Gen X Actresses

1. Cate Blanchett

Actress | Carol

Cate Blanchett was born on May 14, 1969 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, to June (Gamble), an Australian teacher and property developer, and Robert DeWitt Blanchett, Jr., an American advertising executive, originally from Texas. She has an older brother and a younger sister. When she was ten ...

Elizabeth; Elizabeth: The Golden Age; Carol; Blue Jasmine; The Man Who Cried; Lord of the Rings Trilogy; Ocean's 8; Thor: Ragnarok; Monuments Men; Hanna; Notes on a Scandal; The Missing; Heaven; The Gift; The Talented Mr Ripley; Paradise Road; The Shipping News; The Good German; Oscar and Lucinda; The Aviator; I'm Not There; Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; The Hobbit Trilogy; The House With a Clock in its Walls

2. Viola Davis

Actress | Fences

Viola Davis is a critically revered actress of film, television, and theater and has won rave reviews for her multitude of substantial and intriguingly diverse roles. Audiences across the United States and internationally have admired her for her work- including her celebrated, Oscar-nominated ...

Fences; The Help;Hidden Figures; Widows; Doubt; Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

3. Kate Winslet

Actress | Titanic

Ask Kate Winslet what she likes about any of her characters, and the word "ballsy" is bound to pop up at least once. The British actress has made a point of eschewing straightforward pretty-girl parts in favor of more devilish damsels; as a result, she's built an eclectic resume that runs the gamut...

The Reader; Ammonite; Revolutionary Road; Mildred Pierce (TV); Mare of Easttown (TV); Titanic; Sense and Sensibility; Steve Jobs; Contagion; A Little Chaos; Iris; Enigma; Hamlet (1996); Heavenly Creatures

4. Helena Bonham Carter

Actress | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Helena Bonham Carter is an actress of great versatility, one of the UK's finest and most successful.

Bonham Carter was born May 26, 1966 in Golders Green, London, England, the youngest of three children of Elena (née Propper de Callejón), a psychotherapist, and Raymond Bonham Carter, a merchant ...

Lady Jane; Remains of the Day; A Room With a View; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Sweeney Todd; Enola Holmes (TV); Harry Potter franchise; Ocean's 8; Dark Shadows; The Crown (TV); The King's Speech; Alice in Wonderland; Corpse Bride (voice); Planet of the Apes (2001); Fight Club; The Wings of the Dove; Hamlet (1990); Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; Big Fish

5. Emily Watson

Actress | Gosford Park

Emily Watson was born and raised in London, the daughter of Katharine (Venables), an English teacher, and Richard Watson, an architect. After a self-described sheltered upbringing, Watson attended university for three years in Bristol, studying English literature. She applied to drama school and ...

Chernobyl (TV mini-series); War Horse; The Corpse Bride (voice); Gosford Park; Angela's Ashes; Hilary and Jackie

6. Olivia Colman

Actress | The Favourite

Olivia Colman was born on January 30, 1974 in Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for The Favourite (2018), Tyrannosaur (2011) and The Lost Daughter (2021). She has been married to Ed Sinclair since August 2001. They have three children.

The Crown (TV mini-series); The Favourite; Murder on the Orient Express (2017); Hot Fuzz

7. Rachel Weisz

Actress | The Constant Gardener

Rachel Hannah Weisz was born on 7 March, 1970, in London, U.K., to Edith Ruth (Teich), a psychoanalyst, and George Weisz, an inventor. Her parents both came to England around 1938. Her father is a Hungarian Jewish immigrant, and her mother, from Vienna, was of Italian and Austrian Jewish heritage. ...

My Cousin Rachel; The Favourite; Denial; Oz the Great and Powerful; The Lovely Bones; The Fountain; The Constant Gardener; About a Boy; The Mummy and The Mummy Returns; Enemy and the Gates

8. Nicole Kidman

Actress | Moulin Rouge!

Elegant Nicole Kidman, known as one of Hollywood's top Australian imports, was actually born in Honolulu, Hawaii, while her Australian parents were there on educational visas.

Kidman is the daughter of Janelle Ann (Glenny), a nursing instructor, and Antony David Kidman, a biochemist and clinical ...

The Beguiled; The Goldfinch; Lion; The Golden Compass; Cold Mountain; The Hours; Moulin Rouge!; The Others; The Portrait of a Lady; Big Little Lies (TV)

9. Jessica Chastain

Actress | Zero Dark Thirty

Jessica Michelle Chastain was born in Sacramento, California, and was raised in a middle-class household in a Northern California suburb. Her mother, Jerri Chastain, is a vegan chef whose family is originally from Kansas, and her stepfather is a fireman. She discovered dance at the age of nine and ...

Interstellar; The Martian; Miss Sloane; Crimson Peak; The Zookeeper's Wife; Zero Dark Thirty; The Help; The Debt

10. Suranne Jones

Actress | Doctor Foster

Suranne Jones was born on August 27, 1978 in Greater Manchester, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Doctor Foster: A Woman Scorned (2015), Scott & Bailey (2011) and Coronation Street (1960). She has been married to Laurence Akers since August 4, 2015. They have one child.

Gentleman Jack (TV Series); Coronation Street (TV Series)

11. Octavia Spencer

Actress | Hidden Figures

Spencer is a native of Montgomery, Alabama, which she claims is the proverbial buckle of the Bible belt. She's the sixth of seven siblings and holds a BS in Liberal Arts from Auburn University. A "closet" lover of acting, this practical Alabamian knew that she'd someday work in the film industry, ...

The Help; Hidden Figures; The Witches (2020); Ma; The Shape of Water; Fruitvale Station

12. Chloë Sevigny

Actress | We Are Who We Are

Chloë Sevigny is an Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actress and director who is known for her groundbreaking work across film, television and theatre. Sevigny has spent her career working with innovative and revolutionary filmmakers and artists including Lars von Trier, Jim ...

