Career: While Lawrence ultimately lost the contest on Star Search, he impressed TV executives so much they offered him an appearance on the sitcom What's Happening Now! After gaining bit parts in various films and TV shows, he achieved mainstream exposure when he was asked to host the groundbreaking Def Comedy Jam on HBO. He achieved success with his own sitcom Martin, which ran between 1992 and 1997, and went on to appear in several movie blockbusters, including Bad Boys (1995) and its 2003 sequel, Blue Streak (1999), and Big Momma's House (2000). His recent films have included Wild Hogs (2007), Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008), Death at a Funeral (2010) and Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011). In 2014, he began starring alongside Kelsey Grammer in the sitcom Partners.

Career: Kutcher landed his first job in 1998, and it made him a star - sitcom That 70s Show ran for eight years and the fame he gained from it allowed him to move into films. His debut came in Coming Soon, but he hit the big time with Dude, Where's My Car? Hits since include Just Married, My Boss's Daughter, The Butterfly Effect, What Happens in Vegas, Valentine's Day and No Strings Attached. He's since returned to TV with Two and a Half Men. Kutcher also hosted practical joke show Punk'd and co-created Room 401, a weird horror/reality show hybrid.

Career: Sinise's stage career took off in the 1970s; he also began directing during this time. Steppenwolf's production of Sam Shepard's True West transferred from Chicago to New York, allowing the actor to make his Broadway debut. He returned to directing to make episodes of TV's Crime Story and thirtysomething. His first film behind the camera was Miles from Home in 1988. Sinise's movie debut as an actor was A Midnight Clear in 1992. Big-screen outings since include Forrest Gump (for which he was Oscar-nominated), Apollo 13, The Quick and the Dead, The Green Mile and Ransom. It is as Mac in CSI:NY that he is now best known, though in recent years he has established a sideline as TV documentary narrator.

Career: Connolly bought a banjo and formed a folk group, the Humblebums, which also included future music star Gerry Rafferty. Their success enabled him to quit his day job. Tours, a Royal Command Performance and two albums followed. The band split when Connolly's jokes between songs started taking over the act and he set out on his own in 1971. By 1975, when he first appeared on the Michael Parkinson chat show, he was a household name. Since then, he's gained fans across the globe thanks to a number of successful stand-up tours. Away from comedy, he's written plays and acted, appearing in numerous films including Mrs Brown, Still Crazy, Quartet and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. He has also fronted a number of TV travelogues, such as World Tour of Scotland, Billy Connolly's World Tour of Australia, and Billy Connolly's Route 66. In 2013, he was successfully treated for prostate cancer and was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Career: Messing appeared in various stage productions before landing a role in NYPD Blue in 1994. A year later, she made her movie debut alongside Keanu Reeves in A Walk in the Clouds and starred in short-lived sitcom Ned and Stacy. Sci-fi drama Prey failed to get her noticed, but she hit the big time in 1998 when she landed a lead role in sitcom Will & Grace. She won an Emmy in 2003 for her portrayal of Grace. Messing has also starred on the big screen in The Mothman Prophecies, Hollywood Ending and Along Came Polly. Most recently she starred in comedy drama The Starter Wife, which started out as a miniseries and ran for 10 episodes when it was turned into a series. Her recent work includes the musical TV drama Smash and comedy drama The Mysteries of Laura.

Career: Favreau's first film role was alongside Sean Astin in Rudy (1993). A year later he appeared in an episode of Seinfeld. In 1996, he wrote and starred in Swingers (1996) alongside Vince Vaughn. In 1997 he had a recurring role as Monica Geller's boyfriend Pete Becker in Friends. In 2001, he teamed up again with Vince Vaughn in Made (2001), Favreau's directorial debut. Two years later, he enjoyed his first big success as a director for Elf. Since then, Favreau has continued to act, write and direct. He went on to direct Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), and Cowboys & Aliens (2011). More recently, he wrote, directed and starred in Chef (2014).