TOP 35 Actors and Actresses Under 35 Working Today - 2017

The almost annual TOP 35 Actors and Actresses Under 35 Working Today is out, with me considering the performers' performances of 2016 also. We have a few changes since last year's list, with Greta Gerwig toping the list thanks to her last 3 great performances in Mistress America, Maggie's Plan and the Oscar buzzy acting turn in 20th Century Women. Scarlett Johansson comes second with her latest distinguished performance being in 2014 (Under the Skin), but she managed to be at the spotligh this year thanks to her fine turns in critically acclaimed movies: Hail, Caesar!, Captain America: Civil War, The Jungle Book (voice) and Sing (voice). Emily Blunt adds another great performance to her resume in The Girl on the Train and she comes third, while Elle Fanning's turning into one of the finest actresses and she's getting to play more adult and complex parts like The Neon Demon and 20th Century Women's (her two best performances since Super 8). Finally, Adam Driver comes fifth with an incredible duo of performances last year in Paterson (pure perfection) and in Silence (fine under Scorsese's direction), being the first male on the list.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natalie Portman are out - they will complete 36 in 2017, but they have our respect for all the consecutive years between the very best of their generation.

1. GRETA GERWIG

Born: August 4, 1983 in Sacramento, California, USA - age 33

Breakthrough performance: Nights and Weekends (2008)

Distinguished performances: Greenberg (2010); Damsels in Distress (2011); Frances Ha (2013); Mistress America (2015); Maggie's Plan (2016); 20th Century Women (2016)

Academy Award recognition: none

2. SCARLETT JOHANSSON

Born: November 22, 1984 in New York City, New York, USA - age 32

Breakthrough performance: The Horse Whisperer (1998)

Distinguished performances: Lost In Translation (2003); Girl With Pearl Earring (2003); A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004); Match Point (2005); Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008); Don Jon (2013); Her (2013); Under the Skin (2014)

Academy Award recognition: none

3. EMILY BLUNT

Born: February 23, 1983 in Roehampton, London, England, UK - age 33

Breakthrough performance: My Summer of Love (2004)

Distinguished performances: My Summer of Love (2004); The Devil Wears Prada (2006); The Young Victoria (2009); Your Sister's Sister (2011); Edge of Tomorrow (2014); Into the Woods (2014); Sicario (2015); The Girl on the Train (2016)

Academy Award recognition: none

4. ELLE FANNING

Born: April 9, 1998 in Conyers, Georgia, USA - age 18

Breakthrough performance: Babel (2006)

Distinguished performances: Phoebe in Wonderland (2008); Somewhere (2010); Super 8 (2011); Ginger & Rosa (2012); Low Down (2014); The Neon Demon (2016); 20th Century Women (2016)

Academy Award recognition: none

5. ADAM DRIVER

Born: November 19, 1983 in San Diego, California, USA - age 33

Breakthrough performance: Frances Ha (2012)

Distinguished performances: Inside Llewyn Davis (2013); Tracks (2014); Hungry Hearts (2014); Paterson (2016); Silence (2016)
Academy Award recognition: none

6. JENNIFER LAWRENCE

Born: August 15, 1990 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA - age 26

Breakthrough performance: The Burning Plain (2009)

Distinguished performances: Winter's Bone (2010); The Hunger Games (2012); Silver Linings Playbook (2012); American Hustle (2013); The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013); Joy (2015)

Academy Award recognition: 4 nominations | 1 win - Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook

7. ANDREW GARFIELD

Born: August 20, 1983 in Los Angeles, California, USA - age 33

Breakthrough performance: Boy A (2007)

Distinguished performances: Boy A (2007); Never Let Me Go (2010); The Social Network (2010); The Amazing Spider-Man (2012); 99 Homes (2015); Hacksaw Ridge (2016); Silence (2016)

Academy Award recognition: 1 nomination

8. MIA WASIKOWSKA

Born: October 14, 1989 in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia - age 27

Breakthrough performance: Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Distinguished performances: That Evening Sun (2009); Alice in Wonderland (2010); The Kids Are All Right (2010); Jane Eyre (2011); Restless (2011) Tracks (2014); Maps to the Stars (2014); Crimson Peak (2015)

Academy Award recognition: none

9. ALICIA VIKANDER

Born: October 3, 1988 in Gothenburg, Västra Götalands län, Sweden - age 28
Breakthrough performance: Pure (2009)
Distinguished performances: Pure (2009); A Royal Affair (2012); Testament of Youth (2014); Ex Machina (2015); The Danish Girl (2015)
Academy Award recognition: 1 nomination | 1 win - Best Supporting Actress for The Danish Girl

