Top 10 Young Actresses to Keep Your Eye On
Many actresses start off young, with so much promise, and once they hit eighteen, they just become another face in the crowd. Here is a list of 17-and-under actresses that have a real shot at at least two more decades of acting roles.
List activity
4K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
10 people
- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Saoirse Una Ronan was born in The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States, to Irish parents, Monica Ronan (née Brennan) and Paul Ronan, an actor. When Saoirse was three, the family moved back to Dublin, Ireland. Saoirse grew up in Dublin and briefly in Co. Carlow before moving back to Dublin with her parents.
Saoirse made her first TV appearance with a small role in a few episodes of the TV series, The Clinic (2003). Her first film appearance was in the 2007 movie, I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007). Saoirse received international fame after appearing in the movie, Atonement (2007), which was directed by Joe Wright. The movie co-starred Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. The film was successful, both critically and commercially, and in 2008, Saoirse earned an Oscar nomination for her role. She became one of the youngest actresses to be nominated for an Oscar. She continued to earn success and fame. Between 2008 to 2011, she starred in a number of successful movies, including City of Ember (2008), which earned her a nomination for Irish Film & Television Award, The Lovely Bones (2009), for which she was nominated for a BAFTA Award, and The Way Back (2010), for which she won Irish Film & Television Award for Actress in a Supporting Role. In 2016, Ronan was nominated for her second Oscar for Brooklyn (2015). She became the second youngest actress to receive two Oscar nominations at the age of 21. The youngest actress is Angela Lansbury. In 2018, Ronan was nominated for her third Oscar for Lady Bird (2017). She's the second youngest actress (first being Jennifer Lawrence) to receive three Oscar nominations before the age of 24.
Saoirse Ronan resides in London, United Kingdom.Saorise's career thus far has been quite interesting... in the five major films she's done so far, either her character, the setting or the premise of the film have been... unusual, to say the least. What may the next 20 years bring? I'm thinking Oscars...- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Hannah Dakota Fanning was born on the 23rd of February 1994, in Conyers, Georgia, USA, to Heather Joy (Arrington) and Steven Fanning. Her mother played professional tennis, and her father, now an electronics salesman, played minor league baseball. She is of German, Irish, English, French, and Channel Islander descent. Before her debut into the cinematic world, Dakota did her own acting around her house. She was very active for her age, and often put a blanket under her shirt and pretended to be having a baby, using her younger sister, Elle Fanning, who is also an actress now, as the baby. Dakota went to a playhouse near her home, where the children that attended put on a play every week to show to their parents. But the people running the playhouse noticed that Dakota stood out, and advised her parents to take her to an agency. They believed that she was extremely talented.
The Fanning family were advised to spend six weeks in Los Angeles, a long way from their home in Georgia. But there Dakota managed to get her first work; to star in a national Tide commercial. She was chosen out of many, many other children.
The family then decided to move to Los Angeles permanently, for it looked like Dakota's career was looking very good. After they moved, Dakota signed with a professional agency, and soon won a role in the movie Tomcats (2001). She then went onto a small project called Father Xmas (2001) as Clairee.
But Dakota's big break-through was yet to come. She auditioned for one of the main characters in I Am Sam (2001), and the director and the rest of the crew were amazed by her extraordinary talent. Dakota was cast, and starred in the movie as Lucy Diamond Dawson, alongside major Hollywood stars Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer.
After I Am Sam (2001) her talent was immediately recognized around the world. She went straight onto Trapped (2002) as Abby Jennings, alongside Charlize Theron, then played the younger version of Reese Witherspoon in 2002's Sweet Home Alabama (2002) But Dakota still had two more movies to come in 2002. Firstly she got a huge role in Steven Spielberg's Taken (2002), the mini-TV series, and narrated the ten whole episodes, as well as having a part. This was a little more challenging, as she was playing a troubled alien child, but she managed to do brilliantly. Her last movie for 2002 was the children's movie Hansel & Gretel (2002) as Katie.
2003 was also a brilliant year for Dakota, as she starred in a number of exciting projects. Firstly, it was as Sally Walden in The Cat in the Hat (2003) with Mike Myers, then she played Lorraine "Ray" Schleine, a bratty little girl, in the sweet comedy Uptown Girls (2003) alongside Brittany Murphy. She then voiced preschool Kim in Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time (2003).
In 2004, Dakota appeared in the violent thriller, Man on Fire (2004), alongside Denzel Washington. Her reviews were excellent.
First in 2005 was Nine Lives (2005), as Maria, then the chilling Hide and Seek (2005) alongside Robert De Niro. By now, she was the busiest child actress in Hollywood, with a resume to die for. Her younger sister, (Elle Fanning), had also been discovered a few years earlier.
