Career: After graduating from Berkeley, Peck went to New York to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse. To make ends meet, he worked at the 1939 World's Fair and as a tour guide for NBC at Radio City Music Hall. He made his Broadway debut in 1942 as the lead in The Morning Star. He was in high demand as an actor during the Second World War as he was exempt from military service due to a back injury. In 1947, he co-founded The La Jolla Playhouse with Mel Ferrer and Dorothy McGuire. Peck's first film, Days of Glory, was released in 1944. He received Academy Award nominations for The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), The Yearling (1946), Gentleman's Agreement (1947) and Twelve O'Clock High (1949). He went on to win an Oscar for his performance as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Among his other films were Spellbound (1945), Moby Dick (1956), The Guns of Navarone (1961), Roman Holiday (1953), The Omen (1976), MacArthur (1977), The Boys from Brazil (1978) and Other People's Money (1991). Peck died in his sleep on June 12, 2003 at the age of 87.

Career: After starring in a number of minor roles for MGM, Gardner received her big break in 1946 when she was loaned to Universal to star in The Killers, which starred Burt Lancaster in his film debut. The film was a big success and received a number of Academy Award nominations. Gardner went on to work with a number of big-name directors, including John Ford in Mogambo (1953) and George Cukor in Bhowani Junction (1956). Other notable films included Mayerling (1968), Earthquake (1974), The Cassandra Crossing (1976) and The Blue Bird (1976). Toward the end of her career, she primarily worked on TV, notably in Knots Landing, and The Long Hot Summer. Gardner died of pneumonia on January 25, 1990 at the age of 67 in London, a place she had called home since 1968.