Starting in 1950 and moving on until the year 2000, below you’ll find 51 of the biggest actors working today—one for each year. Were you a baby at the same time as Captain America or Luke Skywalker? Were you in the same graduating class as one of the James Bonds or as Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw? Did you go see Titanic while the same age as one of its leads? Read on to find out which star you align with, and to find out more about their high-profile career. And for the most popular musician of your era, check out This Was the Hottest Pop Star the Year You Graduated. If you were born in 1950, you’ve witnessed the release of all of Bill Murray’s big movies. From Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day to Lost in Translation and The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Murray’s lengthy filmography makes him the biggest actor born right in the middle of the 20th century. For the most famous celebrity period, who shares your birth year, check out The Biggest Star Who’s the Same Age as You. With Star Wars being one of the most successful movie franchises ever, it only makes sense that Mark Hamill is the most popular actor from the year he was born, 1951. It’s not like the world is going to forget about Luke Skywalker anytime soon. Another Star Wars actor is the most popular actor born in 1952. In addition to acting in the prequels, Liam Neeson is also known for roles in Schindler’s List, Michael Collins, Kinsey, Taken, and many more movies. For stars who’ve returned to roles after a long time away, check out 17 Actors Who Played the Same Character Years Later. There are few characters as iconic as James Bond, so it’s only natural that a Bond actor appear on the list. Pierce Brosnan, who played the role in four movies between 1995 and 2002, was born in May 1953. The Irish actor is also known for Mrs. Doubtfire, The Thomas Crown Affair, and Mamma Mia!. Two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington is the most popular actor of your year if you were born in 1954. Glory (Oscar one) Malcolm X, Philadelphia, Remember the Titans, Training Day (Oscar two), Fences — his list of successful movies goes on and on. For actors who’ve totally transformed for their work, check out 14 Actors Who Looked Unrecognizable in Major Movies. Speaking of very awarded actors, Whoopi Goldberg is one of the rare people to “EGOT,” which is to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. The actor, who is known for starring in The Color Purple, Ghost, Sister Act, and, more recently, for hosting The View, was born in November 1955. It’s hard to think of any actor who is more beloved than Tom Hanks, so obviously he is the most popular actor from his birth year of 1956. Moviegoers love him for Big, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, You’ve Got Mail, and Cast Away—and that’s barely scratching the surface. For actors who thought about leaving the business completely, check out These Huge Stars Almost Quit Hollywood. He might be retired now, but Daniel Day-Lewis will go down in history as one of the most acclaimed actors of all time. Being the only man to win three Best Actor Oscars will do that. Among his prestigious credits are A Room with a View, Gangs of New York, There Will Be Blood, and Lincoln. Born in August 1958, Angela Bassett has acted in films including the classics Malcolm X, What’s Love Got to Do with It, Waiting to Exhale, and How Stella Got Her Groove Back. More recently, she did something that many popular actors do: join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She played Queen Ramonda in Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame. For more celeb nostalgia sent right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. Thanks to roles on the television series The West Wing and Mom, and movies like Juno, The Help, and I, Tonya, Allison Janney takes the spot for most popular actor born in 1959. She might already have seven Emmys, but I’m sure she’s glad to have this honor, as well. An English actor kicks off the ’60s as the most popular actor born at the start of the decade. You’ve seen Colin Firth in hit movies including Bridget Jones’s Diary, Love Actually, and The King’s Speech. But you may most associate him with the role of Mr. Darcy if you’re a fan of the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries. Pretty much whatever year he was born, George Clooney was going to be the biggest star to come out of that period. But, 1961 babies, he’s all yours. He broke out on ER, and went on to act in films like O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and the Ocean’s Eleven movies. Tom Cruise is the most popular actor born in 1962 and one of the biggest movie stars of all time. Starting out with hits like Risky Business and Top Gun in the ’80s, Cruise has gone on to star in tons of memorable films, including six Mission: Impossible movies.