Top 25 stars of 2023, according to the people

Stacker used IMDb data on 2023’s top stars to showcase the stars who consistently ranked the highest on IMDb’s STARmeter throughout the calendar year.
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Sophia June

A lot can happen in Hollywood in a year.

An actor who’s been auditioning for years might finally catch their big break. A once-omnipresent star who’s somehow faded into obscurity experiences sudden renewed interest. 2023 made much of this possible with a huge turn for film and television, drawing new cult followings and producing just as many shining stars. “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” broke box-office records, and “The Last of Us” had the biggest viewership of any HBO series since the final season of “Game of Thrones”—these successes led a slew of actors to have monumental years.

To get a sense of who the public paid attention to most this year, Stacker used IMDb data on 2023’s top stars to showcase the celebrities who consistently ranked the highest on IMDb’s STARmeter throughout the calendar year.

While some of these celebrities, like Jennifer Lawrence and Margot Robbie, have long been established, most stars on this list either broke out or boosted their stardom this year. Some appeared in the year’s biggest films and television shows, including “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,” “The Last of Us,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” and “The Mandalorian.”

Read on to see which of your favorite stars had the biggest 2023.

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#25. Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence has been a household name since her breakout role as Katniss Everdeen in “The Hunger Games.” She is rarely out of the spotlight, having appeared in such critically acclaimed films as 2021’s “Don’t Look Up” and 2022’s “Causeway” (as actor and producer). This year, she starred in “No Hard Feelings,” a raunchy comedy wherein Lawrence plays a woman hired by a wealthy 19-year-old’s parents to earn enough money to save her house.

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#24. Pom Klementieff

Pom Klementieff is known for her action-packed role as Mantis in a slew of films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But in 2023, she expanded her franchise contributions, starring in both “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” Look for her in the next “Mission: Impossible” film in 2025.

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#23. Keri Russell

While Keri Russell is best known for her roles on FX’s “The Americans” and in the 2007 film “Waitress,” Russell had her first television role since 2018 this year, playing the titular character on Netflix’s “The Diplomat,” which garnered many positive reviews. She also starred in Elizabeth Banks’ cult favorite absurdist film “Cocaine Bear.” Fans can expect to hear her voice next in the 2024 video game Open Roads.

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#22. Alexandra Daddario

Alexandra Daddario had a massive 2022 as one of the stars of Mike White’s runaway hit “The White Lotus,” the effects of which are still boosting her star power. Daddario also picked up a new hit TV show this year, starring on AMC’s “Mayfair Witches.” She’s currently attached to some upcoming projects, including voicing Lois Lane in “Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One.”

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#21. Ashley Johnson

Ashley Johnson rose to fame as a child actor for her role on the show “Growing Pains” in the early 1990s, working a steady slew of roles in both TV and film. Recently, she’s become well-known for her role on “Critical Role,” the popular Dungeons & Dragons web series, which has a massive cult following. More prominently, she portrayed Ellie’s mother on HBO’s “The Last of Us,” a nod to her role as the voice of Ellie in the 2013 video game that the 2023 series adapts.

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#20. Florence Pugh

Florence Pugh’s fame has skyrocketed in recent years, with lead roles in “Midsommar,” “Little Women,” “Black Widow,” and “Don’t Worry Darling.” In 2023, she was one of the stars of “Oppenheimer,” which shattered several box-office records. Look for Pugh in the highly anticipated “Dune: Part Two” in 2024.

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#19. Hayley Atwell

British actor Hayley Atwell rose to fame for her role as Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including her own show, ABC’s “Agent Carter.” In 2023, she entered another lucrative franchise, acting in “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” alongside fellow MCU alum and 2023 breakout star Pom Klementieff.

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#18. Madelyn Cline

Though Madelyn Cline appeared on two episodes of “Stranger Things” and in the mystery film “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” her breakout role came in 2020 with a role in “Outer Banks,” which had a big year in 2023. The teen drama garnered 740.4 million viewing hours across three seasons on Netflix, and a fourth is on the way.

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#17. Monica Barbaro

Monica Barbaro is a rising actor known for roles in “Top Gun: Maverick” and on series like “UnREAL” and “Splitting Up Together.” But 2023 found her starring alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger on the action show “FUBAR,” which, despite unfavorable ratings from critics, peaked at the #1 spot on Netflix’s charts over the winter. Barbaro is set to star as Joan Baez in an upcoming Bob Dylan musical biopic alongside Timothée Chalamet, who portrays Dylan.

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#16. Hannah Waddingham

Hannah Waddingham appeared on several episodes of “Game of Thrones,” but her break came from “Ted Lasso,” where she played football club owner Rebecca Welton. The role nabbed her an Emmy Award in 2021. “Ted Lasso” dropped its third season in 2023, as did the final season of the popular British show “Sex Education,” wherein Waddingham also stars.

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#15. Anna Torv

While Australian actor Anna Torv first became known for her role as Detective Olivia Dunham on Fox’s “Fringe,” 2023 was a monumental year for her after playing Tess on “The Last of Us.” Though she only appeared in the first three episodes, she made a splash in the runaway hit series.

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#14. Anya Chalotra

Anya Chalotra got her break as Yennefer on the Netflix series “The Witcher,” which is currently in production for its fourth season. Despite its third season, which premiered in 2023, seeing a huge decline in viewership, the year also saw Chalotra starring on the buzzy podcast “Moriarty: The Silent Order” alongside Helen Mirren.

