In modern cinema, actresses take on diverse roles: Earth’s savior, a super heroine, a resistance fighter, a protector of people’s rights, a humanoid robot, a tomb raider, a mother determined to find her daughter’s killer.
These actresses enjoy the challenges of difficult roles, sometimes involving physically demanding work. They are no longer damsels in distress.
The women on this list of the 50 most famous actresses demonstrate the strength of the female protagonist. Some of these actresses have had long staying power, like Meryl Streep (“Kramer vs. Kramer,” “The Post” and Sigourney Weaver (“Alien,” “Hannah and Her Sisters”). Others are fresh faces, such as Chloë Grace Moretz (“Let Me In,” “The 5th Wave.”)
Absent from the list are many beloved actresses of the past, such as Audrey Hepburn, Bette Davis, and Elizabeth Taylor. Our list focuses on the actresses who are most admired right now. Therefore, the majority are still working.
What’s certain is that these actresses draw movie-goers in and connect with audiences in a special and unique way.
Click here to read about the 50 most famous actresses.
Click here to read our methodology.
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50. Drew Barrymore
> Age: 43
> Acting credits: 76
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 3.0 million
> Best known for: Never Been Kissed, 50 First Dates, Ever After: A Cinderella Story
Rounding out the top 50 is Drew Barrymore. She became a star at age 7 after the release of “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” in 1982. Hers is a greater-than-fiction real-life story: She was born into the Barrymore acting family, appeared in a commercial at 11 months, had a drinking problem at 11 with drug issues following at 12, and was legally divorced from her parents at 14. Now, Hollywood’s wild child has found contentment as the mother of two — and is still acting.
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49. Alicia Vikander
> Age: 29
> Acting credits: 36
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 5.5 million
> Best known for: Ex Machina, The Danish Girl, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
This Academy Award-winning actress shot to international fame after starring in four major films — all within a 12-month span: “Testament of Youth,” “Ex Machina,” “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” and “The Danish Girl.” The Swedish actress trained as a ballerina, but she was bitten by the acting bug in her teens. Rejected by a local drama school, Vikander applied to law school when fate intervened in the form of a Swedish casting director — and so her path to stardom began.
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48. Penélope Cruz
> Age: 44
> Acting credits: 73
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.4 million
> Best known for: Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Vanilla Sky, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
In 2009, Cruz became the first Spanish-born actress to win an Academy Award for her role in Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” Training as a ballerina from age 4, she fell in love with acting at 17. While starring in the 1992 film “Jamón Jamón,” she met her future husband, fellow actor Javier Bardem.
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47. Chloë Grace Moretz
> Age: 21
> Acting credits: 65
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 3.1 million
> Best known for: Let Me In, The 5th Wave, Carrie
This young actress lied to Martin Scorsese by pretending that she was British to land the role of Isabelle in the film “Hugo.” It wasn’t until they were deep into production that it was discovered that Moretz is actually from Georgia. She was invited to be a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2018, giving her the right to vote.
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46. Jennifer Garner
> Age: 46
> Acting credits: 58
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.7 million
> Best known for: Alias, 13 Going on 30, Daredevil
The actress gained attention as Sydney Bristow, a double agent for the CIA in “Alias,” which ran on the ABC network from 2001 to 2006. Garner propelled herself into film with “Daredevil” in 2003. With 58 credits under her belt across TV and film, this September, her new film, “Peppermint,” sees her take on the role of assassin to avenge her family’s death.
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45. Gal Gadot
> Age: 33
> Acting credits: 24
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 8.3 million
> Best known for: Wonder Woman, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Furious 7
Rolling Stone Magazine called Gadot’s “Wonder Woman” the biggest action hero of the year in 2017. A former Israeli combat instructor and Miss Israel, the actress pursued a law degree before a casting director called her for an audition to be a Bond girl. That eventually led to a role in “Fast and the Furious,” the fourth installment of the popular action film franchise released in 2009, and then on to “Wonder Woman.”
