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Born in Glasgow, Scotland, to Margaret and Edward Butler, Gerard Butler was raised (along with his older brother and sister) in his mother's hometown of Paisley, Scotland (he also spent some of his early youth in Canada). His parents divorced when he was a child and he and his siblings were raised primarily by their mother, who later remarried. He had no contact with his father until he was 16 years old, after which time they became close. His father passed away when Gerard was in his early 20s. Butler went on to attend Glasgow University, where he studied to be a lawyer/solicitor. He was president of the school's law society thanks to his outgoing personality and great social skills.

His acting career began when he was approached in a London coffee shop by actor Steven Berkoff (who later appeared alongside Butler in Attila (2001/I) (TV)), who gave him a role in the play "Coriolanus", and Butler decided to give up law school for acting. He was later cast as Ewan McGregor's character Renton in the stage adaptation of Trainspotting (1996). His film debut was as Billy Connolly's younger brother in _Mrs. Brown (1997)_. While filming the movie in Scotland he was enjoying a picnic with his mother, near the River Tay, when they heard the shouts of a young boy who had been swimming with a friend who was in some trouble. Butler jumped in and saved the young boy from drowning. He received a "Certificate of Bravery" from the Royal Humane Society. He felt he only did what anyone in the situation would have done.

Since then he has appeared in Reign of Fire (2002) as Creedy and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) as Terry Sheridan, alongside Angelina Jolie. The role that has garnered him much attention from both moviegoers and movie makers was that of Andre Marek in the big-screen adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel Timeline (2003). Butler played an archaeologist who was sent back in time with a team of students to rescue a colleague. Last year he appeared in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Phantom of the Opera (2004), playing the title character in the successful adaptation of the stage musical, and was a role that has brought him much international attention. Other projects include Dear Frankie (2004), The Game of Their Lives (2005) and Beowulf & Grendel (2005).

In 2007 he starred as Spartan King Leonidas in the Warner Bros. production 300 (2006), based on the Frank Miller graphic novel, and Butterfly on a Wheel (2007) co-starring Pierce Brosnan and Maria Bello. Which aired on network TV under the title Shattered. He most recently starred in P.S. I Love You (2007) with Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank.

In 2007 he completed work on Nim's Island (2008), to be released April 4, 2008, and RocknRolla (2008), with a release date in October 2008.

In January 2008, he completed the new Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor film Game (2009).

His new film The Ugly Truth (2009) co-starring Katherine Heigl is scheduled to begin filming in April 2008.

A popular British character actor, Tom Wilkinson was born on December 12, 1948, in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England in a long line of urban farmers. Economic hardships had forced his family to move to Canada for a few years when Tom was a child. After he had returned to England, Tom attended and graduated from the University of Kent at Canterbury with a degree in English and American Literature. Tom first became active in film and television in the mid-1970s, specializing in playing men suffering from some sort of emotional repression and/or pretensions of societal grandeur. In 1989 his daughter Alice was born, and in 1992 his daughter Molly was born, both with actress-wife Diana Hardcastle.

He first became familiar to an international audience in 1997 with his role as one of six unemployed workers who strip for cash in 'Peter Catteneo''s enormously successful and multiple Oscar-nominated comedy (including Best Picture) The Full Monty (1997). That same year, he was featured in Gillian Armstrong's Oscar and Lucinda (1997), and as the rabidly unpleasant father of Lord Alfred Douglas, Oscar Wilde's young lover in Wilde (1997). Wilkinson was also shown to memorable effect as a theatre financier with acting aspirations in the multiple Oscar-winning (including Best Picture) Shakespeare in Love (1998); also in 1998, he acted in one of his few leading roles in The Governess (1998), portraying a 19th century photographer with an eye for the film's title character (Minnie Driver). Over the next few years, Tom would become more popular, especially with American audiences, with such roles as General Cornwallis alongside Mel Gibson in the blockbuster The Patriot (2000) and as the grief-stricken father, Matt Fowler, in the critically acclaimed and multiple Oscar-nominated (including Best Picture) In the Bedroom (2001). One of those nominations was Best Actor in a Leading Role for Tom (his first Oscar nomination).

