Anna Faris

Seemingly coming out of nowhere, actress Anna Faris made a name for herself in broad comedies, starting with the horror spoof-within-a-spoof "Scary Movie" (2000), itself a send-up of other horror parodies like "Scream" (1996) and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (1997). Faris made an immediate impact, which led to several sequels atop other studio comedies like "The Hot Chick" (2003), though she wisely began to break away following a memorable turn in the acclaimed indie "Lost in Translation" (2003). Her small comedic performance as a ditzy actress opened the doors to more varied projects, including romantic comedy "Just Friends" (2005) the Oscar-winning drama, "Brokeback Mountain" (2005). But comedy remained her bread and butter, from her fourth go-round in "Scary Movie 4" (2006) to her co-starring role opposite Seth Rogen in the surprisingly dark "Observe and Report" (2009). Moving to television, Faris starred opposite Allison Janney in the drama-tinged sitcom "Mom" (CBS 2013- ), playing recovering addict Christy Plunkett with a nuanced subtlety that revealed her depth and range.