Career: Diesel found getting acting jobs difficult until his mother gave him a book about making low-budget films. That led him to write, direct and star in short film Multi-Facial in 1994, which was well-received at the Cannes Film Festival. His first feature film, Strays, wasn't as well appraised, but Steven Spielberg was impressed enough to cast him in Saving Private Ryan. Diesel went on to voice The Iron Giant before tackling his first lead role in 2000's modest sci-fi hit Pitch Black. That made casting directors take notice, and he has since appeared in such blockbusters as The Fast and the Furious and xXx, as well as their sequels. Other films include The Pacifier, Find Me Guilty and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Career: Rodriguez appeared as an extra in the films Summer of Sam and Cradle Will Rock. She went to a New York casting call for the movie Girlfight, and landed the lead role. It brought her to the attention of leading casting agents, and before long she was snapped up for the projects 3AM, The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil, Blue Crush and SWAT. A keen video game fan, she lent her dulcet tones to Driver 3 and Halo 2, and currently provides one of the voices for animated series IGPX. Aside from appearing in Lost, she can soon be seen in horror thriller The Breed.

Career: While modelling, he met then-unknown film-maker Guy Ritchie, who cast him in his first film, 1998's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which put them both on the showbiz map. Statham went on to star in Ritchie's follow-up movie Snatch, and then started forging a career in Hollywood. Although John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars was a flop, he soon proved to be one of Britain's most reliable action stars, thanks to hits such as The One, The Transporter and its sequel; The Italian Job; Cellular; Chaos; Crank; War, and The Bank Job. He was among the action star dream line-up in The Expendables and its sequels, and has several more films in production.

Career: Brewster made her film debut in The Faculty (1998) but she really made her mark playing Mia Toretto in the hugely popular movie The Fast and the Furious (2001). Since then, Brewster has starred in more films in The Fast and the Furious franchise and appeared in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006) and American Heist (2014). She had recurring roles on the TV spy comedy Chuck and the reboot of Dallas.

Career: In 1998, Gibson was signed by RCA Records. His debut single, Nobody Else, reached number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Later the same year, he released his self-titled album. He continues to record albums. He first made an impact as an actor in John Singleton's Baby Boy (2001), but he is best known for playing Roman Pearce in the Fast and the Furious franchise. His other film credits include Four Brothers (2005), Transformers (2007) and two sequels, Legion (2010) and Black Nativity (2013).

Career: An agent spotted Theron arguing with a bank clerk and signed her on the spot. After eight months of acting lessons she landed her first role, a non-speaking part in Children of the Corn III. A more significant role in 2 Days in the Valley followed. Tom Hanks cast her in That Thing You Do! in 1996, and she hasn't looked back, appearing in hits such as The Devil's Advocate, Mighty Joe Young, and Reindeer Games. In 2003, she starred in the remake of The Italian Job and critically acclaimed drama Monster; her performance in the latter won her an Oscar. She also starred in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, Aeon Flux, Hancock, The Road, Young Adult, Snow White & the Huntsman and Prometheus.