30 important actors under 30

Elle Fanning, 16

Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as Jeff Bridges’ precocious daughter in the deconstructing family of “The Door in the Floor”

Proved a keeper as Aurora, “Maleficent’s” rarely sleeping beauty opposite Angelina Jolie

Looking forward to her as Frankenstein’s real creator, British novelist Mary Shelley

Chloe Grace Moretz, 17

Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s helpful half-sister in “(500) Days of Summer”

Proved a keeper helping out the 12-year-old orphan in Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo”

Looking forward to her being saved by Denzel Washington in Antoine Fuqua’s “The Equalizer”

Hailee Steinfeld, 17

Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as the insistent young woman intent on finding her father’s killer in the Coen brothers’ “True Grit”

Proved a keeper as a sci-fi warrior looking out for the younger kid in “Ender’s Game”

Looking forward to the Civil War saga of Southern women defending the homefront in “The Keeping Room”

Tye Sheridan, 17

Jim Spellman/WireImage

Hit my radar as one of Brad Pitt’s sons in Terrence Malick’s ethereal family drama “The Tree of Life”

Proved a keeper as Ellis, a young southern romantic helping Matthew McConaughey’s fugitive in “Mud”

Looking forward to him in “The Forger,” a multigenerational family crime drama with Christopher Plummer and John Travolta

Saoirse Ronan, 20

Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as the young Briony whose act sparks a lifetime of “Atonement” for Keira Knightley

Proved a keeper as the skilled young assassin in action thriller “Hanna” with Eric Bana

Looking forward to her as a young Irish immigrant making her way in the 1950s in “Brooklyn”

Ansel Elgort, 20

Bob Chamberlin/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as Tommy, the popular kid who takes “Carrie” to the prom

Proved a keeper as Gus, half of the romantic couple in “The Fault in Our Stars” with Shailene Woodley

Looking forward to him in Jason Reitman’s sexual frustration comedy, “Men, Women & Children”

Ezra Miller, 21

Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as an unstable teen destabilizing a wedding in “Another Happy Day”

Proved a keeper as the teenage psychopath in “We Need to Talk About Kevin”

Looking forward to seeing him seduce Emma in “Madame Bovary” opposite Mia Wasikowska

John Boyega, 22

Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as a teen gangster dealing with a space invader in the horror/comedy “Attack the Block”

Proved a keeper as Ugwu, the professor’s precious houseboy in “Half of a Yellow Sun”

Looking forward to his turn as the new hero in the “Star Wars” galaxy, Episode VII if you’re counting

Shailene Woodley, 22

Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as the sensitive pregnant star of ABC Family’s “The Secret Life of the American Teenager”

Proved a keeper as George Clooney’s character’s cynical teen daughter in “The Descendants”

Looking forward to her finishing off the rest of Tris’ “Divergent” journey

Jennifer Lawrence, 23

Rick Loomis/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as the Ozark Mountain teen defiantly searching for her dad in “Winter’s Bone”

Proved a keeper as an emotionally damaged woman opposite Bradley Cooper in “Silver Linings Playbook”

Looking forward to Katniss’ next chapter as “The Hunger Games” continues but more intriguing is “Serena,” a Depression-era drama from filmmaker Susanne Bier that once again pairs her with Cooper

Dev Patel, 24

Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar playing a Mumbai teen and game show winner strung up for his knowledge in Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire”

Proved a keeper as the irrepressible concierge who made the stay at “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” delightful

Looking forward to his highly intelligent real robot in Neill Bromkamp’s coming action thriller “Chappie”

Emma Watson, 24

Vera Anderson/WireImage

Hit my radar as the young female wizard Hermione Granger in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and the rest

Proved a keeper as the sultry sister in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”

Looking forward to her distraught daughter in director Alejandro Amenábar’s thriller “Regression”

Kristen Stewart, 24

Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar in “Panic Room” as Jodie Foster’s character’s daughter having to do or die after a home invasion

Proved a keeper outside of the “Twilight” zone as a moody teenage Joan Jett in “The Runaways”

Looking forward to her role as an assistant to Juliette Binoche’s middle-aged actress in Olivier Assayas’ “Clouds of Sils Maria” in December

Nicholas Hoult, 24

Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Snowlodge

Hit my radar as the persistent kid prodding Hugh Grant’s character toward responsibility in “About a Boy”

Proved a keeper as a zombie falling in love and saving the world in the unexpected delight, “Warm Bodies”

Looking forward to him in the post-apocalyptic reboot, “Mad Max: Fury Road,” with Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy

Alden Ehrenreich, 24

Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as an aspiring writer in Southern Gothic witch-teen-romance “Beautiful Creatures”

Proved a keeper as Jasmine’s estranged stepson in “Blue Jasmine”

Looking forward to him in the still-untitled Warren Beatty Howard Hughes drama

Mia Wasikowska, 24

Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as the right on older sister in “The Kids Are All Right”

