Career: Published the first edition of Playboy in 1953, but didn't put a date on the cover as he was afraid he'd never be able to produce a second. Luckily, thanks to its debut centrefold, Marilyn Monroe, the magazine became an instant hit. Hefner opened a string of Playboy clubs in the 1960s and 1970s. These nightspots featured scantily clad women, better known as bunny girls. In the early days of cable TV, he hosted the show Playboy's Penthouse and his company went public in 1971.

Career: Fisher appeared alongside her mother in the 1973 Broadway revival of the musical Irene, and two years later made her film debut in Shampoo. Her big break came in 1977 when she played Princess Leia in Star Wars: A New Hope. She reprised her role as Leia in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. During the 1980s, she appeared in the Broadway production of Agnes of God, published her first novel, Postcards from the Edge, and starred on the big screen in When Harry Met Sally. She wrote the screenplay for the 1990 film version of Postcards from the Edge, and spent a number of years as a leading Hollywood script doctor. In 2007, she took to the stage to perform her one-woman play Wishful Drinking. In 2015, she returned to her most famous role as Princess Leia in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. She died on December 27, 2016, at the age of 60. A day later, her mother died at the age of 84.

Career: Vaughn was written into Swingers (1996) by Favreau to play the character of Trent. It was a critical success and led to Steven Spielberg casting Vaughn in the big-budget sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park in 1997. He spent the next decade notching up hit after hit, from heavyweight dramas like Return to Paradise (1998), through to comedy fare like Old School (2003), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) and Be Cool (2005). He is considered the leader of, what the media refers to as, "The Frat Pack," along with Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Steve Carell and Owen and Luke Wilson. His other film credits include The Break-Up (2006), Into the Wild (2007), Fred Claus (2007), Four Christmases (2008), Couples Retreat (2009), The Internship (2013) and Delivery Man (2013).

Career: Nixon has worked with such acclaimed directors as Louis Malle, Milos Forman, Mike Nichols, and Robert Altman. Her most notable films include Amadeus, The Pelican Brief, Marvin's Room, The Out-Of-Towners, and Igby Goes Down. She's also worked extensively on stage, appearing in productions of Honey and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as well as forming her own off-Broadway company, Drama Dept. But Nixon didn't hit the big time until Sex And The City became a massive hit in 1998. She won an Emmy for her role in the HBO sitcom. She has also won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in the drama Rabbit Hole. Nixon has also appeared in ER, House, the Sex and the City movies, and An Englishman in New York.

Career: Her movie debut came alongside Peter O'Toole in Rosebud, directed by Otto Preminger, in 1975. After that she became one of the last stars to have a contract with a major studio when Universal signed her. A string of TV jobs followed, including a Columbo whodunit, The Incredible Hulk and miniseries Scruples. In 1982 Porky's made her a minor star, and paved the way for her appearance in 1984's Police Academy. She then appeared in Big Trouble in Little China, Mannequin, Masquerade and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, but it was Sex and the City in 1998 which made her a household name. She won a Golden Globe for her role. Played Britney Spears' mother in the film Crossroads in 2002. The two Sex and the City movies were major hits, and she was praised for her role in political thriller The Ghost. More recently she's enjoyed success on stage in productions of Private Lives and Sweet Bird of Youth.

Career: Parker's scenes were deleted from her first film, Rich Kids. However, she was seen in sitcom Square Pegs. She appeared in several movies during the 1980s, including Footloose. Films since then include LA Story, Honeymoon in Vegas, Ed Wood and The First Wives Club. In 1998, she took the role of Carrie Bradshaw in HBO comedy series Sex and the City. The show was a huge hit and won Parker three Golden Globe awards. Since it finished in 2004, she's concentrated on big-screen work such as The Family Stone, Failure to Launch, Smart People, and two Sex and the City movies. More recent projects have included Garry Marshall's romantic comedy New Year's Eve and the comedy I Don't Know How She Does It.

Career: Davis's movie debut was 1987's Doom Asylum. Film and TV roles followed before she found fame as devious Brooke Armstrong on Melrose Place. She appeared in the Hugh Grant flop Nine Months (1995) but in 1998 she landed the role that made her famous, Sex and the City's Charlotte, an art dealer who struggles with her inhibitions as she dabbles in New York's singles scene. She played the character in 94 episodes over six seasons and two movies. She currently stars in Bad Teacher, a TV series based on the 2011 film.

Career: MacLachlan began his career on stage. He was appearing in Tartuffe in Seattle when he was offered a role in David Lynch's adaptation of sci-fi novel Dune. Despite the film being a flop, Lynch asked him to appear in Blue Velvet, which was a success. The same year, 1986, he turned down Charlie Sheen's role in Platoon. He won an Emmy for Lynch's surreal 1990 TV series Twin Peaks. Other projects include The Trial, The Flintstones, Showgirls, Timecode, and several appearances in Sex and the City. His recent credits include Desperate Housewives, Made in Jersey, How I Met Your Mother, Portlandia, Believe, The Good Wife, and Agents of SHIELD.