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44. Rose Byrne
> Age: 39
> Acting credits: 64
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.9 million
> Best known for: Spy, Insidious, Bridesmaids
The Australian actress has already made over 40 films and appeared on the TV series “Damages,” an FX legal thriller, alongside Glenn Close. Byrne has had quite a collection of roles, from a captured princess in “Troy” to a CIA officer in two of the X-Men films. She’s shown her comedy chops in “Get Him to the Greek” and will appear in the upcoming “Juliet, Naked,” based on the Nick Hornby book.
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43. Frances McDormand
> Age: 61
> Acting credits: 64
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 3.7 million
> Best known for: Fargo, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Moonrise Kingdom
McDormand’s nearly 40-year career has seen her earn five nominations by the Academy for Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, winning two Oscars for her leading roles in “Fargo” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” She is married to film producer Joel Coen, whom she met in 1983 when she auditioned for the Coen Brothers’ directorial debut film, “Blood Simple.”
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42. Anna Faris
> Age: 41
> Acting credits: 50
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.1 million
> Best known for: The House Bunny, Just Friends, Scary Movie 4
It’s been said that Faris is a ‘rare breed of actress’ who can open a film on the back of her starpower, without the assistance of a known male lead. She was still living at home (near Seattle) with her parents at the age of 22 when Keenan Ivory Wayans cast her in “Scary Movie.” She’s been in nearly 50 films altogether, with TV under her belt as well.
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41. Diane Kruger
> Age: 42
> Acting credits: 47
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.8 million
> Best known for: Inglourious Basterds, National Treasure, Unknown
A New York Times critic in 2004 said Diane Kruger’s Helen in “Troy” was beautiful, but essentially didn’t have enough substance. It’s true, the German native walked the runways in Paris as a model. But, fast forward: Kruger was awarded the best actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017.
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40. Kristen Wiig
> Age: 44
> Acting credits: 96
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.1 million
> Best known for: Bridesmaids, The Skeleton Twins, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
The funny lady who gained notice on “Saturday Night Live” shifted to film and even co-wrote the script for “Bridesmaids” (2011) at the behest of filmmaker Judd Apatow. With 96 credits, Wiig will take on the villainous role of Cheetah in the next “Wonder Woman” movie.
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39. Helena Bonham Carter
> Age: 52
> Acting credits: 94
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.6 million
> Best known for: Les Misérables, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Fight Club
Seemingly destined for period dramas — where Bonham Carter appeared in such acclaimed films as “A Room with a View,” “Howard’s End” and “The King’s Speech” — she surprised audiences as a “grungy neurotic” in “Fight Club” (1999) and then again as a chimpanzee in “Planet of the Apes”. She continues to win fans to this day.
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38. Kate Beckinsale
> Age: 45
> Acting credits: 49
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 3.0 million
> Best known for: Underworld: Evolution, Pearl Harbor, Underworld
Beckinsale had her first major role as Hero in Kenneth Branagh’s 1993 film version of “Much Ado About Nothing.” She’s added to her acting portfolio since then and will be honored later this summer at the Deauville Film Festival in Deauville, France, as best talent.
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37. Reese Witherspoon
> Age: 42
> Acting credits: 59
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.6 million
> Best known for: Wild, Legally Blonde, Walk the Line
At age 17, Witherspoon already had four films on her resume. She took home the best actress Academy Award in 2006 for her role as June Carter in the Johnny Cash biopic “Walk the Line” and received a best actress nomination for “Wild” in 2015. Witherspoon also co-produced “Gone Girl,” which became a hit in 2014.
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36. Margot Robbie
> Age: 28
> Acting credits: 33
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 5.3 million
> Best known for: Suicide Squad, The Wolf of Wall Street, I, Tonya
A fixture in Hollywood in just five years, Robbie wowed audiences in 2013’s “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Since then, she’s proved that acting isn’t her only talent. In addition to playing fallen ice rink queen Tonya Harding in the 2017 film “I, Tonya,” for which she was nominated for a best actress Oscar, she also co-produced the film. For the role, she was willing to go the distance by taking intensive ice skating instruction, starting her training at 5 a.m.
