Trivia: German-born, Irish-raised actor Michael Fassbender first caught many viewers' attention with the role of Sergeant Burton Pat on the HBO-produced WWII series Band of Brothers in 2001. He would make waves again with roles on a number of popular British TV series, like Murphy's Law and Hex, but Fassbender would ingrain himself in the minds of American audiences when he was cast in the role of Spartan warrior Stelios in the 2006 blockbuster 300, even uttering the iconic line "Then we will fight in the shade." Fassbender would continue to find exciting roles in film, appearing in movies like the critically acclaimed Hunger, and Quentin Tarantino's World War II epic Inglourious Basterds. He quickly became one of the most sought-after and respected young actors in the business earning rave reviews in 2011 for his work as a sex-addict in Shame, and that same year played Magneto in the successful X-Men prequel. The next year he continued to work with revered directors, playing an assassin in Steven Soderbergh's Haywire, and landing a lead role in Ridley Scott's sci-fi summer film Prometheus.In 2013, he re-teamed with his Hunger and Shame director Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave, earning Fassbender his first Academy Award nomination, for Best Supporting Actor. He reprised his role of Magneto in X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014. The following year, he tackled "the Scottish play," playing Lord Macbeth opposite Marion Cotillard's Lady Macbeth, and earned rave reviews (and a second Oscar nomination) playing Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

Trivia: As legend has it, Charlize Theron was discovered by an agent while fighting with a bank manager on Hollywood Boulevard. Eighteen and starving, Theron purportedly got into the argument after the manager refused to cash her check. The outburst caught the agent's attention, and eight months later Theron got her first acting job. She subsequently went on to become one of the hottest young actors in Hollywood, thanks to a fortuitous combination of talent and the blonde, statuesque good looks so fervently adored by the camera. Born August 7, 1975, Theron was raised on a farm in Benoni, South Africa. Trained as a ballet dancer, she was sent to Milan at 16 to become a model following the death of her father (which, it was later revealed, occurred after he was shot by Theron's mother, who was defending herself from his drunken abuse). After tiring of modeling, Theron returned to her first love, dancing, which resulted in a move to New York to dance with the Joffrey Ballet. Unfortunately, her career was halted by a knee injury, which led Theron -- at her mother's behest -- to travel to Los Angeles to try her luck with acting. After a long, unprofitable struggle, fate smiled upon Theron in the form of the aforementioned bank encounter. Following an inauspicious bit part in 1994's Children of the Corn III, Theron won her first dose of recognition with 2 Days in the Valley (1996). The film wasn't particularly successful, but it did give her both much-needed exposure and critical praise. The film also served as the stepping stone to her first leading role, that of Keanu Reeves' embattled wife in The Devil's Advocate (1997). The film drew poor reviews, but Theron managed to win widespread praise for her performance. Her next project, Trial and Error (1997), surfaced briefly before disappearing with nary a trace, but the subsequent Mighty Joe Young (1998) netted Theron more positive notices. Her ascent was confirmed with her casting in Celebrity, Woody Allen's 1998 cameo-fest that also featured turns from everyone from Kenneth Branagh to Winona Ryder to Leonardo DiCaprio to Isaac Mizrahi. In her portrayal of a perpetually aroused supermodel, Theron shone in a role seemingly designed to allow her to flaunt her natural attributes and little else. She was rewarded with more substantial -- not to mention multilayered -- work in The Cider House Rules (1999), Lasse Hallström's Oscar-winning adaptation of John Irving's novel. As a troubled young woman with secrets to hide, Theron received star billing alongside Michael Caine and Tobey Maguire.In the wake of The Cider House Rules came a few highly publicized but ultimately disappointing projects, including John Frankenheimer's Reindeer Games (2000), Robert Redford's The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000), and Sweet November (2001), the last of which reunited her with erstwhile co-star Keanu Reeves. Theron was also reunited with Woody Allen in his The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001), another widely anticipated film that, despite a high-profile cast and stylish period design, was both a critical and commercial underachiever.None of this, however, nudged Theron from her A-list status, something that was confirmed by her casting in the flashy, star-studded 2003 remake of The Italian Job, a much-beloved 1969 comedy caper starring Michael Caine. The 2003 version featured Mark Wahlberg in the starring role, with Theron, Edward Norton, Seth Green, and Mos Def, among others, backing him up. That same year, Theron switched gears and dove headfirst into the "serious actress" category with her starring role in Monster, the crime drama based upon the real-life story of serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a prostitute who, in the late '80s, murdered seven men in Florida. Co-starring Christina Ricci as Wuornos' lover, the film promised to show audiences a side of Theron that certainly hadn't been hinted at in her previous portrayals of models, girlfriends, and Southern debutantes. It was evidently successful as Theron was showered with more than a dozen awards including an Oscar following her first-ever Academy Award nomination.2005 would be a decidedly mixed year for Theron. She first appeared in the live-action adaptation of the cult animated series Aeon Flux, a film that was nearly unanimously maligned by critics and largely avoided by audiences. Luckily, she also starred in the well-received docudrama North Country. Playing a woman who successfully battled sexual harassment, Theron was honored with her second Oscar nomination for the performance.In 2007 Theron earned critical praise for her supporting role as a detective in In the Valley of Elah, and joined the star-studded cast of The Road in 2008. Theron took a lead role the following year in Young Adult (penned by Juno collaborators Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman) as a recently divorced author who returns to her hometown with her sights set on winning back her high school sweet heart. Young Adult was received well by both box office and critical standards. 2012's Snow White and the Huntsman featured Theron as the diabolical queen, while Prometheus (2012) found the actress playing the cold but complex character of corporate representative Meredith Vickers. In 2014, she took on a out-of-character comic role, playing the romantic lead in Seth Macfarlane's A Million Ways to Die in the West, before returning to top form in Mad Max: Fury Road the following year.

