1. 1980 - Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster began her career at the age of three. She started out as a child model, making her acting debut in the TV show Mayberry R.F.D in 1968.
From then on, she continued to make a name for herself, reaching the height of her career in the early 1980s. She not only made it as a model and an actress, but has also excelled as a director and producer.
2. 1981 - Brooke Shields
The stunning Brooke Christa Shields was born in 1965, and quickly became one of the most renowned models and actresses in Hollywood history. Like Foster, she started out pretty early on, gaining critical acclaim at the age of 12 for her role in Pretty Baby (1978).
She put her career on standby in 1983 to attend college at Princeton, eventually graduating with a degree in Romance Languages and returning to acting afterward.
3. 1982 - Phoebe Cates
Phoebe Belle Cates was born in 1963 to a family who was already familiar with the world of television and theatre. After first trying to become a model and a dancer, she responded to her true calling and became an actress instead.
The transition wasn’t so easy, as she later shared, but she eventually became one of the most respected stars in the industry.
4. 1983 - Diane Lane
Actress and producer, Diane Lane, made her debut with the 1979 movie A Little Romance. She has appeared in more films than we can count since then, but didn't get mainstream recognition until 1983.
Though her acting career has been the reason for much acclaim, news sources have also been somewhat obsessed with her personal life over the years.
5. 1984 - Winona Ryder
Over the span of four decades actress Winona Laura Horowitz, mostly known as Winona Ryder, has won several major awards, including a Golden Globe Award, along with several other prestigious nominations.
She is known in the film industry for her quirky roles, especially in earlier times, when she rose to prominence in the 80s and 90s after her film debut, Lucas, in 1986.
6. 1985 - Molly Ringwald
Molly Kathleen Ringwald was born in 1968 and began gaining critical acclaim some ten years later when she was cast with a major role in The Facts of Life, between 1979 and 1980.
During the height of her fame, she was considered to be a member of the "Brat Pack," where she enjoyed plenty of attention and publicity. Today you can see her on the popular show Riverdale, where she continues to light up the screen.
7. 1986 - Lisa Bonet
Lilakoi Moon, known professionally as Lisa Bonet, was born in 1967 and is probably best known for her roles in The Cosby Show (1984–1992) and A Different World (1987–1993).
The height of her career definitely took place in the 1980s, but she continued to star in shows, making TV appearances and just being uniquely cool! She was once married to now good friend Lenny Kravitz until 1995, and she is now married to actor Jason Momoa.
8. 1987 - Debbie Gibson
American singer and songwriter Deborah Ann Gibson was born in 1970, and over the span of five decades has become an accomplished record producer and actress. Her talent has gotten her several hits, awards, and worldwide recognition.
Throughout the '90s and 2000s, she continued to act and even managed to release some music as well. Today, she lives in Las Vegas with three Dachshunds while still pursuing her creative endeavors.
9. 1988 - Nicole Eggert
Actress Nicole Elizabeth was born in 1972 but didn’t take too long to pursue her talents, becoming a frivolous teen icon in the late 80s. She is best known for her roles on Baywatch and the situational comedy, Charles in Charge.
After years in the acting industry, she had a change of heart and began a new job as the owner of an ice-cream truck.
10. 1989 - Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Milano was a teen star both in the acting and in the music biz and, by 1988, Alyssa Milano could be seen starring on Who’s the Boss, a role that she had been in since 1984. She also starred in two huge movies that year, Dance til’ Dawn and Crash Course.
The teen icon, who was born in 1972, eventually grew as a producer, author, actress, and political activist.
11. 1990 - Christine Taylor
Born in 1971, Christine Taylor began her acting career in 1989 on Nickelodeon with the show Hey Dude. She has become known for a number of different roles, including Zoolander and DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story.
She built a family with fellow actor Ben Stiller, but the couple has been on and off for years, so it is unclear whether they’re still together.
12. 1991 - Christina Applegate
No matter how much time passes, Christina Applegate is one of those icons that though once a teen idol, has become just an overall badass Hollywood star to this date.
In 1991 the actress was in the midst of her breakout role as Kelly Bundy on Married... with Children, working in it for ten years until she eventually moved on to other projects.
13. 1992 - Tiffani Thiessen
Since childhood Tiffani Thiessen has participated in beauty pageants with the support of her family, being crowned Miss Junior America in 1987.
She continued to win titles such as “Model of the Year” in the late 1980s, landing her first role as an actress in the sitcom Saved By the Bell. She starred in this role until 1993 when she was already pretty much the dream idol for teens of the time.
