25 Best Movie Acting Debuts

The role that often comes to mind when you talk about first movie acting roles is Johnny Depp in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) where he played Glen Lantz—the guy who gets eaten by his bed. After Nightmare, Depp turned to TV and became popular in the series 21 Jump Street, which made him ripe to take the lead of Edward Scissorhands (1990), 6 years later. More movie roles soon followed right after.

There is no easy shortcut to Hollywood stardom, but for some, whether they came from stage, TV, or just arrived for the first time, comes that one breakout, life-changing role. The following 25 actors and actresses’ very first movie roles had the most impact on their careers (some even got nominated for an award and won), prove that they’re either just too talented even for luck, or it was just inevitable because that word “star” has always been hanging above their heads.

Let’s begin the countdown.

The debut nobody saw coming. Hogan came out of nowhere to star in the titular role of an Australian outback bushman. The movie was an international success. In the US, it was second only to Top Gun in box office receipts. Hogan won a Golden Globe for his role and followed it up with two more sequels.

Paul Hogan Filmography: Crocodile Dundee (1986), Crocodile Dundee II (1988), Almost An Angel (1990), Lightning Jack (1994), Flipper (1996), Floating Away (1998), Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001), Strange Bedfellows (2004), Charlie & Boots (2009).

Cameron Diaz was as an Elite model before trying out 12 times for the role of Tina, a sexy lounge singer who became Stanley Ipkiss' (Jim Carrey) love interest. She was able to beat other bombshells like Anna Nicole Smith, Vanessa L. Williams, and Kristy Swanson for the role. Diaz became a star overnight and in just 3 years, was a bonafide sex symbol known all over the world.

Cameron Diaz Filmography: The Mask (1994), The Last Supper (1995), She’s the One (1996), Feeling Minnesota (1996), Head Above Water (1996), Keys to Tulsa (1997), My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997), A Life Less Ordinary (1997), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), There’s Something About Mary (1998), Very Bad Things (1998), Being John Malkovich (1999), Any Given Sunday (1999), Things You Can’t Tell Just By Looking At (2000), Charlie’s Angels (2000), The Invisible Circus (2001), Shrek (2001), Vanilla Sky (2001), The Sweetest Thing (2002), Gangs of New York (2002), Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Shrek 2 (2004), In Her Shoes (2005), The Holiday (2006), Shrek the Third (2007), What Happens in Vegas (2008), My Sister’s Keeper (2009), The Box (2009), Shrek Forever After (2010), Knight and Day (2010), The Green Hornet (2011), Bad Teacher (2011), What to Expect When You’re Expecting (2012), Gambit (2012), The Counselor (2013), The Other Woman (2014), Sex Tape (2014), Annie (2014).

Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh's daughter was playing cop roles on TV before becoming Michael Myer's first prospective victim in the first movie of the successful horror franchise. The movie's huge success labeled Curtis as the the new scream queen. And scream and scream she did. Something her mother was known for in Hitchcock's Psycho.

Jamie Lee Curtis Filmography: Halloween (1978), The Fog (1980), Prom Night (1980), Terror Train (1980), Roadgames (1981), Halloween II (1981), Trading Places (1983), Love Letters (1984), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8^th Dimension (1984), Grandview, USA (1984), Pefect (1985), A Man in Love (1987), Amazing Grace and Chuck (1987), Dominick and Eugene (1988), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), Blue Steel (1989), Queens Logic (1991), My Girl (1991), Forever Young (1992), My Girl 2 (1994), Mother’s Boys (1994), True Lies (1994), House Arrest (1996), Fierce Creatures (1997), Halloween H20 (1998), Homegrown (1998), Virus (1999), Drowning Mona (2000), The Tailor of Panama (2001), Daddy and Them (2001), Halloween: Resurrection (2002), Freaky Friday (2003), Christmas with the Kranks (2004), The Kid & I (2005), Beverly Hills Chiuahua (2008), You Again (2010), Veronica Mars (2014), Spare Parts (2015).

Hudson won over 700 other actresses vying for the role of Effie, the lead singer of the Dreamettes, a role that she looked born for. The American Idol alumnus owned it, and proved she was a talent to be reckoned with by winning Oscar's Best Supporting Actress, beating other actresses that include Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal).

