Christian Bale (Jim “Jamie” Graham)

Christian Bale (Jim “Jamie” Graham)

Spielberg's then-wife Amy Irving urged the director to cast Bale, her co-star in the miniseries "Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna" (which was Bale's acting debut). Spielberg wasn't convinced until Bale auditioned, winning the role over more than 4,000 other boys. After roles in "Newsies" and "Swing Kids," Bale grew into one of the highest regarded actors of his generation, winning a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in "The Fighter." Bale returned to China for the 2011 film "The Flowers of War," although he's best known these days as Bruce Wayne. He's currently filming an untitled movie with Terrence Malick.

John Malkovich (Basie)

John Malkovich (Basie)

After coming to Hollywood's attention in "Places in the Heart" and "The Killing Fields," Malkovich landed the role of dubious father figure Basie, who shepherds Jim through the rough streets of Shanghai and the Japanese camp. He and Bale both co-starred in "Portrait of a Lady" in 1996. Malkovich has since gone behind the camera with the 2002 thriller "The Dancer Upstairs." His recent films include "Secretariat" and "Transformers: Dark of the Moon." He's currently filming the sequel to "Red."

Miranda Richardson (Mrs. Victor)

Miranda Richardson (Mrs. Victor)

Before "Empire of the Sun," Richardson starred as murderess Ruth Ellis in "Dance With a Stranger" and as the capricious Queen Elizabeth I in "Blackadder II." Her role as the frail and imperious Mrs. Victor was cut down considerably after Spielberg trimmed the Japanese prison camp section of the film. Since then, Richardson has specialized in playing ruthless women in "The Crying Game" and "Sleepy Hollow." However, she is probably best known as Rita Skeeter in the "Harry Potter" films. She'll be seen next in "Maleficent," opposite Angelina Jolie.

Nigel Havers (Dr. Rawlins)

Nigel Havers (Dr. Rawlins)

As the kindly Dr. Rawlins, who takes Jim under his wing at the camp, Havers is one of the few adults in the film who has the boy's best interests at heart. Havers had previously starred as one of the Olympic runners in "Chariots of Fire" and had the title role in the 1977 BBC miniseries "Nicholas Nickleby." He played David Niven in the 2004 TV movie "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" and had a recurring role on ABC's "Brothers and Sisters." Most recently, he was seen on the British series "Coronation Street" and as Lord Hepworth on "Downton Abbey."

Joe Pantoliano (Frank Demarest)

Joe Pantoliano (Frank Demarest)

"Joey Pants" plays a pivotal role in the film: After he nearly runs down Christian Bale's character in his car about 42 minutes in, he then takes him to meet his new mentor, played by John Malkovich. Prior to "Empire of the Sun," Pantoliano was seen as Guido in "Risky Business" and Francis in "The Goonies." Since then, he's graced blockbusters like "The Matrix" and "The Fugitive," indies including "Memento" and a memorable run on "The Sopranos." He's currently filming "The Identical" with Ray Liotta.

Leslie Phillips (Maxton)

Leslie Phillips (Maxton)

A beloved British comic actor who starred in several of the "Carry On" films, Phillips played the elderly Mr. Maxton, a fellow prisoner at the Japanese camp who urges Jamie to move on rather than stay with the dying Mrs. Victor. Prior to "Empire of the Sun," he was in "Out of Africa." Since then he's had roles in "Mountains of the Moon," "King Ralph" and "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider." He was also the voice of the Sorting Hat in the "Harry Potter" films. Now 88, Philips is still acting.

Ben Stiller (Dainty)

Ben Stiller (Dainty)

Bet you forgot Stiller is in this; his opening line to Christian Bale is, "Hey kid, would you like a Hershey bar? So would I." He plays one of Malkovich's prison camp cohorts who bet over whether Bale will be shot after sneaking under the wire in one memorable scene. Stiller, then a second-generation comic with only a few credits to his name, came up with the idea for "Tropic Thunder" while making "Empire of the Sun." Now a busy writer-actor-director, he's at work on the long-awaited "Zoolander" sequel.

Takatarô Kataoka (Kamikaze Boy Pilot)

The role of the Japanese boy who becomes Jim's unlikely friend on the other side of the barbed wire was Kataoka’s first acting role. He's been on-screen only sporadically since. However, Kataoka is returning to the big screen in the title role of Emperor Hirohito in the upcoming "Emperor," starring Tommy Lee Jones as General MacArthur.

Rupert Frazer (John Graham)

Before playing Jim's wealthy, golf-playing father Jim, Frazer had roles in "Gandhi" and "Eye of the Needle." He continues to act, with a role as an S&M-inclined government official in "The Bank Job" and supporting parts in "John Carter" and Woody Allen's "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger."

Emily Richard (Mary Graham)

Richard, a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, hasn't acted onscreen since 1997, but <a href="http://cocktailsandfeminism.blogspot.com/2010/10/interview-with-emily-richard.html">she gave a recent interview</a> in which she remembered making "Empire of the Sun," including auditioning for Spielberg and trying to hide her pregnancy (filming began five weeks after she gave birth) and falling during the scene in which she and Christian Bale get separated in a panicked crowd.

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg

When he made "Empire of the Sun," Spielberg was coming off the embarrassing Oscar shutout of "The Color Purple," which was nominated for 11 awards and went home empty-handed. It would be six more years before another film about war, "Schindler's List," would finally earn him the Oscar and Hollywood's respect. He's continued to alternate between popular adventures like "Tintin" and serious dramas like this year's acclaimed Oscar bait "Lincoln."