14. 1993 - Tatyana Ali
Actress and singer Tatyana Ali is probably best known for her role in the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which she played from 1990 to 1996.
Though she achieved incredible success as an actress in the '90s, she decided to try it out with different career paths. The actress explored the world of music, while also starting her own business and focusing on her family.
15. 1994 - Drew Barrymore
Hollywood sweetheart Drew Barrymore is an actress, director, producer, entrepreneur, and talk show host, who has received several awards and nominations for her achievements.
She comes from a family of fellow actors and started working when she was just a child in a role in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982. She continued to star in several films until she became a complete sensation in the mid-'90s.
16. 1995 - Alicia Silverstone
Actress Alicia Silverstone made her film debut with The Crush in 1993, winning the MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance the year after. With that incredible start, it didn’t take long until Silverstone became an icon.
At the age of 16, she was one of the biggest teen idols of the time, especially after appearing in Aerosmith’s music video for "Cryin.”
17. 1996 - Reese Witherspoon
Throughout her extensive and successful Hollywood career, Reese Witherspoon has continued to wear many hats. The Oscar-winning actress and media mogul has even founded a successful company that has since created many female-led projects, including the hit series Big Little Lies.
Through marriage, divorce, raising her children, and rocking it career-wise, Witherspoon’s challenging rise to fame has certainly paid off.
18. 1997 - Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt is an actress, singer, and producer who began her career as a child singer and actress. In the late '90s, she had her breakthrough in the teen drama Party of Five.
However, for years the media had been obsessed with her, eventually pushing her away from the public eye. Still, Jennifer Love Hewitt will always be one of Hollywood’s talented sweethearts.
19. 1998 - Aaliyah
Aaliyah is a teen icon that, unfortunately, left this world too soon. In late 1998, there wasn’t anyone who didn’t know exactly who she was. The singer, actress, and model was widely credited for her role in redefining contemporary R&B, pop, and hip hop.
The “Queen of Urban Pop” tragically lost her life at the age of 22 in an airplane accident that took nine lives.
20. 1999 - Britney Spears
Absolutely anyone who graduated right after the year 2000 has their teen years defined by Britney Spears’ soundtrack, though not necessarily willingly in some cases.
The singer released her famous album Oops!… I Did It Again in 2000, which remained the highest first-week record in sales for a whopping 15 years! But in addition to being a teen sensation herself back then, she was also dating teen idol Justin Timberlake, making them the iconic pop star duo of the time.
21. 2000 - Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera is a woman of many talents, she is a world-renowned singer, songwriter, TV personality, and actress.
Over the course of her still shining career, she has won five Grammys and has had a star in her name added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In fact, she has even been ranked by Rolling Stones as one of the greatest singers of all time.
22. 2001 - Destiny's Child
Though Destiny’s Child included a few lineups, the best-known and final one was made by Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The legendary trio literally took the world by storm in the early 2000s, with several hit songs including "Say My Name”.
As we all know, they are no longer an item, with the group officially splitting in 2006.
23. 2002 - Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar is an actress, entrepreneur, and producer that is probably best known for her roles in All My Children, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and of course, the one where she met her now-husband, Scooby-Doo.
For real, if there is one actress that couldn’t have been more of a teen sensation in 2002, that definitely was Sarah Gellar. Today, she is still married to her Scooby-Doo co-star, Freddie Prinze Jr.
24. 2003 - Mandy Moore
After making her film debut in 2003, for years, Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore could be seen everywhere - either singing or acting. The teen sensation had released a ton of albums throughout her career and also starred in over 33 movies as a memorable actress.
More recently, she is known for her relatable role in the NBC drama This is Us.
25. 2004 - Megan Fox
After securing her role in the 2007 movie Transformers, in a matter of a day or so, Megan Fox became one of the most famous stars in Hollywood. Just like that, the Tennessee-born actress could be seen on the cover of nearly every popular magazine.
Fox continued to appear in known movies and has focused deeply on her life with her three children and husband.
26. 2005 - Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff is the proof that nice girls can definitely rule the Hollywood world! The talented actress and singer was only 13-years-old when she rose to fame, and became a teen idol to millions of girls all over the world.
Of course, her first and most memorable role was in Disney’s Lizzie McGuire (2001-2004), but she has also established an empire in the clothing and fragrance industries.
27. 2006 - Rihanna
Barbadian singer, actress, businesswoman, and overall goddess, Rihanna, was born in 1988, gaining recognition with her album Music of the Sun (2005).