Big Love (TV Series); Boys Don't Cry; Portlandia (TV Series); American Psycho; Kids; The Last Days of Disco; Lizzie; Zodiac

13. Michelle Williams

Actress | Blue Valentine

A small-town girl born and raised in rural Kalispell, Montana, Michelle Ingrid Williams is the daughter of Carla Ingrid (Swenson), a homemaker, and Larry Richard Williams, a commodity trader and author. Her ancestry is Norwegian, as well as German, British Isles, and other Scandinavian. She was ...

My Week With Marilyn; After the Wedding; Manchester By the Sea; Blue Valentine; Brokeback Mountain; Oz the Great and Powerful; Shutter Island

14. Audrey Tautou

Actress | Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain

Audrey Justine Tautou was born on August 9, 1976 in Beaumont, France, to Evelyne Marie Laure (Nuret), a teacher, and Bernard Tautou, a dental surgeon. Audrey showed an interest for comedy at an early age and started her acting lessons at 'Cours Florent'. In 1998 she won the best young actress award...

Amelie; Coco Before Chanel; The Da Vinci Code; The Very Long Engagement; Dirty Pretty Things; God is Great and I Am Not

15. Renée Zellweger

Actress | Chicago

Renée Kathleen Zellweger was born on April 25, 1969, in Katy, Texas, Her mother, Kjellfrid Irene (Andreassen), is a Norwegian-born former nurse and midwife, of Norwegian, Kven (Finnish), and Swedish descent. Her father, Emil Erich Zellweger, is a Swiss-born engineer. The two married in 1963. Renée ...

Judy; Cold Mountain; Chicago; Bridget Jones franchise; Jerry Maguire; Miss Potter; Cinderella Man; White Oleander; A Price Above Rubies

16. Amy Adams

Actress | Arrival

Amy Lou Adams was born in Vicenza, Veneto, Italy, to American parents, Kathryn (Hicken) and Richard Kent Adams, a U.S. serviceman who was stationed at Caserma Ederle in Italy at the time. She was raised in a Mormon family of seven children in Castle Rock, Colorado, and has English, as well as ...

Sharp Objects (TV); Big Eyes; American Hustle; Julie and Julia; Sunshine Cleaning; Doubt; Junebug; The Arrival; Nocturnal Animals; Enchanted; Drop Dead Gorgeous; Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day; Charlie Wilson's War

17. Halle Berry

Actress | Catwoman

Halle Maria Berry was born Maria Halle Berry on August 14, 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in Oakwood, Ohio to Judith Ann Berry (née Hawkins), a psychiatric nurse & Jerome Jesse Berry, a hospital attendant. Her father was African-American and her mother is of mostly English and German descent. ...

Monster's Ball; Catwoman; The Call; Their Eyes Were Watching God; X-Men Franchise; Cloud Atlas

18. Sarah Paulson

Actress | 12 Years a Slave

Sarah Paulson was born on December 17, 1974 in Tampa, Florida, to Catharine Gordon (Dolcater) and Douglas Lyle Paulson II. She spent most of her early years in New York and Maine, before settling in Manhattan to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the High School for Performing Arts. ...

Ratched (TV); 12 Years a Slave; American Horror Story (TV); The Goldfinch; Glass; Bird Box; Ocean's 8; The Post; Carol; Serenity; American Crime Story (TV)

19. Hilary Swank

Actress | Million Dollar Baby

Hilary was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, to Judith Kay (Clough), a secretary, and Stephen Michael Swank, who served in the National Guard and was also a traveling salesman. Her maternal grandmother, Frances Martha Dominguez, was of Mexican descent, and her other roots include German, English, and ...

Boys Don't Cry; Million Dollar Baby; Iron Jawed Angels; The Hunt; Conviction; The Gift; The Homesman; The Affair of the Necklace; The Next Karate Kid

20. Ziyi Zhang

Actress | Yi dai zong shi

Ziyi Zhang is a Chinese actress and model. She is best known for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Rush Hour 2 (2001), Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004), and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005).

She made her feature film debut in The Road Home (1999).

For her work in Memoirs of a Geisha she was...

The Road Home; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; House of Flying Dragons; Hero; Memoirs of a Geisha; Godzilla King of the Monsters

21. Marion Cotillard

Actress | La Môme

Academy Award-winning actress Marion Cotillard was born on September 30, 1975 in Paris. Cotillard is the daughter of Jean-Claude Cotillard, an actor, playwright and director, and Niseema Theillaud, an actress and drama teacher. Her father's family is from Brittany.

Raised in Orléans, France, she ...

La Vie En Rose; Inception; Contagion; The Dark Knight Rises; Allied; The Immigrant; A Very Long Engagement

22. Juliette Binoche

Actress | The English Patient

Juliette Binoche was born in Paris, France, to Monique Yvette Stalens, a director, teacher, and actress, and Jean-Marie Binoche, a sculptor, director, and actor. Her mother was born in Czestochowa, Poland, of French, Walloon Belgian, and Polish descent, while her father is French. Juliette was only...

Blue (Trois Couleurs trilogy); The English Patient; Chocolat; The Horseman on the Roof

23. Jennifer Connelly

Actress | A Beautiful Mind

Jennifer Connelly was born in the Catskill Mountains, New York, to Ilene (Schuman), a dealer of antiques, and Gerard Connelly, a clothing manufacturer. Her father had Irish and Norwegian ancestry, and her mother was from a Jewish immigrant family. Jennifer grew up in Brooklyn Heights, just across ...

The House of Sand and Fog; A Beautiful Mind; American Pastoral; Inkheart; Labyrinth; Once Upon a Time in America

24. Natalie Portman

Actress | Black Swan

Natalie Portman is the first person born in the 1980s to have won the Academy Award for Best Actress (for Black Swan (2010)).

Natalie was born Natalie Hershlag on June 9, 1981, in Jerusalem, Israel. She is the only child of Avner Hershlag, an Israeli-born doctor, and Shelley Stevens, an ...

