There have been many actors who nailed their debut role but still didn’t receive the recognition they deserved because the movie wasn’t particularly popular. Others, however, may not have delivered the best performance in the world, but still became more popular due to, say, the mainstream success of a given project.
Whether they won the award themselves or debuted in a film that won the Oscar for Best Original Score, these guys and gals have been under the biggest spotlight the industry can offer since the dawn of their careers. Here are ten actors who started off their career by acting in Academy Award-winning films.
15 Marlee Martin in Children of a Lesser God (1986)
Based off Mark Medoff’s play of the same name from 1979, Medoff cowrote the script for Children of a Lesser God (1986) along with Hesper Anderson. Neither of them have done much outside of this project, but they were nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Meanwhile, Marlee Martin managed to bring home the gold for Best Actress as Sarah Morgan. And, yes: it was her first ever role in a feature-length film. What’s more, is that she became both the youngest Best Actress winner, and the first deaf winner in the history of the Oscars. This may be among the lesser-known roles on the list, but most of the entries to follow should undoubtedly be more recognizable.
14 Warren Beatty – Splendor in the Grass (1961)
After playing roles in many TV shows throughout the late 1950s, Warren Beatty made his feature film acting debut with Splendor in the Grass (1961). Directed by Elia Kazan, the film garnered a couple nods at the Academy Awards: Natalie Wood was nominated for Best Actress, and William Inge won Best Story and Screenplay — Written Directly for the Screen.
Beatty would go on to receive four nominations for Best Actor in his career: Bonnie and Clyde (1968), Heaven Can Wait (1979), Reds (1982), and Bugsy (1992). He’s one of the biggest names of his era, and that’s in large part thanks to Splendor in the Grass.
13 Yalitza Aparicio – Roma (2018)
In 2019, after appearing in Roma (2018), Yalitza Aparicio was ranked among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine, and she lays claim to the title of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Indigenous Peoples. And at the 91st Academy Awards, she became the first Indigenous American woman to be nominated for Best Actress.
She’d come up just short to Olivia Colman for her work in The Favourite (2019), but Roma did receive wins in a couple other categories: Best Foreign Language Film and Best Director, for example. Alfonso Cuaron both wrote and directed the film, but even still, the biggest takeaway may always be Aparicio.
12 Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl (1968)
As Fanny Brice, Barbra Streisand impressively won the Academy Award for Best Actress in Funny Girl (1968). Well, she tied for first place, actually, sharing the award with one Katherine Hepburn. The latter holds the record for most wins in the Best Actress category, while Streisand would only receive one other nomination throughout her career.
But, still — Funny Girl is an impressive debut, and one of the more lauded musicals of all time. It received seven other Oscar nominations aside from Streisand’s Best Actress, and it’s been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
11 Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins (1964)
Based on the Broadway play of the same name, Julie Andrews starred as the titular character in Mary Poppins (1964). The film won some awards you may have been able to guess: Best Music Score and Best Song, for example. However, a certain Julie Andrews also won the highest achievement for a female thespian in the industry: the Academy Award for Best Actress.
She would go on to receive two more nominations for Best Actress: once for The Sound of Music (1965) just one year after her debut, and again for Victor/Victoria (1982). Those are impressive performances, but Mary Poppins remains the quintessential role of her career. The film won four other Oscars, and to boot, it’s since been preserved in the National Film Registry.
10 Montgomery Clift — The Search (1948)
As Ralph “Steve” Stevenson, Montgomery Clift made his on-screen debut in Fred Zinneman’s The Search (1948). For his efforts, Clift was nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards, and he would go on to receive the same nomination twice more in his career. And furthermore, the third and final time was another Fred Zinneman film: From Here to Eternity (1953).
But as for The Search — it won Best Story at the Academy Awards, and garnered nominations for Best Director, Best Screenplay, and again, Best Actor for Clift. Though it came up short in most of those categories, a single win is all it takes for a film to attract attention.
9 Robert Duvall – To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) is one of the more lauded films of its decade. Among its many Academy Award recipients was Gregory Peck, who won for Best Actor thanks to his work as Atticus Finch. The film also won Best Screenplay — Based on Material From Another Medium, as well as Best Art Direction — Black-and-White.
And while he didn’t garner a nomination, Robert Duvall as Arthur “Boo” Radley went down as a fan-favorite performance of a fan-friendly character. And of course, Robert Duvall would eventually become a household name.
8 Gabourey Sidibe – Precious (2009)
For her work in Precious (2009), Gabourey Sidibe was nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Actress. And, yeah — it was her acting debut. She would go on to lose the award to Sandra Bullock for her job in The Blind Side (2009), but Precious was still able to go home with a little bit of Oscar gold.
