11. Jennifer Lawrence

2011 key roles: 'The Beaver,' 'X-Men: First Class,' 'Like Crazy'

Jennifer Lawrence started 2011 with an Oscar nomination for her performance in 'Winter's Bone,' but it was her casting in 'The Hunger Games' as Katniss Everdeen, the girl who was on fire, that vaulted her to national prominence. (That and the striking red dress she wore to the Oscars.) Like Michael Fassbender, her biggest onscreen hit in 2011 was 'X-Men: First Class,' where she played a naked and maturing Mystique, but she also appeared in the art-house smash 'Like Crazy.'

Upcoming projects: 'The Hunger Games' and its sequels, 'Catching Fire' and 'Mockingjay'; the horror film 'House at the End of the Street'; the David O. Russell-directed drama 'The Silver Linings Playbook' with Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro.