Streaming titan Netflix might have begun as a handy approach for individuals to look at theatrical releases from the consolation of their houses, but it surely shortly established itself as a powerhouse studio able to releasing a number of the most commercially profitable and critically acclaimed media of the streaming age. And as Netflix originals proceed to be launched, exponentially it appears, they launch waves of beforehand unheard actors into stratospheric stardom. Listed here are 32 stars who gained huge fame after touchdown a job on a Netflix present or film.
Millie Bobby Brown
Millie Bobby Brown burst into the mainstream at age 11 for her portrayal of Eleven, a mysterious lady with psychokinetic talents, within the hit collection Stranger Issues. Eleven was so standard actually, that her iconic look turned a viral Halloween costume. Brown has landed many roles since starring in Stranger Issues, together with the titular function in Enola Holmes and its sequel, and Elodie in 2024’s Damsel, all of that are additionally Netflix originals.
Drew Starkey
Drew Starkey is greatest recognized for his function as Rafe Cameron, a turbulent character who struggles with anger points and habit, within the teen drama Outer Banks, which particulars a gaggle of teenagers from completely different socioeconomic backgrounds residing on the barrier islands of North Carolina. Starkey has gone viral for bringing Rafe to life, particularly on TikTok, and has since landed roles in main movies like Queer.
Cooper Koch
Cooper Koch gained notoriety and approval for his portrayal of Erik Menendez within the second season of Monsters, a real crime anthology collection developed by Ryan Murphy. The second season tells the story of Erik and Lyle Menendez, two brothers who have been convicted and despatched to jail for ending the lives of their rich mother and father within the early ‘90s. Lots of Koch’s moments from the Monsters press tour went viral, together with his look on Watch What Occurs Dwell with Andy Cohen.
Likelihood Perdomo
Earlier than his tragic passing in early 2024, Likelihood Perdomo was making a reputation for himself as one among Hollywood’s most fun younger actors, together with his most up-to-date function as steel manipulator Andre Anderson in The Boys spinoff, Gen Z. Earlier than that, the function that put him on the map was the charismatic and hilarious Ambrose Spellman, cousin of the titular witch in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
Tom Sturridge
Oftentimes, celebrities can expertise nice success in a single particular space of the leisure business that doesn’t translate to mainstream attraction. For instance, Tom Sturridge had obtained two Greatest Actor Tony nominations earlier than showing as Morpheus / Dream within the fantasy drama The Sandman, but it surely wasn’t till his haunting and commanding portrayal of Dream that the Web began buzzing about him.
Jenna Ortega
Jenna Ortega stands out as one of many few Gen Z former Disney stars who selected to pursue performing as a substitute of pop music, and doing so has confirmed to be a wise profession transfer for her. Her first Netflix gig was a supporting function within the hit psychological thriller You, which proved that she had the performing chops to tackle extra grownup materials. Nevertheless, the present that made her a family identify and earned her a much-deserved Emmy nomination was the main function as Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s adaptation for Wednesday.
Louis Partridge
Louis Partridge’s breakout efficiency was as Viscount Tewkesbury, the love curiosity to Millie Bobby Brown’s Enola in Enola Holmes and its sequel. Since then, his jobs have included reimagining Peter Pan in The Misplaced Women and dealing with Alfonso Cuaron in his thrilling miniseries Disclaimer.
Victoria Pedretti
The derangement of You’s Joe Goldberg, portrayed by Penn Badgley, had been unmatched till he met Love Quinn in Season 2, introduced expertly to life by Victoria Pedretti. Pedretti’s potential to match, and in lots of situations outpace, the madness of Badgley’s Joe along with her haunting face performing and theatrical meltdowns is past spectacular. Her efficiency stands out a lot that, in a present with a forged of constantly rotating characters, she is second solely to Badgley in how standard her character is.
Phoebe Dynevor
The discuss of the ton, the Diamond of the Season, Daphne Bridgerton of the massive, illustrious Bridgerton household within the self-titled collection made Phoebe Dynevor a family identify. Season 1 of Bridgerton, the place Dynevor is a lead, shortly turned a high 10 most-viewed season of a Netflix collection of all time, when it was launched. Since Bridgerton, she has continued to impress in movies like Truthful Play.
Madelyn Cline
One other standout from Outer Banks is Madelyn Cline, who portrays Rafe’s youthful sister Sarah, who’s embedded in a gaggle of rich social elites however varieties a relationship with the chief of the group of working-class locals. Since starring in Outer Banks, Cline has taken on extra movie roles, together with a supporting function in Glass Onion; A Knives Out Thriller and the 2025 remake of I Know What You Did Final Summer season.