Black Swan; Jackie; The Other Boleyn Girl; Goya's Ghosts; V for Vendetta; Closer; Cold Mountain; Star Wars franchise films; Where the Heart Is; Mars Attacks; Beautiful Girls

25. Diane Kruger

Actress | Inglourious Basterds

Diane Kruger was born Diane Heidkrüger in Algermissen, near Hildesheim, Germany, to Maria-Theresa, a bank employee, and Hans-Heinrich Heidkrüger, a computer specialist. She studied ballet with the Royal Ballet in London before an injury ended her career. She returned to Germany and became a top ...

Inglourious Basterds; Copying Beethoven; Joyeux Noel; Troy

26. Marisa Tomei

Actress | My Cousin Vinny

Marisa Tomei was born on December 4, 1964, in Brooklyn, New York, to Patricia "Addie" (Bianchi), a teacher of English, and Gary Tomei, a lawyer, both of Italian descent. Marisa has a brother, actor Adam Tomei. As a child, Marisa's mother frequently corrected her speech as to eliminate her heavy ...

My Cousin Vinny; The King of Staten Island; The Wrestler; In the Bedroom; Welcome to Sarajevo; The Paper; Untamed Heart; Chaplin

27. Kerry Washington

Actress | Scandal

Kerry Washington is an African-American actress, television show producer and film director who is known for her roles in Scandal, Ray, the Tim Story Fantastic Four film series, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Confirmation, Django Unchained, Little Fires Everywhere, Cars 3 and The Last King of Scotland. She ...

Little Fires Everywhere; Django Unchained; The Last King of Scotland; The Prom

28. Toni Collette

Actress | The Sixth Sense

Toni Collette is an Academy Award-nominated Australian actress, best known for her roles in The Sixth Sense (1999) and Little Miss Sunshine (2006).

Collette was born Toni Collett (she later added an "e") on November 1, 1972, in Blacktown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She is the first of three...

The Sixth Sense; Muriel's Wedding; About a Boy; Knives Out; Krampus; Hitchcock; Little Miss Sunshine

29. Kelly Macdonald

Actress | No Country for Old Men

Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald was born and raised in Glasgow. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she was raised by her mother, a sales executive in the garment industry. She has one brother, David. As a hobby, she acted in an amateur theatrical club, which she enjoyed a great deal. ...

Boardwalk Empire (TV); Gosford Park; No Country For Old Men; Nanny McPhee; Trainspotting; Cousin Bette; Finding Neverland; Brave (voice); Goodbye Christopher Robin; Girl/Haji

30. Penélope Cruz

Actress | Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Known outside her native country as the "Spanish enchantress", Penélope Cruz Sánchez was born in Madrid to Eduardo Cruz, a retailer, and Encarna Sánchez, a hairdresser. As a toddler, she was already a compulsive performer, re-enacting TV commercials for her family's amusement, but she decided to ...

Volver; Murder on the Orient Express (2017); Woman on Top; Elegy; All About My Mother; Belle Epoque; Captain Corelli's Mandolin; All the Pretty Horses; Vanilla Sky

31. Noomi Rapace

Actress | Män som hatar kvinnor

Swedish actress Noomi Rapace was born in Hudiksvall, Gävleborgs län, Sweden to Swedish actress Nina Norén and Spanish Flamenco singer Rogelio de Badajoz (Rogelio Durán). Her parents did not stay together, and when she was five she moved to Iceland with her mother and stepfather, where she lived for...

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy; Prometheus; Stockholm; Child 44; Close

32. Julia Roberts

Actress | Pretty Woman

Julia Fiona Roberts never dreamed she would become the most popular actress in America. She was born in Smyrna, Georgia, to Betty Lou (Bredemus) and Walter Grady Roberts, one-time actors and playwrights, and is of English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, German, and Swedish descent. As a child, due to her ...

Erin Brockovich; Pretty Woman; Eat Pray Love; Runaway Bride; Closer; Mirror Mirror; August Osage County; Larry Crowne; Charlie Wilson's War; Mona Lisa Smile; Ocean's Eleven franchise; Charlotte's Web (voice); Steel Magnolias; Mystic Pizza

33. Samantha Morton

Actress | Minority Report

Samantha Morton has established herself as one of the finest actors of her generation, winning Oscar nominations for her turns in Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown (1999) and Jim Sheridan's In America (2002). She has the talent to become one of the major performers in the cinema of this young century.

...

In America; Minority Report; Elizabeth: The Golden Age

34. Robin Wright

Actress | Forrest Gump

Robin Gayle Wright was born in Dallas, Texas, to Gayle (Gaston), a national director at Mary Kay, and Freddie Wright, a pharmaceutical executive. She grew up in San Diego, California. She started her professional career as a model in 1980 at age 14, and worked both in Paris and Japan. After ...

The Pledge; The Crossing Guard; Unbreakable; White Oleander; The Princess Bride

35. Mireille Enos

Actress | World War Z

Mireille Enos was born in Houston, Texas, to Monique, a teacher, and Jon Goree Enos. Her Texas-born American father, and French mother, met while her father was serving on a Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She is the fourth of five children and grew up in Houston, Texas...

The Killing (TV Series); The Lie; Big Love (TV Series); World War Z; If I Stay; Sabotage; Gangster Squad; Hanna (TV Series); Good Omens (TV Mini-series)

36. Olivia Williams

Actress | The Ghost Writer

Olivia began her career on the stage at the RSC and The National Theatre, breaking into TV with the Andrew Davies adaptation of Emma (1996).

From a damp basement in Camden Town she won the role of Abby in the $120 million blockbuster The Postman (1997) starring alongside Kevin Costner. In the ...