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Two years after Clooney, we have his Ocean’s Eleven and Burn After Reading costar Brad Pitt. You probably don’t need a refresher on why Pitt is so famous, but, for the record, he’s starred in movies including Fight Club, Seven, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Plus, there are his much talked about marriages to Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie. Keanu Reeves is very popular on the internet at the moment, mostly for seeming like a good, sensitive person. But, of course, there’s also his movie career that makes him the most popular actor born in 1964. From the Matrix trilogy to the Bill & Ted movies to the John Wick series, he’s a crowd-pleaser. Sarah Jessica Parker was acting long before Sex and the City premiered in 1998, but it’s the gig responsible for making her the biggest actor born in 1965. After all, Carrie Bradshaw is going to be remembered forever. But starring in films including Footloose, Hocus Pocus, and Failure to Launch doesn’t hurt either. Anyone born in 1966 saw Adam Sandler’s rise to fame on Saturday Night Live in the early ’90s—when both of you were in your 20s—and went on to see him put out hit after hit comedy (and a few dramas) as the years went on. There’s The Waterboy, The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates, and Uncut Gems to name a few. Another actor who would have been deemed most popular no matter who she was up against for her year is Julia Roberts. You know her for romantic comedies (Pretty Woman, My Best Friend’s Wedding). You know her for dramas (Erin Brockovich, Eat Pray Love). You know her for just being really, really famous. Where do you start when talking about Will Smith? The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? Countless action movies and comedies? His music career? All of these are reasons why he’s the most popular actor born in 1968. Like Smith, Jennifer Aniston is also a ’90s TV star who went into movies. You probably first saw her as Rachel Green on Friends, and her film roles include The Break-Up, Just Go with It, and We’re the Millers. But she’s also pretty famous for being unfairly talked about in many, many tabloids. Queen Latifah chose her stage name for her rap career. (Her real name is Dana Owens.) But she’s so widely known for her film and TV roles too that she’s the most popular actor born in 1970. Her most beloved projects include Living Single, Chicago, Beauty Shop, and Girls Trip. One of the biggest stars on the Netflix series Stranger Things, Winona Ryder has been in a long list of classic movies over the years. Beetlejuice, Heathers, Edward Scissorhands, Little Women, Girl, Interrupted, and Black Swan are some of her hits. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson goes down in history for executing one of the most successful career changes of all time. He went from being a popular pro wrestler to being one of the top-grossing actors of all time thanks to roles in the Fast and the Furious franchise, Moana, Jumanji, and more. If you were born in 1973, that means that when you were a teenager you may have been watching Neil Patrick Harris play a teenage doctor on Doogie Howser, M.D. Since that breakout role in the ’80s, he’s gone on to act in How I Met Your Mother, Gone Girl, the Harold & Kumar movies, and numerous stage productions. The most popular actor of 1974 has to be Leonardo DiCaprio, who you’ll recognize from some little movies like Titanic, The Wolf of Wall Street, Inception, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Just small art-house films that definitely don’t get you six Oscar nominations. DiCaprio’s Titanic and Revolutionary Road costar Kate Winslet takes the spot for 1975. In addition to those two films, the seven-time Oscar nominee has also starred in Sense & Sensibility, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Reader, and many more. You might think of her as Tracy Flick (Election), Elle Woods (Legally Blonde), or June Carter Cash (Walk the Line), but regardless of which role comes to mind first, Reese Witherspoon is definitely the most popular actor born in 1976. In addition to those roles, she’s also starred in Big Little Lies, Wild, and Sweet Home Alabama, plus her clothing line and work as a producer. Speaking of Witherspoon, her Little Fires Everywhere costar Kerry Washington is the most popular actor born in 1977. Washington’s most beloved role so far is probably Olivia Pope on Scandal, but she’s also appeared in Save the Last Dance, Ray, and Django Unchained. Right at the beginning of her career, Rachel McAdams sealed her spot in movie history with two memorable characters: Regina George in Mean Girls and Allie in The Notebook. Since then, the actor has gone on to star in Spotlight, True Detective, and Doctor Strange, among many other films. Considering how much people love The Office, John Krasinski could be the most popular actor born in 1979 just from playing Jim Halpert. But, he also won over fans with A Quiet Place and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. As you can see, there are a lot of connections between the actors on this list. That continues with Ryan Gosling who starred in The Notebook with—and previously dated—Rachel McAdams. The actor is also a fan favorite for his roles in La La Land, Drive, and Crazy, Stupid, Love. Have you heard of some guy who goes by the name Captain America? I’m sure you have. And it’s thanks to Chris Evans, who takes the ‘81 spot for playing the superhero in several Marvel films and just seeming like a genuinely good person. Anne Hathaway first won over audiences in 2001’s The Princess Diaries, and since then she’s starred in a wide variety of movies, from dramas (Rachel Getting Married) to musicals (Les Misérables) to comedies (The Devil Wears Prada) to sci-fi (Interstellar). She can really do it all. Another year, another