Nicholas Alexander Chavez
Nicholas Alexander Chavez had already developed a cult following for portraying Prince Spencer Cassadine on ABC’s Basic Hospital when he was forged as Lyle Menendez in Monsters. Not solely did Chavez’s explosive efficiency produce numerous viral clips and memes, however he was additionally honored by changing into the Web Boyfriend of the autumn of 2024. Since Monsters, Chavez has continued together with his tv roles with an look with fellow Ryan Murphy challenge Grotesquerie, and he made his main characteristic movie debut within the 2025 I Know What You Did Final Summer season remake.
Simone Ashley
Phoebe Dynevor handed the reigns over to Simone Ashley to change into the feminine romantic lead for Season 2 of Bridgerton. Ashley brings Kate Sharma to life, a headstrong, protecting older sister who harbors complicated emotions towards Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, who’s betrothed to her youthful sister. Within the wake of her Bridgerton success, Ashley has continued to stun in her quite a few red-carpet appearances and has appeared in big-budget movies just like the live-action Little Mermaid remake.
Glen Powell
Glen Powell shortly established himself as a contemporary Hollywood main man, demonstrating his comedic sensibilities within the romantic comedy Anybody However You and his motion capabilities within the catastrophe flick Twisters. However Netflix’s Hit Man is the movie that made audiences and critics alike start to take Powell critically as a flexible actor, because the admittedly weird function, which facilities round a university professor posing as a pretend hitman, requires Powell to undertake many various, quirky personas, which he does with prowess.
Walker Scobell
Performing reverse Hollywood royalty Ryan Reynolds could be intimidating for any new actor, however to do it at age 12 with the prowess Walker Scobell did demonstrates how a lot expertise he harbored from a younger age. After his breakout function because the youthful model of Reynold’s character in The Adam Mission, Hollywood clearly took discover, as a result of the next 12 months he was forged because the lead within the Disney+ Percy Jackson and the Olympians tv adaptation.
Aidan Gallagher
Many little one actors fade into obscurity after they age out of the collection that put them on the map. The identical can’t be stated for Aidan Gallagher who proved that he wasn’t simply one other Nickelodeon child and had the vary to carry his personal towards performing titans like Elliot Web page and Emmy Rossum in The Umbrella Academy. What makes Gallagher’s portrayal of teleporter and time jumper 5 so memorable is the believability with which he portrays residing as a middle-aged man trapped in a pubescent boy’s physique.
Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox’s portrayal of Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black balanced the road between being heartfelt and hilarious and made her the primary transgender particular person to be nominated for an performing Emmy. With the acclaim and notoriety that Cox obtained from Orange, she has gone on to make huge strides for transgender individuals in Hollywood and has remained a distinguished advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.
Lana Condor
Lana Condor endearingly dropped at life probably the most likable younger grownup fiction protagonists to life within the movie adaptation of To All of the Boys I’ve Liked Earlier than. Lara Jean Covey’s fashionable outfits, assured but sort demeanor, and plentiful cutesy moments with Peter struck a chord with audiences, creating a fanbase for the franchise far past that of its supply materials.
Jonathan Bailey
In a present with so many eligible bachelors able to change into the following Hollywood Heartthrob, Jonathan Bailey’s potential to seize Bridgerton viewers’ hearts together with his repressed craving and devotion as Viscount Anthony Bridgerton is commendable. Bailey has continued to win the hearts of women and men alike, bringing to life crushworthy characters like Tim Laughlin in Fellow Vacationers and Prince Fiyero in Depraved.
Charlie Cox
Earlier than it moved to Disney+ and have become MCU canon, Daredevil was a gritty, violent Netflix collection depicting the lifetime of one among Marvel’s most fascinating vigilantes, with Charlie Cox on the helm. Cox’s efficiency was shortly singled out, because the work he put in to sensitively and precisely depict a blind character as a sighted particular person was seen on display screen. He additionally confirmed off his spectacular physicality within the collection’ quite a few motion scenes, which have been clipped and shared throughout the online quite a few instances.
Jaz Sinclair
Earlier than reuniting with Likelihood Perdomo on Gen V, Jaz Sinclair acted alongside him in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina as one among Sabrina’s greatest buddies, Roz. Jaz’s depiction of Roz’s interior turmoil in coming to phrases along with her personal magical talents set her up splendidly to painting a tortured character like Marie Moreau in Gen V.
