5. Michael Fassbender
In 2001, a young Irish-German actor by the name of Michael Fassbender was as unknown as they came, having just a handful of theatre roles under his belt. Band of Brothers was his first screen role and predominantly a background one at that, though he was credited in seven episodes as Sgt. Burton Pat Christenson. His first film role would not come until six years later, when he played Stelios, one of the titular 300 in Zack Snyders graphic novel adaptation. He hasnt looked back since, having rapidly become one of the worlds most in-demand and highly-regarded performers. Honing his craft in both Hunger and Fish Tank, two small but excellent British films, Fassbender attracted the attention of Quentin Tarantino, who gave him a role in his 2009 war piece Inglourious Basterds. 2010 was then a quiet year for the man but since 2011, hes rarely been off of the big screen for more than a few weeks at a time. His most well-known role since then has perhaps been that of Magneto in X-Men: First Class, though his best was undoubtedly in Shame, for which he was criminally snubbed for an Oscar nomination. A statue is sure to come some day, however, for the man now regarded as one of the greatest actors of his generation, who will reunite with both Ridley Scott (who directed him in Prometheus) and Steve McQueen (who directed him in Shame) in 2013, before reprising the role of Magneto alongside its original portrayer, Sir Ian McKellen, in the X-Men sequel next year.