The likes of Meryl Streep, Judi Dench and in more recently Kate Winslet and Angelina Jolie have been the big named actresses in Hollywood for many years.
The four of them have enjoyed critical and commercial success as well as enjoying major award nominations and wins. But in recent years there have been a string of actresses who have come along and are vying to achieve the same success.
We take a look at some of the actresses who have made a huge impact so far in their careers and one of them has a new movie hitting the big screen this week.
Amy Adams: is back on cinema screen this week as she teams up with Matthew Goode for romantic comedy Leap Year.
Despite kicking off her career back in 1999 it was 2005 when she really made a huge impact when she starred in Junebug.
The movie provided her with her first Oscar nomination and since then her star has done nothing but rise. Adams is one of the most versatile actresses working in Hollywood at the moment as she moves between comedy, drama and rom com, finding success in all genres.
She gained critical praise for her role as Giselle in Enchanted before picking up a second Oscar nomination for her role in drama Doubt, alongside Meryl Streep.
2009 was a great year for the actress as she took on indie drama Sunshine Cleaning before moving onto the blockbuster when she took on the role of Amelia Earhart in Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.
She rounded off the year with Julie & Julia and Leap Year is her first venture onto the big screen in 2010.
Emily Blunt: is one of the best British actresses currently working and has found success on both sides of the pond in recent years.
Like Adams the actress has mixed and matched her roles showing off her skills in all movie genres. Blunt showed off her comic skills in the 2006 movie The Devil Wears Prada that proved to be the film that catapulted to fame.
With roles such as Charlie Wilson’s War, Dan In Real Life and Sunshine Cleaning under her belt the British actress was steadily making a name for herself.
Her biggest role to date came in 2009 when she starred as Queen Victoria in The Young Victoria. The movie was met well by the critics and Blunt's central performance was highly praised. For her first lead performance she landed a Best Actress Golden Globe nod, losing out to Sandra Bullock.
Her latest big screen project saw her team up with Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins for horror movie The Wolfman.
And she has a busy schedule this year with the likes of Gulliver’s Travels and Adjustment Bureau on the horizon.
Maggie Gyllenhaal: the actress made her acting debut back in 1992 but it’s her latest movie Crazy Heart that has proved to be her greatest success, bagging a best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her performance.
She slowly built up her career as she appeared in Driving IN Cars With Boys, Donnie Darko and Adaptation before making her breakthrough in 2002 with Secretary, a black comedy which brought her a string of award nominations including a Golden Globe nod.
She has mixed and matched her roles in recent years with the critically acclaimed Sherrybaby, which brought her another Golden Globe nod, World Trade Centre and Mona Lisa Smile all showed off her versatility.
2008 saw her step into the big budget blockbuster as she replaced Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight, the second Batman movie from Christopher Nolan.
The movie was a monster critical and financial hit, going on to break through the $1 billion barrier to become one of the biggest grossing movies of all time.
Since then she has appeared in some smaller movies including a hilarious turn in Away We Go as a bohemian style mother before teaming up with Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart.
Keira Knightley: despite not starring in a movie since The Duchess back in 2008, she has had a successful run on stage most recently; she remains one of the most exciting young actresses.
The actress made a name for herself in the early noughties with the likes of The Hole, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and Bend It Like Beckham under her belt.
While Bend it Like Beckham, directed by Gurinder Chadha, was the catalyst for her success it was Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl that shot her to super stardom.
The role of Elizabeth Swann propelled her onto a global acting stage as she starred alongside Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom in a series of movies that has gone on to become one of the most successful franchises of all time.
Since then the actress has stayed away from the big budget blockbusters an established herself as a fine actress. She bagged herself her first Oscar nomination back in 2005 when she took on the role of Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice.
The adaptation was the feature debut for British filmmaker Joe Wright and together they have proved to be a successful partnership.
Their second collaboration came in 2007 as she took on the role Cecilia Tallis in the adaptation for Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement.
Despite Knightley missing out on an Oscar nod, the movie did pick up the Best Picture Drama Golden Globe.
She has also found success with Edge of Love and The Duchess and she returns to the big screen this year with London Boulevard, Don’t Let Me Go and Last Night are all in post-production.
Rachel McAdams: enjoyed another successful year in 2009 and now she has become one of the most sought after actresses working in Hollywood.