Uzo Aduba
Uzo Abuba’s off-the-walls efficiency of Suzanne “Loopy Eyes” Warren in Orange Is the New Black made her one of many solely individuals in historical past to win Emmys in each the Drama and Comedy classes for a similar function. Aduba has continued to obtain many accolades on and off display screen, together with a Tony nomination for Greatest Actress in a Play.
Equipment Connor
Equipment Connor turned a family identify after starring in queer, teen romance Heartstopper as schoolboy Nick Nelson. For his efficiency, Connor received the inaugural Excellent Lead Efficiency Emmy on the first Youngsters’s and Household Emmy Awards. He has since lent his voice to the beloved animated movie The Wild Robotic and portrayed Romeo within the Broadway musical adaptation of Romeo & Juliet.
Jacob Elordi
If there’s one actor who must be singled out for his vary, it’s Jacob Elordi. Whereas most may acknowledge Elordi for his function as Nate Jacobs in Euphoria, he first turned a family identify portraying Noah Flynn in The Kissing Sales space, and although each initiatives are set in highschool, tonally, they might not be extra completely different. Elordi’s success from the Kissing Sales space franchise helped catapult him to A-lister standing, and he has stayed booked and busy.
Joseph Quinn
Few recurring characters from Stranger Issues have left as lasting of an influence as Season 4’s Eddie Munson, dropped at life by Joseph Quinn. Eddie is zany and charismatic, but in addition deeply misunderstood and empathetic, which makes audiences fall in love with him. Since Stranger Issues, Quinn has booked many high-profile gigs, together with a significant function in A Quiet Place: Day One and Gladiator 2.
Ho-Yeon Jung
Ho-Yeon Jung provides a scene-stealing, supporting efficiency as North Korean defector Sae-Byeok Kang in Squid Sport. Watching Sae-Byeok’s chilly, reserved demeanor slowly soften within the presence of a real pal is really gripping, making her destiny within the present all of the extra heart-wrenching, and Jung captures this arc fantastically. It’s no marvel her efficiency had such a long-lasting influence on Squid Sport‘s tens of millions of viewers.
Noah Centineo
Noah Centineo’s charming portrayal of adorkable schoolmate Peter Kavinsky made him an Web Boyfriend again in 2018. Centineo realized he struck gold with this archetype as a result of he continued to take roles that have been very Kavinsky-esque, together with performing as Sierra Burgess’s crush in Sierra Burgess Is a Loser and the lead within the romantic comedy The Good Date.
Maya Hawke
Having superstars like Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman as your mother and father positively doesn’t harm your probabilities of making it huge in Hollywood, but it surely takes a particular expertise to transcend “nepo child” standing and be celebrated on your personal work, which Maya Hawke has efficiently carried out by way of her function in Stranger Issues. Hawke’s character, Robin Buckley, is so humorous and all the way down to earth, that you would be able to’t assist however love her, and, by extension, Hawke herself.
Joe Locke
Joe Locke gained notoriety for his delicate portrayal of love-struck teen Charlie Spring in Heartstoppers, which garnered him a Youngsters’s and Household Emmy Award nomination. His subsequent roles embrace Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Road on Broadway and William Kaplan in Agatha All Alongside.
Richard Gadd
Richard Gadd had a devastating early begin to his profession as a screenwriter, and he someway managed to spin these terrible experiences right into a comedic and harrowing restricted collection based mostly on his personal experiences known as Child Reindeer. Child Reindeer has obtained mass viewership and acclaim and earned Gadd a number of Emmy awards and nominations for creating and starring in it.
Emma Myers
Emma Myers’s bubbly, energetic character Enid Sinclair is the proper Golden Retriever greatest pal to go with Wednesday Addams’s standoffish, black cat vitality, fairly actually actually, contemplating Enid is a werewolf. And the Web loves it when opposites entice, so Emma Myers shortly went viral for her character’s cheerful disposition and rainbow colour palette.
Noah Schnapp
In some ways, Will Byers, dropped at life by actor Noah Schnapp, is the center and soul of Stranger Issues. It’s the seek for Will, the desperation to launch him from the monster’s grasp, and the longing to reconnect with him that drives the collection ahead. And Schnapp’s performing chops added so many textures to Will’s character, from his trauma and paranoia to his nerdiness and deep love for his buddies, so it’s no shock he turned a fan favourite.
Jessica Gunning
As Penn Badgley is aware of, it takes a gifted actor to compellingly painting a stalker so properly that you simply compel viewers to look at you slightly than repulse them, and Jessica Gunning proved that she was the only option for the chop along with her unhinged efficiency as Martha in Child Reindeer. The efficiency was such a standout, actually, that it earned Gunning her first Emmy award.