Summary
- Here is a list of 20 notable actresses and their respective dates of birth, active years, and notable performances:
- Christina Ricci – Date of Birth: February 12, 1980, Active Since 1990, Notable Performances: Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family, Selby Wall in Monster.
- Natasha Rothwell – Date of Birth: October 18, 1980, Active Since 2013, Notable Performances: Kelli in Insecure, Belinda in The White Lotus.
There is a long list of decorated, popular, and commercially successful actresses in their 40s and yet, due in part to Hollywood, fan expectations, and cultural assumptions about women, these actresses don’t always get the recognition or respect they deserve. It’s not a new issue that Hollywood (and as is not always discussed, the viewership) doesn’t care as much about middle-aged actors, specifically women. While older male actors can essentially play any part they want, actresses get to a certain age and suddenly, they can’t even play characters who are their actual age without criticism.
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Take The Idea of You with Anne Hathaway. She’s a 40-something actress playing a desirable 40-something character, but the reaction to her character online would have people think Hathaway is 85. It’s expected that 46-year-old Ryan Reynolds can be a sex symbol and action star and have younger romantic co-leads, but having the 41-year-old Hathaway as a dating single woman, and audiences are shocked. There are plenty of actresses in their 40s who deserve more recognition, and just a look at their filmographies and award histories should be enough to convince viewers of such.
You are watching: 40 Actresses You Didn’t Know Were In Their 40s
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1 Amy Adams (49)
Date Of Birth: August 20, 1974
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1994 |
Title |
Role |
Academy Awards |
Golden Globes |
Emmys |
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Enchanted (2007) |
Giselle |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
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Arrival (2016) |
Dr. Louise Banks |
6 |
0 |
10 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
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Amy Adams shot to fame in 2005 with her Academy Award-nominated role in Junebug as Ashley Johnsten, which quickly led to her starring role in Enchanted as the Disney princess, Giselle. She has since earned six Academy Award nominations and 2024 may prove to be Amy Adams’ most impressive year yet with two movies and a TIFF award.
Amy Adams is tied with Deborah Kerr and Thelma Ritter as the actresses with the second most Oscar nominations with no wins. Glenn Close is first, with eight nominations.
2 Uzo Aduba (43)
Date Of Birth: February 10, 1981
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2003 |
Title |
Role |
SAGs |
Golden Globes |
Emmys |
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Orange is the New Black (2013-2019) |
Crazy Eyes |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
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Lightyear (2022) |
Alisha Hawthorne |
8 |
5 |
3 |
0 |
5 |
3 |
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Uzo Aduba came to prominence as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren in Orange is the New Black, a role that sawher quickly jump from recurring cast member to main cast member and earn two Emmy wins and two Golden Globe nominations. She’s since gone on to voice Alisha Hawthorne in Lightyear and play Dr. Brooke Taylor in In Treatment. Aduba is set to star in the Netflix mystery drama The Residence as Cordelia Cupp and the August 2024 film The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat as Clarice Baker.
3 Jessica Alba (43)
Date Of Birth: April 28, 1981
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1992 |
Title |
Role |
Golden Globes |
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Fantastic Four (2005) |
Sue Storm |
Noms |
Wins |
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Trigger Warning (2024) |
Parker |
1 |
0 |
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Jessica Alba has had a long, winding career, but after playing Sue Storm in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, she nearly left the business. She got her start at 13-years-old starring in shows like Flipper and Dark Angel, the latter of which she received a Golden Globe for. After Fantastic Four, her only really notable role was in the Sin City franchise as Nancy Callahan. Thankfully, she hasn’t left the business and continues working steadily, as 2024 saw her star in the action thriller Trigger Warning.
4 Drew Barrymore (49)
Date Of Birth: February 22, 1975
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1976 |
Title |
Role |
SAGs |
Golden Globes |
Emmys |
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Irreconcilable Differences (1984) |
Casey Brodsky |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
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Blended (2014) |
Lauren Reynolds |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
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Drew Barrymore began her career as a child star, with a breakout role as Gertie in E.T. at only 7 years old. She then went on to become one of the most prolific actresses in Hollywood, appearing in over 80 roles over her career, including Scream as Casey Becker and Santa Clarita Diet as Sheila Hammond. Barrymore’s talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, has proven to be enduring, as has her business ventures into fashion with a Dear Drew clothing line and winemaking.