She kicked off her career in 2001 but it was 2004 that really saw her make an impact with teen comedy Bad Girls and heart wrenching drama the Notebook.
Her performance as Allison "Allie" Hamilton in the adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ novel remains one of her most famous and popular roles as she starred alongside Ryan Gosling.
She has turned her hand to comedy, horror and drama as she got The Wedding Crashers, The Family Stone and Red Eye all under her belt.
But 2009 has proved to be her most successful year yet kicking it off in the summer with State of Play. The actress teamed up with Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck and Helen Mirren in an adaptation of the hit BBC drama.
An adaptation of another popular novel The Time Traveler’s Wife was next before she rounded of the year alongside Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes.
She will be back on the big screen later this year with Morning Glory starring alongside Harrison Ford and Jeff Goldblum.
Other actresses worth keeping an eye on include Avatar’s Zoe Saldana, Anna Kendrick, Carey Mulligan and Vera Farmiga.
Leap Year is released 26th February.
The likes of Meryl Streep, Judi Dench and in more recently Kate Winslet and Angelina Jolie have been the big named actresses in Hollywood for many years.
The four of them have enjoyed critical and commercial success as well as enjoying major award nominations and wins. But in recent years there have been a string of actresses who have come along and are vying to achieve the same success.
We take a look at some of the actresses who have made a huge impact so far in their careers and one of them has a new movie hitting the big screen this week.
Amy Adams: is back on cinema screen this week as she teams up with Matthew Goode for romantic comedy Leap Year.
Despite kicking off her career back in 1999 it was 2005 when she really made a huge impact when she starred in Junebug.
The movie provided her with her first Oscar nomination and since then her star has done nothing but rise. Adams is one of the most versatile actresses working in Hollywood at the moment as she moves between comedy, drama and rom com, finding success in all genres.
She gained critical praise for her role as Giselle in Enchanted before picking up a second Oscar nomination for her role in drama Doubt, alongside Meryl Streep.
2009 was a great year for the actress as she took on indie drama Sunshine Cleaning before moving onto the blockbuster when she took on the role of Amelia Earhart in Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.
She rounded off the year with Julie & Julia and Leap Year is her first venture onto the big screen in 2010.
Emily Blunt: is one of the best British actresses currently working and has found success on both sides of the pond in recent years.
Like Adams the actress has mixed and matched her roles showing off her skills in all movie genres. Blunt showed off her comic skills in the 2006 movie The Devil Wears Prada that proved to be the film that catapulted to fame.
With roles such as Charlie Wilson’s War, Dan In Real Life and Sunshine Cleaning under her belt the British actress was steadily making a name for herself.
Her biggest role to date came in 2009 when she starred as Queen Victoria in The Young Victoria. The movie was met well by the critics and Blunt's central performance was highly praised. For her first lead performance she landed a Best Actress Golden Globe nod, losing out to Sandra Bullock.
Her latest big screen project saw her team up with Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins for horror movie The Wolfman.
And she has a busy schedule this year with the likes of Gulliver’s Travels and Adjustment Bureau on the horizon.
Maggie Gyllenhaal: the actress made her acting debut back in 1992 but it’s her latest movie Crazy Heart that has proved to be her greatest success, bagging a best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her performance.
She slowly built up her career as she appeared in Driving IN Cars With Boys, Donnie Darko and Adaptation before making her breakthrough in 2002 with Secretary, a black comedy which brought her a string of award nominations including a Golden Globe nod.
She has mixed and matched her roles in recent years with the critically acclaimed Sherrybaby, which brought her another Golden Globe nod, World Trade Centre and Mona Lisa Smile all showed off her versatility.
2008 saw her step into the big budget blockbuster as she replaced Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight, the second Batman movie from Christopher Nolan.
The movie was a monster critical and financial hit, going on to break through the $1 billion barrier to become one of the biggest grossing movies of all time.
Since then she has appeared in some smaller movies including a hilarious turn in Away We Go as a bohemian style mother before teaming up with Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart.
Keira Knightley: despite not starring in a movie since The Duchess back in 2008, she has had a successful run on stage most recently; she remains one of the most exciting young actresses.
The actress made a name for herself in the early noughties with the likes of The Hole, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and Bend It Like Beckham under her belt.