Miss Austen Regrets; The Sixth Sense; Rushmore; Peter Pan; An Education; Hanna

37. Charlize Theron

Producer | Monster

Charlize Theron was born in Benoni, a city in the greater Johannesburg area, in South Africa, the only child of Gerda Theron (née Maritz) and Charles Theron. She was raised on a farm outside the city. Theron is of Afrikaner (Dutch, with some French Huguenot and German) descent, and Afrikaner ...

The Cider House Rules; Monster; The Italian Job; North Country; Arrested Development (2005 season); Prometheus; Mad Max: Fury Road; In the Valley of Elah; Young Adult; Snow White and the Huntsman

38. Melissa McCarthy

Actress | The Heat

Melissa McCarthy was born in Plainfield, Illinois, to Sandra and Michael McCarthy, and was raised on her family's corn and soybean farm. She began her performing career as a stand-up comedian in New York where she appeared at the famous clubs, Stand Up New York and The Improv. She worked on her ...

Can You Ever Forgive Me?; The Heat; Identity Thief; Tammy; The Kitchen; Life of the Party; Ghostbusters (2016); The Boss; Mike & Molly (TV Series); Bridesmaids

39. Claire Danes

Actress | My So-Called Life

New Yorker Claire Catherine Danes was born in Manhattan, the daughter of Carla (Hall), a day-care provider and artist, and Christopher Danes, a computer consultant and photographer. She has an older brother, Asa. Her paternal grandfather, Gibson Andrew Danes, was a Dean of the Yale School of Art ...

Homeland (TV Series); Temple Grandin (TV film); Stardust; The Family Stone; Evening; Stage Beauty; Brokedown Palace; Les Miserables (1998); Polish Wedding; The Hours; Romeo + Juliet; Little Women (1994); My So-Called Life (TV Series)

40. Sandra Oh

Actress | Killing Eve

Sandra Oh was born to Korean parents in the Ottawa suburb of Nepean, Ontario, Canada. Her father, Oh Junsu, a businessman, and her mother, Oh Young-Nam, a biochemist, were married in Seoul, Korea. They both attended graduate school at the University of Toronto. Sandra began her career as a ballet ...

Killing Eve (TV Series); Grey's Anatomy (TV Series); Ramona and Beazus; The Red Violin

41. Kristen Wiig

Actress | Bridesmaids

Kristen Carroll Wiig was born on August 22, 1973 in Canandaigua, New York, to Laurie J. (Johnston), an artist, and Jon J. Wiig, a lake marina manager. She is of Norwegian (from her paternal grandfather), Irish, English, and Scottish descent. The family moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, before ...

Bridesmaids; Ghostbusters (2016); Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar; Wonder Woman 1984; Masterminds; The Martian; Whip It; SNL TV Series

42. Gong Li

Actress | Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia

Born in Shenyang, grew up in Jinan, the daughter of an economics professor. Loved music from childhood, and dreamed of a singing career. After failing to gain entrance to China's top music school in 1985, applied for and was admitted to the Central Drama Academy in Beijing, from which she graduated...

Farewell My Concubine; Memoirs of a Geisha; Miami Vice (2006); To Live; Hannibal Rising

43. Christina Ricci

Actress | Casper

Precocious, outspoken child-teen starlet of the 1990s, Christina Ricci was born on February 12, 1980 in Santa Monica, California, the youngest of four children of Sarah (Murdoch), a realtor, and Ralph Ricci, a lawyer and therapist. She is of Italian (from her paternal grandfather), Irish, and ...

The Man Who Cried; Monster; The Addams Family & Addams Family Values; The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (TV); Lizzie Borden Took an Axe; Bel Ami; Black Snake Moan; Penelope; Pumpkin; Small Soldiers (voice); The Ice Storm; The Darn Cat (1997); Casper

44. Regina King

Actress | Ray

Regina King was born in Los Angeles, California, to Gloria, a special education teacher, and Thomas King, an electrician. She began her career in the television show 227 (1985), followed by a role in Boyz n the Hood (1991). She began to be recognized by a mainstream audience after her role as Cuba ...

If Beale Street Could Talk; Ray; This Christmas; Poetic Justice; Boyz in the Hood

45. Mo'Nique

Actress | Precious

Mo'Nique received a standing ovation when she stepped on stage for the first time in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, giving her confidence to pursue a career as a stand-up comedian. After numerous stand-up performances, she took a leap forward with one of the starring roles in The Parkers (...

Bessie (TV); Almost Christmas; Precious

46. Uma Thurman

Actress | Kill Bill: Vol. 1

Uma Karuna Thurman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, into a highly unorthodox and internationally-minded family. She is the daughter of Nena Thurman (née Birgitte Caroline von Schlebrügge), a fashion model and socialite who now runs a mountain retreat, and of Robert Thurman (Robert Alexander ...

The Producers (2005); Kill Bill Vols 1 & 2; Pulp Fiction; Gattaca; Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief; The Golden Bowl; Dangeous Liaisons; Vatel; Les Miserables (1998); The Avengers (1998); Beautiful Girls; A Month By the Lake

47. Elizabeth Banks

Actress | The Hunger Games

Elizabeth Banks was born Elizabeth Mitchell in Pittsfield, a small city in the Berkshires in western Massachusetts near the New York border, on February 10, 1974. She is the daughter of Anne Marie (Wallace), who worked in a bank, and Mark Phineas Mitchell, a factory worker. Elizabeth describes ...

Wet Hot American Summer franchise; The Hunger Games franchise; Lego Movie franchise (voice); W.; Seabiscuit

48. Eva Green

Actress | Casino Royale

French actress and model Eva Gaëlle Green was born on July 6, 1980, in Paris, France. Her father, Walter Green, is a dentist who appeared in the 1966 film Au hasard Balthazar (1966). Her mother, Marlène Jobert, is an actress turned children's book writer. Eva's mother was born in Algeria, of French...

Dark Shadows; Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children; The Golden Compass; Casino Royale; Kingdom of Heaven

49. Rosamund Pike

Actress | Gone Girl

Born in 1979 in London, England, actress Rosamund Mary Elizabeth Pike is the only child of a classical violinist mother, Caroline (Friend), and an opera singer father, Julian Pike. Due to her parents' work, she spent her early childhood traveling around Europe. Pike attended Badminton School in ...