Drew is a member of the famed Barrymore acting family, which includes acting legends like John Barrymore and Dolores Costello, as well as matinee idol John Drew Jr.
5 Stephanie Beatriz (43)
Date Of Birth: February 10, 1981
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2002 |
Title |
Role |
SAGs |
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Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021) |
Rosa Diaz |
Noms |
Wins |
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In the Heights (2021) |
Carla |
1 |
0 |
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Most fans’ first introduction to Stephanie Beatriz came in Brooklyn Nine-Nine as Detective Rosa, but Beatriz has done plenty movies and shows since then. She’s proven herself a capable voice actor, starring in Encanto as Mirabel Madrigal and voicing characters in The Legend of Vox Machina, Big Mouth, and Dogs in Space. In live-action, Beatriz has a memorable performance in In the Heights as Carla and in the ongoing Twisted Metal series as Quiet.
6 Kristen Bell (43)
Date Of Birth: July 18, 1980
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Notable Performances |
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1992 |
Title |
Role |
Golden Globes |
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Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) |
Sarah Marshall |
Noms |
Wins |
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The Good Place (2016-2020) |
Eleanor Shellstrop |
1 |
0 |
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Kristen Bell began her career in typical dramatic fashion, playing small roles in dramas before landing the titular part on Veronica Mars and rocketing into stardom. Gossip Girl came soon after, but very quickly, it became apparent Bell’s real talent late in comedy. Parts in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, House of Lies, the Bad Moms universe, and The Good Place have positioned Bell as a female comedy lead. She’s also set to star in the upcoming Netflix comedy series Nobody Wants This as Joanne.
7 Rose Byrne (44)
Date Of Birth: July 24, 1979
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1994 |
Title |
Role |
Golden Globes |
Emmys |
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Bridesmaids (2011) |
Helen Harris III |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
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Physical (2021-2023) |
Sheila Rubin |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
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Rose Byrne may have the most range out of any working actor currently. She came to the attention of most viewers with her Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated performance as Ellen Parsons in the legal thriller series Damages, but she did not solely stay in the dramatic lane. She can do action with the prequel X-Men franchise, horror with Insidious, and comedy with Neighbors. Byrne currently stars in the comedy show Platonic alongside Seth Rogen and there’s rarely been a year without her appearing in a movie or show since she began her career.
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8 Jessica Chastain (47)
Date Of Birth: March 24, 1977
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1998 |
Title |
Role |
Academy Awards |
Golden Globes |
Emmys |
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Interstellar (2014) |
Adult Murph |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
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It Chapter Two (2019) |
Adult Beverly Marsh |
3 |
1 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
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Never one to shy away from difficult and grueling roles, Jessica Chastain has had exceptional performances in harrowing dramas and thrillers since her career began. Particularly in her breakout year of 2012, where she appeared in major roles in six movies, including The Tree of Life and The Help. Zero Dark Thirty, Interstellar, It Chapter 2, The Good Nurse, and more came later, along with numerous accolades. Chastain is set to star in the upcoming series The Savant and the upcoming film Dreams.
9 Carrie Coon (43)
Date Of Birth: January 24, 1981
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2006 |
Title |
Role |
SAGs |
Emmys |
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The Leftovers (2014-2017) |
Nora Durst |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
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Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) |
Callie Spengler |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
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After working in the theater, Carrie Coon broke into Hollywood later in her career when she appeared in Gone Girl as Margo Dunne and The Leftovers as Nora Durst in the same year, 2014. She went on to play Proxima Midnight, a member of Thanos’ Black Order in the MCU, and Callie Spengler in the rebooted Ghostbusters franchise. On television, she has main roles in Fargo season 3, The Sinner, and the ongoing The Gilded Age. Coon will also appear in the third installment of The White Lotus, set for 2025.