Jennifer Hudson Filmography: Dreamgirls (2006), Sex and the City (2008), The Secret Life of Bees (2008), Fragments (2009), Winne Mandela (2011), The Three Stooges (2012), The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013), Black Nativity (2013), Lullaby (2014), Chi-Raq (2015)

Portman had her start in an ultra-violent, cult action movie by French auteur Luc Besson, as 12-year old Mathilda who became an apprentice for an assassin (Jean Reno). How bad-ass is that, right? She gets to kill people and smoke cigarettes! Portman made such an impression in the movie that everyone couldn't wait for her to grow up.

Natalie Portman Filmography: Leon: The Professional (1994), Developing (1995), Heat (1995), Beautiful Girls (1996), Everyone Says I Love You (1996), Mars Attacks! (1996), Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999), Anywhere But Here (1999), Where the Heart Is (2000), Zoolander (2001), Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), Cold Mountain (2003), Garden State (2004), Closer (2004), Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), V for Vendetta (2006), Paris, je t’aime (2006), Goya’s Ghosts (2006), My Blueberry Nights (2007), Hotel Chevalier (2007), Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (2007), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), The Other Woman (2009), New York, I Love You (2009), Brothers (2009), Hesher (2010), Black Swan (2010), No Strings Attached (2011), Your Highness (2011), Thor (2011), Illusions & Mirrors (2013), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Knight of Cups (2015), A Tale of Love and Darkness (2015), Jane Got Gun (2016), Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016).

Leslie Caron's acting start is a story right out of the movies. She was a ballerina discovered in theater by none other than Gene Kelly who cast her in his movie An American in Paris to replace a pregnant Cyd Charisse. She played the French love interest of Kelly's expatriate G.I. in Paris making a living as a painter. Caron's best role came in 1958 with Gigi.

Leslie Caron Filmography: An American in Paris (1951), The Man with a Cloak (1951), Glory Alley (1952), The Story of Three Loves (1953), Lili (1953), The Glass Slipper (1955), Daddy Long Legs (1955), Gaby (1956), Gigi (1958), The Doctor’s Dilemma (1958), The Man Who Understood Women (1959), Austerlitz (1960), The Subterraneans (1960), Fanny (1961), Guns of Darkness (1962), The L-Shaped Room (1962), Three Fables of Love (1962), Father Goose (1964), A Very Special Favor (1965), Promise Her Anything (1965), Is Paris Burning? (1966), Il padre di famiglia (1967), Madron (1970), Chandler (1971), Surreal Estate (1976), The Man Who Loved Women (1977), Valentino (1977), Nicole (1978), Goldengirl (1979), All Stars (1980), Chanel Solitaire (1981), Imperative (1982), Dangerous Moves (1984), Courage Mountain (1990), Guns (1990), Damage (1992), Funny Bones (1995), Let It Be Me (1995), The Reef (1999), Chocolat (2000), Le Divorce (2003).

Winslet's debut film (with Melanie Lynskey) was a dark drama based on the 1954 true story of the Parker-Hulme murder case in New Zealand and directed by Peter Jackson. Its one of those mature acting films and it brought out Winslet's prodigious talent. Director Ang Lee took notice and cast her in Sense & Sensibility* (1995). Two movies later and she was in Titanic (1997). And...well, you know the rest.

_{*Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress nomination}

Kate Winslet Filmography: Heavenly Creatures (1994), Sense and Sensibility (1995), A Kid in King Arthur’s Court (1995), Jude (1996), Hamlet (1996), Titanic (1997), Hideous Kinky (1998), Holy Smoke! (1999), Quills (2000), Enigma (2001), Iris (2001), The Life of David Gale (2003), Plunge: The Movie (2003), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Finding Neverland (2004), Romance & Cigarettes (2005), All the King’s Men (2006), Little Children (2006), The Holiday (2006), The Fox and the Child (2007), The Reader (2008), Revolutionary Road (2008), Carnage (2011), Contagion (2011), Movie 43 (2013), Labor Day (2013), Divergent (2014), A Little Chaos (2014), The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015), Daisy Chain (2015), Steve Jobs (2015), The Dressmaker (2015), Triple 9 (2016).

It didn't take long for Shirley MacLaine's baby brother to follow in her footsteps. Beatty was initiated into movies playing Natalie Woods' boyfriend. The movie was a hit and Beatty loved his face on the screen so much he never looked back. He also learned the craft of filmmaking from director Elia Kazan which inspired him to make his own movies.

