Whether you’re a lover of all things comedy, drama, action, or romance, you’re bound to have a few favorite actresses. Although many actresses are often identified with one or two genres, the most famous often crossover into other categories with ease—a feat that likely contributes to their fame. But who are the most famous actresses and how does one determine who they are?
To find the most famous actresses, the team at 24/7 Wall St. looked at three measures: Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations, number of reviews for their films on IMDb, and Wikipedia page views. Of the 8,000 American film actresses, we pulled the 50 most famous.
The talented actresses who snag a spot on this list are of all different ages and have a variety of accolades. Diane Keaton, known for her numerous roles in Woody Allen films, won her first Oscar for best actress in the 1977 film “Annie Hall.’’ She has acted in a total of 67 films and television shows. A younger face in Hollywood, Selena Gomez, has acted in 73 television shows and movies. She scored her first acting gig when she was just 10 years old on the children’s television show, “Barney & Friends.”
Meryl Streep has earned 50 Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, the most of any actress, an accomplishment that is a testament to her longevity and versatility. However, she is not the most famous among the bunch because of fewer reviews on IMDb for her films and fewer page views on Wikipedia—that is, compared with the rest of the actresses.
Acting luminaries such as Audrey Hepburn, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Julie Andrews and Elizabeth Taylor, just to name a few of the many timeless actresses, do not appear on this list. Why? Because this list does not showcase the best actresses of all time. Fame is fleeting, and their fame is from a different time. This list is about the favorite actresses of today.
Find out which of your favorite actresses made the cut. Who do you think is the most famous actress?
Click here to see the 50 most famous actresses.
To determine the 50 most famous actresses, 24/7 Wall St. developed an index based on three measures: Wikipedia page views, award nominations, and the number of reviews for films in which they have starred. The average number of daily Wikipedia page views was tallied for each actress for the period of June 20 to July 31 of this year. We also considered the total number of Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations each actress has received. Cecil B. DeMille Awards and Special Achievement Awards were each counted as Golden Globe nominations for ranking purposes. Lastly, we took into account the total number of IMDb user reviews for films and television series each actress has starred in. Only movies with more than 10,000 user reviews and television series with more than 5,000 views were counted. To be considered one of the film’s stars, actresses must be listed among the first four actors and actresses under a respective film or television series’ star listing.
Source: Eva Rinaldi / Wikimedia Commons
50. Kristen Wiig
> Most popular film or television series: The Martian
> Academy Awards: 1 nomination, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 1 nomination, 0 wins
> Acting credits: 91
[in-text-ad]
Source: CommonMan3 / Wikimedia Commons
49. Susan Sarandon
> Most popular film or television series: Enchanted
> Academy Awards: 5 nominations, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 8 nominations, 0 wins
> Acting credits: 147
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Leod23 / Wikimedia Commons
48. Rooney Mara
> Most popular film or television series: The Social Network
> Academy Awards: 2 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 2 nominations, 0 wins
> Acting credits: 33
Source: Gage Skidmore / Flickr
47. Kathy Bates
> Most popular film or television series: Titanic
> Academy Awards: 3 nominations, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 7 nominations, 2 wins
> Acting credits: 120
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Karon Liu / Wikimedia Commons
46. Jennifer Garner
> Most popular film or television series: Juno
> Academy Awards: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 4 nominations, 1 win
> Acting credits: 54
Source: Georges Biard / Wikimedia Commons
45. Jane Fonda
> Most popular film or television series: Lee Daniels’ The Butler
> Academy Awards: 7 nominations, 2 wins
> Golden Globes: 15 nominations, 7 wins
> Acting credits: 57
[in-text-ad]
Source: Dominick D / Wikimedia Commons
44. Jada Pinkett Smith
> Most popular film or television series: Collateral
> Academy Awards: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Acting credits: 43
24/7 Wall St.
