8. Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence is one of those fantastically versatile actresses who is able to deliver a subtle, nuanced performance in a so-called "art film" (hence her Academy Award nomination for 2010's Winter's Bone), but is also capable of broader, more accommodating strokes in mainstream Hollywood fare (such as her performance as Mystique in X-Men: First Class). Th0ugh Lawrence wasn't a persistent presence on our screens this year, she made the best of her two major roles, and again, they reflect her versatility, given that one is a thoughtful drama and the other is an entertaining blockbuster. As Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, Lawrence continues to demonstrate her raw physical appeal as both a romantic lead and as an action heroine; here she runs rings around Josh Hutcherson as the strong-willed, driven protagonist of the series, and the film went on to be on the year's smash-hits. Her other role was as Tiffany in David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook, playing opposite Bradley Cooper in a tale of mutually wounded people finding solace in one another. Lawrence is widely-tipped to receive an Oscar nomination for her performance and perhaps even win, making it clear that she's one of the most talented actors of her generation without a doubt. Again mixing art-house with mainstream Hollywood in 2013, Lawrence will re-team with Bradley Cooper for Susanne Bier's Serena, before we see her return as Katniss for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire near the end of the year.