Warren Beatty Filmography: Splendor in the Grass (1961), The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961), All Fall Down (1962), Lilith (1964), Mickey One (1965), Promise Her Anything (1965), Kaleidescope (1966), Bonnie and Clyde (1967), The Only Game in Town (1970), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), Dollars (1971), The Parallax View (1974), Shampoo (1975), The Fortune (1975), Heaven Can Wait (1978), Reds (1981), Ishtar (1987), Dick Tracy (1990), Bugsy (1991), Love Affair (1994), Bulworth (1998), Town & Country (2001).

McDormand's first film was as Abby, a woman having an affair with the bartender who works for her husband, who knew about them all along and arranges to have them killed. Blood Simple was a breakthrough indie film and also the first film of the Coen Brothers. McDormand went on to make more films and won numerous acting honors including the Oscars, Emmys and the Tonys (a.k.a. the Triple Crown). Not a simple feat.

Frances McDormand Filmography: Blood Simple (1984), Crimewave (1985), Raising Arizona (1987), Mississippi Burning (1988), Chattahoochee (1989), Hidden Agenda (1990), Miller’s Crossing (1990), Darkman (1990), Barton Fink (1991), The Butcher’s Wife (1991), Passed Away (1992), Short Cuts (1993), Bleeding Hearts (1994), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), Beyond Rangoon (1995), Palookaville (1995), Fargo (1996), Primal Fear (1996), Lone Star (1996), Paradise Road (1997), Johnny Skidmarks (1998), Madeline (1998), Talk of Angels (1998), Wonder Boys (2000), Almost Famous (2000), The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001), Laurel Canyon (2002), City by the Sea (2002), Something’s Gotta Give (2003), North Country (2005), Aeon Flux (2005), Friends With Money (2006), Miss Pettigrew’s Lives for a Day (2008), Burn After Reading (2008), This Must Be the Place (2011), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), Promised Land (2012), Every Secret Thing (2014), Hail,Caesar! (2016).

Monty jumped from stage directly to a starring role in Hollywood. In The Search directed by Fred Zinnemann, he plays an American soldier in post-war Germany who helps a young Czech boy get reunited with his mother. Monty was nominated for Oscar's Best Actor award which went to Laurence Olivier for Hamlet.

Montgomery Clift Filmography: The Search (1948), Red River (1948), The Heiress (1949), The Big Lift (1950), A Place in the Sun (1951), I Confess (1953), Terminal Station (1953), From Here to Eternity (1953), Raintree County (1957), Lonelyhearts (1958), The Young Lions (1958), Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), Wild River (1960), The Misfits (1961), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), Freud: The Secret Passion (1962), The Defector (1966).

John Irving's bestselling novel's adaption to screen has Close play the feminist mother* of T.S. Garp (Robin Williams). A major role by all standards for a yet to be tested actress, but Close immediately made her mark with a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars. Garp opened the doors for a long acting career.

_{*while Close played the mother, she was only 4 years older than Williams}

Glenn Close Filmography: The World According to Garp (1982), The Big Chill (1983), The Natural (1984), The Stone Boy (1984), Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), Jagged Edge (1985), Maxie (1985), Fatal Attraction (1987), Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Immediate Family (1989), Reversal of Fortune (1990), Hamlet (1990), Hook (1991), Meeting Venus (1991), The House of the Spirits (1993), The Paper (1994), Mars Attacks! (1996), 101 Dalmatians, Mary Reilly (1996), Paradise Road (1997), Air Force One (1997), Cookie’s Fortune (1999), 102 Dalmatians (2000), Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her (2000), The Safety of Objects (2001), Le Divorce (2003), Pinocchio (2003), Heights (2004), The Stepford Wives (2004), The Chumscrubber (2005), Nine Lives (2005), Evening (2007), Albert Nobbs (2011), Low Down (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), 5 to 7 (2015), Anesthesia (2015), The Great Gilly Hopkins (2015).

During the height of his popularity as a Saturday Night Live regular, Murphy turned to acting and got the role of Reggie, a convicted felon who gets a 48 hour prison leave to help a detective (Nick Nolte) track down a murderer. The huge commercial success of 48 Hours and succeeding hits like Beverly Hills Cop shot Murphy to the top of the A-List.