After Hide and Seek (2005) came War of the Worlds (2005), which was one of her major movies out of everything she'd worked in. Not only did it make her more popular, but she got to play the daughter of A-list Hollywood actor Tom Cruise. They had four very successful premieres; the first in Tokyo, Japan, the second in France, the third in London, England and the fourth in New York, USA. The reviews were outstanding, especially Dakota's. She then voiced Lilo in Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005).She acted alongside many of Hollywood's best before she even reached high-school age. But as she transitions into adulthood (and presumably adult-type roles like in The Runaways), we can only hope that she keeps her head on straight. God knows we don't need Dakota to become another tabloid burnout.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Actress AnnaSophia Robb most recently starred in two of Hulu's most critically acclaimed limited series. In 2019, she co-starred opposite Patricia Arquette in THE ACT. This spring, she portrayed the flashback version of Reese Witherspoon's "Elena Richardson" character in LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, based on Celeste Ng's bestselling book. Robb is soon to be seen alongside Charlie Plummer and Taylor Russell in the film WORDS ON BATHROOM WALLS, based on Julia Walton's debut novel. She will also star in THE EXPECTING, a new scripted horror series for Quibi. The series will follow the dark journey of a young woman (Robb) down on her luck and pregnant mysterious circumstances. Additionally, Robb will star in the upcoming Peacock limited-series DR. DEATH, alongside Chris Sullivan, Jamie Dornan, Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater.
On the silver screen, Robb recently starred opposite Uma Thurman in Lionsgate's suspenseful thriller DOWN A DARK HALL, directed by Rodrigo Cortes. She played 'Kit Gordon,' a troubled but gifted teenager sent away to a private boarding school to develop her talents, but then uncovers a dark secret about the school's true intensions. She was also seen in the feature FREAKSHOW, produced by Drew Barrymore's Flower Films and directed by Trudie Styler. Robb co-starred opposite Toni Collette and Steve Carell in the critically acclaimed Fox Searchlight film, THE WAY, WAY BACK directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. She received amazing reviews for her performance in SOUL SURFER, the story of Bethany Hamilton, a competitive surfer who survived a horrific shark attack. Her additional film credits include CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, SLEEPWALKING, THE SPACE BETWEEN, RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN, JUMPER, BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE, SPY SCHOOL and BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA.
Robb has portrayed a diverse array of characters on television. She starred in the second season of the PBS Civil War mini-series MERCY STREET, produced by Ridley Scott. Robb also starred in the CW's THE CARRIE DIARIES, playing the character Carrie Bradshaw in the prequel to the HBO highly successful series SEX & THE CITY. Additional television credits include A CONSPIRACY ON JEKYLL ISLAND opposite Dianna Agron, Minnie Driver and Frank Grillo, as well as the highly-rated TV movie SAMANTHA: AN AMERICAN GIRL HOLIDAY.Though most of Annasophia's films have either been feel-good films, tearjerkers, or both. I hope she is given the chance to broaden her range, because there is real talent there. And you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone with more expressive eyes.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Academy Award-nominated actress Abigail Breslin is one of the most sought-after actors of her generation. Her unique and charismatic talents have contributed to her versatile roles in both comedy and drama.
Recently, Breslin headlined the first season of the horror-comedy series, Scream Queens (2015), opposite Emma Roberts, Lea Michele and Jamie Lee Curtis, and starred in the coveted role of "Baby" in ABC/Lionsgate's recreation of the pop-culture classic, Dirty Dancing (2017).
Abigail Kathleen Breslin was born in New York City, New York, to Kim and Michael Breslin, a telecommunications expert and consultant. She has two sibling, Ryan Breslin and Spencer Breslin, who is also an actor. She is of Irish, Austrian Jewish, and English descent.
Abigail has acted since she was a small child. She is widely recognized for her role in the critically-acclaimed Little Miss Sunshine (2006), the irreverent, antic comedy which created a sensation at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, Breslin played the role of "Olive", an ambitious young girl who is obsessed with winning a beauty pageant. For her performance, she received a Best Actress Award from the Tokyo International Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award, SAG and BAFTA Best Supporting Actress awards. In addition, she was honored as ShoWest's "Female Star of Tomorrow" in 2008, and made her Broadway debut in 2010 in "The Miracle Worker".
Her many credits include Ender's Game (2013), Haunter (2013), The Call (2013), Rango (2011), Janie Jones (2010), Zombieland (2009), My Sister's Keeper (2009), New Year's Eve (2011), Raising Helen (2004), The Ultimate Gift (2006), The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), No Reservations (2007), Definitely, Maybe (2008), Nim's Island (2008), Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008) and M. Night Shyamalan's 2002 film, Signs (2002), opposite Mel Gibson.