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35. Ellen Page
> Age: 31
> Acting credits: 51
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.8 million
> Best known for: Juno, Inception, Hard Candy
At 20 years old, Page became one of the youngest best actresses to be nominated for an Oscar for role in “Juno” where she played an independent-minded teenager dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. She continues to make waves, taking on the role of Stacie Andree in the film “Freeheld” about gay marital rights. The actress came out of the closet in 2014 in a speech at a Human Rights Campaign conference, and since then has become a well-known activist for the LGBTQ community.
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34. Naomi Watts
> Age: 49
> Acting credits: 82
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.3 million
> Best known for: Mulholland Drive, King Kong, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
When she was born, the midwife made a declaration: One day, Watts would be famous. With over 80 credits to her name, the Australian actress has worked with such directors as David Lynch and Alejandro González Iñárritu. She nabbed the Netflix show “Gypsy” in 2017 – considered her first substantive role in TV.
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33. Jennifer Aniston
> Age: 49
> Acting credits: 62
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 7.5 million
> Best known for: Friends, Cake, We’re the Millers
It’s hard to believe that America’s sweetheart, as she became known while playing Rachel Green on the hit show “Friends,” is now one of Hollywood’s “queens of dark comedy.” Recent roles in the movies “Office Christmas Party,” “Horrible Bosses” (and the sequel) and the cult classic “Office Space” have earned Aniston that title.
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32. Emilia Clarke
> Age: 31
> Acting credits: 17
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 6.4 million
> Best known for: Game of Thrones, Terminator Genisys, Me Before You
“Game of Thrones” creators Dan Weiss and David Benioff have said that Clarke was the only actress they felt could be Joan of Arc, Lawrence of Arabia, and Napoleon all at once in the character Daenerys Targaryen. The actress has jumped to the big screen with plum roles, including Qi’ra in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”
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31. Rachel Weisz
> Age: 48
> Acting credits: 57
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 3.1 million
> Best known for: The Constant Gardener, The Lobster, Constantine
This versatile English actress has managed to show quite a range of acting in no fewer than 57 films. In 1996, she had a secondary role in Bernardo Bertolucci’s “Stealing Beauty.” It wasn’t long before leading roles came her way. She won an Oscar for best supporting actress in 2006 as Tessa in “The Constant Gardener.” Oh, and she’s married to James Bond, aka Daniel Craig.
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30. Winona Ryder
> Age: 46
> Acting credits: 63
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 5.1 million
> Best known for: Little Women, Girl, Interrupted, Alien: Resurrection
Ryder is known for her roles in such classics as “Heathers,” “Beetlejuice” and “Edward Scissorhands.” But after she was caught shoplifting at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills, California, in 2001, her career faltered. Nearly 20 years later, Netflix has revived her career with a leading role in “Stranger Things.” She also recently starred with Keanu Reeves in “Destination Wedding.”
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29. Emily Blunt
> Age: 35
> Acting credits: 43
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 5.2 million
> Best known for: Edge of Tomorrow, The Devil Wears Prada, The Adjustment Bureau
At 23, Blunt was propelled into A-list Hollywood when she took on the role as the mean girl assistant in “The Devil Wears Prada” to Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly. Opposite to that particular acting gig, the English actress has said publicly there’s a way to be successful in Tinsel Town without being intolerable. It’s mentors like Meryl Streep and Judi Dench advised her to lead with humor and grace.
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28. Sigourney Weaver
> Age: 68
> Acting credits: 84
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.8 million
> Best known for: Avatar, Alien, Alien: Resurrection
This two-time Oscar-nominated actress is going down in film history as the “first action heroine” for her role as the resolute Ripley in Ridley Scott’s 1986 intergalactic horror classic “Alien” and its sequels. With 84 acting credits, Weaver has gone on to work with other respected directors like Roman Polanski and Ang Lee. She is also known for her roles in lighter fare such as “Working Girl” and the Ghostbusters movies.
