The Equalizer

Denzel Washington (Actor) .. Robert McCall

Born: December 28, 1954 in New York

Best Known For: A string of hit movies.

Early-life: Born Denzel Hayes Washington Jr on December 28, 1954, in Mount Vernon, New York. His father was a minister, his mother a beautician. He's the second of three children. After his parents divorced, Denzel was sent to a military academy, and claims its discipline saved him from a life of crime. On graduating from high school, he studied drama and journalism at Fordham University, after which he decided to concentrate on acting. He went on to study at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco.

Career: Early in his career, Washington landed small parts on TV, and made his movie debut in 1981's Carbon Copy. A starring role in St Elsewhere led to bigger projects such as Cry Freedom, Glory (for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar), and Mo' Better Blues. The eponymous role of Malcolm X made him a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood in 1992. Since then, he's starred in Philadelphia, Crimson Tide, The Hurricane, Training Day (picking up a Best Actor Oscar for his role as a crooked cop), American Gangster, The Book of Eli, Crimson Tide, Unstoppable, Flight, 2 Guns and The Equalizer. He continues to act on stage whenever his schedule allows.

Quote: "I remain thankful for the gifts that I've been given and I try to use them in a good way."

Trivia: Washington is a devout Christian who considered becoming a preacher before turning to acting.

Chloe Grace Moretz (Actor) .. Teri

Born: February 10, 1997 in Atlanta, Georgia

Best Known For: A number of Hollywood films.

Early-life: Chloe Grace Moretz was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on February 10, 1997 to Teri and McCoy. She has four older brothers, Brandon, Trevor, Ethan and Colin. She moved to New York in 2002 with her mother and brother Trevor when he was accepted into the Professional Performing Arts School. It kick-started her interest in acting because she used to help her brother read lines and he taught her some of the acting techniques he learned. In 2004, she landed her first professional acting work in two episodes of the series The Guardian.

Career: Moretz's first movie role was in Heart of the Beholder (2005), but it would be her second big-screen acting role, in The Amityville Horror (2005), that brought her to the attention of a wider audience. She followed this up with parts in Big Momma's House 2 (2006), Dirty Sexy Money and Desperate Housewives. Her big break came in 2010 when she landed a lead role in Kick-Ass. Since then, she has appeared in Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010), Jack and the Beanstalk (2010), Hugo (2011), Kick-Ass 2 (2013) and Carrie (2013).

Quote: "My mom has always said that if I get a big head, she'll take me out of this business as quickly as I got into it."

Trivia: She enjoys gymnastics, ballet and basketball.

Marton Csokas (Actor) .. Teddy

Bill Pullman (Actor) .. Brian Plummer

Born: December 17, 1953 in New York

Best Known For: Playing the US president in Independence Day.

Early-life: William James Pullman was born December 17, 1953 in Hornell, New York. He graduated from Hornell High School in 1971 and attended the State University of New York. He received his Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Massachusetts. Bill worked with theatre companies around New York and Los Angeles, making his mark in hit 1986 comedy Ruthless People.

Career: Mel Brooks thought Bill would be perfect to play the dashing lead in his 1987 spoof Spaceballs, and he went on to star in The Serpent and the Rainbow, Casper and While You Were Sleeping. However, his biggest hit was 1996 blockbuster Independence Day. David Lynch cast him in offbeat drama Lost Highway, and he also shone in cult horror Lake Placid, Ant and Dec comedy Alien Autospy, and Michael Winterbottom's controversial drama The Killer Inside Me. More recent movies include Bringing Up Bobby and Celestina. He received rave reviews for his portrayal of a twisted killer in Torchwood: Miracle Day.

Quote: "I do take lots of time off between projects, but when the right thing comes along, I don't like to turn it down."

Trivia: In 2011, Pullman was awarded an honorary doctorate from Alfred University.

Melissa Leo (Actor) .. Susan Plummer

Born: September 14, 1960 in New York

Best Known For: Homicide: Life on the Street and The Fighter (2010).

Early-life: Melissa Chessington Leo was born in New York on September 14, 1960 to Peggy and Arnold. She made her acting debut in 1984 in the soap All My Children, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award.

Career: Leo went on to make guest appearances in a number of popular TV shows, including The Equalizer, Miami Vice, The Young Riders, Veronica Mars, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Law & Order. She had recurring roles on Homicide: Life on the Street, Mildred Pierce and Treme. Her film credits include 21 Grams (2003), Frozen River (2008), The Fighter (2010), Prisoners (2013), Oblivion (2013), The Angriest Man in Brooklyn (2014) and The Equalizer (2014). She won an Academy Award for her role in The Fighter.

Quote: "Acting is the business of truth, so that we can see ourselves reflected back and learn."

Trivia: She beat Julia Roberts for her role in All My Children.

David Harbour (Actor) .. Masters

Haley Bennett (Actor) .. Mandy

David Meunier (Actor) .. Slavi

Antoine Fuqua (Director)

9:00 pm - 11:40 pm, Thursday, December 25 on Film4 (14)

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