10 Rosario Dawson (45)
Date Of Birth: May 9, 1979
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1994 |
Title |
Role |
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Briarpatch (2020) |
Allegra “Pick” Dill |
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Haunted Mansion (2023) |
Gabbie |
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Rosario Dawson was a teen when she began her career with the 1995 film Kids as Ruby and has worked steadily since, only increasing her cultural impact. She later went on to appear in Men in Black II as Laura Vasquez and Clerks II as Becky Scott. The mid-2010s would see a career resurgence for Dawson, who played Claire Temple in five different Marvel shows and recently appeared in Ahsoka as the titular Jedi. She’s also set to star in the upcoming thriller Speed of Light as Vanessa Trace.
11 Kirsten Dunst (42)
Date Of Birth: April 30, 1982
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1989 |
Title |
Role |
Academy Awards |
Golden Globes |
Emmys |
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Jumanji (1995) |
Judy Shepherd |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
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Spider-Man trilogy (2002-2007) |
Mary Jane Watson |
1 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
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Kirsten Dunst has had a long and celebrated career, beginning with her performance in Interview with the Vampire as Claudia when she was only 12. That role earned her a Golden Globe nomination and led to more parts for the young actress in Jumanji and Small Soldiers. She transitioned into the adult phase of her career with her performance as Mary Jane Watsonin Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. She has continued acting in notable movies, including The Power of the Dog and Civil War, both with her husband, Jesse Plemons.
Dunst and Plemons also played an on-screen couple together in
Fargo
season 2, which is when they began dating.
12 Rebecca Ferguson (40)
Date Of Birth: October 19, 1983
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Awards |
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1999 |
Title |
Role |
Golden Globes |
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Doctor Sleep (2019) |
Rose the Hat |
Noms |
Wins |
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Silo (2023-Present) |
Juliette Nichols |
1 |
0 |
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Swedish-born actress Rebecca Ferguson began her career with the Swedish soap opera Nya Tider but would not get recognition from most American audiences until her performance as Elizabeth Woodville, the titular queen of the British The White Queen miniseries, which earned Ferguson her first Golden Globe nomination. She’s gone on to star in two major franchises, Dune as Lady Jessica and Mission Impossible as Ilsa Faust. On TV, she currently stars in Silo as Juliette Nichols. Ferguson will also star in the 2025 sci-fi film Mercy.
13 America Ferrera (40)
Date Of Birth: April 18, 1984
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2002 |
Title |
Role |
Academy Awards |
Golden Globes |
Emmys |
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Ugly Betty (2006-2010) |
Betty Suarez |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
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Barbie (2023) |
Gloria |
1 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
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America Ferrera rose to prominence in 2005 with her dual performances in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer. Those roles quickly led to a starring performance in the sitcom Ugly Betty as Betty Suarez, which earned her a Golden Globe and an Emmy. She followed that role up with a starring part in Superstore as Amy Sosa and film performances in Barbie and Dumb Money. Ferrera is set to voice Olga Solis in the upcoming Pixar movie Elio and play Mary Ludwig in The Lost Bus.
America Ferrera’s Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series made her the first Latina woman in the category to win the award.
14 Maggie Gyllenhaal (46)
Date Of Birth: November 16, 1977
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Awards |
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1992 |
Title |
Role |
Academy Awards |
Golden Globes |
Emmys |
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Stranger than Fiction (2006) |
Ana Pascal |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
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The Deuce (2017-2019) |
See more : James Holzhauer Ethnicity, What is James Holzhauer’s Ethnicity? Eileen “Candy Renee” Merrell |
2 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
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Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jake’s older sister, came up with her famous sibling in actingaround the same time when they both appeared in Donnie Darko together. She then branched off on her own with several acclaimed performances in Secretary and Sherrybaby, each of which earned her a Golden Globe nomination. Gyllenhaal entered the superhero realm when she played Rachel Dawson in The Dark Knight and starred in The Deuce on HBO as Candy Renee. She’s also begun directing, with her second film, The Bride!, set for 2025.
The cast of
The Bride!
includes Maggie, her brother Jake, and her husband Peter Sarsgaard.