Source: lukeford.net / Wikimedia Commons
43. Kristen Stewart
> Most popular film or television series: Twilight
> Academy Awards: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Acting credits: 48
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
42. Shirley MacLaine
> Most popular film or television series: The Apartment
> Academy Awards: 6 nominations, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 19 nominations, 5 wins, Special Achievement Award, Cecil B. DeMille Award
> Acting credits: 74
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Sgt. Michael Connors - 302nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment / Wikimedia Commons
41. Zoe Saldana
> Most popular film or television series: Avatar
> Academy Awards: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Acting credits: 53
Source: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons
40. Michelle Rodriguez
> Most popular film or television series: Avatar
> Academy Awards: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Acting credits: 45
[in-text-ad]
Source: NASA/Bill Ingalls / Wikimedia Commons
39. Jessica Chastain
> Most popular film or television series: Interstellar
> Academy Awards: 2 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 4 nominations, 1 win
> Acting credits: 48
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Gage Skidmore / Flickr
38. Jessica Alba
> Most popular film or television series: Sin City
> Academy Awards: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 1 nomination, 0 wins
> Acting credits: 58
Source: German Marin / Wikimedia Commons
37. Halle Berry
> Most popular film or television series: X-Men 2
> Academy Awards: 1 nomination, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 4 nominations, 1 win
> Acting credits: 50
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Georges Biard / Wikimedia Commons
36. Anna Kendrick
> Most popular film or television series: 50/50
> Academy Awards: 1 nomination, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 1 nomination, 0 wins
> Acting credits: 47
Source: Jeremiah Christopher / Wikimedia Commons
35. Michelle Pfeiffer
> Most popular film or television series: Scarface
> Academy Awards: 3 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 6 nominations, 1 win
> Acting credits: 61
[in-text-ad]
Source: Diariocritico de Venezuela / Flickr
34. Sally Field
> Most popular film or television series: Forrest Gump
> Academy Awards: 3 nominations, 2 wins
> Golden Globes: 11 nominations, 2 wins
> Acting credits: 62
Source: Lunchbox LP / Wikimedia Commons
33. Selena Gomez
> Most popular film or television series: Hotel Transylvania
> Academy Awards: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Acting credits: 73
Source: Karon Liu / Wikimedia Commons
32. Winona Ryder
> Most popular film or television series: Black Swan
> Academy Awards: 2 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 3 nominations, 1 win
> Acting credits: 60
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Donna Lou Morgan, U.S. Navy / Wikimedia Commons
31. Laura Linney
> Most popular film or television series: The Truman Show
> Academy Awards: 3 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 6 nominations, 2 wins
> Acting credits: 65
Source: Joella Marano / Flickr
30. Emily Blunt
> Most popular film or television series: Edge of Tomorrow
> Academy Awards: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 5 nominations, 1 win
> Acting credits: 41
[in-text-ad]
Source: Red Carpet Report on Mingle Media TV/Flickr
29. Reese Witherspoon
> Most popular film or television series: Walk the Line
> Academy Awards: 2 nominations, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 4 nominations, 1 win
> Acting credits: 56
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Mingle MediaTV / Wikimedia Commons
28. Jessica Lange
> Most popular film or television series: Big Fish
> Academy Awards: 5 nominations, 2 wins
> Golden Globes: 15 nominations, 5 wins
> Acting credits: 43
Source: Riccardo Ghilardi / Wikimedia Commons
27. Carrie Fisher
> Most popular film or television series: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
> Academy Awards: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Acting credits: 88
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Global Green USA / Flickr
26. Alison Brie
> Most popular film or television series: Get Hard
> Academy Awards: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Acting credits: 58
Source: El Hormiguero / Flickr
25. Jennifer Connelly
> Most popular film or television series: A Beautiful Mind
> Academy Awards: 1 nomination, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 1 nomination, 1 win
> Acting credits: 48
[in-text-ad]
Source: Andy L / Flickr
24. Kirsten Dunst
> Most popular film or television series: Spider-Man
> Academy Awards: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 2 nominations, 0 wins
> Acting credits: 74
Source: Joella Marano / Flickr
23. Uma Thurman
> Most popular film or television series: Pulp Fiction
> Academy Awards: 1 nomination, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 4 nominations, 1 win
> Acting credits: 63
Source: Franz Richter / Wikimedia Commons
22. Jodie Foster
> Most popular film or television series: The Silence of the Lambs
> Academy Awards: 4 nominations, 2 wins
> Golden Globes: 7 nominations, 2 wins, Cecil B. DeMille Award
> Acting credits: 78
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: MingleMediaTVNetwork / Wikimedia Commons
21. Gwyneth Paltrow
> Most popular film or television series: Iron Man
> Academy Awards: 1 nomination, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 2 nominations, 1 win
> Acting credits: 53
Source: GabboT / Flickr
20. Marisa Tomei
> Most popular film or television series: The Wrestler
> Academy Awards: 3 nominations, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 2 nominations, 0 wins
> Acting credits: 73
[in-text-ad]
Source: Diane Keaton / Wikimedia Commons
19. Diane Keaton
> Most popular film or television series: The Godfather
> Academy Awards: 4 nominations, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 9 nominations, 2 wins
> Acting credits: 67
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Gage Skidmore / Flickr
18. Sigourney Weaver
> Most popular film or television series: Avatar
> Academy Awards: 2 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 7 nominations, 2 wins
> Acting credits: 82
Source: alien_artifact / Flickr
17. Sandra Bullock
> Most popular film or television series: Gravity
> Academy Awards: 2 nominations, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 5 nominations, 1 win
> Acting credits: 57
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Gage Skidmore / Flickr
16. Emma Stone
> Most popular film or television series: The Amazing Spider-Man
> Academy Awards: 2 nominations, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 3 nominations, 1 win
> Acting credits: 41
Source: alien_artifact / Flickr
15. Amy Adams
> Most popular film or television series: Man of Steel
> Academy Awards: 5 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 7 nominations, 2 wins
> Acting credits: 56
[in-text-ad]
Source: Siebbi / Wikimedia Commons
14. Julianne Moore
> Most popular film or television series: The Big Lebowski
> Academy Awards: 4 nominations, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 9 nominations, 2 wins
> Acting credits: 86
Source: David Shankbone / Flickr
13. Julia Roberts
> Most popular film or television series: Ocean’s Eleven
> Academy Awards: 4 nominations, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 8 nominations, 3 wins
> Acting credits: 59
Source: Gage Skidmore / Flickr
12. Mila Kunis
> Most popular film or television series: Black Swan
> Academy Awards: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 1 nomination, 0 wins
> Acting credits: 62
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Disney | ABC Television Group / Flickr
11. Robin Wright
> Most popular film or television series: Forrest Gump
> Academy Awards: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 3 nominations, 1 win
> Acting credits: 54
Source: Horus Tr4n/Flickr
10. Anne Hathaway
> Most popular film or television series: The Dark Knight Rises
> Academy Awards: 2 nominations, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 3 nominations, 1 win
> Acting credits: 45
[in-text-ad]
Source: David Shankbone / Wikimedia Commons
9. Cameron Diaz
> Most popular film or television series: Shrek
> Academy Awards: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 4 nominations, 0 wins
> Acting credits: 57
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Red Carpet Report on Mingle Media TV/Flickr
8. Nicole Kidman
> Most popular film or television series: The Others
> Academy Awards: 4 nominations, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 11 nominations, 3 wins
> Acting credits: 79
Source: Angela George / Wikimedia Commons
7. Jennifer Aniston
> Most popular film or television series: Friends
> Academy Awards: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 3 nominations, 1 win
> Acting credits: 61
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Red Carpet Report on Mingle Media TV/Flickr
6. Jennifer Lawrence
> Most popular film or television series: The Hunger Games
> Academy Awards: 4 nominations, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 4 nominations, 3 wins
> Acting credits: 30
Source: Mira (on the wall) / Flickr
5. Natalie Portman
> Most popular film or television series: V for Vendetta
> Academy Awards: 3 nominations, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 4 nominations, 2 wins
> Acting credits: 55
[in-text-ad]
Source: Foreign and Commonwealth Office/Flickr
4. Angelina Jolie
> Most popular film or television series: Mr. & Mrs. Smith
> Academy Awards: 3 nominations, 2 wins
> Golden Globes: 6 nominations, 3 wins
> Acting credits: 47
Source: Gage Skidmore / Flickr
3. Charlize Theron
> Most popular film or television series: Mad Max: Fury Road
> Academy Awards: 2 nominations, 1 win
> Golden Globes: 4 nominations, 1 win
> Acting credits: 52
Source: Dick Thomas Johnson / Flickr
2. Meryl Streep
> Most popular film or television series: The Devil Wears Prada
> Academy Awards: 20 nominations, 3 wins
> Golden Globes: 30 nominations, 8 wins, Cecil B. DeMille Award
> Acting credits: 81
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Beauté People / Flickr
1. Scarlett Johansson
> Most popular film or television series: The Avengers
> Academy Awards: 0 nominations, 0 wins
> Golden Globes: 4 nominations, 0 wins
> Acting credits: 57
Essential Tips for Investing: Sponsored
A financial advisor can help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of investment properties. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
Investing in real estate can diversify your portfolio. But expanding your horizons may add additional costs. If you’re an investor looking to minimize expenses, consider checking out online brokerages. They often offer low investment fees, helping you maximize your profit.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
