Netflix actors have quickly become some of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces. Thanks, in no small part, to the streaming platform’s global reach and binge-worthy original content. These Netflix actors either had relatively unknown careers or made their acting debut on the platform. From award-winning sci-fi horror projects to heartwarming coming-of-age dramas, these breakout stars moved on to find mainstream success.
Unarguably, with hundreds of original and featured content, Netflix has indeed launched the careers of countless actors. However, the list focuses on actors who, in addition to being famous faces and household names, have gone on to work in other top projects in film and/or television. Here are 9 Netflix actors whose acting careers were launched on the platform.
1. Uzo Aduba
Orange Is the New Black is another standout Netflix original series that produced several new talents. One of the show’s memorable characters is Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren, portrayed by actress Uzo Aduba. The Netflix series launched Aduba’s career after several failed attempts to land notable acting roles. Aduba, who has decided to quit acting, had her life turned around after receiving a call from her agent. Half a decade after the show ended, Uzo Aduba has starred in several notable projects on the big and small screens. She portrayed Shirley Chisholm on FX on Hulu’s political miniseries Mrs. America (2020). In 2023 and 2025, she also led the cast of the Netflix miniseries Painkiller and The Residence.
2. Ruby Rose
Australian actress Ruby Rose joined Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black in season 3 as Stella Carlin. Before then, she was widely unknown. Although she only appeared as a guest in season 4 before exiting the show, the series’ success and her performance were enough to launch her career. While Rose has mostly starred in B-rated movies in recent years, she landed several high-profile, big-budget projects during and after Orange Is the New Black.
Ruby Rose joined the cast of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter in 2016 and XXX: Return of Xander Cage in 2017. In the same year, she played Ares in John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) and Calamity in Pitch Perfect 3 (2017), showcasing her versatility. Ruby Rose’s other notable film projects include The Meg (2018), The Doorman (2020), SAS: Red Notice (2021), Vanquish (2021), The Collective (2023), and Dirty Angels (2024). However, her most successful role after Orange Is the New Black is portraying Kate Kane/Batwoman in several of The CW’s Arrowverse shows.
3. Millie Bobby Brown
British actress Millie Bobby Brown is the poster child of Netflix’s original TV projects. Having portrayed Eleven on one of Netflix’s flagship series, Stranger Things, Brown quickly became one of television’s sweethearts. Although not her first acting project, having played Madison O’Donnell in Intruders, Netflix’s Stranger Things brought her international fame. While singled out, most of the other kids on the show, including Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Noah Schnapp, etc., had their breakout role on Stranger Things.
Millie Bobby Brown, who was 12 when the show began, has become a frequent collaborator with Netflix. She has starred in other notable Netflix projects, such as the Enola Holmes film series and Damsel (2024). Also, thanks to Stranger Things, Brown was cast in and has appeared in two Godzilla films as Madison Russell. In 2025, she co-led the Russo Brothers’ $320 million budget sci-fi action-adventure film The Electric State.
4. Jacob Elordi
Australian actor Jacob Elordi is one of the fastest-rising stars in Hollywood. Within a decade, his career has skyrocketed from being an uncredited extra in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) to portraying Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s biographical drama Priscilla (2023). Elordi landed his career-changing role as Noah Flynn in Netflix’s teen romantic comedy film trilogy The Kissing Booth.
Although his portrayal of Nate Jacobs on HBO’s Euphoria solidified his rise, Elordi still owes his career visibility to the Netflix project. Since then, Jacob Elordi has been busy, starring in Saltburn (2023), On Swift Horses (2024), and the miniseries The Narrow Road to the Deep North (2025). Elordi is also cast to portray Frankenstein’s Monster and Heathcliff in Frankenstein (2025) and Wuthering Heights (2026).
5. Simone Ashley
Netflix’s Bridgerton and its prequel series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story undoubtedly launched the careers of several actors and actresses. British actress Simone Ashley stands out amongst the actresses for her career breakthrough in Hollywood. However, while Bridgerton might have been her international breakthrough project, Ashley had previously starred in another hit Netflix series, Sex Education.
In the teen sex comedy-drama, Simone Ashley played Olivia Hanan in the show’s first three seasons as a member of the Untouchables. While reprising her role as Kate in Bridgerton, Ashley made a brief appearance in the 2023 live-action The Little Mermaid as one of Ariel’s (portrayed by Halle Bailey) sisters, Indira. Besides playing the female lead in the 2025 British romantic comedy Picture This, Simone Ashley also joined the cast of the Brad Pitt-led sports drama F1 (2025).
6. Madelyn Cline
American actress and model Madelyn Cline began her acting career in 2011. Although her earlier credits were in short films, she was cast in minor roles in Savannah Sunrise (2016), Vice Principals (2016–2017), and Boy Erased (2018). Cline’s breakthrough role came in 2020 when she was cast as Sarah Cameron, the princess of the Kooks, in Netflix’s action-adventure mystery teen drama series Outer Banks.
While the show also launched the careers of other cast members, such as Chase Stokes, Madison Bailey, and Jonathan Daviss, Madelyn Cline appears to have achieved mainstream success. In 2022, Cline joined the Daniel Craig-led cast of the Knives Out film series’ standalone sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. She leads the cast in the fourth installment of the slasher film series I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025).
7. Regé-Jean Page
Although he never returned to reprise his role, Netflix’s Bridgerton defined and launched Regé-Jean Page’s career. Even his co-star Phoebe Dynevor, who played his character’s love interest and wife, hasn’t had as much success as Page. Regé-Jean Page makes the list of Netflix actors because his previous career kept him in the shadows, but he was suddenly thrown into the spotlight because of Bridgerton. Leaving the show to expand his career, Page has starred in a few notable projects. He has appeared in three big budget films, including The Gray Man (2022), Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023), and Black Bag (2025). Besides him, no other Bridgerton male, whose career was unknown, has had his level of success.
8. Joe Locke
While other Netflix actors might have had a few screen roles before their hit Netflix project, Joe Locke made his screen debut with Netflix. The Manx actor quickly became a fan favorite with his portrayal of Charlie Spring in the critically acclaimed British coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama Heartstopper. Although it was his screen debut, Locke rose to fame after joining the Disney+ miniseries Agatha All Along as the “familiar” Billy Maximoff/William Kaplan. The success of both series has positioned Locke’s career for success.
9. Emma Myers
American actress Emma Myers made her acting debut in 2010. However, it was not until she played the colorful Enid Sinclair in Netflix’s Wednesday series that she began to gain recognition. Starring alongside Jenna Ortega as her roommate, Wednesday became one of Netflix’s most-watched original series.
The following year, she played the daughter of Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms’ characters in the fantasy comedy Family Switch (2023). Less than two years after Wednesday’s debut, Myers landed her first TV lead role as Pippa “Pip” Fitz-Amobi in the British mystery thriller A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (2024). In 2025, starring alongside Jack Black and Jason Momoa, Emma Myers played Natalie in the video game-adapted fantasy-adventure comedy A Minecraft Movie.
Follow Us
