Celebrities Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers  

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List Rules Vote up the B-listers with the most potential to become A-listers.

If pop culture has room enough for multiple A-list Jennifers and Chrises, it has enough time to make some space for certain celebrities who should be more famous. For example, think back to the start of 2014. In early 2014, most people would respond to the name "Chris Pratt" with "who?" Those who were familiar with his work probably knew him as the chubby bumbling Andy Dwyer from Parks and Recreation. Two years after Parks... finished, Chris Pratt starred in Guardians of the Galaxy and joined the rest of the A-list Chrises - and became one of the sexiest men alive. Truly what a difference a year makes.

You may wonder what makes a celebrity an A-lister, and which actors are considered B-list celebs. Although Game of Thrones stars Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke star in one of the most popular shows of all time, most commoners know them as their character names Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen, respectively. B-list actors thrive in supporting roles, yet these are the roles which fully highlight their unique talents and acting styles. 

Below includes a collection of all the celebrities who will soon be A-listers. By A-listers, it means actors and actresses at the height of fame, names and faces any bystander could instantly recognize. This list advocates for B-list actors who deserve the A-list treatment. Although these up and coming celebs boast millions of fans, they are still considered B-list (or below) by Hollywood standards. So no, this list is not for your friend who just got a guest role on the Disney Channel.

Feel free to add your favorites soon to be famous celebrities, but only if you think they'll be so famous your grandmother will know their name. Everyone loves Alexander Skarsgard, but love isn't what transformed Andy Dwyer into Star-Lord.

list ordered by

1
1,718 777
Chadwick Boseman is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 36

Best Known Roles:
T'Challa/Black Panther in Marvel Cinematic Universe
James Brown in Get on Up
Jackie Robinson in 42

Upcoming Roles:
T'Challa in an untitled Avengers project

2
1,309 577
Liam Hemsworth is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 28

Best Known Roles:
Gale Hawthorne in The Hunger Games series
Jake Morrison in Independence Day: Resurgence
Josh Taylor on Neighbours

Upcoming Roles:
Blake in Isn't It Romantic

3
1,741 1,222
Emilia Clarke is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 28

Best Known Roles:
Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones
Sarah Connor in Terminator Genisys
Luisa Clark in Me Before You
Kira in Solo: A Star Wars Story

Upcoming Roles:
Susan Smith in Above Suspicion

4
726 500
Jason Bateman is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 46

Best Known Roles:
Michael Bluth in Arrested Development
Nick Hendricks in the Horrible Bosses series
Nick Wilde (voice of) in Zootopia
Martin 'Marty' Byrde in Ozark

Upcoming Roles:
Opposite Jennifer Aniston in Significant Other

5
788 573
Sebastian Stan is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 35

Best Known Roles:
Jeff Gillooly in I, Tonya
Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier in the Captain America series
T.J. Hammond in Political Animals
Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier in Avengers: Infinity War

Upcoming Roles:
Scott Huffman in The Last Full Measure
Mickey in Monday

6
765 580
Cole Sprouse is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
DuttaDUtta added age 25

Best Known Roles:
Cody Martin in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
Jughead Jones in Riverdale

Upcoming Roles:
Will in Five Feet Apart

7
143 45
James McAvoy is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
Karen Addie Adelson added age 38

Best Known Roles:
Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men franchise (X-Men: Apocalypse, X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past)
David Percival in Atomic Blonde
Mr. Tumnus in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Upcoming Roles:
Lord Asriel in His Dark Materials
Hazel in Watership Down

8
1,527 1,288
Cara Delevingne is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 25

Best Known Roles:
Enchantress in Suicide Squad
Laureline in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Margo Roth Spiegelman in Paper Towns

Upcoming Roles:
Vignette Stonemoss in Carnival Row

9
726 577
Jason Momoa is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 38

Best Known Roles:
Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones
Declan Harp on Frontier
Aquaman in Justice League

Upcoming Roles:
Aquaman in Aquaman

10
263 167
Jensen Ackles is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
Jhantara Decker added age 40

Best Known Roles:
Dean Winchester in Supernatural

Upcoming Roles:
Opposite Olivia Munn in The Buddy Games

11
610 496
Kit Harington is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 31

Best Known Roles:
Jon Snow in Game of Thrones
Robert Catesby in Gunpowder

Upcoming Roles:
Eret (voice) in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

12
524 427
Andrew Garfield is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
akr2907 added age 34

Best Known Roles:
Spider-Man/Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network
Desmond Doss in Hacksaw Ridge

Upcoming Roles:
Carlos Mavroleon in Black Lion

13
349 281
Karen Gillan is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 30

Best Known Roles:
Amy Pond in Doctor Who (2010-2014)
Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy and the MCU
Ruby Roundhouse/Martha in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Nebula in Avengers: Infinity War

