Career: After appearing in a Broadway play, Lancaster attracted the attention of a Hollywood agent, which led to him making his film debut alongside Ava Gardner in The Killers (1946). Lancaster went on to win an Academy Award for Elmer Gantry (1960) and he was also nominated for From Here to Eternity (1953), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) and Atlantic City (1980). He demonstrated his acrobatic ability in The Crimson Pirate (1952). Other film credits included Apache (1954), The Kentuckian (1955), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), and The Unforgiven (1960). In a glittering career, he worked alongside a number of Hollywood icons, including Kirk Douglas, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Audrey Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Paul Newman and Sophia Loren. He died on October 20, 1994, at the age of 80.

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.

Career: Hopper featured in more than 150 films and TV programmes, including Rebel Without a Cause and Giant (both with James Dean), and the iconic Easy Rider, which he also directed. However, years of drug and alcohol abuse took their toll, and his film work foundered during the 1970s (with the notable exception of Apocalypse Now) and early 1980s. David Lynch's disturbing 1986 drama Blue Velvet gave Hopper's career a kick-start, after which he worked steadily on both the big and small screen until his death in May 2010, notably Speed, True Romance and Land of the Dead.