White House Down

Channing Tatum (Actor) .. John Cale

Jamie Foxx (Actor) .. President James Sawyer

Born: December 13, 1967 in Terrell, Texas

Best Known For: The films Collateral and Ray.

Early-life: Born Eric Marlon Bishop on December 13, 1967, in Terrell, Texas. His parents' marriage broke up and he was adopted by his grandparents when he was seven months old. He was raised in a strict household, was a member of the church choir and scouts, and had piano lessons from the age of five. He went on to win a classical piano scholarship at the International University in San Diego.

Career: Encouraged by a girlfriend, he made his stage debut as a stand-up comic in 1989. Foxx changed his name to something androgynous after learning that women were first on the bill at open-mic nights in comedy clubs. By 1991 he was a star in the US thanks to TV show In Living Color. His first film was 1992's Toys. Since then he's had his own, self-titled show, and featured in movies The Truth About Cats and Dogs, Any Given Sunday, Ali and Collateral. His leading role in Ray Charles biopic Ray propelled him onto Hollywood's A-list. He's also released several albums, and collaborated with Kanye West on hit single Gold Digger.

Quote: 'When a project becomes magic and special it means that at certain points in the script it parallels your story.'

Trivia: He took his surname from one of his favourite comedians, Redd Foxx, is a big fan of wrestling and won a grand total of 22 awards for his performance in Ray, including an Oscar.

Maggie Gyllenhaal (Actor) .. Carol Finnerty

Born: November 16, 1977 in New York

Best Known For: Being Jake's big sister.

Early-life: Born Margaret Ruth Gyllenhaal on November 16, 1977, in New York. She is the daughter of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and producer and screenwriter Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal; her younger brother, Jake, is also an actor. Both siblings grew up in Los Angeles. After graduating from high school, Maggie studied literature and Eastern religions at New York's Columbia University. She also spent time at RADA in London and worked as a waitress before landing acting roles.

Career: Gyllenhaal's first film was 1992's Waterland, which was directed by her father. Various stage and screen jobs followed, including an appearance alongside her brother in Donnie Darko in 2000. Her breakthrough role came in Secretary two years later. Since then she's rarely been off the screen, turning up in the likes of Adaptation, Mona Lisa Smile, World Trade Center, Stranger Than Fiction, The Dark Knight, Away We Go and Crazy Heart (for which she received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination). Her first major TV role came in the BBC's acclaimed drama The Honourable Woman.

Quote: 'With everything I work on, I want to be put in a position that I have to be brave to do the project.'

Trivia: Away from showbusiness, Gyllenhaal campaigned for Barack Obama, is involved with a number of charitable organisations and has modelled for Miu Miu, Reebok and Agent Provocateur.

James Woods (Actor) .. Martin Walker

Born: April 18, 1947 in Utah

Best Known For: Appearing in a string of hard-hitting dramas

Early-life: James Howard Woods was born in Utah on April 18, 1947. He was raised in Warwick, Rhode Island, and graduated from Pilgrim High School in 1965. James went on to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, before heading to New York to pursue his acting career. He appeared in a string of theatre productions before making his TV debut in the movie All the Way Home in 1971.

Career: Landed bit parts in The Way We Were and The Choirboys. However, it was 1979 drama The Onion Field that brought him to the attention of many critics. High-profile projects including Videodrome, Once Upon a Time in America and Salvador followed, and the latter earned him an Academy Award nomination. Woods then proved he had a gift for comedy in 1991 offering The Hard Way, and gave stunning performances in Casino, Nixon and Contact. More recently, he has appeared in Shark, Coma and Ray Donovan.

Quote: 'The Press is like a big bass. You just stick a hook in their mouth and they'll take it.'

Trivia: He has voiced characters in a number of video games, including Kingdom Hearts and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Jason Clarke (Actor) .. Emil Stenz

Richard Jenkins (Actor) .. Eli Raphelson

Born: May 04, 1947 in DeKalb, Illinois

Best Known For: The Visitor and The Cabin in the Woods.

Early-life: Richard Dale Jenkins was born in DeKalb, Illinois, on May 4, 1947 to dentist Dale and housewife Mary. He went on to study drama at Illinois Wesleyan University. He joined the Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island, and later served as its artistic director between 1990 and 1994. He made his debut in front of the camera in 1974 TV movie Feasting with Panthers.

Career: Jenkins has enjoyed a long career, mostly in supporting roles. His film credits include Silverado (1985), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), There's Something About Mary (1998), Me, Myself and Irene (2000), Step Brothers (2008) and The Three Stooges (2012). He had a rare lead role in the critically acclaimed The Vistor (2007). His recent films include The Cabin in the Woods (2012), Jack Reacher (2012) and White House Down (2013). On the small screen, he had a recurring role in Six Feet Under.

Quote: 'There's nothing like walking onto a Hollywood sound stage.'

Trivia: To make ends meet, he once drove a linen truck - his boss was actor John C Reilly's father.

Joey King (Actor) .. Emily Cale

Nicolas Wright (Actor) .. Donnie

Roland Emmerich (Director)

9:00 pm - 11:35 pm, Thursday, February 19 on Film4 (14)

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