Hollywood Chris. This time, it’s Chris Hemsworth representing 1983. The Australian actor is best known for playing Thor in the Marvel movies, but he’s also starred in Rush, Ghostbusters, and Snow White and the Huntsman. Another Marvel superhero (are you sensing a theme?) is the most popular actor born in 1984. Scarlett Johansson, born in November 1984, plays Black Widow in the franchise, and has also starred in popular movies like Lost in Translation, Her, and Marriage Story. After making her presence known through early roles in Bend It Like Beckham and Pirates of the Caribbean, Keira Knightley has remained a star, famous for doing period pieces in particular. You can see her in Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, and Anna Karenina, among others. With the amount of fans Robert Pattinson gained while starring in the Twilight franchise, it’s no surprise that he’s the most popular actor born in 1986. He countered that by starring in smaller, independent films—Life, Good Time, The Lighthouse—but is now taking on another huge role by starring in the upcoming DC flick The Batman. Zac Efron is here thanks to his Netflix travel show. Just kidding! Efron makes the list primarily because of the High School Musical series that made him a teen idol in the ’00s. But, after breaking through with those movies, he went on to star in a number of comedies and musicals, including 17 Again, The Greatest Showman, and Neighbors. The most popular actor born in 1988 is one of the biggest stars working today, period. Emma Stone got her start starring in comedies including Superbad and Easy A, and now she really does it all, from musicals, like La La Land for which she won an Oscar, to period dramedies, like The Favourite. The Boy Who Lived was born in 1989—well, the actor who played him was. Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe was born in July of that year, and while he’s best known as the bespectacled wizard, he’s gone on to star in Swiss Army Man, Kill Your Darlings, and on Broadway in the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. We kick off the ’90s with Jennifer Lawrence, who, like many actors her age, has been part of a big franchise. And while she certainly gained a lot of fans by playing Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games series, she’s also found critical acclaim for her roles in Winter’s Bone, American Hustle, and Silver Linings Playbook, for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress. Yep, it’s another star of a major book adaptation franchise. Shailene Woodley starred in the Divergent series, and is also famous for roles in The Fault in Our Stars, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and Big Little Lies. And she’s been acting for years. While 1991 babies were 12 years old, Woodley had a recurring role on The O.C. Like Mark Hamill before her, Daisy Ridley makes the list because of her role in Star Wars. The English actor starred in the latest trilogy as Rey and won over a new generation of fans. Ridley can also be seen in Murder on the Orient Express and Ophelia, and since Star Wars was her first big break, has a lot of career ahead of her. Keke Palmer rose to fame when she starred in Akeelah and the Bee at 13 years old. Since then, her career has been moving forward at full force with her music, her TV hosting, and her roles in True Jackson, VP, Scream Queens, and Hustlers. Arguably the most acclaimed young actor working right now is Saoirse Ronan. If you were born in 1994, you and Ronan were both 13 when she starred in Atonement, for which she received her first Academy Award nomination. She’s gone on to receive three more nominations for Brooklyn, Lady Bird, and Little Women. Ronan’s Little Women and Lady Bird costar, Timothée Chalamet is up next. In addition to those two films, he’s beloved by fans for Call Me By Your Name, Beautiful Boy, and being an Internet Boyfriend. Zendaya is a Disney Channel star turned mainstream star, who has appeared in The Greatest Showman, the latest set of Spider-Man movies, and the HBO series Euphoria. For her role in Euphoria, she became the youngest person to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. A very strong representative for 1996. Maisie Williams made her acting debut on Game of Thrones when she was only 14. And it’s her role as Arya Stark on the fantasy series that makes her the most popular actor born in 1997. The actor has also appeared in The New Mutants, Then Came You, and The Book of Love. Elle Fanning was only born 22 years ago, in 1998, but she has a very lengthy resume already. She kicked things off with I Am Sam when she was only three years old, and has gone on to star in Somewhere, 20th Century Women, the two Maleficent movies, and the Hulu series The Great, among other projects. Like Fanning, Joey King got her start as a child star, appearing in movies like Ramona and Beezus and Crazy, Stupid, Love. More recently, she starred in Netflix’s The Kissing Booth movies and the Hulu series The Act, which landed her Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Lastly, we have Yara Shahidi, who was born in the year 2000. The actor is known for playing Zoey on black-ish and its spin-off grown-ish, and she starred in the teen romance The Sun Is Also a Star. She’s also known for her activism. Anyone born in 2000 will see Shahidi’s career blossom as they enter their 20s themselves.
