We take a look at which of this decade’s Oscar winners and were fresh on the scene, and clearly quick to make a huge mark on Hollywood.
Rami Malek
Perhaps you’re so intimately familiar with Gilmore Girls you remember Rami Malek in his guest role in season four. Or you could have been a fan of his work as Ahkmenrah in Night at the Museum. But if not, we’re willing to bet you hadn’t heard of Malek before he shot to fame in hit TV series Mr Robot. He then wowed audiences with his portrayal as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, for which he took home the Best Actor Oscar.
Mahershala Ali
In the space of three years he became a two-time Oscar winner, but he only became a household name after appearing on House of Cards in 2016. He won the Best Supporting Actor Oscars for 2016 film Moonlight and last year’s best picture Green Book.
Alicia Vikander
She worked on a handful of Swedish projects before she gave a moving performance in war drama Testament of Youth. She was then catapulted into the spotlight with roles in Ex Machina and The Danish Girl. She took home a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the latter.
Brie Larson
Despite a string of smaller roles in her childhood and teens, Larson truly made her mark on Hollywood as Ma in 2015’s Room, for which she won Best Actress. She has since entered the Marvel universe as Captain Marvel.
Eddie Redmayne
Redmayne burst onto the scene in 2011’s My Week with Marilyn. His transformation into Stephen Hawking for The Theory of Everything saw him take home a Best Actor Oscar.
Lupita Nyong’o
Nyong’o’s breakout role as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave won her an Oscar. She had previously worked in film production, asking Ralph Fiennes for acting advice while working as his assistant on The Constant Gardener.
Jennifer Lawrence
She first received an Oscar nomination for Winter’s Bone in 2010. She’s since starred in a number of high-profile films, and won an Academy Award for 2012 film Silver Linings Playbook.
Jean Dujardin
If you’re a French film or comedy connoisseur you may have heard of Dujardin. If not, his Oscar-winning role in silent film The Artist was sure to have put the French heartthrob on your radar.
Octavia Spencer
She’s taken on a bunch of small roles throughout the 1990s and 2000s, but she finally hit the big time as Minny Jackson in The Help in 2011, for which she won her Oscar. She’s since received two more Academy Award nominations for Hidden Figures and The Shape of Water.
