Career: Hurt made both his London stage debut (in the acclaimed Infanticide in the House of Fred Ginger) and his first film, The Wild and the Willing, in 1962. More theatre work and films such as A Man for All Seasons and 10 Rillington Place followed. In 1975, he won a Bafta for his portrayal of Quentin Crisp in TV drama The Naked Civil Servant, which made his name. He received Oscar nominations for Midnight Express and The Elephant Man. Other acclaimed projects included Nineteen Eighty-Four, Scandal, Alien and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. He also portrayed the Tory politician Alan Clark in The Alan Clark Diaries for the BBC. He reprised his role as Quentin Crisp in 2009 in An Englishman in New York. He went on to appear in the final two Harry Potter films, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Doctor Who. He died on January 27, 2017, at the age of 77.

Career: Whalley garnered rave reviews for her stage performances, and appeared in two hugely acclaimed BBC dramas - Edge of Darkness and The Singing Detective. They led to her big Hollywood break, a starring role in 1988's Willow. She returned to Britain a year later to make Scandal before settling in Los Angeles. She was expected to become a major movie star, but despite appearing in Navy Seals, Mother's Boys and A Good Man in Africa, her career didn't take off, and she took fewer parts after becoming a mother. Her other film credits include The Man Who Knew Too Little and Breathtaking, and she played the title roles in American TV productions Scarlett and Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. She's also appeared in 40, The Virgin Queen, Child of Mine, 44 Inch Chest and The Borgias.

Career: In 1988, Fonda got her first substantial film role, co-starring with John Hurt in Scandal, based on the Profumo affair. Her breakthrough role, however, was as a journalist in The Godfather, Part III. After gaining additional work experience in a few theatre productions she was cast in the lead in Barbet Schroeder's Single White Female, followed by a role in Cameron Crowe's ensemble comedy Singles, both in 1992. The Road to Wellville was another success. In 1997 Fonda was on the same plane flight as Quentin Tarantino when he offered her the part of a beach babe in Jackie Brown. She has also given well-received performances in A Simple Plan, Kiss of the Dragon and Lake Placid. Her last major project was the TV movie Snow Queen 2002, in which she played the title role.

Career: McKellen started out on stage, gaining acclaim in Britain and America, and winning a prestigious Tony award for his performance in the original Broadway production of Amadeus. He didn't become a household name until his film career took off with hits such as Scandal, Richard III, and X-Men and its sequels. He received Oscar nominations for Gods and Monsters and the first part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. More recently, he reprised the role of Gandalf in The Hobbit movies. He continues to appear on stage.

Career: His early career was interrupted by the Second World War, but he went into rep after being demobbed. On the big screen, his breakthrough film was Train of Events in 1949, which marked the beginning of a lengthy movie career. Phillips has appeared in Carry On films, the Doctor series and more dramatic movies such as The Sound Barrier and The Longest Day. He disappeared from the silver screen for nearly a decade before returning in Out Of Africa. Other recent films include The Jackal, Saving Grace, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Venus and Late Bloomers. He also provided the voice for the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter movies.

Career: Despite some decent film roles, Ekland became famous for being married to Peter Sellers, and appeared with him in After the Fox and The Bobo. She had a small but memorable role in 1971 cult classic Get Carter. Two years later, she made The Wicker Man, which remains one of her most popular movies. Her Bond girl role in 1974's The Man with the Golden Gun sealed her reputation as a sex symbol and won her a lifetime of publicity. Few of her roles since have been memorable. She began appearing in British pantos in 1992 and has written a warts-and-all autobiography. She appeared in the 10th series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2010.