I Care a Lot; Gone Girl; Pride and Prejudice (2005); A United Kingdom; Wrath of the Titans

50. Queen Latifah

Actress | Chicago

Often considered hip-hop's first lady, the woman behind the moniker Queen Latifah was born Dana Elaine Owens on March 18, 1970, in East Orange, New Jersey. She is the daughter of Rita (Bray), a teacher, and Lancelot Owens Sr. She came from a police family-both her father and her older brother were ...

The Equalizer (TV series); Chicago; Girls Trip; Bessie; Joyful Noise; The Secret Life of Bees; The Perfect Holiday; Hairspray

51. Julia Ormond

Actress | Sabrina

The dark and classically beautiful British actress and social activist Julia (Karin) Ormond was born on January 4, 1965, in Surrey, into England, the second of five children. Born of privilege as the daughter of a well-to-do laboratory technician, her parents divorced when she was young. Julia ...

Iron Jawed Angels; Legends of the Fall; My Week With Marilyn; Temple Grandin; First Knight; Sabrina (1995); Young Catherine

52. Embeth Davidtz

Actress | Bicentennial Man

Embeth Davidtz was born on August 11, 1965 in Lafayette, Indiana. She is known for her role as Miss Honey in the film Matilda (1996).

Her parents, Jean and John Davidtz, were South Africans, with Dutch, English, and French ancestry. The family moved to Trenton, New Jersey, before returning to her ...

Schindler's List; Mad Men; Matilda; Army of Darkness

53. Katie Holmes

Actress | Batman Begins

Born two months premature at four pounds, Kate Noelle Holmes made her first appearance on December 18, 1978, in Toledo, Ohio. She is the daughter of Kathleen Ann (Craft), a philanthropist, and Martin Joseph Holmes, Sr., a lawyer. She is of German, Irish, and English ancestry. Her parents have said ...

Miss Meadows; The Giver; Batman Begins (2005); Pieces of April; The Gift; Wonder Boys; Teaching Mrs Tingle

54. Angelina Jolie

Actress | Maleficent

Angelina Jolie is an Academy Award-winning actress who rose to fame after her role in Girl, Interrupted (1999), playing the title role in the "Lara Croft" blockbuster movies, as well as Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Wanted (2008), Salt (2010) and Maleficent (2014). Off-screen, Jolie has become ...

The Changeling; Maleficent; Girl, Interrupted; Gia

55. Naomi Watts

Actress | Mulholland Dr.

Naomi Ellen Watts was born on September 28, 1968 in Shoreham, England to Myfanwy Edwards "Miv" (Roberts), an antiques dealer and costume/set designer, and Peter Watts (Peter Anthony Watts), Pink Floyd's road manager. Her maternal grandfather was Welsh. Her father died when she was seven and she ...

The Glass Castle; The Wolf Hour; Shut In; Eastern Promises; King Kong (2005); The Ring 1 & 2; Mulholland Drive

56. Catherine Zeta-Jones

Actress | Chicago

Catherine Zeta-Jones was born September 25, 1969 in Swansea, Wales (and raised in the nearby town of Mumbles), the only daughter of Patricia (nee Fair) and David James "Dai" Jones, who formerly owned a sweet factory. She attended Dumbarton House School (Swansea). Her father (the son of Bertram (...

Chicago; Traffic; Ocean's 12; The Terminal; Intolerable Cruelty; Entrapment; The Mask of Zorro; Return of the Native (TV)

57. Anna Torv

Actress | Fringe

Anna Torv (born 7 June 1979) is an Australian actress known for her role as FBI agent Olivia Dunham on the Fox television series Fringe (2008-2013). Torv was born in Melbourne, Victoria, the daughter of Susan (née Carmichael) and Hans Torv, also grew up in Gold Coast, Queensland. Her father is of ...

Mind Hunters; Fringe (TV)

58. Gillian Anderson

Actress | The X Files

Gillian Anderson was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Rosemary Alyce (Lane), a computer analyst, and Homer Edward Anderson III, who owned a film post-production company. Gillian started her career as a member of an amateur actor group while at high school. In 1987, her love of the theatre took her to ...

The X-Files franchise (TV & Film); Bleak House (TV); The Crown (Series); The House of Mirth; The Mighty

59. Julianna Margulies

Actress | ER

Julianna Margulies was born on June 8, 1966 in Spring Valley (near New York City), as the youngest of three daughters of Francesca (Goldberg), a teacher and dancer in American Ballet, and Paul Margulies, an advertising writer and philosopher. She is of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage (from Romania, ...

ER (TV Series); The Good Wife (TV Series); The Mists of Avalon (TV mini-series); What's Cookin?; Paradise Road

60. Jennifer Ehle

Actress | Zero Dark Thirty

Jennifer Anne Ehle is an American actress, the daughter of English actress Rosemary Harris and American author John Ehle. She won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 BBC miniseries Pride and Prejudice. For her work on Broadway, she won the 2000 Tony ...

Contagion; Zero Dark Thirty; The King's Speech; Sunshine; Wilde; Paradise Road; Pride and Prejudice (1995 TV Mini-Series);

61. Rachel McAdams

Actress | The Notebook

Rachel Anne McAdams was born on November 17, 1978 in London, Ontario, Canada, to Sandra Kay (Gale), a nurse, and Lance Frederick McAdams, a truck driver and furniture mover. She is of English, Welsh, Irish, and Scottish descent. Rachel became involved with acting as a teenager and by the age of 13 ...

Spotlight; About Time; True Detective, Season 2; The Vow; The Family Stone; The Notebook; Mean Girls

62. Gwendoline Christie

Actress | Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi

London-based Gwendoline Christie is one of the most exciting and unique British actresses working today, having caught the industry's attention with her Emmy and Critics' Choice nominated role in the global hit HBO series "Game of Thrones." During her time on the show, she was also nominated ...

