Career: After appearing in a Broadway play, Lancaster attracted the attention of a Hollywood agent, which led to him making his film debut alongside Ava Gardner in The Killers (1946). Lancaster went on to win an Academy Award for Elmer Gantry (1960) and he was also nominated for From Here to Eternity (1953), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) and Atlantic City (1980). He demonstrated his acrobatic ability in The Crimson Pirate (1952). Other film credits included Apache (1954), The Kentuckian (1955), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), and The Unforgiven (1960). In a glittering career, he worked alongside a number of Hollywood icons, including Kirk Douglas, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Audrey Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Paul Newman and Sophia Loren. He died on October 20, 1994, at the age of 80.

Career: O'Toole's professional career began at the Bristol Old Vic in 1954. Rave reviews led to film roles, but he didn't become a star until Lawrence of Arabia in 1962. He gained an Oscar nomination for his outstanding performance; further nods came for Becket, The Lion in Winter, Goodbye Mr Chips, The Ruling Class, The Stunt Man, My Favourite Year and Venus. During the late 1970s, he concentrated on health issues following serious illness, but on his recovery appeared in the likes of Casanova, The Tudors, Iron Road, Troy, Lassie, Stardust and Dean Spanley. In 2012, he announced his retirement from acting. He died a year later on December 14.

Career: Ward moved on to theatres in Oxford and Birmingham, before making his London debut in 1964. His big break came three years later with a starring role in Loot, which led to several small TV and film roles. His first major movie role came in 1969's Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed. In 1972, he proved he could carry a film with a stirring performance in Richard Attenborough's Young Winston. Other hits from this period include The Three Musketeers, All Creatures Great and Small and TV versions of Dracula and The Four Feathers. In his later life, he worked extensively on stage, but occasionally had supporting roles in films and on TV. He died on July 22, 2012, after a long illness.

Career: Mills made his film debut in The Midshipmaid (1932) and went on to appear in a number of films, including Goodbye, Mr Chips (1939), before he enlisted in the Royal Engineers at the start of the Second World War. His war was cut short in 1942 by a stomach ulcer. He quickly returned to acting and went on to star in a number of acclaimed films in a career that spanned 70 years. Notable works included Great Expectations (1946), Scott of the Antarctic (1948), The Colditz Story (1954), Ice Cold in Alex (1958), Tunes of Glory (1960), Swiss Family Robinson (1960), Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), Ryan's Daughter (1970), Young Winston (1972), Gandhi (1982) and Hamlet (1996). Among his roles on TV, he starred in Quatermass, Young at Heart, A Woman of Substance and Martin Chuzzlewit. He also appeared in a number of productions on Broadway. He was knighted in 1976. He died on April 23, 2005, at the age of 97.

Career: Elliott made his film debut in Dear Mr Prohack (1949) and went on to play a wide range of parts, usually in a supporting role. He won Bafta TV awards for BBC2 Playhouse (1974), Tales of the Unexpected (1979) and Blade on the Feather (1980). For his work on the big screen, he won Bafta film awards for Trading Places (1983), A Private Function (1985), A Room with a View (1985) and Defence of the Realm (1986). Other notable credits included the films Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and the TV miniseries Codename: Kyril (1988) and Bangkok Hilton (1989). He died at his home in Spain on October 6, 1992 at the age of 70.

Career: Jones quickly gained a reputation as a fine character actor while working with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Early TV roles came in Z Cars, The Baron and The Avengers. His first film was Marat/Sade in 1967. He and Dudley Sutton are the only actors to have appeared in the original and revamped versions of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). Other TV work has come in the likes of Jackanory, Inspector Morse, The District Nurse and The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole. Jones has become a cult hero thanks to his film work for legendary studio Hammer (Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed and The Satanic Rites of Dracula) and director David Lynch (The Elephant Man, Dune, Wild at Heart, On the Air and Hotel Room). Jones has played Sandy in Emmerdale since 2005.