Career: On graduating, she appeared off-Broadway in various productions. In 1990 she made her TV debut in Molloy, following it up with a part in movie spin-off Ferris Bueller. Neither show, nor her first movie, Leprechaun, had much of an impact. She made various guest appearances in TV series until landing the part of poor little rich girl Rachel Green in Friends in 1994. The sitcom made her a household name across the globe. Since then, she's made several films, including The Good Girl, Bruce Almighty, and Along Came Polly. Other hits include Derailed, Rumor Has It, Horrible Bosses and Wanderlust.

Career: Cox appeared in numerous adverts and starred in Bruce Springsteen's Dancing in the Dark video. After studying acting she made her TV debut in a 1984 episode of soap As the World Turns. Her big break came when she was cast as Michael J Fox's girlfriend in the sitcom Family Ties. She landed a leading role in sitcom The Trouble with Larry, but it flopped. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective followed in 1994 - the year she joined sitcom Friends. Now a household name around the world, Cox has also appeared on the big screen in the Scream franchise, 3,000 Miles to Graceland, and Bedtime Stories. On the small screen, she starred in two seasons of drama Dirt, and has been playing the role of Jules Cobb in sitcom Cougar Town since 2009.

Career: Started out with Los Angeles improvisational theatre group The Groundlings, and her first big TV break came in the sitcom Mad About You, playing feisty waitress Ursula. Since then, Friends has made her a familiar face to millions across the globe. She has also appeared in several movies, including Analyze This, and the sequel Analyze That, with Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro, and The Opposite of Sex, which won her a prestigious New York Film Critics Award. In 2005, she appeared in short-lived sitcom The Comeback.

Career: He made his TV debut in The Wonder Years, and went on to appear in various TV shows and movies, including Blossom, LA Law and Wolf before landing the role of Ross Geller in Friends in 1994 - he was the first member of the cast to be picked. The comedy became a huge global success, making him a household name. Despite this, his big-screen career has struggled, with The Pallbearer, Kissing a Fool and Hotel all largely forgettable. He had success with small roles in Apt Pupil, Six Days and Seven Nights and TV's Band of Brothers, but has had arguably his biggest non-Friends success voicing Melman the giraffe in the animated Madagascar series of films. Schwimmer has also appeared on stage in various projects and directed two films, including the Simon Pegg vehicle Run Fatboy Run.

Career: Perry gave up a place at the University of Southern California when he took a leading role in short-lived TV series Second Chance in 1987. Early films included A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon and She's Out of Control. He didn't become a star until Friends in 1994. Since then, he's attempted to boost his movie career, but unfortunately has made mostly lacklustre films, such as Fools Rush In, Almost Heroes and Three to Tango. He returned to TV in 2006 in Aaron Sorkin's short-lived drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. In 2011 he appeared in US sitcom Mr Sunshine, but it was cancelled after one series. The same thing happened to his latest TV project, Go On.

Career: LeBlanc tried modelling, but didn't enjoy it. Instead, he appeared in several adverts and, in 1988, began formal acting training. Within a year he had a starring role in the TV 101 series. He followed that with Top of the Heap and small-screen movie Anything to Survive. In 1994 he struck gold when he was cast as Joey Tribbiani in hit sitcom Friends. The same year, LeBlanc made his film debut in The Killing Box. He has also starred in Lost in Space, Charlie's Angels and All the Queen's Men. After Friends he played the title role in spin-off series, Joey, but it failed to resonate with audiences and was axed after two seasons. In 2011 he began playing a version of himself in the critically acclaimed Episodes.

Career: After attending Georgia State University, Julia moved to New York to begin her career. She also did some modelling. Her first role was in Blood Red, alongside her brother, in 1986, although it wasn't released for three years. Mystic Pizza was her first notable project in 1988, and a year later she received her first Oscar nomination for Steel Magnolias. Pretty Woman made her a massive star. Hits since then include Flatliners, Sleeping with the Enemy, My Best Friend's Wedding, Notting Hill and Ocean's Eleven. She won an Oscar for Erin Brockovich, becoming Hollywood's highest paid actress in the process.

Career: On his arrival in the US, Van Damme didn't speak English, but claims he learnt the language by watching The Flintstones. He struggled to land parts at first, taking numerous odd jobs to make ends meet. Chuck Norris gave him a role in Missing in Action (1984) but several forgettable movies followed until he got his big break playing a villain in 1988's No Retreat, No Surrender. His good looks and amazing martial arts skills then led to leading roles in such films as Kickboxer (1989), Double Impact (1991), Universal Soldier (1992), Hard Target (1993), Timecop (1994) and Street Fighter (1995). He then went on to star in a number of poorly received movies. More recently, he voiced a character in Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) and played the aptly titled Jean Vilain in The Expendables 2 (2012).