Eddie Murphy Filmography: 48 Hrs. (1982), Trading Places (1983), Best Defense (1984), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), The Golden Child (1986), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Coming to America (1988), Harlem Nights (1989), Another 48 Hrs, (1990), Boomerang (1992), The Distinguished Gentleman (1992), Beverly Hills Cop III (1987), Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), The Nutty Professor (1996), Metro (1997), Mulan (1998), Dr. Dolittle (1998), Holy Man (1998), Life (1999), Bowfinger (1999), Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), Shrek (2001), Dr. Dolittle 2: Showtime (2002), The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002), I Spy (2002), Daddy Day Care (2003), The Haunted Mansion (2003), Shrek 2 (2004), Dreamgirls (2006), Norbit (2007), Shrek the Third (2007), Meet Dave (2008), Imagine That (2009), Shrek Forever After (2010), Tower Heist (2011), A Thousand Words (2012).

Hamill was doing okay with his recurring roles in TV soaps, when his friend Robert Englund (Freddie Krueger, in your dreams) urged him to audition as Luke Skywalker in George Lucas' new epic sci-fi movie. The successful Sci-Fi hit made Mark Hamill and Luke Skywalker parts of a million fans' vocubulary. The rest, my geek friends, is history.

Mark Hamill Filmography: Star Wars (1977), Corvette Summer (1978), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), The Big Red One (1980), The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (1981), Britannia Hospital (1982), Return of the Jedi (1983), Slipstream (1989), Fall of the Eagles (1989), Midnight Ride (1990), The Guyver (1991), Black Magic Woman (1991), Sleepwalkers (1992), Time Runner (1993), Body Bags (1993), Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), Silk Degrees (1994), The Raffle (1994), Village of the Damned (1995), Laserhawk (1997), Hamilton (1998), Watchers Reborn (1998), Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998), Walking Across Egypt (1999), Wing Commander (1999), Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders (2000), Joseph: King of Dreams (2000), Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000), Thank You,Good Night (2001), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Reeseville (2003), Ultimate Avengers (2006), Futurama: Bender’s Big Core (2007), Scooby Doo: Camp Scare (2010), Thelomeris (2011), Minkow (2011), Airborne (2012), Sushi Girl (2012), Virtually Heroes (2013), Kingsman:The Secret Service (2015), Scooby-Doo: Moon Monster Madness (2015), Lego DC Comics Super-heroes: Justice League:Attack of the Legion of Doom (2015), Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Goodbye, Mr.Chips started the movie career of Greer Garson playing the wife of Robert Donat's lovable headmaster in his younger days. She was an unknown TV actress at the time and because of this, became a big star. Garson was nominated in her debut but lost to Vivien Leigh as Scarlet O'Hara (well, its Scarlet O'Hara!). But, it didn't take long for her own statue to come, courtesy of Mrs.Miniver (1942).

Greer Garson Filmography: Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), Remember? (1939), Pride and Prejudice (1940), Blossoms in the Dust (1941), When Ladies Meet (1941), Mrs. Miniver (1942), Random Harvest (1942), The Youngest Profession (1943), Madam Curie (1943), Mrs. Parkington (1944), The Valley of Decision (1945), Adventure (1945), Desire Me (1947), Julia Misbehaves (1948), That Forsythe Woman (1949), The Miniver Story (1950), The Law and the Lady (1951), Scandal at Scourie (1953), Julius Caesar (1953), Her Twelve Men (1954), Strange Lady in Town (1955), Sunrise at Campobello (1960), The Singing Nun (1966), The Happiest Millionaire (1967), The Little Drummer Boy (1968), Little Women (1978).

Dino DeLaurentiis discovered Jessica Lange while she was modeling and cast her in the female lead* of his King Kong remake. The movie was a huge success and Lange won a Golden Globe acting award. Though, it would be 3 more years before she made another film, her success was forthcoming. She won two Oscars for Tootsie (1982)** and Blue Sky (1994) out of a total of 6 nominations.

_{*Meryl Streep auditioned but DeLaurentiis deemed her “too ugly” for the part
**in 1982, nominated for both lead (Frances) and supporting (Tootsie) acting categories}

Jessica Lange Filmography: King Kong (1976), All That Jazz (1979), How to Beat the High Co$t of Living (1980), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981), Tootsie (1982), Frances (1982), Country (1984), Sweet Dreams (1985), Far North (1988), Everybody’s All-American (1988), Music Box (1989), Men Don’t Leave (1990), Cape Fear (1991), Night and the City (1992), Blue Sky (1994), Losing Isaiah (1995), Rob Roy (1995), A Thousand Acres (1997), Hush (1998), Cousin Bette (1998), Titus (1999), Prozac Nation (2001), Masked and Anonymous (2003), Big Fish (2003), Broken Flowers (2005), Don’t Come Knocking (2005), Neverwas (2005), Bonneville (2006), The Vow (2012), The Big Valley (2012), In Secret (2013), The Gambler (2014), Wild Oats (2016).