Upcoming Roles:
Nebula in an untitled Avengers project
Mercedes in Call of the Wild

14
882 818
John Boyega is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 26

Best Known Roles:
Finn in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Moses in Attack the Block
Melvin Dismukes in Detroit
Jake Pentecost in Pacific Rim: Uprising

Upcoming Roles:
Bigwig in Watership Down

15
869 856
Anthony Mackie is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
LaChance added age 39

Best Known Roles:
Sam Wilson in Marvel Cinematic Universe (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War)
Sergeant J. T. Sanborn in The Hurt Locker
Papa Doc in 8 Mile

Upcoming Roles:
Takeshi Kovacs in Altered Carbon
Johnnie Cochran in Signal HIll

16
379 349
Michael Peña is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 42

Best Known Roles:
Sal Castro in The Walkout
Paco Hernandez in American Hustle
Red in A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
César Chávez in César Chávez

Upcoming Roles:
Enforcer in The Mule
Dora's father in Dora the Explorer
 

17
459 437
Natalie Dormer is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 36

Best Known Roles:
Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones
Anne Boleyn in The Tudors
Cressida in Mockingjay: Part I & II

Upcoming Roles:
Eliza Merrett in The Professor and the Madman

18
708 711
Alexander Skarsgård is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 41

Best Known Roles:
Eric Northman in True Blood
Perry Wright in Big Little Lies 
Tarzan in The Legend of Tarzan

Upcoming Roles:
Sefan Lubert in The Aftermath

19
237 199
Evangeline Lilly is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 38

Best Known Roles:
Kate Austen in Lost
Tauriel in the Hobbit series
Hope van Dyne/Wasp in Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp

Upcoming Roles:
Hope van Dyne/Wasp in an untitled Avengers project

20
324 305
Janelle Monae is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 32

Best Known Roles:
Mary Jackson in Hidden Figures
Teresa in Moonlight

Upcoming Roles:
GI Julie in Welcome to Marwen

21
294 272
Dave Bautista is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 49

Best Known Roles:
Batista in WWE
Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Infinity War

Upcoming Roles:
Trent DeRosa in Escape Plan 3: Devil's Station
Owen Davidson in Master Z: Ip Man Legacy

22
667 691
Adam Driver is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 34

Best Known Roles:
Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Adam Sackler in Girls
Father Francisco Garupe in Silence
Flip Zimmerman in BlacKkKlansman

Upcoming Roles:
Ronald Peterson in The Dead Don't Die
Kylo Ren in Star Wars: Episode IX

23
245 218
John Cho is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 45

Best Known Roles:
Harold Lee in the Harold and Kumar series
Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek (2009)
John/MILF Guy #2 in American Pie 2
David Kim in Searching

Upcoming Roles:
Hikaru Sulu in an untitled Star Wars project
Grover in Tigertail

24
558 575
Lily James is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 28

Best Known Roles:
Ella in Cinderella
Debora in Baby Driver 
Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Young Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Upcoming Roles:
Opposite Ana de Armas and Kate McKinnon in an untitled Danny Boyle/Richard Curtis project

25
516 533
Liev Schreiber is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
joel-micah-harris added age 50

Best Known Roles:
Ray Donovan in Ray Donovan
Ross "The Boss" Rhea in Goon
Victor Creed/Sabretooth in X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Upcoming Roles:
"Unknown Role" in A Rainy Day in New York

26
271 256
Lena Headey is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 44

Best Known Roles:
Cersie Lannister in Game of Thrones
Sarah Connor in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Queen Gorgo in 300

Upcoming Roles:
Julia "Sweet Saraya" Bevis in Fighting with My Family

27
704 753
Mindy Kaling is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
chantellebelle added age 38

Best Known Roles:
Kelly Kapoor in The Office
Dr. Mindy Lahiri in The Mindy Project
Disgust in Inside Out
Amita in Ocean's 8

Upcoming Roles:
Molly Patel in Late Night

28
324 318
Cobie Smulders is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 35

Best Known Roles:
Robin Scherbatsky on How I Met Your Mother
Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Upcoming Roles:
Sophie in Cicada

29
827 904
Elle Fanning is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 19

Best Known Roles:
Alice Dainard in Super 8
Jesse in The Neon Demon
Aurora in Maleficent
Mary Shelley in Mary Shelley

Upcoming Roles:
Princess Aurora in Maleficent 2

30
334 338
Maisie Williams is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 20

Best Known Roles:
Arya Stark in Game of Thrones
Lydia Lamont in The Falling
 

Upcoming Roles:
Rahne Sinclair/Wolfsbane in The New Mutants

31
346 353
Sophie Turner is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 22

Best Known Roles:
Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones
Jean Grey/Phoenix in X-Men: Apocalypse

Upcoming Roles:
Koepcke in Girl Who Fell From the Sky
Jean Grey/Dark Phoenix in X-Men: Dark Phoenix

