Career: After making her professional theatrical debut at such a young age, Michele went on to star in the musical version of Spring Awakening and a revival of Fiddler on the Roof. She was cast as the ambitious but sweet Rachel in Glee in 2009 and has gone on to have a guest-voice role in The Simpsons and release numerous albums as part of the Glee cast. In 2010, she was named in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. She made her film debut in New Year's Eve.

Career: Aykroyd met John Belushi in Chicago and introduced him to the blues before the pair appeared as The Blues Brothers on Saturday Night Live. He worked on the show between 1975 and 1979. Steven Spielberg cast him in his flop war comedy 1941, and a year later he and Belushi starred in a big-screen comedy featuring their Blues Brothers characters. They reunited for flop Neighbors before Belushi's death in 1982. Following the smash hit Trading Places, Aykroyd wrote and starred in 1984 hit Ghostbusters. A string of projects followed, including Spies Like Us, Dragnet, Driving Miss Daisy, Grosse Pointe Blank and 50 First Dates. He lent his vocal talents to the 3D Yogi Bear movie, working alongside pop star Justin Timberlake, and makes regular cameo appearances.

Career: Determined to become a serious actor, Grammer spent two years at New York's Juilliard School. He then worked in theatre before making his TV debut in 1983 miniseries Kennedy. He had a stint in soap Another World, and in 1984 began playing Dr Frasier Crane in Cheers. After Cheers ended in 1993, he launched the hugely popular spin-off series Frasier. In addition to starring in 264 editions of the sitcom, he directed more than 30 episodes. Grammer has also starred in X-Men: The Last Stand, short-lived sitcoms Back to You and Hank, and the dramas Boss and Partners. He is also the voice of Sideshow Bob in The Simpsons.

Career: A long association with the Royal Shakespeare Company began in 1966. Stewart's first small-screen role came in 1974's A Fall of Eagles, and his movie debut a year later in Tilney. His subsequent TV roles include I, Claudius, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Star Trek: The Next Generation, which made him a household name on both sides of the Atlantic. He returned to the stage when the series ended in 1994. Stewart has since appeared in the Star Trek movies Generations, First Contact, Insurrection and Nemesis. He's also starred in Conspiracy Theory and the blockbusting X-Men films. He made a memorable appearance in Extras, starred alongside David Tennant in Hamlet.

Career: Blessed started out on the stage, but gained fame playing Fancy Smith in Z Cars from 1962 to 1965. He's rarely been out of work since and has tackled a wide variety of roles on TV, stage and in films. Among his most memorable projects are Henry VIII and his Six Wives, I, Claudius, Flash Gordon, The Black Adder, Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet. More recently, he featured in Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace and Oliver Stone's Alexander. In 2014, he was the subject of an edition of Who Do You Think You Are? He is in constant demand for voiceover work.