A veteran of the stage, the greatest living actor (some say) made his debut as the blind Mr. Will who helps a widow (Sally Field) and a black handyman (Danny Glover) save the family farm by planting cotton. In his very first screen appearance, Malkovich was nominated for the Oscar Best Supporting Actor, but lost to Haing S. Ngor for The Killing Fields.*

_{*incidentally, was also Haing S Ngor’s film debut}

John Malkovich Filmography: Places in the Heart (1984), The Killing Fields (1984), True West (1984), Death of a Salesman (1985), Eleni (1985), Rocket to the Moon (1986), The Glass Menagerie (1987), Making Mr. Right (1987), Empire of the Sun (1987), Santabear’s High Flying Adventure (1987), Miles from Home (1988), The Sheltering Sky (1990), Old Times (1991), The Object of Beauty (1991), Queens Logic (1991), Shadows and Fog (1992), Of Mice and Men (1992), Jennifer Eight (1992), In the Line of Fire (1993), Alive (1993), Heart of Darkness (1993), O Convento (1995), Beyond the Clouds (1995), Mary Reilly (1996), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), The Ogre (1996), Mulholland Falls (1996), Con Air (1997), The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), Rounders (1998), Being John Malkovich (1999), The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999), Le Temps Retrouve (1999), RKO 281 (1999), Shadow of the Vampire (2000), Les Miserables (2000), Knockaround Guys (2001), I’m Going Home (2001), Les ames fortes (2001), The Dancer Upstairs (2002), Hideous Man (2002), Napoleon (2002), Ripley’s Game (2002), Johnny English (2003), Um Filme Falado (2003), Adaptation (2003), The Libertine (2004), The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Colour Me Kubrick (2005), Flipping Uncle Kimono (2005), Art School Confidential (2006), Eragon (2006), Klimt (2006), The Call (2006), Drunkboat (2007), In Transit (2007), Beowulf (2007), Polis is This (2007), Burn After Reading (2008), The Great Buck Howard (2008), Changeling (2008), Gardens of the Night (2008), Mutant Chronicles (2008), Afterwards (2009), Jonah Hex (2010), Secretariat (2010), RED (2010), Disgrace (2010), Transformers:Dark of the Moon (2011), Lines of Wellington (2012), Warm Bodies (2013), Siberian Education (2013), RED 2 (2013), Cesar Chavez (2014), Penguins of Madagascar (2014), Casanova Variations (2014), Cut Bank (2014), Dominion (2015).

For the record: Hans Gruber is one of the most iconic, impossibly hard to forget bad guys ever put on film. The late Alan Rickman has been acting on TV for 10 years before first appearing on the big screen opposite Bruce Willis. Younger audiences know him as the wizard Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies, but, it was in this movie, that he made his first magical entrance.

Alan Rickman Filmography: Die Hard (1988), The January Man (1989), Quigley Down Under (1990), Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Close My Eyes (1991), Closet Land (1991), Bob Roberts (1992), Mesmer (1994), An Awfully Big Adventure (1995), Sense and Sensibility (1995), Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996), Michael Collins (1996), The Winter Guest (1997), Judas Kiss (1998), Dark Harbor (1998), Dogma (1999), Galaxy Quest (1999), Play (2001), Blow Dry (2001), The Search for John Gissing (2001), Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Love Actually (2003), Something the Lord Made (2004), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Perfume:The Story of a Murderer (2006), Snow Cake (2006), Nobel Son (2007), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Sweeney Todd (2007), Bottle Shock (2008), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), Alice in Wonderland (2010), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 1 (2010), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2 (2011), Gambit (2012), The Butler (2013), A Promise (2013), Dust (2013), A Little Chaos (2015), Eye in the Sky (2015).

Saint's debut film after lounging in TV serials was a dream come true. On the Waterfront is one of the greatest American movies ever made. Winner of Oscar's Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, and for Saint, Best Supporting Actress playing the grieving sister of a murdered dock worker and also Terry Malloy's (Brando) love interest. Thanks in part to Grace Kelly turning down the role and making Rear Window instead.

