Other than Beyoncé, which celebrities stuck out this year? We explain why ten celebrities brought their A-game in 2013, and we look at five celebrities who have a promising year ahead of them.
This year was filled with big projects for many celebrities. From Shailene Woodley’s huge career boost to Lorde’s debut and One Direction’s rise up the music charts, many actors, musicians, and writers had a fantastic year. None of the three celebrities we just mentioned made our list in 2013, though.
We’ve picked people for this list that we believe not only had a great career for themselves, but made an impact on their fans as well. These men and women were great role models and fantastic examples of how to excel in their field.
Later in the article we’ll share five celebrities we think made a splash and will be worth watching out for in 2014.
Without further ado, check out our list of 2013’s biggest celebrities! Ladies first.
Best Women of 2013
And that’s not to mention the biggest shock she gave the world this year – when she chopped all of her hair off. The mania that surrounded this minor decision was, of course, ridiculous, but it was evidence of the larger phenomena surrounding Lawrence. She isn’t just Jennifer Lawrence to the world, she is our J.Law. She is the kind of woman who is brutally honest in her interviews, who won’t subscribe to a ridiculous notion of female beauty and she seems legitimately surprised by the success that comes her way.
With so many young actors in the spotlight because they are are having very public meltdowns, it is so refreshing to see someone conquer the world with their talent, and amazing personality. We just want to be her friend (seriously, please be our friend?). And with Mockingjay parts one and two on the way, there is no where to go but up. – Marama Whyte
Beyoncé started the year off normally, getting out some singles and making stops on her world tour. You know, just being Bey. A couple of her songs leaked early, and she hinted that she was working on an album, but there wasn’t an expected release date until 2014 at the soonest.
Beyoncé’s singles “Standing in the Sun” and “God Made You Beautiful” really made a hit in the summer and fall when they leaked, but she really took the world by storm last week when she released her album at the stroke of midnight with absolutely no advanced publicity.
She pulled off something incredible when her album released on iTunes without a single word. Within the first three days she has sold 850,000 albums, vastly overshadowing any other artist who released albums earlier this year. And don’t forget… this is the same year that Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Lorde, and Lady Gaga all released albums themselves.
Oh, and did we mention the fact that the day she released the album it was also Taylor Swift’s birthday? Even Lorde released a single herself that day. Poor ladies didn’t even stand a chance. Like we said: All hail Queen Bey! –Tariq Kyle
The reveal in July that Robert Galbraith, debut author of successful crime novel The Cuckoo’s Calling, was none other than J.K. Rowling had the world reeling. It was not surprising that Rowling chose to release this new series under a pseudonym in order to escape the inevitable scrutiny that any work she produces will receive. But the quality of the book and its positive reception by both critics and the general public is a mark of Rowling’s talents.
If a secret novel wasn’t enough (and who thought that, following that huge reveal, we would be getting another one), it was announced that we will be returning to the world of Harry Potter in a new film to be penned by Rowling herself. Based off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, this new film (and probable series) is sure to be a success. We won’t have to compare the film to the book, and we will be getting the visual experience of the magical world straight out of Rowling’s head. It does not get better than this. – Marama Whyte
For those of you unfamiliar with the actress, she plays a stunning number of characters on Orphan Black – seven to be exact – and that number will be growing in 2014 when the show adds more clones. “Yeah, yeah,” you might be thinking. But no, Maslany truly is one of the best actresses you will ever see on a television show, period.
It’s a big claim to make, but there’s a reason thousands were upset when Maslany wasn’t nominated for an Emmy earlier this year. Maslany has had a huge year, her career has taken off because of her role on Orphan Black and it’s because of her amazing work on that show that she’s now nominated for a Golden Globe.
Maslany is also the proud winner of the Critic’s Choice, TCA and EWwy awards – all this year. To not include her and her amazing work on this list would be a mistake, and we know that she’ll only get bigger as Orphan Black progresses. –Tariq Kyle
The Divergent series has now been perched on top of The New York Times best seller list for many weeks, beating out The Hunger Games and The Mortal Instruments. Given the success of The Hunger Games films and the newest Mortal Instruments book release, this is no small feat for an author.
But Roth also deserves recognition for her courage. Following its release in October, Allegiant has divided the Divergent fandom, the public, and the media alike. Roth’s bold and unapologetic story choices may not be popular with all fans, but they show an author who was so committed to telling the story in her mind that she was willing to sacrifice popular approval in order to do so. And for that, we kind of love her.
The approaching release of the Divergent film adaptation will only mean more eyes on Roth and her series. Allegiant may not be your favourite book, but you can’t deny that its release ensured Roth’s position in 2013. – Marama Whyte
Check out the second page for top male celebrities of 2013!
Now that we’ve shown you the ladies we think were fantastic this year, it’s time for us to check out which men we think had the best year in 2013. From Doctor Who to Breaking Bad our selection varies from fandom to fandom – hey, we even have a musical artist picked out this year – and we’re excited to present to you our picks!
Like the previous women, the men we picked are more than just famous and successful this year – they’re men who we believe to be great role models and fantastic human beings.
And after our pick of men be sure to check out the last page to see which celebrities we think will have a great year in 2014!
Best Men of 2013
J.J. Abrams had quite the year in 2013. In January one of his biggest successes, Fringe, ended its series with 3.2 million people tuning in, and that was just the beginning of Abrams’ year.
Later on that month it was announced that Abrams will be directing the widely controversial reboot of the Star Wars franchise, and we later learned he would take over script writing duties.
Over the summer the sequel to his highly successful 2012 Star Trek film Star Trek: Into Darkness made a splash at the box office with $70 million during its opening weekend. Abrams is still committed to produce the third film due for release in 2016.
All of that, in addition to the release of Abrams’ book earlier this year, adds up to be a wildly successful year! Okay, so maybe the book wasn’t the best thing in the world, but we won’t count that against the man’s success. We’ve no doubt that Abrams will bring great things to the franchises he’s involved in and look forward to seeing what he puts out in 2014. – Tariq Kyle
If 2013 was the year of anyone, it was of Benedict Cumberbatch. Fandom darling, Tumblr obsession, talented actor and hilarious interviewee – is there nothing that this man can’t do?
In 2013 Cumberbatch was involved in two major fandoms through his star turn as the villain in Star Trek Into Darkness and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (we could listen to that dragon talk all night). But that wasn’t all, as he also managed to fit in stellar performances in 12 Years A Slave and August: Osage County. And that’s not to mention the blonde hair he wore to portray Julian Assange in the biopic The Fifth Estate.
And Cumberbatch is still going strong, even as 2013 approaches its end. New Years Day will see the return of the beloved consulting detective in Sherlock season 3 in the United Kingdom, with a premiere in the United States on January 19.
If success could be measured in Tumblr GIFs, then Cumberbatch is well ahead of anyone in, well, the world. But we can also measure his success in the wonderful interviews he gives, the hilarious anecdotes he tells (‘Neutron cream’ on the Star Trek set, anyone?), and the unbeatable performances he delivers every time. – Marama Whyte
Doctor Who has really taken off the past couple of years. It’s reached thousands more people than it ever used to and now it’s the record holder for the most watched simulcast in television history – all while Matt Smith played the Doctor.
Smith helped bring the cool factor to Doctor Who; because he was the youngest actor to ever play the Doctor, naturally, the audience for the show grew. He’s also made bow ties and fezzes a hotter commodity, and you’ll be hard pressed to not spot at least ten of those at Comic-Con during any given moment. This year we say goodbye to Smith in just a matter of days on the Doctor Who Christmas Special, which helps finish off a year of epic proportions.
There’s the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, the departure of Smith in the Christmas special and then there’s also the non-Who stuff Smith has done this year.
He’s signed on to and filmed a movie with directer Ryan Gosling in How to Catch a Monster, and he made his musical debut in American Psycho, currently playing at the Almeida Theatre in London. This was absolutely one of Smith’s most successful years in his career. –Tariq Kyle
To say Justin Timberlake had a great year would be an understatement. The man who brought SexyBack in 2006 showed up in 2013 with a “Suit and Tie” and became one of the most beloved celebrities around.
