Career: Costner believed his break would come in 1983's The Big Chill - but he was cut from the final film. However, director Lawrence Kasdan cast him in Silverado, which boosted his career. His first major leading role arrived in 1987 in The Untouchables. Since then he has picked up a Best Director Oscar for Dances with Wolves, and had box-office hits with The Bodyguard, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Field of Dreams and JFK. He has struggled to find successful projects in recent years, but Open Range in 2003, which he starred in as well as directing and producing, was a return to form. He won a 2012 Emmy Award for his role in miniseries Hatfields & McCoys. He's also appeared in Mr Brooks, The Guardian and Man of Steel.

Career: Duvall's first professional work came on stage. His TV debut was in a 1959 episode of Armstrong Circle Theatre, while his first film was 1962's To Kill a Mockingbird. Other early movies were The Chase, Bullitt, True Grit and MASH. In 1972, he received his first Oscar nomination for The Godfather. Nominations since have been for Apocalypse Now, The Great Santini, The Apostle (which he also wrote and directed) and A Civil Action. He won the Best Actor award for Tender Mercies in 1983. Other films include The Godfather: Part II, Sling Blade, Open Range, Secondhand Lions, Thank You for Smoking, Crazy Heart and Get Low.

Career: Bening made her film debut in The Great Outdoors (1988) and followed this up with a role in box-office flop Valmont (1989). Her big break came in 1990 when she earned an Oscar nomination for her role in The Grifters. She went on to star with her future husband Warren Beatty in Bugsy (1991) and also appeared in Regarding Henry (1991), Love Affair (1994), The American President (1995), Mars Attacks! (1996) and The Siege (1998). Her biggest critical and commercial success came in 1999 when she starred in American Beauty. Her other film credits include Being Julia (2004), The Women (2008) and The Kids Are All Right (2010).

Career: Gambon became a member of Laurence Olivier's first Royal National Theatre company, and made his movie debut in 1965's Othello, alongside the star. His role in long-running TV show The Borderers led to an audition for James Bond. Parts in such forgettable productions as The Beast Must Die and Nothing But the Night came next. It was The Singing Detective in 1986 that finally made him a star. He's worked steadily ever since in the likes of Maigret, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, Gosford Park, Doctor Who, Quartet, Sleepy Hollow and Fortitude. He took over playing Dumbledore in Harry Potter following the death of Richard Harris. He's won BAFTA TV awards for Perfect Strangers, Longitude, Wives and Daughters, and The Singing Detective.

Career: Luna's big break came in 2001 when he was cast in the critically acclaimed Mexican film Y Tu Mama Tambien. Since then he has appeared in a number of American offerings, including Frida (2002), Vampires: Los Muertos (2002), Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004), Milk (2008) and Elysium (2013). He made his directorial debut with Chavez (2014), which follows American labour leader Cesar Chavez's efforts to organise 50,000 farm workers in California.