32
664 736
Zoë Kravitz is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 29

Best Known Roles:
Bonnie Carlson on Big Little Lies
Christina in The Divergent Series 
Angel Salvadore in X-Men: First Class

Upcoming Roles:
Leta Lestrange in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
As the lead in High Fidelity (2019)

33
281 283
Thomas Sangster is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
Isa Ip added age 27

Best Known Roles:
Newt in The Maze Runner series
Jojen Reed on Game of Thrones
Simon on Nanny McPhee
Sam on Love Actually

Upcoming Roles:
A voice in Dragon Rider

 

34
206 208
Olivia Munn is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 37

Best Known Roles:
Elizabeth Braddock/Psylocke in X-Men: Apocalypse and X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Sloan Sabbith in The Newsroom

Upcoming Roles:
Tiffany in The Buddy Games
Barbie in Die in a Gunfight

35
167 160
Karl Urban is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 45

Best Known Roles:
Éomer in Lord of the Rings II & III
Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok
Leonard McCoy in Star Trek (2009)
Judge Dredd in Dredd

Upcoming Roles:
Leonard McCoy in untitled Star Trek project

36
585 682
Chiwetel Ejiofor is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
LaChance added age 40

Best Known Roles:
Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave
Karl Mondo in Doctor Strange
Okwe in Dirty Pretty Things

Upcoming Roles:
Scar in The Lion King

37
154 147
Djimon Hounsou is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 53

Best Known Roles:
Cinqué in Amistad
Mateo in In America
Solomon Vandy in Blood Diamond

Upcoming Roles:
Korath in Captain Marvel

38
598 704
Wentworth Miller is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
zoe-krainik added age 45

Best Known Roles:
Michael Scofield on Prison Break
Leonard Snart on Legends of Tomorrow
Chris Redfield in Resident Evil: Afterlife

 

39
664 796
Stephen Amell is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 36

Best Known Roles:
Oliver Queen on Arrow
Casey Jones in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows 
Jason on Hung

Upcoming Roles:
Garrett in Code 8

40
165 165
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 47

Best Known Roles:
Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones
Clas Greve in Headhunters
Martin Bork in Nightwatch

Upcoming Roles:
Christian in Domino

41
202 213
Zachary Quinto is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 40

Best Known Roles:
Sylar in Heroes
Spock in Star Trek (2009)
Dr. Oliver Thredson in American Horror Story: Asylum
Crosby Franklin in Hotel Artemis

Upcoming Roles:
Spock in an untitled Star Trek project

42
532 639
Jamie Dornan is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 35

Best Known Roles:
Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey series
Paul Spector in The Fall
Jan Kubiš in Anthropoid

Upcoming Roles:
Will Scarlet in Robin Hood

43
476 570
Dakota Johnson is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 28

Best Known Roles:
Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey franchise
Alice Kepley in How to Be Single
Kate Fox on Ben and Kate
Susie Bannion in Suspiria

Upcoming Roles:
Eleanor in The Peanut Butter Falcon

44
425 518
Felicity Jones is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
ChloeFletcher added age 34

Best Known Roles:
Jyn Erso in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Jane Wilde Hawking in The Theory of Everything 
Anna Gardner in Like Crazy

Upcoming Roles:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg in On the Basis of Sex

45
417 514
Robert Pattinson is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
ChloeFletcher added age 31

Best Known Roles:
Edward Cullen in The Twilight Saga
Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Eric Packer in Cosmopolis

Upcoming Roles:
Roy Laferty in The Devil All The Time

46
469 597
Hayley Atwell is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 35

Best Known Roles:
Peggy Carter on Agent Carter and in Captain America: The First Avenger
Hayes Morrison on Conviction
Kathy Etchingham in Jimi: All Is by My Side

Upcoming Roles:
Caroline Mortimer in The Long Song

47
422 543
Ellie Kemper is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 37

Best Known Roles:
Kimmy Schmidt on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Erin Hannon on The Office
Becca in Bridesmaids

Upcoming Roles:
Katie in The Secret Life of Pets 2

48
138 155
Michael C. Hall is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 47

Best Known Roles:
Dexter Morgan in Dexter
David Fisher in Six Feet Under

Upcoming Roles:
Leonard Swett in The Gettysburg Address
 

49
390 508
Jake Johnson is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 39

Best Known Roles:
Nick Miller on New Girl
Lowery Cruthers in Jurassic World
Eddie Garrett in Win It All
Randy 'Chilli' Cillano in Tag

Upcoming Roles:
Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse

50
137 163
Patrick Wilson is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list Celebrities Who Should Be A-Listers
age 44

Best Known Roles:
Josh Lambert in the Insidious series
Ed Warren in The Conjuring/Annabelle

Upcoming Roles:
Orm Marius/Ocean Master in Aquaman