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#13. Sasha Calle

Rising actor Sasha Calle got her start on the long-running soap opera “The Young and the Restless,” starring in the series from 2018 to 2021. 2023 brought her star-making role as Supergirl in “The Flash.” Next up for Calle are a couple of dramas, including “On Swift Horses” with Jacob Elordi.

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#12. Emily Rudd

After getting her start on the “Fear Street” trilogy in 2021, Emily Rudd had a busy 2023, starring on not one but two TV series this year: Netflix’s live-action “One Piece” remake and Season 2 of Amazon Prime Video’s “Hunters.” Rudd can look forward to reprising the role of Nami on Season 2 of “One Piece,” but “Hunters” will not have a third season.

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#11. Luciane Buchanan

New Zealand actor Luciane Buchanan has taken small roles since 2011 before being cast in a starring role on Netflix’s “The New Legends of Monkey” in 2018. But 2023 was a massive year for Buchanan after she starred on “The Night Agent,” Netflix’s most-watched series of 2023.

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#10. Cillian Murphy

Irish actor Cillian Murphy had his breakout lead role on “Peaky Blinders,” along with noted performances in “28 Days Later” and “Inception.” In 2023, he portrayed the title character in “Oppenheimer,” one of the biggest releases of the year.

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#9. Carla Gugino

Carla Gugino has had dozens of roles since the 1980s, most notably in “American Gangster” and “The Haunting of Bly Manor.” 2023 proved one of her biggest years yet, marking appearances on the Netflix miniseries “The Fall of the House of Usher,” which earned 1.2 billion minutes viewed in one week. She has a slew of upcoming projects, including Diablo Cody’s much-anticipated “Lisa Frankenstein” in 2024.

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#8. Katee Sackhoff

Best known for her role on “Battlestar Galactica,” Katee Sackhoff has had a slew of roles in the sci-fi and action genres, including “The Flash” on The CW and the animated “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” television series. In 2023, she co-led “The Mandalorian” Season 3, reprising her animated role of Bo-Katan Kryze in live action.

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#7. Rebecca Ferguson

Rebecca Ferguson had a major role in 2021’s “Dune,” and she kept up the momentum in 2023, returning to her popular Ilsa Faust role in “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,” as well as leading the dystopian series “Silo.” Next up, Ferguson will return in “Dune: Part Two” and the second season of “Silo.”

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#6. Margot Robbie

Oscar-nominated actor Margot Robbie became famous for her roles in films like “Suicide Squad,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” and “Babylon.” But this year, Robbie played the eponymous lead in “Barbie,” which was by many accounts—including the box office—the biggest movie of the year. “Barbie” inspired people to return to movie theaters in droves, buy dozens of pink products, and reconsider the legacy of America’s favorite doll.

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#5. Bella Ramsey

Bella Ramsey got their start as a child actor on “Game of Thrones” at age 11. But 2023 was monumental: Ramsey worked more in 2023 than any other actor on IMDb’s list. The 20-year-old actor had an Emmy-nominated role on “The Last of Us,” voice roles in “Hilda” and the “Chicken Run” sequel, and a starring role on Season 2 of “Time.” Filming for Season 2 of “The Last of Us” will begin in 2024.

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#4. Jenna Ortega

As a child star, Jenna Ortega played the leading role in “Stuck in the Middle” on the Disney Channel and Young Jane on “Jane the Virgin.” More recently, Ortega solidified herself as a “scream queen” with notable roles on “You” and in Ti West’s “X.” But 2022 and 2023 were Ortega’s biggest years, having become a pop culture phenom in an Emmy-nominated role as Wednesday Addams in “Wednesday” and appeared in the fifth “Scream” movie and its sequel, “Scream VI.” (Don’t expect her in the seventh “Scream,” however.)

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#3. Ana de Armas

Ana de Armas steadily rose to fame in the last couple of decades, beginning her career acting in Spanish television in the mid-2000s before her breakthrough role in “Blade Runner 2049.” In the last few years, she starred in “Knives Out” and “No Time To Die.” She gained notoriety in 2022 for the controversial biopic “Blonde,” in which she played Marilyn Monroe. De Armas’ only film appearance in 2023 was the critically lambasted “Ghosted.”

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#2. Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Mary Elizabeth Winstead is best known for her role as Ramona Flowers in the cult favorite film “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” as well as “10 Cloverfield Lane” and Season 3 of “Fargo.” In 2023, she reprised her Ramona Flowers role on Netflix’s animated series “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off,” and she took the role of Hera Syndulla to live action for “Ahsoka.” Next up for Winstead is a TV miniseries adaptation of Amor Towles’ 2016 novel “A Gentleman in Moscow” with her “Fargo” co-star and real-life husband, Ewan McGregor.

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#1. Pedro Pascal

Nobody had a bigger year than Pedro Pascal, according to IMDb. Pascal, one of two men on the list, had a robust career acting in film and on TV for decades, including iconic roles on “Game of Thrones,” “The Mandalorian,” and “Narcos.” But he had a banner year in 2023 as the lead on “The Last of Us” as Joel and an unforgettable “Saturday Night Live” performance, both garnering Pascal Emmy nominations. Next year, Pascal will star in the “Gladiator” sequel and Ethan Coen’s “Drive-Away Dolls,” with reports attaching him to Marvel Studios’ “Fantastic Four” reboot.

Story editing by Chris Compendio. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.