Trivia: Once quoted as saying "I've made a career of playing sons of bitches," Kirk Douglas is considered by many to be the epitome of the Hollywood hard man. In addition to acting in countless films over the course of his long career, Douglas has served as a director and producer, and will forever be associated with his role in helping to put an end to the infamous Hollywood black list.Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch) was the son Russian Jewish immigrant parents in Amsterdam, NY, on December 9, 1916. He waited tables to finance his education at St. Lawrence University, where he was a top-notch wrestler. While there, he also did a little work in the theater, something that soon gave way to his desire to pursue acting as a career. After some work as a professional wrestler, Douglas held various odd jobs, including a stint as a bellhop, to put himself through the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In 1941, he debuted on Broadway, but had only two small roles before he enlisting in the Navy and serving in World War II. Following his discharge, Douglas returned to Broadway in 1945, where he began getting more substantial roles; he also did some work on radio. After being spotted and invited to Hollywood by producer Hal Wallis, Douglas debuted onscreen in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), but he did not emerge as a full-fledged star until he portrayed an unscrupulously ambitious boxer in Champion (1949); with this role (for which he earned his first Oscar nomination), he defined one of his principle character types: a cocky, selfish, intense, and powerful man. Douglas fully established his screen persona during the '50s thanks to strong roles in such classics as Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole (1951), William Wyler's Detective Story (1951), and John Sturges' Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957). He earned Oscar nominations for his work in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) and Lust for Life (1956), both of which were directed by Vincente Minnelli. In 1955, the actor formed his own company, Bryna Productions, through which he produced both his own films and those of others, including Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory (1957) and Spartacus (1960); both of these movies would prove to be two of the most popular and acclaimed of Douglas' career. In 1963, he appeared on Broadway in Ken Kesey's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, but was never able to interest Hollywood in a film version of the work; he passed it along to his son Michael Douglas (a popular actor/filmmaker in his own right), who eventually brought it to the screen to great success.During the '60s, Douglas continued to star in such films as John Huston's The List of Adrian Messenger (1963) and John Frankenheimer's Seven Days in May (1964), both of which he also produced. He began directing some of his films in the early '70s, scoring his greatest success as the director, star, and producer for Posse (1975), a Western in which he played a U.S. marshal eager for political gain. Though he continued to appear in films, by the '80s Douglas began volunteering much of his time to civic duties. Since 1963, he had worked as a Goodwill Ambassador for the State Department and the USIA, and, in 1981, his many contributions earned him the highest civilian award given in the U.S., the Presidential Medal of Freedom. For his public service, Douglas was also given the Jefferson Award in 1983. Two years later, the French government dubbed him Chevalier of the Legion of Honor for his artistic contributions. Other awards included the American Cinema Award (1987), the German Golden Kamera Award (1988), and the National Board of Review's Career Achievement Award (1989). In 1995, the same year he suffered a debilitating stroke, Douglas was presented with an honorary Oscar by the Academy; four years later, he was the recipient of the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award, an honor that was accompanied by a screening of 16 of his films. In addition to his film work, Douglas has also written two novels: Dance with the Devil (1990) and The Secret (1992). He published his autobiography, The Ragman's Son, in 1988.In March of 2009, Douglas starred Before I Forget, a one man show that took place at the Center Theater Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, California. All four performances of the show were filmed and later made into a documentary that eventually screened in 2010. The following year, Douglas presented the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the 83rd Academy Awards.

Trivia: British actor Trevor Howard trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and while there he made his London stage debut in 1934; however, his subsequent work onstage gained little attention until the mid-'40s. While fighting World War II with the Royal Artillery, he was injured and discharged. Howard made his feature film debut in 1944; soon he attained star status as the result of playing the romantic lead in David Lean's Brief Encounter (1945). Thus began a long and consistently successful film career. At first, Howard was cast in romantic leads, but then began playing more heroic leads before eventually moving into character roles. Regardless of his role, he was known as a consistent, polished actor with an understated, true-to-life style. At first appearing exclusively in British films, he began appearing occasionally in Hollywood productions in the mid-'50s. For his performance as the father in Sons and Lovers (1960) he received a Best Actor Oscar nomination. He was married to actress Helen Cherry, with whom he appeared in A Soldier for Christmas (1944).

Trivia: Actor Tom Courtenay studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts before making his theatrical debut in the Old Vic production of The Seagull in 1960; in 1961 he took over Albert Finney's role in Billy Liar, a part he would later play in the film version. In his first British film, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962), he made a big impression on audiences and critics alike. Courtenay went on to play numerous lead roles in American and British films, often as a misunderstood, underprivileged, nonconformist youth. He was nominated for a "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar for his work in Doctor Zhivago (1965) and for a "Best Actor" Oscar for The Dresser (1983). His screen career mysteriously came to a near-halt after 1971, but he continued to succeed as a stage actor, making his belated Broadway debut in 1977's Otherwise Engaged. He is married to stage actress Cheryl Kennedy.

Trivia: Born in Argentina to French parents, Bernard Blier studied acting at the Paris conservatory. After a short theatrical career, Blier made his movie bow in 1937's Trois-Six-Neuf. Following World War II service, the prematurely balding Blier became established as something of a "new Raimu", distinguishing himself in an exhausting variety of major character roles. He was awarded an honorary Cesar (the French Oscar) in 1989 for lifetime achievement. Bernard Blier was the father of director Bertrand Blier, and he co-starred in his son's black comedy Buffet Froid (1979)

Trivia: British character actor, onscreen from the '50s.

Trivia: English actor Garfield Morgan has been appearing on television and in movies since the 1960s. He regularly appeared on the spy series The Avengers, playing various roles in different episodes, and he's perhaps best known for his role as Chief Inspector Haskins on the 1970s series The Sweeney. In 1995, he appeared in the quirky comedy The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain, and in 2007, he made an unexpected turn in the zombie apocalypse movie 28 Weeks Later.

Trivia: Dean, born Isabel Hodgkinson, is a British character actress who first appeared onscreen in the '40s.

Trivia: Esteemed British character actor Trevor Peacock has found success on stage, screen, and television in the U.K. and the U.S. He has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and on television is known for his regular roles on such BBC shows as Growing Pains and Wish Me Luck III. Peacock made his film debut as an actor in The Barber of Stamford Hill (1963). Two years prior he had provided music for Beat Girl. Peacock tried his hand at screenwriting with He Who Rides a Tiger (1966) and also provided the film with music. Peacock's career continued through the '90s with appearances in feature films such as For Roseanna (1997) and television miniseries like NeverWhere (1996).