Game of Thrones (TV Series); Top of the Lake; Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens; Welcome to Marwen (voice)

63. Minnie Driver

Actress | Circle of Friends

Minnie Driver was born January 31, 1970 in London and raised in Barbados until she was seven. Her mother, Gaynor Churchward, was a designer and former couture model. Her father, Charles Ronald "Ronnie" Driver, was a businessman. Minnie's mother was her father's mistress while he was still married ...

The Phantom of the Opera; Ella Enchanted; Return to Me; Grosse Pointe Blank; The Governess; An Ideal Husband; Golden Eye; Good Will Hunting; Circle of Friends; The Red Tent (TV Mini-Series); Big Night; Beautiful

64. Laura Dern

Actress | Jurassic Park

Laura Dern was born on February 10, 1967 in Los Angeles, the daughter of actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd. Dern was exposed to movie sets and the movie industry from infancy, and obtained several bit parts as a child. Her parents divorced when Dern was two and Dern lost contact with her father for ...

Big Little Lies; Enlightened (TV Series); Citizen Ruth; Jurassic Park franchise; Rambling Rose; Blue Velvet

65. Ashley Judd

Actress | Double Jeopardy

American actress and political activist Ashley Judd was born Ashley Tyler Ciminella on April 19, 1968, in Granada Hills, California. She grew up in a family of successful performing artists as the daughter of country music singer Naomi Judd and the sister of Wynonna Judd. While she is best known ...

Ruby in Paradise; Double Jeopardy; Frida; Kiss the Girls; De-Lovely

66. Téa Leoni

Actress | The Family Man

Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni was born on February 25, 1966 in New York City. Her father, Anthony Pantaleoni, was a corporate lawyer, and her mother, Emily Ann (Patterson), worked as a dietitian and nutritionist. She is of Italian (from a paternal great-great-grandfather), Polish, English, Irish, ...

Madam Secretary (TV Series); Jurassic Park III; Family Man; Deep Impact; Fun With Dick and Jane; Spanglish

67. Natasha Lyonne

Actress | Orange Is the New Black

Natasha Lyonne is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated producer, actor, writer, and director.

Lyonne co-created Netflix series Russian Doll (2019), which received three Emmy awards, a total of 13 Emmy nominations including Comedy Series and Lead Actress for Lyonne, a Gotham Award nomination, and a ...

Russian Doll; The US vs Billie Holiday; Orange is the New Black; But I'm a Cheerleader; American Pie franchise; Slums of Beverly Hills

68. Jennifer Aniston

Actress | Friends

Jennifer Aniston was born in Sherman Oaks, California, to actors John Aniston and Nancy Dow. Her father was Greek, and her mother was of English, Irish, Scottish, and Italian descent. Jennifer spent a year of her childhood living in Greece with her family. Her family then relocated to New York City...

Horrible Bosses franchise; Friends (TV Series); Office Space; Dumplin'; Office Christmas Party; We're the Millers; Marley and Me; She's the One; Rock Star; The Good Girl

69. Miranda Otto

Actress | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Miranda Otto is an Australian actress. Otto is a daughter of actors Barry Otto and Lindsay Otto, and half-sister of actress Gracie Otto. She began her acting career at age 18 in 1986, and has appeared in a variety of independent and major studio films. Otto made her major film debut in Emma's War (...

Lord of the Rings franchise; The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina; Love Serenade

70. Reese Witherspoon

Producer | Wild

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon was born on March 22, 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana to Betty Witherspoon, a registered nurse & John Draper Witherspoon, a military surgeon. Reese spent the first 4 years of her life in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany, where her father served as a lieutenant colonel in the ...

Big Little Lies; Little Fires Everywhere; Wild; Water For Elephants; Walk the Line; Legally Blonde franchise; Election; Pleasantville

71. Retta

Actress | Parks and Recreation

Retta was born in Newark, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Parks and Recreation (2009), Fracture (2007) and The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017).

Good Girls (TV); Good Boys; Parks and Rec (TV)

72. Mira Sorvino

Actress | Mighty Aphrodite

Mira Katherine Sorvino was born on September 28, 1967 in Manhattan. She is the daughter of Lorraine Davis, an actress turned drama therapist, and veteran character actor Paul Sorvino. Her father's family were Italian immigrants. The young Sorvino was intelligent, an avid reader and an exceptional ...

Mighty Aphrodite; Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion; The Buccaneers; Beautiful Girls; Mimic; Reservation Road

73. Maggie Gyllenhaal

Actress | Secretary

Maggie Gyllenhaal was born on November 16, 1977 in New York City, New York as Margalit Ruth Gyllenhaal, the daughter of producer/screenwriter Naomi Foner and director Stephen Gyllenhaal, and the older sister of actor Jake Gyllenhaal. She is of Ashkenazi Jewish (mother) and Swedish, English, and ...

Crazy Heart; Nanny McPhee Returns; Sherrybaby; The Honorable Woman (TV Series); The Dark Knight; Stranger The Fiction; Mona Lisa Smile; Monster House (voice); Secretary

74. Lena Headey

Actress | 300

Lena Headey is a Bermudian-British actress. Headey is best known for her role as "Cersei Lannister" in Game of Thrones (2011) (2011-2019) and The Brothers Grimm (2005), Possession (2002), and The Remains of the Day (1993). Headey stars as "Queen Gorgo", a heroic Spartan woman in the period film, 300...

Game of Thrones (TV Series); Pride and Prejudice and Zombies; 300; The Purge; The Gathering Storm (TV Movie); Merlin (TV Series); Mrs Dalloway (1997); The Remains of the Day; The Mortal Instruments

75. Christina Hendricks

Actress | Ginger & Rosa

Christina Rene Hendricks was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho. Her father, Robert, originally from England, worked for the U.S. Forest Service, while her mother, Jackie Sue (Raymond), was a psychologist. At the age of 13 her father transferred to the Forest Service ...

