Equus, and An American Werewolf in London. She returned to Britain in the early 1990s, where she dabbles in photography and works for various good causes. She has also featured in The Parole Officer, The Alan Clark Diaries, Spooks, New Tricks, The Invisibles and surprise hit Call the Midwife.

Career: Marsh's earliest screen appearances came in such TV classics as The Twilight Zone and Danger Man; she's also appeared in three Doctor Who adventures, most notably as William Hartnell's short-lived companion Sara Kingdom. She and fellow actress Eileen Atkins devised Upstairs Downstairs as a comedy, before it became a hugely successful drama. Marsh won an Emmy for her role as housemaid Rose Buck - she's reprising the part in the new BBC revamp. Other TV projects include The Saint, The Tomorrow People, and Sensitive Skin. She and Atkins re-teamed to create The House of Eliott. Her most notable films are Willow, Frenzy and The Eagle Has Landed. Marsh has also maintained an acclaimed stage career.