A tall, soft-spoken and leathery leading man who, since the 1960s, has diversified into directing and producing after achieving iconic status, Clint Eastwood arose from the world of television westerns to become the number-one box-office star in the world, and subsequently earned critical acclaim as a director. His production company, Malpaso, has crafted moderate-budget features that range from mainstream fare to personal and ambitious endeavors. Eastwood is not entirely part of the Hollywood establishment—his business is run out of Carmel, California, on the Monterey Peninsula, where he has also served as mayor and ran a restaurant.

 The dominant figure in martial arts related entertainment in modern culture, and one of the most enduring pop icons of the twentieth century, Bruce Lee was an actor, director, and instructor whose films and philosophy popularized martial arts in both Western and Eastern cultures in the late 1960s and into the early 1970s.

A gifted actor with old-fashioned matinee-idol looks, Antonio Banderas smoldered his way to an international following with his sly send-ups of Latin machismo in the films of fellow Spaniard Pedro Almodovar. Born on August 10, 1960 in Malaga, Spain, Banderas actor set out to be a professional soccer player. But when a foot injury sidetracked his plans, Banderas turned his attention to the stage, completing his studies at Malaga's School of Dramatic Art before embarking upon a five-year stint with the prestigious National Theater of Spain, where he quickly caught the eye of Almodovar.

BIOGRAPHY