Career: Smith rose to prominence on stage during the 1950s thanks to regular West End roles. Her first film, 1956's Child in the House, didn't set the box office alight, but she eventually gained international acclaim thanks to her role in Othello nine years later. She won an Oscar for 1969's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and has since appeared in such acclaimed productions as California Suite (for which she picked up another Academy Award), A Room with a View, and Gosford Park. She became a Dame of the British Empire in 1990. More recently, Smith gained a new fan base thanks to her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies, appeared in the films Ladies in Lavender and Keeping Mum, and TV series Downton Abbey. She has also battled breast cancer.

Career: Macdonald thought about going to drama school, but changed her mind when an open audition led to her landing the role of schoolgirl temptress Diane in Trainspotting. Her nude scene with Ewan McGregor brought her lots of attention and led to roles in Stella Does Tricks, Cousin Bette, and Elizabeth. Her most impressive performance to date came in Oscar-winning drama Gosford Park in 2001, alongside the likes of Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon. She will be seen on the big screen later this year with Colin Farrell in Intermission, and Johnny Depp in Neverland.

Career: Gambon became a member of Laurence Olivier's first Royal National Theatre company, and made his movie debut in 1965's Othello, alongside the star. His role in long-running TV show The Borderers led to an audition for James Bond. Parts in such forgettable productions as The Beast Must Die and Nothing But the Night came next. It was The Singing Detective in 1986 that finally made him a star. He's worked steadily ever since in the likes of Maigret, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, Gosford Park, Doctor Who, Quartet, Sleepy Hollow and Fortitude. He took over playing Dumbledore in Harry Potter following the death of Richard Harris. He's won BAFTA TV awards for Perfect Strangers, Longitude, Wives and Daughters, and The Singing Detective.

Career: Owen's professional career began on stage, but he soon switched to TV, making his debut in a 1987 episode of Rockliffe's Babies. Adaptations of Precious Bane and Lorna Doone raised his profile, but it was Chancer that made him a star in the early 1990s. Projects such as Close My Eyes, An Evening with Gary Lineker, The Return of the Native, Sharman and Second Sight sealed his standing as a reliable leading man. Croupier (1998) made Hollywood bigwigs sit up and take notice, and he's enjoyed big-screen success ever since. He received an Oscar nomination for Closer (2004), and also featured in Gosford Park (2001), The Bourne Identity (2002), King Arthur (2004), Sin City (2005), Derailed (2005), Inside Man (2006), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), and Shadow Dancer (2012). In 2014, he began starring in American period medical drama The Knick.

Career: Mirren was snapped-up by the Royal Shakespeare Company and tackled numerous classical parts. She's continued to appear on stage throughout her career, alongside TV and film roles. Her most famous TV role is Jane Tennison in police drama Prime Suspect. Her first movie was Herostratus in 1967. More famous parts came in Caligula, The Long Good Friday, Excalibur, The Mosquito Coast, Calendar Girls and Elizabeth I. In 2003 she was made a Dame and three years later won an Oscar for The Queen. She's also been nominated for The Madness of King George, Gosford Park and Hitchcock. Other big-screen outings include State of Play, The Last Station, The Tempest, Brighton Rock, Red and the remake of Arthur.

Career: Her big break came when she was cast in A Handful of Dust (1988), a role that won her an Evening Standard British Film Award for most promising newcomer. She went on to star in Bitter Moon (1992), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996), The English Patient (1996), The Horse Whisperer (1998), Random Hearts (1999), Gosford Park (2001), The Golden Compass (2007) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008). Thomas has also acted in a number of French films, including Ne le dis à personne (2006), Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (2008), Partir (2009) and Elle s'appelait Sarah (2010).

Career: In 1990, Northam's profile was boosted when he was awarded the Olivier Award for Best Newcomer, thanks to his performance in stage play The Voysey Inheritance. Five years later, he got a part in the Sandra Bullock vehicle The Net, before donning period costume to play opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in the 1996 adaptation of Emma. Since then, Northam has gone on to impress critics and audiences alike with roles in Amistad (1997), Happy, Texas (1999), Enigma (2001), Gosford Park (2001), Possession (2002) and Cypher (2002). More recently, he played Sir Thomas More in historical TV drama The Tudors and starred in the BBC drama White Heat. He also had a part in short-lived American drama Miami Medical.

Career: Phillippe's acting career began with an appearance in ABC daytime drama One Life To Live. The character of Billy Douglas, a role he played from 1992 to 1993, was the first gay teenager to be portrayed on a daytime soap opera, causing quite a stir. He was cast in the 1995 big-screen thriller Crimson Tide and the 1996 film White Squall. He then landed a role in horror flick I Know What You Did Last Summer. In 1999 he starred in Cruel Intentions, a modern retelling of Choderlos de Laclos' novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses. In the following years, Phillippe appeared in the crime-drama The Way of the Gun, starred as a software engineer in the thriller Antitrust, and took a role in Robert Altman's critically acclaimed Gosford Park, before turning in terrific performances in Crash, which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2005, and Clint Eastwood-directed war movie Flags of Our Fathers. His recent work includes Stop-Loss, Franklyn and MacGruber.

Career: Grant gained good reviews for a performance in short film Honest, Decent and True in 1985, alongside Gary Oldman and Arabella Weir. His big break came when Daniel Day-Lewis dropped out of Withnail and I, and Grant took his place. The film was a cult smash. Since then, he's appeared in various films and TV shows, including Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Age of Innocence, LA Story, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Gosford Park, and The Hound of the Baskervilles. His film diary, With Nails, was a best-seller, but a novel, By Design, was disappointing. In 2005, he made his directing debut with the critically acclaimed, semi-autobiographical Wah-Wah. His recent work includes roles in Colour Me Kubrick, Penelope, Cuckoo and The Iron Lady, in which he played Tory politician Michael Heseltine.

Career: Following acclaimed performances at university, Jacobi joined Birmingham Rep. He was spotted by Laurence Olivier, who invited him to join the National Theatre Company. He made his film debut alongside Olivier in 1965's Othello. Since then, Jacobi has continued to make acclaimed appearances on stage and screen. Among his films are The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, Love Is the Devil, Gladiator, Gosford Park, The King's Speech and Hereafter. He inspired Kenneth Branagh to become an actor and worked alongside him in Henry V, Hamlet and Dead Again. Jacobi won a Bafta for I, Claudius in 1977, starred in the medieval-set series Cadfael, played The Master in Doctor Who, is the narrator of In the Night Garden and scored a surprise hit with Last Tango in Halifax.

Career: Watson's acting career began on the stage with roles in the likes of The Children's Hour, Three Sisters, and Much Ado About Nothing. She made her film debut in Lars von Trier's critically acclaimed Breaking the Waves (1996), which earned Watson her first Academy Award nomination. She received a second nomination for Hilary and Jackie (1998). Her other film credits include Angela's Ashes (1999), Gosford Park (2001), The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), Synecdoche, New York (2008), War Horse (2011), The Book Thief (2013) and The Theory of Everything (2014). Her TV credits include the miniseries The Politician's Husband.