Trivia: Born in London on September 6, 1972, and raised in the Hackney borough, Elba pursued acting as a high school student at the behest of a drama teacher. Elba paid his dues with many supporting roles on British television, including such series as Bramwell, The Bill, Degrees of Error, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, and The Governor. The actor grew deeply frustrated, however, over the seemingly irrepressible tendency of British casting directors to peg him in supporting roles. "Back in London," he later recalled, "I was always just going to be the best friend, or the crook or the detective on the side." When Elba could take no more of this, he immigrated to the United States. Within a few years, Elba landed a starring role on what would come to be known as one of the best TV series of all time, The Wire.Elba's performance as pusher "Stringer" Bell attained widespread popularity with viewers and helped put Elba on the map. Elba then transitioned into big-screen roles in movies like The Gospel, The Reaping, Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls, 28 Weeks Later, and the Alien prequel Prometheus. Elba also enjoyed more stateside TV success on shows like The Office and Luther.

Trivia: Although both his parents had careers in the theater, he didn't decide to pursue acting until late in his college career. Turned down a longer character arc for Trey on The O.C. so he could return to doing theater, his true passion. Received Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Award nominations in 2004 for his performance in Neil LaBute's The Distance from Here.

Trivia: Named after the title character in Francis Beaumont's The Knight of the Burning Pestle, played by his father Timothy Spall in a 1981 Royal Shakespeare Company production, and then by himself in a 2005 revival. Encouraged by his father to join the National Youth Theatre at age 15. At 19, unhappy with the "fat boy" parts he was being offered, began dieting and exercising and eventually lost nearly 80 pounds. Bared it all for his first leading role in 2006's The Chatterley Affair. Acted opposite his real-life dad, playing father and son, in a 2007 British television adaptation of E. M. Forster's A Room With a View. Worked out for his role in the romantic comedy I Give It a Year, saying he wanted to look convincing enough for co-star Rose Byrne to conceivably fancy him.

Trivia: Father is Iranian; mother is Scottish. Brought up in Portobello, Edinburgh, Scotland. Dropped out of university in order to pursue acting. Was awarded the gold medal for being best in his year when graduating from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Appeared in the National Theatre of Scotland's original production of Black Watch in 2006. Named as One to Watch by Screen International in 2009. Named as The Scotsman's Most Eligible Male in 2010.

Trivia: First role was on a BBC radio play called Kai Mei Sauce in 1993. Was nominated for a British Independent Film Award for his supporting role in Dirty Pretty Things. Made his West End stage debut in 2013 in Chimerica.

Trivia: Spent her summers in Ibiza during her youth.Plays the wife of Russell Crowe's character in Gladiator (2000) and Body of Lies (2008).Appears in most of Ridley Scott's films since Gladiator in 2000.Often collaborates in projects with her husband Ridley Scott, either as a producer or an actor.Best known for her work in Gladiator (2000), Kingdom of Heaven (2005) and Body of Lies (2008).

Trivia: Skilled in stage combat, trained at the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat (BASSC).Plays piano and guitar.Has a strong soprano voice.Has performed in theater productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Court Theatre, Headlong and Young Vic.Has worked in theater, television, film and radio.Best known for playing Boo in Fleabag.

Trivia: Is proficient in over 40 American and European dialects. Is an alumnus of the improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings. Is an accomplished motion capture artist. Has provided voices in over 200 video games. Played John Wilkes Booth in the Philadelphia premiere of Assassins.

Trivia: Born in Boston in October 1980, he began to realize his passion for acting after attending the Interlochen Theater Arts Summer Program. After writing, directing, and starring in his first play at the age of 12, it wasn't long before the venom of the acting bug had successfully worked its way into the budding thespian's blood. Devoting his life to acting, Foster dropped out of high school at 16 and prepared to face the challenges that accompany such a career. In 1999, Foster won his breakthrough role in Liberty Heights. Set in 1950s Baltimore, Foster starred as a Jewish high school student whose socially taboo relationship with an African-American classmate (Rebekah Johnson) finds him facing negative pressure from his family and friends. He would go on to appear in many other films, like The Laramie Project, Big Trouble, 30 Days of Night, Alpha Dog, 3:10 to Yuma, Pandorum, Rampart, and more. Foster would also have a succesful TV run, with a role on the popular HBO series Six Feet Under. He played William Burroughs in 2013's Kill Your Darlings and also appeared in Ain't Them Bodies Saints and Lone Survivor the same year. Foster also focused on his stage work, starring in A Streetcar Named Desire in London in 2014.