Proved a keeper as a passionate Jane in Cary Fukunaga’s “Jane Eyre”

Looking forward to her turn in another classic role, Emma in “Madame Bovary” opposite Ezra Miller

Brie Larson, 24

Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as one of Scott’s evil exes in “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”

Proved a keeper as a residential treatment worker with her own abuse issues in “Short Term 12”

Looking forward to her in the crime thriller “The Gambler” opposite Mark Wahlberg

Anton Yelchin, 25

Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as Chekov in new-generation “Star Trek” along with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto

Proved a keeper as a young man in a long-distance love opposite Felicity Jones in Drake Doremus’ romantic drama “Like Crazy”

Looking forward to watching him lose his mind in Paul Schrader’s new spy thriller “The Dying of the Light”

Elizabeth Olsen, 25

Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as the mentally fractured young woman in “Martha Marcy May Marlene”

Proved a keeper as another young woman with a twisted past in Spike Lee’s “Oldboy” opposite Josh Brolin

Looking forward to seeing her as the Scarlet Witch in the next “Avengers”

Emma Stone, 25

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar with her good girl pretending to be bad in teen comedy “Easy A”

Proved a keeper as the young writer embroiled in the civil rights-era South in “The Help”

Looking forward to her star turn in Woody Allen’s latest comedy-drama “Magic in the Moonlight” opposite Colin Firth this month

Dayo Okeniyi, 25

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Hit my radar as the strong silent Thresh on “The Hunger Games,” protector of Rue, one of the many to fall.

Proved his staying power as the easygoing decent boyfriend of Brie Larson’s blond magnet in “The Spectacular Now.”

Looking forward to seeing him next in “Terminator: Genesis,” possibly pivotal as the son of cyber scientist Dr. Miles Dyson.

Dane DeHaan, 27

Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as a troubled teen in therapy with Gabriel Byrne in HBO’s “In Treatment”

Proved a keeper as Beat Generation’s Lucien Carr, the troubled one everyone loved, in “Kill Your Darlings”

Looking forward to seeing his take on James Dean in the drama “Life” with Robert Pattinson

Michael B. Jordan, 27

Al Seib/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as the recovering alcoholic in love with teenager Haddie Braverman in the NBC drama series “Parenthood”

Proved a keeper as the young African American man gunned down at a Berkeley metro stop in “Fruitvale Station”

Looking forward to seeing him play boxer Apollo Creed’s grandson and reteamed with “Fruitvale” filmmaker Ryan Coogler in “Creed”

Ellen Page, 27

Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar for her fast patter as the quirky smart pregnant teen in “Juno”

Proved a keeper as a roller derby newbie coming of age in “Whip It”

Looking forward to her as a car mechanic helping her girlfriend, Julianne Moore’s police detective, fight for pension benefits in the coming “Freeheld”

Robert Pattinson, 28

Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as the swoony vampire in “Twilight”

Proved a keeper after playing the arrogant young billionaire in David Cronenberg’s arty “Cosmopolis”

Looking forward to him as T.E. Lawrence in Werner Herzog’s “Queen of the Desert”

Amanda Seyfried, 28

Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as the conflicted Mormon teenager in HBO’s “Big Love”

Proved a keeper after her singing Sophia in “Mama Mia!” with Meryl Streep

Looking forward to her star turn in Joe Wright’s “Pan” along with Rooney Mara, Hugh Jackman and Garrett Hudlund

Anna Kendrick, 28

Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as the tart efficiency expert brought in to work with George Clooney’s firing specialist in “Up in the Air”

Proved a keeper as the therapist falling for Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s cancer patient in the comedy-drama “50/50”

Looking forward to her Cinderella with a witchy Meryl Streep in “Into the Woods” this December

Carey Mulligan, 29

Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as a suburban British teen coming of age with the help of Peter Sarsgaards’ playboy in “An Education”

Proved a keeper as a teen destined for death in the sci-fi thriller “Never Let Me Go”

Looking forward to her as the seductress in “Far From the Madding Crowd” with Juno Temple and Michael Sheen

Rooney Mara, 29

Jennifer S. Altman/For The Times

Hit my radar as Lisbeth Salander in David Fincher’s English-language version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”

Proved a keeper as a gauzy Texas gun moll opposite Casey Affleck in the crime/romance “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”

Looking forward to “Carol,” as a young woman falling for an elegant Cate Blanchett in Todd Hayes’ 1950’s-era drama

Garrett Hedlund, 29

Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times

Hit my radar as a country singer-songwriter scrapping by in “Country Strong”

Proved a keeper as Jack Kerouac’s buddy Dean and their complicated friendship in “On the Road”

Looking forward to his Capt. Hook in Joe Wright’s “Pan” and soldier in Angelina Jolie’s war film “Unbroken”