Mad Men (TV Series); Good Girls (TV Series); Crooked House (2017); Pottersville; Another Period (TV Series); The Romanoffs (TV Series)

76. Molly Parker

Actress | Deadwood

Molly Parker, the extremely talented and versatile Canadian actress is best known in the United States for playing the Western widow "Alma Garret" on the cable-TV series Deadwood (2004). Raised on a commune, she described as "a hippie farm" in Pitt Meadows, B.C., Parker got the acting bug when she ...

Dead Wood franchise (TV and film); 1922; American Pastoral; Iron Jawed Angels; Sunshine; Pure; Lost in Space (2018)

77. Cameron Diaz

Actress | Vanilla Sky

Cameron Diaz, an American actress, was born in 1972 in San Diego, the daughter of a Cuban-American father and a German mother. Self described as "adventurous, independent and a tough kid," Cameron left home at 16 and for the next 5 years lived in such varied locales as Japan, Australia, Mexico, ...

There's Something About Mary;The Mask; Shrek franchise (voice); Annie (2014); The Holiday; Charlie's Angels; The Sweetest Thing; Vanilla Sky

78. Kristen Bell

Actress | Frozen

Kristen Anne Bell (born 1980) is an American actress and singer. She was born and raised in Huntington Woods, Michigan, and is the daughter of Lorelei (Frygier), a nurse, and Tom Bell, a television news director. Her ancestry is Polish (mother) and German, English, Irish, and Scottish (father). ...

The Good Place (TV Series); Veronica Mars franchise; Frozen franchise; Bad Moms franchise; Big Miracle; When in Rome; Scream 4; The Cat Returns (voice)

79. Valeria Golino

Actress | Rain Man

Valeria Golino is an Italian actress and film director. She is known to English-language audiences for her role in Rain Man, Big Top Pee-wee and the two Hot Shots! films, especially the olive-in-the-belly-button scene. The second child of an Italian germanist and a Greek painter, Valeria Golino ...

Immortal Beloved; Portrait of a Lady on Fire; Rain Man; Frida; Hot Shots! franchise

80. Siobhan Finneran

Actress | Downton Abbey

Siobhan Finneran was born on April 27, 1966 in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Downton Abbey (2010), Boy A (2007) and Happy Valley (2014). She was previously married to Mark Jordon.

Downton Abbey franchise; Happy Valley (TV Series); A Confession

81. Miranda Hart

Actress | Spy

Miranda Hart was born on December 14, 1972 in Torquay, Devon, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Spy (2015), Miranda (2009) and Emma. (2020).

Call the Midwife (TV Series); Emma.; Miranda (Series);

82. Diane Lane

Actress | Unfaithful

Diane Lane was born on January 22, 1965, in New York. She is the daughter of acting coach Burton Eugene "Burt" Lane and nightclub singer/centerfold Colleen Farrington. Her parents' families were both from the state of Georgia. Diane was acting from a very young age and made her stage debut at the ...

Under the Tuscan Sun; Unfaithful; Trumbo; Secretariat; Must Love Dogs; Nights in Rodanthe; The Perfect Storm; The Glass House; Lonesome Dove series; A Little Romance

83. Kate Beckinsale

Actress | Underworld: Evolution

Kate Beckinsale was born on 26 July 1973 in Hounslow, Middlesex, England, and has resided in London for most of her life. Her mother is Judy Loe, who has appeared in a number of British dramas and sitcoms and continues to work as an actress, predominantly in British television productions. Her ...

Love and Friendship; The Aviator; Cold Comfort Farm; Serendipity; Pearl Harbor; Underworld franchise; Van Helsing; Vacancy;

84. Rachel Griffiths

Actress | Six Feet Under

Her mother, Anna Griffiths, is an art consultant. Her uncle is a Jesuit priest. Has two older brothers. One brother, Ben, is a ski instructor. Lived on the Gold Coast, Queensland until age five, then moved to Melbourne. Attended Star of the Sea Catholic Girls' College, did well at school and ...

Muriel's Wedding; Six Feet Under (TV Series);Hacksaw Ridge; Saving Mr Banks; Hilar and Jackie

85. Kelly Reilly

Actress | Pride & Prejudice

Jessica Kelly Siobhán Reilly (born July 18, 1977) is an English actress. Her performance in After Miss Julie at the Donmar Warehouse made her a star of the London stage and earned her a nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress of 2003. Reilly was born and brought up in Chessington, ...

Britannia (Season 1); True Detective, Season 3;Flight; Pride & Prejudice (2005); Eden Lake; Sherlock Holmes (2009)

86. Tamlyn Tomita

Actress | The Day After Tomorrow

Tamlyn Tomita was born on January 27, 1966 in Okinawa, Japan. She is an actress and writer, known for The Day After Tomorrow (2004), The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and The Eye (2008). She is married to Daniel Blinkoff.

The Joy Luck Club; The Day After Tomorrow; The Karate Kid II (1986); Cobra Kai (TV Series); Star Trek: Picard (TV Series); Picture Bride

87. Bérénice Bejo

Actress | The Artist

Actress Bérénice Bejo was born in Buenos Aires, the daughter of Silvia De Paoli, a lawyer, and Miguel Bejo, a filmmaker. When she was three, Bejo's family relocated to Paris, France. She embarked on a successful acting career in the 1990s, with various roles in French television and film ...

The Artist; A Knight's Tale

88. Kathryn Hahn

Actress | Afternoon Delight

Kathryn Marie Hahn is an American actress and comedian. She became a worldwide phenomenon when she starred as Agatha Harkness in the Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries WandaVision (2021) for which she received critical acclaim and a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding ...

