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One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter

Born on January the 17th, 1931, James Earl Jones is an American actor. During his early life he contended with a stutter as a child and as a teen joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, gaining the position of First Lieutenant before being discharged. His passion lay with acting and a move to New York saw him join the American Theatre Wing to further his ambitions.

He played many roles on stage, many of which were in Shakespearean plays, cast as characters like Othello, King Lear and Oberon. His film debut came in 1964 with Stanley Kubrick's cult flick Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Several more film roles followed, highlights include Great White Hope (1970) and Deadly Hero (1975), starring Danny DeVito.

It was 1977 when his iconic voice role of Darth Vader in Star Wars debuted. Now infamous for his deep, sinister tones, he has voiced the role right up today, with the recently released Obi Wan Kenobi TV series on Disney+. He also voiced the villainous Scar in the Disney animated classic The Lion King, in 1994.

He has supported many charities over his career including Habitat For Humanity & BID 2 BEAT AIDS.

My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength

Born on February 17th, 1963, Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former professional basketball player and American businessman. Born and spending his early life in Brooklyn, New York - his family moved to North Carolina in 1968. He had an aptitude and passion for sports from an early age, becoming a star player for his junior varsity team at Emsley A. Laney High School. In 1981, he accepted a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and went on to be selected in the 1984 NBA draft for the Chicago Bulls, launching his professional career.

He had a glittering career and received many endorsements and sponsorships for his prowess on the court, including lucrative deals with Nike and Chevrolet. Nike created a shoe named after him, the Air Jordan which eventually spun off into its iconic own brand.

On the big screen, he appeared as himself in the blockbuster 1996 animated Warner Brothers film, Space Jam, appearing alongside iconic cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy The Duck.

He is known for his philanthropy, having made donations to many charities over the years, including generous sums to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The best comedy, I feel, comes in a drama because it balances each other out

Born on December the 21st, 1957, Raymond Albert Romano is an actor, American stand-up comedian, and screenwriter. Briefly studying accounting at  Queens College in NY, he realised his passion lay with comedy.

After a breakthrough with an appearance on Comedy Central in the 1989 Johnnie Walker Comedy Search, he went from strength to strength, picking up recurring roles on Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist and The Late Show With David Letterman. The following year saw his creation and debut of sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, the role that made him a household name in America and beyond. It ran for 9 seasons with over 200 episodes.

Beyond the show he has made appearances in other popular comedy series such as Parenthood & Men of a Certain Age. He has also lent his distinctive voice in films, most notably the role of Manny in 20th Century Fox's computer-animated film franchise, Ice Age. He more recently turned to a dramatic role in Martin Scorsese's crime drama film The Irishman.

He won $125,000 on a celebrity edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire which went to NYPD's D.A.R.E. unit.

Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow Internet to see who they really are

Born on July 16th, 1967, John William Ferrell is an actor, comedian, writer, and producer. Growing up he was noted as being a bit of a class clown but was reluctant to follow in his father's footsteps with a career in show business. However, after struggling in several mundane jobs, he moved to Los Angeles in 1991 and auditioned for The Groundlings, an improvisational, sketch comedy troupe. This exposure led to his recruitment for Saturday Night Live in 1995, which propelled him to be a familiar face on the screen.

After his departure from SNL in 2002, he landed several comedic film roles, with his stardom growing from appearances in films such as Old School and festive comedy Elf in 2003 and his iconic role as Ron Burgundy in two Anchorman movies.

He has also lent his voice to animated features, most notably the lead role in DreamWorks film Megamind and as Mr. President in The Lego Movie.

He is a big sports fan and is a part-owner of Los Angeles FC. He has supported many charities through donations and fundraising, including Artists for Peace and Unicef.

If only life could be a little more tender and art a little more robust

Born on the 21st February, 1946, Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman was an English actor and director. Getting the acting bug whilst at Latymer Upper School, his passion for drama grew and after working as a graphic designer, he decided to pursue his acting dreams further, attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art from 1972 until 1974.

He went on to a respected career treading the boards, with many highlights, including the Royal Shakespeare Company productions of Les Liaisons Dangereuses and As You Like It His breakthrough role on TV came with an appearance in 1982 The Barchester Chronicles. Leading on to much bigger things he landed the iconic role of the villainous Hans Gruber, in the Hollywood action classic Die Hard, starring opposite Bruce Willis. He is also remembered fondly for his role in the Harry Potter film franchise as Professor Severus Snape.

He sadly passed away in 2016, leaving a lasting cultural legacy and remembered for his support of many charities, including Save the Children and Refugee Council.

Success at anything will always come down to this: focus and effort. And we control both

Born on May 2nd, 1972, Dwayne Douglas Johnson is a former professional wrestler, American actor, and businessman.

After a fairly successful college career in football, he entered the world of wrestling, undertaking try-out matches for the WWF in 1996. After a few years of lower-key matches and going under the name Rocky Maivia, his real rise to ring fame began by rebranding as The Rock. He had many big matches against icons such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, teamed up with Mankind, and won many titles in the course of his career.

He crossed over into acting alongside his wrestling appearances, appearing in The Mummy Returns (2001), The Scorpion King (2002). Landing bigger roles, he became a name in his own right, with such movies as 2004s Walking Tall. Starring in the Fast and The Furious franchise led to more mainstream success, as well as other blockbusters, 2016s action-comedy Central Intelligence, the Jumanji sequels and lending his voice to demigod Maui in Disney's Moana.

He teamed up with clothing company Under Armour to create his own Project Rock Collection. He is known for his philanthropy, including creating his own charitable entity, The DJ Rock Foundation.