Breslin was seen in The Weinstein Company film, August: Osage County (2013), opposite Meryl Streep, Ewan McGregor, Julia Roberts, Sam Shepard, Dermot Mulroney and Juliette Lewis. She starred in the coveted role of "Jean Fordham", the daughter of Julia Roberts' and Ewan McGregor's characters.
She starred in the Lionsgate film, Maggie (2015), opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film follows a teenage girl (Breslin) from a small town in the Midwest, who becomes infected by a disease that slowly turns her into a zombie. The film premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival in New York and was released on May 8, 2015.
In October of 2015, Harper Collins published Breslin's first book, "This May Sound Crazy". The book is based on her popular Tumblr "Mixtapes & Winter Coats", in which she writes honest, funny and emotional observations on her daily life as a young adult.I'm not all that certain what the future holds for Abigail, given that most of the films where she's played a prominent role turned out to be at best merely good, at worst unmemorable. She's been hyped as "the next big thing" since Little Miss Sunshine, and I'm still waiting to see it.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Moretz is best known for her work in the sci-fi thriller series The Peripheral, created by Scott B. Smith; the Mattson Tomlin-directed sci-fi thriller Mother/Android; Neil Jordan's thriller Greta; Roseanne Liang's Shadow in the Cloud, which claimed the Midnight Madness People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival in 2020; The Miseducation of Cameron Post, which won both critical acclaim and the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2018; Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria, which went on to claim the Independent Spirit Awards' Robert Altman Award after world premiering in Venice; MGM's The Amityville Horror; Marc Webb's 500 Days of Summer; the Kick-Ass franchise; Matt Reeves' English-language remake of Let Me In; Martin Scorsese's Oscar winner Hugo; Warner Bros' If I Stay and Dark Shadows; Kimberly Peirce's remake of the Stephen King classic Carrie; and Sony's The Equalizer with Denzel Washington. She also exec produced the Snapchat Discover series Coming Out, which premiered in 2021.Obviously, it was her role in Kick-Ass that put her name on everybody's lips. But it was her amazing turn in Let Me In that showed her true potential. Judging by the number of films she has coming in the next few years, we'll be seeing a lot more of her.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Mary Elle Fanning was born on the 9th of April 1998 in Conyers, Georgia, USA, to Heather Joy (Arrington) and Steven J. Fanning. Her mother played professional tennis, and her father, now an electronics salesman, played minor league baseball. She is of German, Irish, English, French, and Channel Islander descent.
Elle's ascent into stardom began when she was almost three years old, when she played the younger version of her sister, Dakota Fanning's, character Lucy in the drama film I Am Sam (2001). She then played younger Dakota again in Taken (2002) as Allie, age 3. But her first big independent movie without her sister was in 2003's Daddy Day Care (2003) as Jamie. She then had two guest appearances on Judging Amy (1999) and CSI: Miami (2002).
Elle was becoming more successful and she got another role, in 2004's The Door in the Floor (2004) with Kim Basinger. Her career kept improving, as she had two movies in 2005, Because of Winn-Dixie (2005) and I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With (2006).
She has since starred in a number of prominent films, including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Super 8 (2011), We Bought a Zoo (2011), and Maleficent (2014).Little by little, she's starting to emerge from her big sister's shadow. She's only 13, but her turn in Somewhere proves that she's not the only Fanning girl with hella talent.- Actress
- Producer
Madeline was born March 18, 1996 and raised in Los Angeles, California. She began modeling when she was 3 years old, soon after she was discovered by her Theatrical agent "Wendy" in a nail shop in Sherman Oaks and began her theatrical acting career. She has performed in around 60 principal role/national commercials. you may have seen Madeline in guest-starring performances on several TV shows and series. Madeline absolutely enjoys scary movies, and her favorite roles so far, White Queen, in Resident Evil 3: Extinction, and Molly from Swing Vote. Madeline also enjoys playing with her 3 brothers and has a dog named Spot. She is very active in giving to foundation "Zoe International" a non-profit Christian organization which rescues children from child prostitution.This is a bit of a flyer, given that I've only seen two of her films, but she was so damned awesome in Swing Vote, I had to include her. Let's hope her choice to do The Spy Next Door was not her own (gack). Looking forward to seeing her in Mr. Popper's Penguins.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
This young actress has worked with a number of the industry's biggest stars in a variety of diverse and challenging roles. She won rave reviews and a Critics Choice Movie Award nomination for her powerful work on the feature film, Brothers (2009), opposite Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhaal. She played the young "Betty Ann Waters" in Fox Searchlight's Conviction (2010), with Hilary Swank and Minnie Driver.
