Career: Made his movie debut in 1970's Hercules in New York, and gained a Golden Globe for Best Newcomer in 1976's Stay Hungry, but didn't become a star until Conan the Barbarian in 1982.The 1980s proved a successful decade thanks to hits Raw Deal, Predator, The Running Man, The Terminator and Twins, a rare foray into comedy. Terminator 2, True Lies and Junior followed these in the 1990s. In the latter years of his career he suffered a number of flops, and Terminator 3 was his last moderate hit. Today he is best known as the former Governor of California, although he has resurrected his big-screen career with roles in The Expendables 2, The Last Stand and The Tomb.

Career: In 2009, she made her TV debut in an episode of Doctors, and a year later, she starred in TV movie Triassic Attack. Her big break came in 2010 when she was cast as Daenerys Targaryen in HBO drama Game of Thrones. In 2013, she received an Emmy nomination for her role in the medieval fantasy series. She made her Broadway debut in 2013, playing Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Career: Courtney's early roles included guest spots in Australian TV series All Saints and Packed to the Rafters. His big break came in 2010, when he played Varro in sword-and-sandal drama Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Since then, he has largely worked on big-screen projects. His film credits include Jack Reacher (2012), A Good Day to Die Hard (2013), I, Frankenstein (2014), Felony (2014) and Divergent (2014).

Career: Stage roles followed with Captain Hook and Mr Darling, Peter Pan and a revival of Guys and Dolls. His film debut came in The Ref (1994). He made guest appearances in a number of TV shows before his big break in 1997 when he began playing Dr Emil Skoda in Law & Order. He also played a villain in six seasons of crime drama OZ. His movie credits include scene-stealing performances in The Gift (2000), The Mexican (2001) and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, where he played newspaper mogul J Jonah Jameson. He was a main character in TV crime drama The Closer, which ran from 2005 until 2012. His other movie credits include Juno (2007), Burn After Reading (2008), Up in the Air (2009) and I Love You, Man (2009). He has also voiced a number of characters in TV shows, films and video games.

Career: After earning two Tony Award nominations, he launched what would become a long and varied screen career. A memorable turn as Doc Johnson in the Vietnam war film Hamburger Hill in 1987 helped him land roles in the acclaimed movie The Hunt for Red October and TV dramas thirtysomething and In the Line of Duty: Street War. Splitting his time between the stage and screen, he built up a loyal following of devoted fans. By the mid-1990s, job offers were rolling in. Other film credits include Dangerous Minds, The Preacher's Wife, Cookie's Fortune and Space Cowboys. In 2001 he joined the cast of the Law & Order sister series Criminal Intent, the show which made him a household name. He played Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver for five years, appearing in 111 episodes. Since leaving Criminal Intent, he has starred in the TV series ER, FlashForward and The Closer, and the film Extraordinary Measures.

Career: Smith's first professional roles came in the plays Fresh Kills, opposite Christian Slater, and On the Shore of the Wide World. He appeared with Slater again in Swimming with Sharks, and also featured in The History Boys. He was part of the Olivier Award-nominated cast of That Face. His TV roles include The Ruby in the Smoke, The Shadow in the North and Secret Diary of a Call Girl, all alongside ex-Doctor Who assistant Billie Piper. He also starred in political drama Party Animals, and made his debut as the 11th Doctor Who in 2010. He was the youngest actor to play the part, but will bow out at Christmas, when he'll be replaced by Peter Capaldi. Other projects include Christopher and His Kind, Bert and Dickie, Womb, and the forthcoming How to Catch a Monster. He will return to the West End stage in 2014 to play the lead in a musical version of American Psycho.