Career: After deciding to become an actor, Stallone struggled to find decent roles. After running out of money and being made homeless he appeared in soft-porn flick The Party at Kitty and Stud's and had bit parts in several mainstream movies before writing Rocky. He persuaded producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler to not only buy it, but also let him star in it. The film was a massive success, won three Oscars and was followed by five sequels. He's directed several other movies and had hits with the Rambo series, Cliffhanger and Cop Land. Other films include a remake of Get Carter, Paradise Alley and Judge Dredd. More recently he's starred alongside other macho stars in The Expendables and its sequel. He was also behind TV series The Contender.

Career: Cult movies Heathers and Pump Up The Volume helped boost his profile, while blockbuster Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves proved he had star appeal. An avid Trekkie, he realised a personal dream in 1991 when he landed a cameo in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Kuffs failed to impress critics, but True Romance, Interview with the Vampire, Broken Arrow, Hard Rain and Very Bad Things helped his career no end. By the turn of the millennium, his appeal was starting to wane in Tinseltown, and although he gave impressive turns in TV hits Alias and The West Wing, movie projects such as Windtalkers, Churchhill: The Hollywood Years and Alone in the Dark failed to impress. On stage he has appeared in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Glass Menagerie. He is still working hard in Hollywood, however, and his recent films include Slipstream, He Was A Quiet Man, Love Lies Bleeding and Dolan's Cadillac. He returned to the small screen in 2011 in the American sitcom Breaking In.