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27. Kirsten Dunst
> Age: 36
> Acting credits: 82
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 3.0 million
> Best known for: Spider-Man, Melancholia, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles
What film lover can forget Dunst’s “loveable” little vampire Claudia in “Interview With the Vampire”? By that point, Dunst, 12 years old at the time, had already been acting for six years. Dunst received her first movie credit for The Bonfire of the Vanities in 1990. Dunst is also known for her role as Peter Parker’s love interest in the Spiderman film series.
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26. Mila Kunis
> Age: 34
> Acting credits: 63
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 6.2 million
> Best known for: Black Swan, Jupiter Ascending, Bad Moms
While Kunis had several acting roles as a youngster, it’s “That ’70s Show” that really boosted her career, where she played Jackie Burkhart for eight seasons. She admits now that she sort of lied about her age to get the role. At the time, she was 14 and the show needed an 18-year-old. Her screen credit include “Black Swan,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” and “Ted.”
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25. Jessica Chastain
> Age: 41
> Acting credits: 51
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 3.6 million
> Best known for: Zero Dark Thirty, The Tree of Life, Interstellar
Jessica Chastain had been steadily accumulating TV and film credits by the time she was nominated for Academy Awards in 2013 for “Zero Dark Thirty” and “The Help” a year earlier. She also drew kudos for her starring role in “Molly’s Game.” On television, her work includes appearances on “ER” and “Veronica Mars.” In the last year, she’s taken on a different lead: that of gender equality in Hollywood.
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24. Meryl Streep
> Age: 69
> Acting credits: 83
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.3 million
> Best known for: Out of Africa, Doubt, The Devil Wears Prada
In 2018, Streep earned her an unprecedented 21st Academy Award nomination for her role as Kay Graham in “The Post.” She has won three Oscars altogether, beginning in 1979 for best supporting actress in “Kramer vs. Kramer.” At 69 years of age, the grand dame of Hollywood is going ahead at full speed; she’s going to star in Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming film “The Laundromat.”
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23. Nicole Kidman
> Age: 51
> Acting credits: 83
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.6 million
> Best known for: Moulin Rouge!, The Others, The Hours
The Australian actress has been a Hollywood favorite since 1989 in “Dead Calm.” Kidman has garnered four Oscar nominations, winning for best actress in 2003 for her role in “The Hours.” Kidman appeared with then-husband Tom Cruise in Stanley Kubrick’s last movie, “Eyes Wide Shut,” in 1999. Time magazine named her one of its 100 Most Influential People in 2018.
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22. Carrie-Anne Moss
> Age: 50
> Acting credits: 72
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.0 million
> Best known for: The Matrix, Memento, The Matrix Revolutions
For film lovers of “The Matrix” movies, Moss lives long in our memories as the character Trinity. She has gone on record to say that role was one of highlights of her life. In 2016, Moss praised The Wachowski siblings, who wrote and directed the “Matrix” film series, for the way they predicted our current infatuation with digital connectivity through their depiction of mentally asleep “babies plugged in as batteries” by their robotic, virtual-reality-creating overlords.She heads to Scandinavia in 2018 to star in a Norwegian crime drama.
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21. Gwyneth Paltrow
> Age: 45
> Acting credits: 56
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 3.0 million
> Best known for: Shakespeare in Love, Sliding Doors, Iron Man 3
Paltrow delighted movie-goers with her Oscar-winning performance in “Shakespeare In Love,” a role in which she also won a BAFTA and Golden Globe award. The actress has appeared in a slew of film favorites, more recently cementing her status as “Pepper Potts” in the Iron Man movies. She showed her entrepreneurial spirit by branching out with her Goop lifestyle brand in 2008, focusing on fashion, wellness, and travel.
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20. Jodie Foster
> Age: 55
> Acting credits: 80
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 3.0 million
> Best known for: The Silence of the Lambs, Contact, The Accused
At age 55, this two-time Oscar-winning actress has been in the business for most of her life. Foster astonished movie-goers in her role as as a child prostitute in “Taxi Driver” when she was 14 years old, which netted her the first of four Academy Award nominations. Her performance as Clarice Starling, the FBI trainee sent to interview jailed cannibal Hannibal Lecter in the spine-chiller “Silence of the Lambs,” earned her a second Oscar in 1992. Her first was for her performance as rape victim Sarah Tobias in “The Accused.” Foster is embarking on her first acting role in five years, in the sci-fi action film “Hotel Artemis.”
