Career: Jackman's first TV appearance was in Australian show Law of the Land. He then appeared in several more series before making his movie debut in 1999's Paperback Hero. He took over the role of Wolverine in 2000's X-Men after Dougray Scott dropped out, and has been a star ever since. He's played the character several more times since, but admits he will soon be too old for the role. Other movies include Van Helsing, Swordfish, The Prestige, The Fountain and Australia. Jackman has also maintained a musical theatre career, gaining acclaim for his roles in Oklahoma at London's National Theatre and on Broadway in The Boy from Oz. More recently he's appeared in sci-fi movie Real Steel, the Oscar-winning Les Miserables and drama Prisoners.

Career: At the age of 10, Christian made his West End debut in The Nerd, opposite Rowan Atkinson. He was hand-picked from 4,000 auditionees to take the lead role in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun in 1987. Unlike many child stars, he has successfully made the transition to serious grown-up actor. Films since include Little Women, The Portrait of a Lady, Velvet Goldmine, American Psycho, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Shaft, Reign of Fire, Equilibrium and The Machinist. His status soared after playing Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins and its sequels. His other recent films have included The Prestige, 3:10 to Yuma, Terminator Salvation, Public Enemies, The Fighter (for which he won an Oscar) and American Hustle.

Career: Caine worked on stage and appeared in small roles on TV, often struggling to make ends meet. He was good friends with Terence Stamp during the early 1960s, before either became famous, and they often shared digs. Caine decided if he wasn't successful by the age of 30 he'd quit acting. Days before this milestone he landed the role in Zulu which made his name. The Harry Palmer spy movies, The Italian Job and Alfie secured his star status. Since then, he's made many films, many forgettable and, by his own admission, done for the money. Highlights include Get Carter, Sleuth (plus a remake), The Man Who Would Be King, Educating Rita, Little Voice, Mona Lisa, Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, Harry Brown and Interstellar. He won Oscars for Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules. He claims he will retire from showbusiness when he's 90.

Career: Perabo relocated to New York, where she studied acting at the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. It wasn't long before she landed her first role, in Marc Levin's comedy Whiteboyz (1999). A year later, she played an FBI agent in The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle. Roles followed in Coyote Ugly (2000), Slap Her, She's French (2002), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) and its 2005 sequel, The Prestige (2005) and Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008). More recently, she starred in Looper (2012). She made the move into TV in 2010 when she began playing CIA Agent Annie Walker in Covert Affairs.

Career: In 1998, Johansson won her breakthrough role as young horse rider Grace in hit romantic drama The Horse Whisperer. She followed this up with a series of increasingly diverse and less mainstream movies, including the Coen brothers' drama The Man Who Wasn't There (2001), and well-received indie flick Ghost World (2001). In 2003, she garnished international praise for her role in Sofia Coppola's romantic drama Lost in Translation, and has since followed it up with superb turns in Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), Match Point (2005), The Black Dahlia (2006), The Prestige (2006), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), The Avengers (2012) Under the Skin (2013), Lucy (2014) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).

Career: Bowie's breakthrough came in 1969 when the BBC used his song Space Oddity for their coverage of the moon landing. Adopting the alter ego of Ziggy Stardust in 1972 made him a huge global star. Landmark albums Diamond Dogs, Young Americans and Low followed. He paired up with Queen for the 1981 chart hit Under Pressure and reached a commercial peak in 1983 with the single Let's Dance. Away from music, he had acted in a number of films, including The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (1983), and Labyrinth (1986), and as himself in the sitcom Extras. He released his 25th and final studio album, Blackstar, on January 8, 2016. Two days later, he died from cancer. He was 69. During his career, he sold more than 140 million records.

Career: Serkis honed his skills at the Dukes Playhouse, Lancaster, in the mid-1980s, before touring with well-known companies, and appearing at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. Success on London stages in the early 1990s coincided with his breakthrough in TV and film. He has starred in an eclectic mix of projects, such as Stella Does Tricks (1996), Among Giants (1998), Topsy-Turvy (1999) and 24 Hour Party People (2002). He achieved global recognition for playing Gollum in Peter Jackson's epic Lord of the Rings trilogy. He worked with the filmmaker again on his King Kong (2005) remake. Other film work includes Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2009), Burke and Hare (2010), Brighton Rock (2011), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014). He is also set to appear in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015).

Career: Hall did more TV acting work as a child, but then took a gap for her studies until 2002, when she made her professional stage debut in her father's production of Mrs Warren's Profession. More successful theatre appearances followed before she made her film debut in 2006's Starter for 10. The Prestige followed before Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona became her big Hollywood break. Since then Hall has juggled TV and movie work, taking starring roles in the likes of Red Riding (for which she won a Bafta), Frost/Nixon, Dorian Gray and Parade's End. Her recent work includes Iron Man 3.

Career: The success of Following, made for £3,000, led to Nolan directing Memento (2000), which he co-wrote with his brother Jonathan. The film was a box-office success and was nominated for two Academy Awards. He followed this up with box-office success Insomnia (2002). In 2005, he rebooted the Batman franchise with Batman Begins. It was a critical and commercial success. The sequel, The Dark Knight (2008), cemented Nolan's position as a leading director when it took more than $1billion at the worldwide box office. His trilogy of Batman movies ended with The Dark Knight Rises (2012), which also generated more than $1billion at the box office. Nolan has also had success with The Prestige (2006), Inception (2010) and Interstellar (2014).