15 Tiffany Haddish (44)
Date Of Birth: December 3, 1979
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Awards |
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2000 |
Title |
Role |
Grammys |
Emmys |
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Girls Trip (2017) |
Dina |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
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Haunted Mansion (2023) |
Harriet |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
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Grammy-winning comedian Tiffany Haddish came onto the scene like a lightning bolt in 2017 with the R-rated comedy Girls Trip as Dina, the funniest part of a hilarious movie. She never slowed down after that year and Haddish has appeared in numerous movies, both comedies and a few dramas. She currently voices characters in the ongoing animated shows Solar Opposites and The Freak Brothers and Girls Trip 2 is in pre-production.
16 Rebecca Hall (42)
Date Of Birth: May 3, 1982
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Notable Performances |
Awards |
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1992 |
Title |
Role |
SAGs |
Golden Globes |
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The Town (2010) |
Claire Keesey |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
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Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) |
Ilene Andrews |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
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Rebecca Hall began appearing on-screen at the age of 10 as Young Sophie in The Camomile Lawn TV series. Her breakthrough came in The Prestige as Sarah Borden and continued through Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Frost/Nixon. Hall eventually hitched herself to a major franchise as Ilene Andrews in the Monsterverse. She has two upcoming projects, the series The Listeners and the film Ella McCay.
17 Anne Hathaway (41)
Date Of Birth: November 12, 1982
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Awards |
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1997 |
Title |
Role |
Academy Awards |
Golden Globes |
Emmys |
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The Princess Diaries (2001) |
Mia Thermopolis |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
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The Idea of You (2024) |
Solène Marchand |
2 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
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Academy Award-winning actress Anne Hathaway has been at the center of Hollywood since her star-making film debut in The Princess Diaries as Mia Thermopolis. She went on to appear in Rachel Getting Married and Les Misérables, which earned her an Oscar nomination and a win, respectively. Her performance in the series WeCrashed as Rebekah Neumann was widely celebrated, and she has two upcoming movies, Flowervale Street and Mother Mary.
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18 Bryce Dallas Howard (43)
Date Of Birth: March 2, 1981
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2003 |
Title |
Role |
SAGs |
Golden Globes |
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Jurassic World (2015) |
Claire Dearing |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
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Argylle (2024) |
Elly Conway |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
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Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of director Ron Howard, played mostly minor roles in film and TV until her starring role in The Village as Ivy Elizabeth Walker. She later went on to appear as Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man 3 and Claire Dearing in the Jurassic World franchise. Howard has also directed multiple episodes of Star Wars shows like The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. She’s set to appear in the upcoming TV series Witch Mountain.
19 Kate Hudson (45)
Date Of Birth: April 19, 1979
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1996 |
Title |
Role |
Academy Awards |
Golden Globes |
SAGs |
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Almost Famous (2001) |
Penny Lane |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Murder Mystery (2016) |
Birdie Jay |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
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Kate Hudson, daughter of Goldie Hawn, rose to prominence as Penny Lane in Almost Famous, which earned her an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe win. She then became a rom-com staple, appearing in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Fool’s Gold opposite Matthew McConaughey. Her recent career has seen her play Birdie Jay in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and she’s set to star in the 2025 thriller Shell as Zoe Shannon and the 2025 TV show Running Point.
20 Angelina Jolie (49)
Date Of Birth: June 4, 1975
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1982 |
Title |
Role |
Academy Awards |
Golden Globes |
Emmys |
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Girl Interrupted (1999) |
Lisa Rowe |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
Noms |
Wins |
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Eternals (2021) |
Thena |
2 |
1 |
8 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
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Angelina Jolie, daughter of John Voight, was a massive star in the ’90s and early 2000s with roles like Lisa Rowe in Girl, Interrupted, Lara Croft in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and Jane Smith in Mr. And Mrs. Smith. She took a bit of a break from acting in the late 2010s, only appearing in a handful of roles, but has recently been appearing in more roles, including as Hannah Faber in Those Who Wish Me Dead. Jolie is set to star in the upcoming movie Maria as Maria Callas.
Source: https://www.kidsland.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment