Top 10 Breakout Actors of 2009

Whether it's having featured roles in huge blockbuster action flicks or quirky independent comedies, it has been a good year for up-and-coming actors. Here's a list of the top ten breakout actors of 2009.

10. Isabelle Furhman

BREAKOUT ROLE: This newcomer's creepy performance in the hit thriller Orphan is nothing short of terrifying. A mere 12 years old, she carried the movie and she carried it well; playing her role as a newly adopted child with an extreme dark side with such manipulative threat it kept my stomach in knots.
UP NEXT: Around the World in 50 Years 3D

9. Chris Pine/Zachary Quinto

BREAKOUT ROLES: Yes, I lumped these two together not because they don't deserve individual spots, but because at this point most of us can't think of one without the other. They are Kirk and Spock, period. In one of this summer's top box office hits, Pine and Quinto accomplished the impossible in Star Trek: playing two of sci-fi's most loved characters with such intensity and honor that they even impressed the "trekkies".
UP NEXT: Pine- Tony Scott's Unstoppable, Quinto- continuing "Heroes"

8. Anna Kendrick

BREAKOUT ROLE: I'll admit I may be biased towards this young actress because I've been following her success since her 1998 Tony nomination, but I have a hunch she'll be the talk of Tinseltown this December for her starring role opposite George Clooney in Up in the Air. Tweens currently know her as Jessica in the Twilight movies, but hopefully critics will soon forgive her of that.
UP NEXT: The Twilight Saga: New Moon

7. Sam Worthington

BREAKOUT ROLE: He may not be a household name...yet. But if you happened to see Terminator Salvation this summer, you witnessed the power and raw emotion this native Aussie brought to the role of cyborg Marcus Wright. He's also the star of James Cameron's much-anticipated sci-fi thriller Avatar, due out in December. Do we have this decade's Mel Gibson/Russell Crowe?
UP NEXT: too many to list, but notably Perseus in Clash of the Titans

6. Zoe Saldana

BREAKOUT ROLE: It's impossible to discuss Star Trek or Avatar without mentioning the OTHER breakout star of these films. Saldana is no stranger to acting; she had featured roles in Pirates of the Caribbean and Drumline, but her star has never shined brighter than this summer. With two of this year's most anticipated films under her belt, there will be no stopping this talented actress.
UP NEXT: Burning Palms and Takers

5. Max Records

BREAKOUT ROLE: Whatever the future has in store for this 12-year-old actor, for some of us he will always be Max, the character from our beloved children's book Where the Wild Things Are breathed to life. I personally don't think they could have cast him better; Records' range as the emotionally charged and playful king of the wild things does not cease to amaze.
UP NEXT: Nothing yet announced

4. Maya Rudolph

BREAKOUT ROLE: We all know her as the hilariously versatile Whitney Houston and Donatella Versace impersonator formerly of SNL. But who knew this comedic goddess could really act? In one of my personal favorites of 2009, Rudolph conquered her role in the lovable independent film Away We Go. Bringing a perfect balance of heartfelt emotion and offbeat humor to her character of an expectant mother (John Krasinski of "The Office" plays her significant other), she's even being tipped for Oscar buzz.
UP NEXT: MacGruber (Yes, they're making it a film and yes, I will be seeing it.)

3. Jesse Eisenberg

BREAKOUT ROLE: This young actor has had many roles in feature films, but none more visible than his awkward protagonist characters in this summer's box offices smashes Adventureland and Zombieland. The former being a coming-of-age summer flick about young adults working in an amusement park and the latter being a wonderfully brilliant zombie satire, it's obvious Eisenberg has found his niche in the Michael Cera vein of roles. The reviews are in: Jesse Eisenberg is on his way to the top.
UP NEXT: Camp Hope and Holy Rollers

2. Carey Mulligan

BREAKOUT ROLE: Perhaps the breakout actress currently generating the most chatter is "It Girl" Carey Mulligan. Though she had roles in Pride and Prejudice and this summer's Public Enemies, she's landed a spot in moviegoer's hearts as Jenny in the British film An Education. Adoringreviews continue to pour in as she's being hailed as "the new Audrey Hepburn" and tipped to be gaining some of that Keira Knightley success.
UP NEXT: Brothers (out in December) and Never Let Me Go

1. Katie Featherston/Micha Sloat

BREAKOUT ROLE: If you haven't heard about the success of the extremely low-budget horror film Paranormal Activity, you must be living under a rock. Right now it's #1 at the box office, stomping competition from other Halloween-friendly films like Saw VI and The Stepfather. Having virtually no notable acting credits, these two young actors have literally shot to fame playing a convincing amiable couple haunted in their own house by demonic forces. Though the film was completed in 2007, thanks to savvy marketing and a Blair Witch-like eeriness (not to mention a personal boost from Mr. Spielberg himself), these two actors are at the top of everyone's watch list.
UP NEXT: Featherston- Walking Distance, Sloat- nothing yet announced