Career: Wayne began doing bit parts in westerns and adventures and appeared in about 70 movies before his breakthrough role in John Ford's Stagecoach (1939). He went on to star in more than 20 John Ford pictures, including Fort Apache (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Rio Grande (1950), The Searchers (1956) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). Other notable films included Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), The Alamo (1960), The Green Berets (1968), True Grit (1969) and The Shootist (1976). He died of stomach cancer on June 11, 1979 at the age of 72.

Career: In 1941 he landed his first role on Broadway in the play Spring Again and changed his name to Kirk Douglas, but his career was put on hold when he signed up with the US Navy; he was discharged in 1944 after being injured. He returned to Broadway, where he was spotted by Hollywood scouts. His film debut was 1946's The Strange Love of Martha Ivers; his first Oscar nomination came three years later for Champion. He received further nominations for the Bad and the Beautiful and Lust for Life. Douglas formed his own production company, Bryna (named after his mother), which made many of his best-known films, including The Vikings and Seven Days in May. He also produced Spartacus, and caused controversy when he gave a screen credit to the blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo. He continues to make public appearances despite suffering a debilitating stroke in 1996.