10. HAILEE STEINFELD

Born: December 11, 1996 in Tarzana, Los Angeles, California, USA - age 20

Breakthrough performance: True Grit (2010)

Distinguished performances: True Grit (2010); The Keeping Room (2015); The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
Academy Award recognition: 1 nomination

11. PAUL DANO

Born: June 19, 1984 in New York City, New York, USA - age 32

Breakthrough performance: L.I.E. (2002)

Distinguished performances: L.I.E. (2002); Little Miss Sunshine (2006); There Will Be Blood (2007); 12 Years a Slave (2013); Prisoners (2013); Love & Mercy (2015)

Academy Award recognition: none

12. EMMA STONE

Born: November 6, 1988 in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA - age 28

Breakthrough performance: Superbad (2007)

Distinguished performances: Paper Man (2009); Easy A (2010); The Help (2011); The Amazing Spider-Man (2012); Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014); La La Land (2016)

Academy Award recognition: 2 nominations | 1 win - Best Actress for La La Land

13. EZRA MILLER

Born: September 30, 1992 in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA - age 24

Breakthrough performance: Afterschool (2008)

Distinguished performances: We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011); Another Happy Day (2011); The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012); The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
Academy Award recognition: none

14. KEIRA KNIGHTLEY

Born: March 26, 1985 in Teddington, Middlesex, England, UK - age 31

Breakthrough performance: Pirates of Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Distinguished performances: Pride & Prejudice (2005); Atonement (2007); The Duchess (2008); A Dangerous Method (2011); Anna Karenina (2012); Begin Again (2013); The Imitation Game (2014)
Academy Award recognition: 2 nominations

15. LÉA SEYDOUX

Born: July 1, 1985 in Paris, France - age 31

Breakthrough performance: The Beautiful Person (2008)

Distinguished performances: The Beautiful Person (2008); Belle Épine (2010); Farewell, My Queen (2012); Sister (2012); Grand Central (2013); Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013); Diary of a Chambermaid (2015)

Academy Award recognition: none

16. REBECCA HALL

Born: May 3, 1982 in London, England, UK - age 34
Breakthrough performance: The Prestige (2006)
Distinguished performances: The Prestige (2006); Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008); Please Give (2010); The Awakening (2011); Christine (2016)
Academy Award recognition: none

17. KRISTEN STEWART

Born: April 9, 1990 in Los Angeles, California, USA - age 26

Breakthrough performance: Panic Room (2002)

Distinguished performances: The Cake Eaters (2008); Adventureland (2009); The Runaways (2010); On the Road (2012); Camp X-Ray (2014); Clouds of Sils Maria (2015); Café Society (2016)

Academy Award recognition: none

18. ANNE HATHAWAY

Born: November 12, 1982 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA - age 34

Breakthrough performance: The Princess Diaries (2001)

Distinguished performances: Havoc (2005); The Devil Wears Prada (2006); Becoming Jane (2007); Rachel Getting Married (2008); Love & Other Drugs (2010); The Dark Knight Rises (2012); Les Misérables (2012); Interstellar (2014)

Academy Award recognition: 2 nominations | 1 win - Best Supporting Actress for Les Misérables

19. EDDIE REDMAYNE

Born: January 6, 1982 in London, England, UK - age 34

Breakthrough performance: Savage Grace (2007)

Distinguished performances: My Week With Marilyn (2011); Les Misérables (2012); The Theory of Everything (2014); The Danish Girl (2015); Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

Academy Award recognition: 2 nominations | 1 win - Best Actor for The Theory of Everything

20. ROONEY MARA

Born: April 17, 1985 in Bedford, New York, USA - age 31

Breakthrough performance: The Social Network (2010)

Distinguished performances: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011); Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013); Side Effects (2013); Carol (2015)

Academy Award recognition: 2 nominations

21. MICHAEL B. JORDAN

Born: February 9, 1987 in Santa Ana, California, USA - age 30

Breakthrough performance: Chronicle (2012)

Distinguished performances: Fruitvale Station (2013); Creed (2015)

Academy Award recognition: none

22. CAREY MULLIGAN

Born: May 28, 1985 in Westminster, London, England, UK - age 31

Breakthrough performance: Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Distinguished performances: An Education (2009); Never Let Me Go (2010); Shame (2011); The Great Gatsby (2013); Inside Llewyn Davis (2013); Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)

Academy Award recognition: 1 nomination

23. SAOIRSE RONAN

Born: April 12, 1994 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA - age 22

Breakthrough performance: Atonement (2007)

Distinguished performances: Atonement (2007); The Lovely Bones (2009); Hanna (2011); How I Live Now (2013); Brooklyn (2015)