Since then, literally, everything that the singer has created or touched was sensational, including the most recent launch of her Fenty Beauty business, which is now worth over $3 billion. She is also widely known for her humanitarian work.
28. 2007 - Vanessa Hudgens
Vanessa Hudgens made her film debut in Thirteen (2003) but only really rose to fame after portraying Gabriella Montez in the teen film series High School Musical.
After acquiring significant mainstream success, the actress and singer could literally be seen on the cover of every teen magazine one could think of. She has since released a few albums and has continued to act.
29. 2008 - Selena Gomez
Selena Marie Gomez is a singer, actress, and producer who began her career as a child, appearing on Barney & Friends between 2002 and 2004, but only rising to prominence after her role in Wizards of Waverly Place, which was released in 2007.
Today, Gomez continues to develop and experiment in different areas of her career and surely has a bright future ahead.
30. 2009 - Taylor Swift
No one but Taylor Swift could write the soundtrack to every teen’s love story in the late 2000s. The singer-songwriter is known for taking inspiration from her personal life in her music, which has both been a blessing and a curse.
Despite her talents, or perhaps because of it, the singer has not escaped an obsessive amount of media coverage over her personal life.
31. 2010 - Emma Watson
English actress, activist, and model, Emma Watson gained worldwide recognition after starring as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series from 1997 to 2007.
Today, she is not only ranked amongst some of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood but has also gained recognition for her women’s rights work. Throughout her activism though, Watson has continued to land some notable film roles.
32. 2011 - Ariana Grande
Singer, songwriter, and actress Ariana Grande started her career at the age of 15, rising to fame as an actress with her role in the Nickelodeon TV series Victorious (2010–2013).
From then on, she has just been up and running creating world-renowned music, while making her name as one of the most talented and sought-after stars in Hollywood and in the pop culture world.
33. 2012 - Miley Cyrus
Teen idol Miley Cyrus became a worldwide sensation after starring as Hannah Montana alongside her father in the Disney series with the same name.
Though she started as a teen actress, she eventually grew to become a musical guru of her time with her distinctive raspy voice and never-ending talent. She did grow up in the eyes of the public, which hasn’t often been kind to her.
34. 2013 - Bella Thorne
Born Annabella Avery Thorne, the model, actress, singer, and director first gained recognition for her work in her roles in Dirty Sexy Money (2007–2008) and My Own Worst Enemy (2009).
She even won a Young Artist Award for the latter one. Her real prominence came through with the Disney Channel series Shake it Up, which ran between 2010 and 2013. Thorne has also ventured into the world of music.
35. 2014 - Kendall and Kylie Jenner
Kendall and Kylie Jenner were born to a family where it was virtually impossible for them to not become teen idols.
The Keeping Up With the Kardashian stars, Instagram moguls, models, and businesswomen literally turn anything they touch into gold, and have shaped much of the pop culture world since rising to fame. By the looks of it, they are here to stay.
36. 2015 - Natalie Alyn Lind
American actress Natalie Alyn Lind was born in 1999. Though her debut happened on the series One Tree Hill, she is perhaps known widely for her TV and film appearances in several shows including The Goldbergs and Gotham.
She comes from a family that is embedded in the film industry, with a mom and two sisters who are also actresses, and a dad who is a producer.
37. 2016 - Yara Shahidi
At a pretty young age, Yara Sayeh Shahidi is already an iconic actress, activist, and influential teen. She gained recognition for her role in Black-ish, and its spin-off series Grown-ish.
She has also appeared in a number of films, and thanks to her rising talent and career, she was added to the Time’s list of "The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016".
38. 2017 - Ariel Winter
Actress Ariel Winter is widely known for her role in the hilarious series Modern Family. Alongside her fellow Modern Family cast, the actress has won four Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
In addition to her successful career in the movie and TV industry, the actress has also shown to be an incredibly independent young woman, having gone through her fair share of difficulties in life.
39. 2018 - Madison Beer
Madison Beer is a singer who began her career when she was as young as 13-years-old. In typical social media era style, her fame rose after Justin Bieber tweeted a link to her Youtube cover. After that, her career basically exploded.
She released a number of singles after deciding to sign with Epic Records, planning to release her album, Life Support, in 2021.
40. 2019 - Maddie Ziegler
Maddie Ziegler is a dancer, actress, model, and author who first gained prominence with her appearance in the show Dance Moms from 2011 to 2016. She then gained even more recognition after her memorable performance in Sia’s video clips for “Chandelier” and "Elastic Heart”.
Between 2015 and 2017, she consecutively made it to the Time’s list of the "30 most influential teens".