Great Britain has always had a tradition of producing some very talented actresses Audrey Hepburn, Judi Dench, Helen Mirren and Vanessa Redgrave to name but a few.
In recent years the like of Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson and Rachel Weisz have all flown the flag for British film, and all won Oscars along the way.
But there is a new generation, kicked off by Keira Knightley, who are beginning to find serious success on both sides of the pond.
Carey Mulligan: She is the name on everyone's lips at the moment after her Oscar nominated turn in An Education.
The actress, who shot to fame in Doctor Who of all places, is now a leading force as she tries to build on her recent success.
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps sees her about to do just that as she teams up with Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf and Josh Brolin in the Oliver Stone sequel.
2010 will also see her team up with Keira Knightley in Mark Romanek's, last seen in the director's chair for One Hour Photo, Never Let Me Go.
The movie is an alternate history story of a woman who, as she reflects on her private school years in the English countryside, reunites with her two friends to face the dark secrets tied to their communal past.
There are a string of projects in the pipeline for the actress with Brighton Rock and she has also been linked to the remake of My Fair Lady.
Sally Hawkins: Is back on the big screen this week with Happy Ever Afters, only her third movie since her Golden Globe winning performance in Happy Go Lucky.
Despite having a lengthy career in both film and TV it was Mike Leigh's Happy Go Lucky that caught the attention of both the critics and audiences, particularly in America, in 2008.
Her upbeat performance as the forever happy Poppy won the hearts of everyone who watched the movie and a Golden Globe came her way.
She has gone on to appear in An Education and Desert Flowers since and now has a very busy year ahead of her.
It's A Wonderful Afterlife is next on the agenda for the actress, the Gurinder Chadha movie will be released in April.
Hawkins is all set to reunite with Mulligan for Never Let Me Go, the British actress fest of a movie also stars Keira Knightley.
Made In Dagenham with Rosamund Pike and Miranda Richardson and Submarine with Paddy Considine are already in post production.
Gemma Arterton: She may be best known for her St Trinian and Bond girl role but all that is about to change for Arterton in the next few months.
The actress is taking on not just one but two big budget blockbusters in the coming weeks, which should raise her profile in America.
First up is the remake of Clash of the Titans, directed by Louis Leterrier and starring man of the moment Sam Worthington.
She has barely time to draw breath before she teams up with Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, based on the hit computer game.
But it's not all about the blockbuster for her as she will also take on British independent film The Disappearance of Alice Creed.
Arterton has threatened to make a serious name for herself for a year or two now but 2010 looks like it may the time she does exactly that.
Anne Marie Duff: Has slowly been building up a large and varied portfolio of work since starring in TV show Shameless.
Since shooting to fame as Fiona in the Channel 4 show the actress has continued to mix and match her roles as she moved between TV and movies.
She took on the role of Elizabeth I in The Virgin Queen, made for TV, before spending more and more time on the big screen.
Despite having Notes on a Scandal and The Waiting Room under her belt it's roles in the last eighteen months that have really begun to catch everyone's attention.
She kicked this off with the beautiful movie Is Anybody There?. starring alongside Michael Caine and Bill Milner before moving onto French Film.
But most recently it's Nowhere Boy, in which she plays Julia Lennon, that has been her most successful role. for her performance she won the British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as being nominated for a Bafta.
Her next movie Angel Makers sees her team up with John Hurt and Anna Friel.
Juno Temple: The actress made her debut back in 2000 with Pandaemonium and has since worked on a string of high quality, and highly successful movies.
Since then she has moved on to Atonement, Notes on a Scandal and Wild Child. She has mixed and matched her role in more recently as she moved from teen movie St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold before moving onto Cracks.
She will appear alongside Ben Stiller in Greenberg next with Swerve and Kaboom in the pipeline.
Emily Blunt is also finding success on both sides of the pond with The Young Victoria and Gulliver's Travels coming this year. Other actress that we should be keeping an eye on is Rebecca Hall, Rosamund Pike and Romola Garai.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
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