Academy Award recognition: 2 nominations

24. JESSE EISENBERG

Born: October 5, 1983 in Queens, New York, U.S. - age 33
Breakthrough performance: Roger Dodger (2002)
Distinguished performances: The Squid and the Whale (2005); Adventureland (2008); The Social Network (2010); The Double (2013); The End of the Tour (2015); Café Society (2016)
Academy Award recognition: 1 nomination

25. GUGU MBATHA-RAW

Born: April 21, 1983 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK - age 33

Breakthrough performance: Larry Crowne (2011)

Distinguished performances: Belle (2013); Beyond the Lights (2014); Concussion (2015); Miss Sloane (2016)

Academy Award recognition: none

26. KIRSTEN DUNST

Born: April 30, 1982 in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, USA - age 34

Breakthrough performance: Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Distinguished performances: Interview with the Vampire (1994); The Virgin Suicides (1999); Bring It On (2000); The Cat's Meow (2001); Marie Antoinette (2006); Melancholia (2011); Bachelorette (2012); The Two Faces of January (2014)

Academy Award recognition: none

27. AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON

Born: June 13, 1990 in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, UK - age 26

Breakthrough performance: Nowhere Boy (2009)

Distinguished performances: Nowhere Boy (2009); Kick-Ass (2010); Savages (2012);  Anna Karenina (2012); Nocturnal Animals (2016)

Academy Award recognition: none

28. DEV PATEL

Born: April 23, 1990 in Harrow, London, England, UK - age 26
Breakthrough performance: Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Distinguished performances: Slumdog Millionaire (2008); The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012); The Road Within (2015); Lion (2016)
Academy Award recognition: 1 nomination

29. FELICITY JONES

Born: October 17, 1983 in Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK - age 33

Breakthrough performance: Like Crazy (2011)

Distinguished performances: Like Crazy (2011); Chalet Girl (2011); Breathe In (2013); The Invisible Woman (2013); The Theory of Everything (2014); Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Academy Award recognition: 1 nomination

30. JACK O'CONNELL

Born: August 1, 1990 in Derby, England, UK - age 26
Breakthrough performance: Tower Block (2012)
Distinguished perrformances: Starred Up (2013); '71 (2014); Unbroken (2014)
Academy Award recognition: none

31. ANNA KENDRICK

Born: August 9, 1985 in Portland, Maine, USA - age 31
Breakthrough performance: Camp (2003)
Distinguished performances: Rocket Science (2007); Up in the Air (2009); 50/50 (2011); Pitch Perfect (2012); Drinking Buddies (2013); Into the Woods (2014); The Last Five Years (2015); 
Academy Award recognition: 1 nomination

32. MILES TELLER

Born: February 20, 1987 in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, USA - age 29

Breakthrough performance: Rabbit Hole (2010)

Distinguished performances: Rabbit Hole (2010); Footloose (2011); The Spectacular Now (2013); Whiplash (2014); Bleed For This (2016)

Academy Award recognition: none

33. JONAH HILL

Born: December 20, 1983 in Los Angeles, California, USA - age 33
Breakthrough performance: Superbad (2007)
Distinguished performances: Get Him to the Greek (2010); Cyrus (2010); Moneyball (2011); 21 Jump Street (2012); The Wolf of Wall Street (2013); War Dogs (2016)
Academy Award recognition: 2 nominations

34. EMMA WATSON

Born: April 15, 1990 in Paris, France - age 26

Breakthrough performance: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)

Distinguished performances: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005); Ballet Shoes (2007); Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009); The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012); The Bling Ring (2013); Noah (2014)

Academy Award recognition: none

35. SHAILENE WOODLEY

Born: November 15, 1991 in Simi Valley, California, USA - age 25

Breakthrough performance: The Descendants (2011)

Distinguished performances: The Descendants (2011); The Spectacular Now (2013); The Fault in Our Stars (2014); Snowden (2016)

Academy Award recognition: none

MALE HONORABLE MENTIONS FOR A SINGLE PERFORMANCE

• John Boyega for Attack the Block (2011)
• Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network (2010)
• Emile Hirsch for Into the Wild (2007)
• Logan Lerman for The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
• Tye Sheridan for Joe (2013)
• Alden Ehrenreich for Hail, Caesar! (2016)

FEMALE HONORABLE MENTIONS FOR A SINGLE PERFORMANCE

• Adèle Exarchopoulos for Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)
• Dakota Fanning for I Am Sam (2001)
• Lupita Nyong'O for 12 Years a Slave (2013)
• Ellen Page for Juno (2007)
• Anya Taylor-Joy for The Witch (2016)
• Quvenzhané Wallis for Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)