Kirsten Dunst

Few actresses garnered as much attention at an early age, or maintained as robust a career as Kirsten Dunst. Thrust into the spotlight at the age of 12 for her lauded performance as an eternally childlike ghoul in "Interview with the Vampire" (1994), she became one of film's brightest young stars with work in further projects like "Little Women" (1994), "Drop Dead Gorgeous" (1999), "The Virgin Suicides" (1999) and "Bring It On" (2000).

She made the often difficult transition from teen star to leading lady in such films as "The Cat's Meow" (2001), only to hit box-office pay dirt as one of the stars of the immensely successful comic book franchise "Spider-Man" (2002) and its two equally profitable sequels. Independent efforts like director Michel Gondry and writer Charlie Kaufman's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004) and Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette" (2006) proved she was still willing and able to contribute to more modest fare, either as part of an ensemble or as its star.

After nearly two years away from a major motion picture project, Dunst came back stronger than ever with a stunning performance in director Lars von Trier's apocalyptic drama "Melancholia" (2011) and a powerful starring role on the second season of the anthology crime drama "Fargo" (FX 2014- ), along with strong supporting work in the hit "Hidden Figures" (2016) and Sofia Coppola's "The Beguiled" (2017). No longer a child star, and having proven herself as more than a mere flash in the pan, Dunst was well on her way to establishing herself as one of film's most talented actresses of any age.