Breakout Stars of 2011

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Ryan Gosling

Though he's spent the majority of his life onscreen, it wasn't until 2011 that Gosling became a household name. Thanks to his roles in Drive, The Ides of March and Crazy, Stupid, Love, Gosling earned critical acclaim -- and the affection of A-list ladies including Eva Mendes and Olivia Wilde.

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Adele

The British soul singer released her sophomore album, 21, in February. It spawned a handful of massive hits including "Rolling in the Deep," "Set Fire to the Rain" and "Someone Like You." Several of the album's tracks were even featured on the FOX hit Glee.

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Armie Hammer

Capitalizing on the success of The Social Network, Hammer reprised his role as the Winklevoss twins during an episode of The Simpsons. He later shared screen time with Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar and scored a starring role in 2012's Mirror, Mirror (opposite Julia Roberts and Lily Collins).

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Emma Stone

Stone earned her first Golden Globe nomination for Easy A, but that paled in comparison to her blockbuster summer. After a cameo in Friends With Benefits, she starred in Crazy, Stupid, Love and earned critical acclaim for The Help. Next up? A costarring role in 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man.

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Joe Manganiello

The 6-foot-5 actor showed off his eight-pack abs and juicy booty on HBO's True Blood, solidifying his status as a Hollywood heartthrob. Next up for the recently single star? Costarring roles in What to Expect When You're Expecting and Magic Mike.

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Elizabeth Olsen

The actress (whose older sisters are twins Mary-Kate and Ashley) earned Oscar buzz for her film debut in the indie Martha Marcy May Marlene. She also appeared in Silent House and Peace, Love and Misunderstanding (opposite Chace Crawford, Jane Fonda and Jeffrey Dean Morgan).

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Chris Evans

Evans' Captain America: The First Avenger was the summer's highest-grossing superhero film. He followed it up with the rom-com What's Your Number? (costarring Anna Faris) and the dark indie Puncture. In 2012, Evans will reprise his Captain America role in The Avengers.

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Jennifer Lawrence

Lawrence may have lost the Academy Award for Best Actress in February, but she won the coveted role of heroine Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. In 2011, Lawrence appeared in critically acclaimed indies like The Beaver and Like Crazy, in addition to blockbusters like X-Men: First Class.

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Jason Sudeikis

The Saturday Night Live comic took the big screen by storm with roles in Hall Pass, Horrible Bosses and A Good Old Fashioned Orgy. In June, Sudeikis hosted the MTV Movie Awards.

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Jessica Chastain

2011 was a big year for Chastain, who starred in an astounding seven movies: The Tree of Life, The Help, The Debt, Wilde Salome, Take Shelter, Texas Killing Fields and Coriolanus. Chastain earned critical acclaim for her various roles and won Breakthrough Actress at the Hollywood Film Festival.

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Drake

The Canadian rapper -- often linked to labelmate Nicki Minaj -- released his second studio album, Take Care, in November. It debuted at No. 1 with 631,000 copies sold in the United States alone.

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Pippa Middleton

After the world caught a glimpse of her backside at the royal wedding in April, Duchess Catherine's little sister became a paparazzi magnet and a style star. In November, Pippa split with on-off beau Alex Loudon for good.

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Kris Humphries

Few knew of the NBA player before he announced his engagement to E! reality star Kim Kardashian. Their wedding was filmed for a two-part, four-hour special. On October 31, after 72 days of marriage, Kardashian filed for divorce.

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Melissa McCarthy

After her breakout moment in Bridesmaids, McCarthy won an Emmy for her role in CBS' Mike & Molly. She hosted Saturday Night Live in the fall, which later became one of the show's highest-rated episodes of the season.

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Chaz Bono

Cher and Sonny Bono's son became the first transgender contestant to compete on Dancing With the Stars. Earlier that year, Becoming Chaz, a documentary film about his gender transition, premiered to rave reviews. Bono was later honored by OUT 100 for his work with the LGBT community.

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Julianne Hough

The former Dancing With the Stars pro appeared in the Footloose remake, which debuted at No. 2 in October. Hough also scored a starring role in the star-studded film adaptation of the Broadway smash Rock of Ages.