Bad Moms; Bad Moms Christmas; Captain Fantastic; The Visit; Tomorrowland; She's Funny That Way

89. Jennifer Esposito

Actress | Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens

Jennifer Esposito was born in Brooklyn, New York. She launched her career with an appearance on Law & Order (1990) in 1996, and went on to play the character of "Stacey Paterno" in 36 episodes on the hit TV series Spin City (1996), starring alongside Michael J. Fox.

Her first major film was ...

NCIS (TV Series); Awkwafina is Nora From Queens (TV Series); I Still Know What You Did This Summer; Law & Order SVU; Crash; Summer of Sam

90. Anna Friel

Actress | Land of the Lost

Anna Friel is an English actress, born in Rochdale. She has been acting since the age of 13, appearing in a number of British television programmes. She made her West End stage debut in London in 2001, and has subsequently appeared on stage in several productions, including an adaptation of ...

Pushing Daisies (TV Series); Limitless; Land of the Lost; Timeline; A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999); The Land Girls; Our Mutual Friend (1998)

91. Jennifer Garner

Actress | Alias

Jennifer Garner, who catapulted into stardom with her lead role on the television series Alias (2001), has come a long way from her birthplace of Houston, Texas. Raised in Charleston, West Virginia by her mother Patricia Ann (née English), a retired English teacher, and her father, Billy Jack ...

Juno; Wakefield; Dallas Buyer's Club; Mother's Day; Valentine's Day; Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day; The Odd Life of Timorthy Green; Ghost of Girlfriends Past; Catch Me If You Can; Alias (TV Series); 13 Going on 30

92. Sally Hawkins

Actress | The Shape of Water

Sally Cecilia Hawkins was born in 1976 in Lewisham hospital, London, England, to Jacqui and Colin Hawkins, authors and illustrators of children's books. She is of English and Irish descent. Hawkins was brought up in Greenwich, in southeast London. She attended James Allen's Girls' School in Dulwich...

The Shape of Water; Never Let Me Go; Fingersmith; Godzilla (2014); Blue Jasmine; Jane Eyre (2011); Great Expectations (2012)

93. Jennifer Lopez

Producer | Hustlers

Jennifer Lynn Lopez was born on July 24, 1969 in The Bronx, New York City, New York to teacher Lupe López and computer specialist David López. The two Puerto Ricans were brought to the continental United States during their childhoods and eventually met while living in New York City. Their ...

Enough; Maid in Manhattan; Selena; Angel Eyes; The Cell; The Wedding Planner

94. Sarah Jessica Parker

Actress | Sex and the City

Sarah Jessica Parker was born March 25, 1965, in Nelsonville, Ohio, to Barbra Forste (née Keck), a teacher who ran a nursery school, and Stephen Parker, a journalist. Her parents divorced, and her mother later remarried to Paul Forste and had four more children, bringing the total to eight. Sarah ...

Sex and the City franchise (TV and film); The Family Stone; Girls Just Want To Have Fun; Hocus Pocus franchise; Dudley Do-Right; The First Wives Club; Mars Attacks!; Ed Wood; LA Story; Honeymoon in Vegas

95. Judy Greer

Actress | 13 Going on 30

Judy Greer was born and raised outside of Detroit, Michigan, as Judith Therese Evans. She is the daughter of Mollie Ann (née Greer), a hospital administrator and former nun, and Richard Evans, a mechanical engineer. She has German, Irish, English, Welsh, and Scottish ancestry. After training for ...

Arrested Development (TV Series); Pottersville; 13 Going on 30; 27 Dresses; Ant-Man; Halloween (2018); War For the Planet of the Apes

96. Eva Longoria

Actress | Desperate Housewives

Eva Jacqueline Longoria was born on March 15, 1975 in Corpus Christi, Texas to Ella Eva Longoria (née Mireles), a special education teacher & Enrique Longoria Jr., a rancher. The youngest of four sisters who grew up in a Mexican-American family on a ranch near Corpus Christi, Longoria attended ...

Desperate Housewives (TV Series): The Sentinel; Dora and the Lost City of Gold; Overboard

97. Zoe Saldana

Actress | Avatar

Zoe Saldana was born on June 19, 1978 in Passaic, New Jersey, to Asalia Nazario and Aridio Saldaña. Her father was Dominican and her mother is Puerto Rican. She was raised in Queens, New York. When she was 10 years old, she and her family moved to the Dominican Republic, where they would live for ...

Avatar; Star Trek (2009); Avengers: Endgame; Guardians of the Galaxy franchise; Drumline

98. Leslie Mann

Actress | Knocked Up

Leslie Jean Mann was born in San Francisco, California. She was raised in Newport Beach, California by her mother, Janet Ann Ayres. At the age of seventeen, she launched her career, appearing in various TV commercials.

Her screen break came when she was cast as Nurse Mary in the short-lived Birdland...

Blithe Spirit (2020); Welcome to Marwen; Vacation; This is 40; George of the Jungle

99. Gwyneth Paltrow

Actress | Shakespeare in Love

Gwyneth Kate Paltrow was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of noted producer and director Bruce Paltrow and Tony Award-winning actress Blythe Danner. Her father was from a Jewish family, while her mother is of mostly German descent. When Gwyneth was eleven, the family moved to Massachusetts, where ...

Shakespeare in Love; Emma (1998); Sliding Doors; Contagion; The Talented Mr Ripley; Iron Man franchise; Avenders Endgame; Sylvia; The Royal Tenenbaums; Bounce; A Perfect Murder

100. Parker Posey

Actress | Scream 3

Parker Posey was born two months premature in Baltimore, Maryland, to Lynda (Patton) and Chris Posey. The family moved to Monroe, La. and then Laurel, Mississippi, where Chris became owner of Laurel's own Posey Chevrolet. Parker attended high school at R. H. Watkins High School in Laurel, and ...

The House of Yes; Waiting For Guffman; Best in Show; A Mighty Wind; For Your Consideration; Party Girl; Scream 3; Superman Returns; Tales of the City (1993)