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19. Jennifer Connelly
> Age: 47
> Acting credits: 50
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.6 million
> Best known for: A Beautiful Mind, Requiem for a Dream, House of Sand and Fog
Connelly landed her first real acting role in 1982 when she was 12 years old in the television series “Tales of the Unexpected.” Now at 47, she’s recognized as a Hollywood stalwart. She won the Oscar for best actress in a supporting role as Alicia Nash in “A Beautiful Mind” in 2002, and also took home a BAFTA and Golden Globe award for that role. Among her other noteworthy films are “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” “Noah,” and “Requiem for a Dream.” Tom Cruise recently confirmed she will be joining the cast for the upcoming sequel to “Top Gun” (1986).
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18. Robin Wright
> Age: 52
> Acting credits: 54
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.9 million
> Best known for: Forrest Gump, Beowulf, Unbreakable
It’s been said that Wright’s “deep talent and uncomplicated beauty” could have translated into eternal romantic comedies. But Wright chose to focus on her family and to be very discerning about projects. Many of her roles are about besieged women in movies such as “Unbreakable,” “A Home at the End of the World” (2004) and “Breaking and Entering” (2006). She’s appeared in some of the best-loved films, like “The Princess Bride” (1987) and “Forrest Gump” (1994). She’s been nominated for four Golden Globe awards and won in 2014 for best actress in a television series drama for “House of Cards.”
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17. Julia Roberts
> Age: 50
> Acting credits: 61
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.1 million
> Best known for: Pretty Woman, Erin Brockovich, My Best Friend’s Wedding
Though Roberts had already appeared in some well-regarded films (“Mystic Pizza” in 1988 and “Steel Magnolias” in 1989), it was her star turn in “Pretty Woman” in 1990 that won our hearts. Just 21 at the time, she skyrocketed to fame, garnering the second of four Oscar nominations. She has been Hollywood gold since then and won a best actress Oscar in 2001 for “Erin Brockovich.”
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16. Carrie Fisher
> Acting credits: 90
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.4 million
> Best known for: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
The actress became famous for her role as the feisty Princess Leia in the Star Wars series. Fisher grew up in a Hollywood family as the daughter of actors Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher. Fisher, an actress and writer, died from a heart attack in late December 2016. Other movie credits include “When Harry Met Sally” (1989) and “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986). Fisher was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards. On film, she will return as Princess Leia in “Star Wars: Episode IX” from previously unreleased footage. The film is scheduled to be released in December 2019.
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15. Uma Thurman
> Age: 48
> Acting credits: 64
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.7 million
> Best known for: Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Kill Bill: Vol. 2, Pulp Fiction
Thurman started out as a model and leveraged that work into an acting career, landing roles in “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen” and “Dangerous Liaisons,” both in 1988. Her breakthrough role was as the quirky gangster moll in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” that earned her an Oscar nomination. She teamed with Tarantino again to make the Kill Bill movies in the early 2000s.
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14. Charlize Theron
> Age: 42
> Acting credits: 58
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.9 million
> Best known for: Monster, Mad Max: Fury Road, Snow White and the Huntsman
Charlize Theron’s biography reads like a Hollywood story. She was an accomplished ballet dancer from South Africa who injured herself and shifted gears to acting. She came to Los Angeles and learned English by watching soap operas. Theron’s first role was in “Child of the Corn III: Urban Harvest” in 1995 and she appeared in films such as Tom Hanks’ “That Thing You Do!” (1996) and “The Cider House Rules” (1999). Theron won her first Academy Award in 2004 for best actress for the film “Monster.”
