10 Actors Who Still Haven't Outdone Their Debut Performances

9. Jamie Bell - Billy Elliot

Billy Elliot is just one of those roles that an actor will never be able to escape. Jamie Bell played the dancing Northerner when he was only fourteen years old, and even now, when he's a strapping young man in his late 20s and married to Evan Rachel Wood, you can't help but think of Billy. The film was a smash hit back in 1999, with audiences falling in love with the young lad. It spawned a musical that had both a successful run on Broadway and the West End (the London production is still going strong). But the biggest draw for the film, and what makes the role so remarkable, is the sheer amount of talent required to play Billy Elliot. They had to find a kid who not only had enough acting skill and screen presence to carry a film on this scale, but also had the dance training to believably portray a child prodigy. Jamie Bell did all of that and more. He's managed to have a pretty consistent career as he transitioned into adulthood (he's currently starring in the Revolutionary War drama Turn on AMC), but at this point none of his roles have had the impact of Billy Elliot.