He debuted The 20/20 Experience Part 1 in the spring and then Part 2 in the fall – both successful albums that led to an equally successful tour with Jay-Z and redefined his brand as the cool guy with a jazz band and sleek suits. But while he was acting all suave, we can’t forget about his past musical endeavors: the NSYNC reunion at the MTV VMA’s was almost as talked about as that whole Miley Cyrus thing and made nearly everyone who grew up singing “Bye, Bye, Bye,” cry out with joy.
Timberlake will be ending the year not with a fizzle, but with a bang by being the musical guest on SNL this Saturday night with SNL alum, and aforementioned late night host, Jimmy Fallon. His second appearance on the show this year, don’t be surprised to see him pop up in a few sketches.
It’ll be hard for JT to top this year in 2014, but we don’t doubt he’ll try. –Kristina Lintz
Bryan Cranston is a fantastic actor. Over the past five years he convinced us that you could start a show supporting a character and absolutely despise him by the end. His dialogue delivery was some of the most stunning acting of the year and reminded us that television is just as good – if not better than – what you see at the movies.
It makes you wonder: Would the show even be as successful if Cranston weren’t in it? We have to think no. The actor is that perfect for Bad because we still don’t know whether we love or hate Walter White.
Then there’s the fact that Cranston is just a cool guy. Evidence: The alternate Bad ending (video no longer available, but hit the link for the story).
Interestingly, Cranston hasn’t had many roles this year outside of Bad. It was just his performance in the meth drama that grabbed all of Hollywood’s attention. He did have a role in a recent, smaller film Cold Comes the Night. Look for him next year in Godzilla. – Andrew Sims
Check out the last page to see which celebrities you should keep an eye on in 2014!
Now that we’ve shown you who we thought had a big year in 2013, it’s time to show off the wonderful actors and musicians that we think you should keep an eye on for the year of 2014.
These people strutted their stuff this year and while some of them have been known for a while and/or already had a somewhat successful career, we think that next year will really be their time to shine. They’ve already shown us that they have what it takes to make it to the big leagues, now let’s see if they can wow us in 2014.
If there’s someone not on this list who you think would be worth following be sure to tell us in the comments below!
Peter Capaldi
Okay, yeah, we know he’s already the talk of the town now, but all eyes are going to be on Capaldi next year to see what he’ll bring to the role. No one knows what kind of Doctor Capaldi will be, and fans currently attached to Smith will have a tough time adjusting, but the entire fandom is excited to see what he’ll be able to do. We’re sure that we’ll grow to love Capaldi as the 12th Doctor as much as we grew to love Matt when David Tennant left – it’s only a matter of time. –Tariq Kyle
Jena Malone
2014 will also see Malone starring in Inherent Vice alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Josh Brolin, and in psychological thriller Angelica. Malone is one of those actors that has been around forever, and if you check her IMDb you will see that she has played supporting roles in so many huge films. We are looking forward to The Hunger Games catapulting Malone right into the spotlight where she clearly belongs. –Marama Whyte
Grant Gustin
Gustin appeared as the Flash in the CW series Arrow just a few weeks ago, and executives felt so confident in his performance that they’ve given him his own series. If the pilot does well then we can easily see Gustin’s career rise in 2014. Plus, there’s also the fact that Warner Bros. has slated a Flash film for 2016. Gustin could take the role, but time will tell. –Tariq Kyle
Ansel Elgort
Elgort was cast in two gigantic young adult movie adaptations that are bound to boost his spotlight. Since both Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars premiere in 2014 we see Elgort getting a lot of well deserved attention. After TFIOS is over, though, we’ll have plenty more time to ogle over him as he’ll still have two more movies to film as Caleb for Divergent. It’s easy to see where this guy is going, and it’s all up hill! –Tariq Kyle
Lorde
Let’s ignore the fact that Lorde got upstaged by Beyonce this month with her recent single release, and focus on the fact that she’s nominated for four Grammys! That, in addition to the fact that she had a fantastic song on the Catching Fire soundtrack points us to the conclusion that 2014 will not be a dull year for her. We can’t wait to see what this young artist has up her sleeve! –Tariq Kyle