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13. Cate Blanchett
> Age: 49
> Acting credits: 68
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.0 million
> Best known for: Carol, Blue Jasmine, Elizabeth
Australian-born Cate Blanchett has won an Academy Award and is known for her versatility, an actress talented enough to play Bob Dylan (“I’m Not There”), Katharine Hepburn (“The Aviator”), and Queen Elizabeth I. It was the latter role that garnered Blanchett her first Oscar nomination in the 1998 film “Elizabeth.” She returned to that role as an older monarch in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age.” Woody Allen tapped her to play a troubled New York socialite in “Blue Jasmine” that won her the Oscar for Best Actress in 2014.
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12. Sandra Bullock
> Age: 54
> Acting credits: 57
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.1 million
> Best known for: Miss Congeniality, The Proposal, Gravity
Sandra Bullock is a reliable box-office star whose movies include “Speed,” “The Proposal,” “Miss Congeniality,” “Gravity,” and “The Blind Side.” “Speed,” released in 1994, propelled Bullock to stardom. It was for “The Blind Side” that Bullock won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Actress.
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11. Amy Adams
> Age: 43
> Acting credits: 58
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 3.1 million
> Best known for: Arrival, Enchanted, American Hustle
Amy Adams has amassed an impressive array of film credits. She has received five Academy Award nominations for her work in “American Hustle,” “Doubt,” “The Fighter,” The Master,” and “Junebug.” During her career, Adams has worked with such accomplished performers as Meryl Streep, Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Viola Davis, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. She has also distinguished herself at lighter fare such as “Enchanted” and “Catch Me If You Can.”
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10. Julianne Moore
> Age: 57
> Acting credits: 91
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.0 million
> Best known for: Still Alice, The Hours, The Kids Are All Right
Julianne Moore cut her teeth in the acting world appearing in the long-running soap opera “As The World Turns.” She shifted to film and landed roles in “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,” “The Fugitive,” and “Children of Men.” Her career is distinguished by five Academy Award nominations for her roles in “Boogie Nights,” “The End of the Affair,” “The Hours,” “Far From Heaven,” and “Still Alice.” It was for the latter movie that she won the Academy Award in 2015 for Best Actress playing a woman with Alzheimer’s disease.
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9. Angelina Jolie
> Age: 43
> Acting credits: 51
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 5.3 million
> Best known for: Maleficent, Girl, Interrupted, Changeling
When Angelina Jolie is not making news with her political activism and humanitarian work, she makes her mark in Hollywood in front and behind the camera. Jolie has been box-office gold, starring in action movies such as “Wanted,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “Salt” and “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.” Jolie has been nominated twice for an Academy Award for “Changeling” and “Girl, Interrupted,” and earned her first Oscar for best supporting actress in the latter film. Jolie also enjoyed success with Disney’s “Maleficent,” in which she both starred and executive produced.
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8. Emma Watson
> Age: 28
> Acting credits: 21
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.6 million
> Best known for: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, The Bling Ring
People know the young actress as the inquisitive Hermione Granger in the “Harry Potter” movie franchise. Watson has endeavored to distance herself from that role. She starred in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “The Bling Ring,” “This Is The End”, and “Noah” She played the lead role of Belle in the live-action film adaptation of the box office hit “Beauty and the Beast.”
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7. Cameron Diaz
> Age: 45
> Acting credits: 55
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 3.6 million
> Best known for: There’s Something About Mary, Charlie’s Angels, Vanilla Sky
Diaz, while working as a model, auditioned for, and won, a role in the 1994 Jim Carrey blockbuster hit “The Mask.” But it was her performance in the comedy “There’s Something About Mary” four years later that vaulted her into star status. Other noteworthy films Diaz has appeared in include “Being John Malkovich,” “Gangs of New York,” and “Charlie’s Angels.” She has also voiced Princess Fiona in the “Shrek” films.
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6. Rachel McAdams
> Age: 39
> Acting credits: 36
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.1 million
> Best known for: The Notebook, Mean Girls, Red Eye
McAdams hails from Canada and her American film breakthrough came in her portrayal of a vindictive girl in “Mean Girls” in 2004. McAdams had a starring part in “The Notebook” and took a comedic turn in “The Wedding Crashers,” which was a box-office success. After appearing in thrillers such as “Red Eye” and Woody Allen’s fantasy “Midnight in Paris,” McAdams received her first Oscar nomination in 2015 for her role as an investigative journalist in “Spotlight.”
