Carey Mulligan

British actress Carey Mulligan brings quiet intelligence and subtle strength to stifled characters struggling to define themselves. After being rejected from several London drama schools, Mulligan sent a heartfelt letter to screenwriter Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park, Downton Abbey), which led to her being cast as flighty Kitty Bennet in the 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. After small, but memorable, parts in several period miniseries, Mulligan boldly stepped out on her own in An Education as Jenny Mellor, an intellectually curious teenager swept off her feet by a charming older man. Aided by her naturally authoritative voice, she brought youthful ignorance and arrogance to an adult performance that garnered her international attention and an Oscar nomination. Since then, Mulligan's roles have been in a mix of character dramas and high-profile projects--in Never Let Me Go, she portrayed a woman whose life is defined by death; and she illuminated the broken core of a mistrustful daughter in Oliver Stone's Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps. Mulligan's soft-spoken demeanor provided a welcome romantic counterpoint to the violent action thrills of Drive, while her go-for-broke performance in Shame as Michael Fassbender's damaged sister is as unsettling as it is cathartic. Her ability to balance hushed dignity with overwhelming despair makes Mulligan a talented actress whose best work is yet to come.