Carey Mulligan

As a relative newcomer, British actress Carey Mulligan took Hollywood by storm as the sublimely exuberant Jenny in the feature film, "An Education" (2009). The incandescent actress gave a seemingly effortless portrayal of a young girl who falls for a charming, more experienced man in the film that made her a bona fide movie star and, according to critics, a strong contender for an Oscar nomination. The fresh-faced ingénue was suddenly flooded with plum movie roles that billed her opposite established actors like Ryan Gosling in "Drive" (2011) and Keira Knightley in "Never Let Me Go" (2010). Soon she was headlining compelling films such as Steve McQueen's penetrating "Shame" (2011), Baz Luhrmann's lavish "The Great Gatsby" (2013) and the Thomas Hardy adaptation "Far from the Madding Crowd" (2015). While it was a coming-of-age film that kicked Mulligan's career into high gear, it was the actress' penetrating performances both on the big screen and on Broadway that cemented her place as a serious actress worthy of being called "the next Audrey Hepburn."