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5. Anne Hathaway
> Age: 35
> Acting credits: 45
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 3.4 million
> Best known for: Les Misérables, The Dark Knight Rises, Rachel Getting Married
Anne Hathaway has had acting in her blood since she was a young girl. Her role in “Princess Diaries” in 2001 made her a star. Hathaway’s other family-oriented film roles include “Ella Enchanted,” a different take on the Cinderella story. She broke away from family fare in 2005 with films such as “Havoc” and “Brokeback Mountain.” She has been nominated twice for an Academy Award — “Rachel Getting Married” (2009) and “Les Misérables” (2013), and won the gold statue for the latter movie.
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Source: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
4. Jennifer Lawrence
> Age: 27
> Acting credits: 30
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 6.7 million
> Best known for: The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle
The Kentucky-born actress is one of the highest-paid actresses in the world, with a slew of hits and awards underscoring her success. Lawrence has starred in the blockbuster movie franchise “The Hunger Games” that put her at the forefront of the film industry. Other screen credits include “Silver Linings Playbook,” “American Hustle,” and the “X-Men” series. She has been nominated for an Oscar four times: “Winter’s Bone,” “American Hustle,” “Joy,” and “Silver Linings Playbook,” for which she won the Academy Award for best actress in 2013. Lawrence, at 22 years old, was the second-youngest woman to win for best actress.
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Source: Chris Jackson / Getty Images
3. Meghan Markle
> Age: 37
> Acting credits: 30
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 31.0 million
> Best known for: Remember Me, Horrible Bosses, A Lot Like Love
Meghan Markle had been best known for her recurring role in the cable television series “Suits” before she married Prince Harry and became the Duchess of Sussex earlier this year. By joining the world’s most famous royal family, Markle’s fame vaulted her to near the top of the most famous actresses list. Her film career is not extensive, appearing in “Get Him to the Greek” and “Remember Me” in 2010, and “Horrible Bosses” the following year. Markle also appeared on television shows “Century City” and “CSI: NY.”
Source: Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images
2. Natalie Portman
> Age: 37
> Acting credits: 60
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 5.3 million
> Best known for: Black Swan, V for Vendetta, Jackie
Israeli-born Natalie Portman turned heads with her portrayal of a hitman’s apprentice in the film “The Professional” in 1994. She built on her fame by appearing with Al Pacino in “Heat” the following year. It’s been all uphill for the Harvard University-educated actress, who won the Academy Award in 2010 for her role as a disturbed ballerina in “Black Swan.” She also was nominated for an Oscar for playing First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the movie “Jackie” in 2016 and for the film “Closer” in 2004.
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Source: Jason Merritt / Getty Images
1. Scarlett Johansson
> Age: 33
> Acting credits: 62
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 6.9 million
> Best known for: Her, Lost in Translation, The Avengers
Scarlett Johansson leads the list for most famous actresses, buoyed by her star turns in films such as “Her,” “Lost in Translation,” and “Under the Skin.” Johansson distinguished herself in the film “Girl with a Pearl Earring” in 1998. And it was her work in “Lost in Translation” in 2003 that helped make her a star as she went on to win a BAFTA award for her performance as best actress. Johansson also has made a strong career in appearing in action movie series such as “The Avengers” and “Captain America.” Johansson has appeared on stage and won a Tony Award for best featured actress in “A View from the Bridge.”
Methodology
To determine the 50 most famous actresses, 24/7 Wall St. developed an index based on Wikipedia page views over the last year and the number of reviews for films and television shows in which they have starred. The number of Wikipedia page views was tallied for each actress for the one-year period leading up to Aug. 1 of this year. This timeframe best reflects which actresses are currently the most popular as opposed to those who may have been extremely popular at one time and since faded from the public view. We took into account the total number of IMDb user reviews for films and television series each actress has starred in. 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.
To be considered for the list, each actress also had to appear in the top 2,500 rankings on IMDb’s STARmeter.
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