Most recently, Bailee had a starring role in producer Guillermo del Toro's thriller, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010), with Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce, Bailee was recommended for the role by her Brothers (2009) co-star, Natalie Portman. She played a withdrawn child being haunted by insatiable demons; the film was released in August 2011. Bailee starred as the daughter of Marisa Tomei and the granddaughter of Bette Midler and Billy Crystal in the film Parental Guidance (2012), a co-production between 20th Century Fox and Walden Media.
In 2011, Variety named Bailee an honoree for her philanthropic efforts with "Alex's Lemonade Stand" at the "Variety Power Of Youth Awards", which pays homage to the industry's most talented young activists. A driven and talented young actress, Bailee is equally committed to using her public profile to raise awareness for those less fortunate. Between filming major motion pictures, Bailee has been devoting her time and energy to "Alex's Lemonade Stand", an organization that encourages children, nationwide, to raise money to find a cure for childhood cancer through running their own lemonade stands.
Her other feature films include Letters to God (2010) and Hallmark's A Taste of Romance (2011) with Teri Polo. For her role in Columbia Pictures' comedy, Just Go with It (2011), with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, Bailee earned rave reviews with "The Wall Street Journal".
Bailee captured audiences hearts with her role of "May Belle Aarons" in Disney's Bridge to Terabithia (2007), and has left lasting impressions with her performances in the independent film, Phoebe in Wonderland (2008) (starring Felicity Huffman and Elle Fanning), and on television in NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999). She appears as "Maxine Russo" in Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place (2007), for its fourth and final season. When Bailee isn't working or studying, she loves cooking with her family.
When Bailee's not traveling, she loves spending time at home with family and friends, barbecuing, swimming, and playing on her swing set. Of course her dog, Maddy, is always by her side.Having seen her in Brothers, Convinction and a stirring episode of Law & Order: SVU, I believe that Bailee is for real. She was adorable in Just Go With It, and will be appearing later this year in Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. I think she's just getting started.- Georgina Helen Henley was born July 9, 1995 in Ilkley, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, the youngest of three daughters of Mike and Helen Henley. When she was young, she joined a local drama group called "Upstagers". It was there that she started her acting career, participating in stage performances such as "Babushka: A Christmas Story" and "The Pied Piper", prior to landing her first role in a film.
When Pippa Hall, casting director for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) came to Georgie's town in search of children to play the four Pevensies, she knew Georgie was perfect for the role of "Lucy" after only one audition. Finally, after 18 months of auditioning, Georgie was picked from thousands of girls to play "Lucy Pevensie" in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), which was her movie debut. She reprised her role in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010). Georgie's promotion of the three Narnia films took her to New York, Orlando, Tokyo, Paris, and lots of other places around the world.
Georgie finished 6th form at Bradford Grammar School in 2012, and started at Cambridge University, in Autumn 2013, to study English. She is no longer a part of her drama club "Upstagers", but hopes to continue her acting career on the big screen, and has also done some theatre work at her school. In her free time, she enjoys watching films with her friends, and listening to and writing music. She says that if she doesn't keep acting in the future, she'd like to teach, or experiment with music or writing.I know, she's only done the Narnia movies... but she carried each and every one of them on her tiny shoulders. I can only hope that the spirit and charm she brought to Lucy Pevensie continue in any future projects she might consider. - Jodelle Micah Ferland has built up an impressive resume filled with roles in film, television and, at the beginning of her career, commercials. Born on October 9, 1994, she got her start in an episode of CTV's Cold Squad (1998), before landing the lead role in her first film, Mermaid (2000) at an early age. Her portrayal of the heartbroken "Desi" earned her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination, making her the youngest nominee in history, as well as a Young Artist Award.
Since then, she has appeared in films including They (2002), Trapped (2001) and Carrie (2002), and has made appearances on Smallville (2001), Dark Angel (2000) and The Collector (2004). She can also be seen starring in Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital (2004), playing a tortured young girl who haunts the hospital's halls. In 2004, she landed the lead role of "Jeliza-Rose" in Terry Gilliam's Tideland (2005), a film about a disturbed young girl who finds solace in her own imagination after the death of her parents. Several roles have followed, including taking on three characters in the horror, Silent Hill (2006), a despondent foster child in Hallmark's Pictures of Hollis Woods (2007), starring with Renée Zellweger in Case 39 (2009), Matthew Broderick's dour daughter in Wonderful World (2009), and a surprise character in Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods (2011). Her latest role is playing the newly-turned vampire, "Bree", on the highly anticipated "Twilight" movie, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010).It's amazing how many horror films she's done already: They, Silent Hill, The Messengers, and Case 39. Next up is The Cabin in the Woods. I'd love to see her out of this element, and no, Twilight: Eclipse does NOT count.