Actress and comedian Mo’Nique won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mary Lee Johnston, the abusive mother of the titular Precious. The film also won Best Adapted Screenplay, which went to Geoffrey S. Fletcher. Adapted from the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire, Precious was a critical and commercial success, and it put Gabourey Sidibe on the map.
7 Jennifer Hudson – Dreamgirls (2006)
For Dreamgirls (2006), Jennifer Hudson became the youngest African American to win at the Academy Awards in a competitive acting category. She did so with a win for Best Supporting Actress, and what’s even more impressive is the cast she stood out among: Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, and Danny Glover to name a few.
The film also won the Award for Best Sound Mixing, and Eddie Murphy was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. He wouldn't win, though, as Hudson did. She would go on to appear in over a dozen films since 2006, and her next film is in post-production: Breathe, directed by Stefon Bristol. It's safe to say, though, that Dreamgirls will always be the seminal role of Hudson's career.
6 Dev Patel – Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
As the lead character of Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Dev Patel made his acting debut in impressive fashion. With eight golden statuettes to its name, Slumdog Millionaire had the most wins of any movie at the 81st Academy Awards. Among the many honors it received include Best Film, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
And although Patel didn't even receive a nomination at the Oscars for Best Actor, he did win Best Breakthrough Performance (Male) from the National Board of Review. He's gone on to appear in over a dozen films since 2008 — most recently as the titular knight Gawain in David Lowery's The Green Knight (2021). When audiences see Dev Patel on screen, though, his role in Slumdog Millionaire is the first that comes to mind.
5 Brad Dourif – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
In 1975, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest received nine nominations at the Academy Awards. It won most of them, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress. And while Brad Dourif would come up short in his Best Supporting Actor race, the Golden Globes awarded him New Star of the Year for his work as Billy Bibbit.
Few debuts remain this critically acclaimed. Sure, the film's biggest takeaway in terms of acting was undoubtedly Jack Nicholson, who won the Best Actor Oscar for his role as the main character Randle Patrick "R.P." McMurphy. But with a legacy including a spot in the National Film Registry and one of three films to win all five major Academy Awards, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest solidified Brad Dourif's performance as one of the best film debuts ever.
4 Orson Welles – Citizen Kane (1941)
John Ford’s How Green Was My Valley (1941) famously beat for Best Film the tantamount achievement of Orson Welles: Citizen Kane (1941). However, Welles did manage to receive the Best Original Screenplay award — which he shared with Herman J. Mankiewicz. It was nominated eight other times: Best Director for Welles, Best Film for Welles, and of course, Best Actor for him as well.
Despite his efforts as the titular Charles Foster Kane, Welles came up short in his race for Best Actor to Gary Cooper in Sergeant York (1941). But we all know how impressive a feat this film was for Welles. Citizen Kane is commonly cited as the greatest film ever made, and for it to be his writing, directorial, and acting debut is another accomplishment entirely.
3 Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave (2013)
With the most recent entry on the list, Lupita Nyong’o absolutely aced her role as a slave named Patsey in 12 Years a Slave (2013). Based off a character from a book of the same name by Solomon Northup, Patsey proved to be the perfect vehicle for Nyong’o to get to her first ever Oscar ceremony.
In all, the film won three major Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and as you may have guessed at this point, Lupita Nyong’o won for Best Actress. 12 Years a Slave picked up six other nominations at the famous awards ceremony, but its team had nothing left to prove — particularly Nyong’o. Only a handful of people have won the Academy Award in their respective category for an acting debut, and she might just go down as the template for future thespians.
2 Tatum O’Neal – Paper Moon (1973)
With Paper Moon (1973), Tatum O’Neal essentially set the standard for child-acting. She became the youngest person to ever win an Academy Award — not just for acting, but in general — thanks to her performance here as Addie Loggins in Paper Moon. And get this: she was just ten years old.
Directed by Peter Bogdanovich and adapted by Alvin Sargent from the novel Addie Pray (1971) by Joe David Brown, the film also featured Ryan O’Neal, Tatum’s father, in the starring role. Though nominated three other times at the Oscars, O'Neal was the only one to walk away with gold. But her work as Addie Loggins was more than enough to warrant this spot.
1 Anna Paquin – The Piano (1993)
Along with Best Actress for Holly Hunter and Best Original Screenplay for Jane Campion, Anna Paquin was among the winners for The Piano (1993) at the Academy Awards. She won for Best Supporting Actress, and the film was nominated for five Oscars outside of those.
She would subsequently appear in several films by A-list directors, like Almost Famous (2000), which was written and directed by Cameron Crowe. Perhaps the most recognizable role of Paquin's career, though, came with her portrayal of the superheroine Rogue in the X-Men (2000-2006) franchise. However, her performance in The Piano is her best, and that will likely always be the case.