Eva Marie Saint Filmography: On the Waterfront (1954), That Certain Feeling (1956), A Hatful of Rain (1957), Raintree County (1957), North by Northwest (1959), Exodus (1960), All Fall Down (1962), 36 Hours (1965), The Sandpiper (1965), The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (1966), Grand Prix (1966), The Stalking Moon (1968), Loving (1970), Cancel My Reservation (1972), Nothing in Common (1986), Time to Say Goodbye? (1997), I Dreamed of Africa (2000), Don’t Come Knocking (2005), Because of Winn-Dixie (2005), Superman Returns (2006), Winter’s Tale (2014).

Little orphaned girl who meets a con man (her dad Ryan O'Neal) in which they become partners in crime, is one of the most unforgettable movie duos played by real life father and daughter* . Tatum O'Neal had no acting experience but it turned out, was a natural and won the Oscar Best Supporting Actress** award beating co-star Madeline Kahn and also young actress Linda Blair in The Exorcist.***

_{*was originally planned for Paul Newman and daughter Nell Potts
**at age 10, the youngest recipient in history
***was 14 at the time}

Tatum O’Neal Filmography: Paper Moon (1973), The Bad News Bears (1976), Nickelodeon (1976), International Velvet (1978), Circle of Two (1980), Little Darlings (1980), Certain Fury (1985), Little Noises (1992), Basquiat (1996), The Scoundrel’s Wife (2002), The Technical Writer (2003), My Brother (2006), Saving Grace B. Jones (2008), Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal (2008), The Runaways (2010), Last Will (2010).

Flora, her mute mother Ada (Holly Hunter) and their piano arrive from Scotland to the shores of 19th century New Zealand to live with her new husband. A role so innocent in a very mature environment, Paquin surprised not only Hollywood but the whole world. She won Oscar's Best Supporting Actress* award also, much to her surprise (and the rest of the competition, read: Holly Hunter, Emma Thompson, Rosie Perez, and Winona Ryder).

_{*was 11 years old at the time, just a year younger than Tatum O’Neal}

Anna Paquin Filmography: The Piano (1993), Jane Eyre (1996), Fly Away Home (1996), Amistad (1997), Hurlyburly (1998), A Walk on the Moon (1999), She’s All That (1999), It’s the Rage (1999), X-Men (2000), Almost Famous (2000), Finding Forrester (2000), Buffalo Soldiers (2001), Darkness (2002), 25^th Hour (2002), X2 (2003), The Squid and the Whale (2005), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Blue State (2007), Mosaic (2007), Trick ‘r Treat (2007), The Romantics (2010), Open House (2010), Scream 4 (2011), Margaret (2011), The Carrier (2011), Straight A’s (2013), Free Ride (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), The Good Dinosaur (2015).

The search for the role of the altar boy with split-personality disorder is the stuff of legends. Norton* beat 2,000 other candidates among them Leonardo Di Caprio, James Marsden, Ed Furlong, Wil Wheaton, and Matt Damon. Norton's screen test was so convincing it fooled everyone including director Gregory Hoblit, that when word got out, they were touting him as the next Brando.

_{*was nominated for the Oscar Best Supporting Actor and won the Golden Globe}

Edward Norton Filmography: Primal Fear (1996), Everyone Says I Love You (1996), The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), Rounders (1998), American History X (1998), Fight Club (1999), Keeping the Faith (2000), The Score (2001), Death to Smoochy (2002), Frida (2002), Red Dragon (2002), 25^th Hour (2002), The Italian Job (2003), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Down in the Valley (2005), The Illusionist (2006), The Painted Veil (2006), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Pride and Glory (2008), The Invention of Lying (2009), Leaves of Grass (2010), Stone (2010), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Bourne Legacy (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Birdman (2014).

The role of the delightful, singing, dancing, magic-wielding English nanny landed on Andrews after she was denied the role of Eliza Doolittle in the movie version of My Fair Lady. But, since then, Andrews became synonymous with Mary Poppins in which she won the Best Actress award at the Oscars. A truly supercalifragilisticexpialidocious turn of events.