Thandie Newton is the daughter of a Zimbabwean mother of the Shona Tribe and a British father. She lived in Zambia until political unrest caused her family to move back to the UK. She then lived in Cornwall in the southwest of England until the age of 11. At that time she enrolled in London's Art Educational School, where she studied modern dance. However, a back injury forced her from dancing. This led to her auditioning for films and receiving her first role in John Duigan's Flirting (1991). She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting and her then-boyfriend. However, her British accent limited the amount of work she was getting, and she returned to Britain, where she went to Cambridge University to study, eventually receiving a degree in anthropology. Between semesters, she continued her acting and became noticed and in-demand for future film roles.

Mark Strong was born in London. He first intended to pursue a career in law but returned after studying in Munich for one year to university in London (where he studied English and Drama) before he went to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He has appeared in numerous British stage productions, including at the Royal National Theatre and the RSC.

Elba started acting in secondary school with encouragement from his drama teacher. His first role was as a gigolo named Hilton in the TV sitcom Absolutely Fabulous in 1995. After this appearance, he was scouted to become a supporting cast member of UK soap opera Family Affairs and rose to prominence in the highly acclaimed vampire series Ultraviolet, but is perhaps best known for playing Russell "Stringer" Bell, one of the major characters in the HBO drama series The Wire. He also portrayed Captain Augustin Muganza in Sometimes in April, an HBO TV movie about the Rwandan Genocide somewhat similar to Hotel Rwanda. His major movie roles include Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls, the horror film Prom Night, released on 11 April 2008, and stars as 'Mumbles', the partner of Gerard Butler's 'One Two' in Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla. He will co-star with singer/actress Beyonce Knowles in the upcoming film Obsessed which is set for 2009. Elba also co-produced and performed on the intro on Jay-Z's American Gangster album. Elba has a large female fan base following an appearance on the cover of Essence magazine's "Hot Hollywood Men" issue in April 2004 and again in Essence's November 2005 "10 Hottest Men on the Planet" issue.

Hardy was awarded the 2003 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Outstanding Newcomer for his performances in Blood and Arabia, We'd All Be Kings performed at the Royal Court Theatre and Hampstead Theatre. He was also nominated for a 2004 Laurence Olivier Award for Most Promising Newcomer of 2003 in a Society of London Theatre Affiliate for his performance in the aforementioned production of Arabia, We'd All Be Kings.

Hardy appears in the 2005 BBC miniseries The Virgin Queen as Robert Dudley, a childhood friend of Elizabeth. The miniseries portrays them as having a platonic (though highly romantic) affair throughout her reign over England during the sixteenth century. Hardy recently featured in the Richard Fell adaptation of the 1960s sci-fi series A for Andromeda, on the BBC digital television station BBC Four.

In 2007, he appeared in the BBC2 drama based on a true story - Stuart: A Life Backwards. Tom played the lead role of Stuart Shorter, a homeless man who had been subjected to years of abuse and whose death was possibly suicide. In September 2008, Hardy appeared in director Guy Ritchie's London gangster film, RocknRolla. Hardy played the role of Handsome Bob, one of the members of the criminal gang, the Wild Bunch, led by One Two (Gerard Butler).

Toby Kebbell was born in 1982 in Pontefract, Yorkshire and moved to Nottinghamshire where he grew up. When he was 15, after dropping out of school, became a painter and decorator, worked in a hotel and got into a group called Central Television Workshop.

Born in Manhattan and raised in Evanston, Illinois, he is an alumnus of the Piven Theatre Workshop founded by his parents (Byrne Piven and Joyce Hiller Piven) and a one time Chicago stage actor. He is best known for his character of Ari Gold on HBO's "Entourage."

Ludacris was born Christopher Brian Bridges in Champaign, Illinois the son of Roberta Shields and Wayne Brian Bridges. Being of both African American and Native American descent. Early in his elementary years his family lived in Champaign, Illinois. At nine years old, he started rapping. He attended Emerson Middle School and eventually Oak Park and River Forest High School for his freshman year where he first met his most important musical influence, famed poet Justin Ryan Fyfe. Furthermore, his family moved to live in Atlanta, Georgia and in this time his father exposed him to all kinds of music ranging from Hip Hop to Rock. In Alanta, Georgia he attended Banneker High School. He is also a graduate of Georgia State University. In 2000 he got his breakthrough with his album titled "Back for the First Time" which reached 3x platinum. All albums following have either been 2x or 3x platinum, with his first film appearance being 2 Fast 2 Furious which was a success. Other film appearances include Crash and Hustle & Flow.