Career: Cumberbatch has divided his professional time between stage, film and TV. He's performed in various London venues, including the Royal Court and National Theatre, and in 2011 he shared the Olivier Award for Best Actor with his Frankenstein co-star Jonny Lee Miller. His first film was 2003's To Kill a King; projects since include Starter for 10, Amazing Grace, The Other Boleyn Girl, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and War Horse. His biggest successes, however, have come on TV in Hawking, The Last Enemy, Parade's End and, of course, Sherlock. He's also worked on The Hobbit movies and Star Trek Into Darkness.

Career: Willem toured with Theatre X for four years, before joining avant garde New York company The Performance Group. He made his first venture into film acting with a role in Heaven's Gate, but was cut from the finished movie. He went on to win parts in To Live and Die in LA and The Loveless, but his big break came with Platoon, which earned him an Oscar nomination. He also made headlines in 1988 when he took the lead role in the controversial The Last Temptation of Christ. Since then, his movies have included Mississippi Burning, Born on the Fourth of July, The English Patient, Shadow of the Vampire (for which he received another Oscar nod) and Spider-Man. His more recent films include Antichrist, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, Daybreakers and Miral.

Career: Molina's movie breakthrough came in 1987 when he played Kenneth Halliwell, the tragic lover of playwright Joe Orton, in Stephen Frears' Prick Up Your Ears (1987). He also appeared in Enchanted April (1991), The Perez Family (1995), Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina (1997) and Chocolat (2000). A superb turn in Salma Hayek vehicle Frida (2002) saw him cast as Doctor Octopus in big-budget blockbuster Spider-Man 2 (2004). Other film credits include An Education (2009), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) and The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010), while his stage credits are numerous. In 2010, he featured alongside Dawn French in BBC sitcom Roger and Val Have Just Got In, and began starring in Law & Order: Los Angeles. His more recent credits include the films Love is Strange (2014) and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016). He has also had roles in TV series Matador, Feud and Angie Tribeca.

Career: Maguire left school early and began gaining small roles in advertisements and TV shows. He had a regular role in sitcom Great Scott! in 1992, and went on to appear in such acclaimed films as This Boy's Life (opposite good friend Leonardo DiCaprio), The Ice Storm and Deconstructing Harry. Ride with the Devil, Pleasantville and The Cider House Rules proved he was more than just a pretty face and put him on the map. Since then he's appeared in Wonder Boys, Ride with the Devil, Seabiscuit, Spider-Man, together with its two hugely successful sequels, Brothers and, again with DiCaprio, The Great Gatsby.

Career: Garfield made his TV debut in 2005, appearing in Channel 4 teen drama Sugar Rush. Further TV work followed in Trial & Retribution, Doctor Who, Boy A and the Red Riding trilogy. In 2009, he made the switch to the big screen with a supporting role in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Roles in Never Let Me Go (2010) and The Social Network (2010) followed, and his big break came in 2010 when he was cast in the lead role in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). In 2012, he made his Broadway debut in Death of a Salesman. He returned as the web-slinger in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014).

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.

Career: Ifans spent 18 months at the National Theatre and has also appeared at Manchester's Royal Exchange theatre. His first TV appearances were in Welsh-language programmes for S4C. In 1995, he made his movie debut in Streetlife. Two years later he appeared on the small screen in The Sin Eater and Trial and Retribution, and starred in the film Twin Town with his brother. Notting Hill made him a star in 1999. Since then he's featured in Kevin and Perry Go Large, Little Nicky, The 51st State, The Shipping News and Vanity Fair. His recent work includes Enduring Love, Hannibal Rising, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Boat That Rocked, Greenberg, Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, and The Amazing Spider-Man.