Julie Andrews Filmography: Mary Poppins (1964), The Americanization of Emily (1964), The Sound of Music (1965), Torn Curtain (1966), Hawaii (1966), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Star! (1968), Darling Lili (1970), The Tamarind Seed (1974), 10 (1979), Little Miss Marker (1980), S.O.B. (1981), Victor Victoria (1982), The Man Who Loved Women (1983), That’s Life! (1986), Duet for One (1986), A Fine Romance (1991), Our Sons (1991), Relative Values (2000), The Princess Diaries (2001), The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), Tooth Fairy (2010)

Fanny, the Ziegfield folly girl who rose stardom mirrors Streisand's own rise to popularity. A role she took from Broadway to Hollywood and insured her legend. She won the Academy for Best Actress*, sharing it with Katharine Hepburn in The Lion in Winter.

_{*she was in the voting block, voting for herself actually caused the tie.}

Barbra Streisand Filmography: Funny Girl (1968), Hello, Dolly! (1969), On a Clear ay You Can See Forever (1970), The Owl and the Pussycat (1970), What’s Up, Doc? (1972), Up the Sandbox (1972), The Way We Were (1973), For Pete’s Sake (1974), Funny Lady (1975), A Star is Born (1976), The Main Event (1979), All Night Long (1981), Yentl (1983), Nuts (1987), The Prince of Tides (1991), The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996), Meet the Fockers (2004), Little Fockers (2010), The Guilt Trip (2012).

The story of the deaf woman who is encouraged by a school teacher (William Hurt) to talk landed on Matlin, an actress with no film credit whatsoever. And she won an Oscar award for Best Actress beating the likes of Jane Fonda, Sissy Spacek, Kathleen Turner, and Sigourney Weaver. She was only 21 years old at the time, the youngest to ever win the major award.

Marlee Matlin Filmography: Children of a Lesser God (1986), Walker (1987), The Linguini Incident (1991), L’Homme au masque d’or (1991), Grand Canyon (1991), Hear No Evil (1993), It’s My Party (1996), Snitch (1996), Two Shades of Blue (1999), In Her Defense (1999), When Justice Fails (1999), Askari (2001), What the Bleep Do We Know? (2004), What the Bleep?: Down the Rabbit Hole (2006), Excision (2012), 4Closed (2013), The One I Love (2014), Silent Knights (2015).

Actor, director, writer, producer. The greatest filmmakers of today still sigh at the thought of Welles' achievements in cinema as if to say, "wow." Only 24 at the time, and already a famous stage and radio whiz kid, Orson Welles' jump to the big screen is no less than making the greatest film of all time, is unparalleled—the greatest anyone could ever accomplish in the medium.

Orson Welles Filmography: Citizen Kane (1941), The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), Journey Into Fear (1943), Jane Eyre (1943), Tomorrow is Forever 1946), The Stranger (1946), The Lady from Shanghai (1947), Macbeth (1948), Black Magic 1949), The Third Man (1949), Prince of Foxes (1949), The Black Rose (1950), Trent’s Last Case (1952), Othello (1952), King Lear (1953), Trouble in the Glen (1954), Three Cases Murder (1955), Mr. Arkadin (1955), Napoleon (1955), Moby Dick (1956), Ford Star Jubilee (1956), Man in the Shadow (1957), The Long Hot Summer (1958), Touch of Evil (1958), The Roots of Heaven (1958), Complusion (1959), Ferry to Hong Kong (1959), David and Goliath (1960), Crack in the Mirror (1960), Austerlitz (1960), La Fayette (1961), I Tartari (1961), The Trial (1962), The VIPs (1963), Chimes of Midnight (1965), Is Paris Burning (1966), A Man for All Seasons (1966), Casino Royale (1967), The Sailor from Gibraltar (1967), I’ll Never Forget What’sisname (1967), The Immortal Story (1968), Oedipus the King (1968), Tepepa (1968), House Cards (1968), The Southern Star (1969), The Kremlin Letter (1970), Catch-2 (1970), Waterloo (1970), Malpertuis (1971), A Safe Place (1971), Ten Days Wonder 1971), Get to Know Your Rabbit (1972) Treasure Island (1972), Necromancy (1972), Hallmark Hall of Fame (1972), F for Fake (1974), Voyage of the Damned (1976), The Muppet Movie (1979), The Secret of Nikola Tesla (1980), Butterfly (1982), Where is Parsifal (1983), Hot Money (1983), The Enchanted Journey (1984), Someone to Love(1987).