The days of Golden Age Hollywood have long faded, leaving behind on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, stars bearing the names of Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth and countless others who's very mention causes one's mind to drift off into a dreamlike nostalgia as he/she is born back into a realm glowing with the entrance of a bliss that once was. Nevertheless, while the entertainment industry has yet to experience talent reminiscent of earlier times, where stars have fallen, from a more contemporary era, many have risen to ascend to their place. Shedding off enough splendour from the heights where their predecessors once stood, their light, young -- but nothing shy of radiant -- has caused the heartbeats of those presiding in the audience to stop in ways they have not stopped before. Without further adieu, here 10 of the Best Actresses of the 21st Century:

10. Emma Stone

Making her first appearance on the big screen in the hit teen comedy "Superbad", appearing alongside stars Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, Emma Stone's profile has rapidly propelled itself into the highest echelons of Tinseltown over her career that has spanned a mere 13 years.

Funny, quirky, and awkward, Stone has drawn extensively from these personal traits, and translated them into uplifting, heart warming performances in first starring role "Easy A", along with "Crazy, Stupid, Love" and "The Help" -- two films that gave the Arizona native her major breakthrough. Receiving her first Oscar nomination for her work in Alejandro Inarritu's widely acclaimed "Birdman", Stone added her first major hardware to her trophy cabinet by snagging a Golden Globe this year for her performance in "La La Land". Having already accomplished so much at the tender age of 28, all roads only lead to Eldorado for Stone.

9. Scarlett Johansson

Starring in her first lead role in "Manny & Lo" at the age of 12, before partnering alongside Robert Redford in "Horse Whisperer" two years later, there was no question that Scarlett Johansson was primed for stardom. Known for her roles in Sofia Coppola's "Lost In Translation", Woody Allen's "Match Point", Spike Jonze's "Her" and her work as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which has established Johansson as a household name, from voice acting, drama and action, there's not a genre of film the former child prodigy can't do. Nominated for four Golden Globes over a career that began in 1994, Johansson was the top grossing actor of 2016, raking in a jaw-dropping $1.2 billion from her films.

8. Jessica Chastain

A graduate of Juilliard, where she studied under a scholarship from Robin Williams, Jessica Chastain has established herself as one of the many success stories courtesy of the famed performing arts school situated in New York. Starring in her first film "Jolene" in 2008, Chastain received her big break later for her portrayal as Celia Foote in a star studded cast that featured Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis in widely acclaimed cinematic adaption Kathryn Stockett's novel "The Help", where her name was also featured in Oscar ballots as a runner up for Best Supporting Actress.

Nominated for an Academy again a year later for her work in the heart-pounding thriller "Zero Dark Thirty", Time Magazine during this same timeframe, pegged her as one of the '100 most influential people in the world'. This year, Chastain made a bid for her second Golden Globe by making her starlit presence felt in the political drama "Miss Sloane".

7. Viola Davis

Appearing on the Times list of '100 most influential people' in 2012 along with her co-star Jessica Chastain in "The Help", Viola Davis also vied against Chastain for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in the same film where they were subsequently defeated by another star from "The Help" -- Octavia Spencer.

Rising to prominence for her work in "Doubt" where she received her first Oscar nomination, Davis has built an illustrious career portraying female characters from all sorts of entertainment platforms, receiving a Tony in 2001 for her efforts in "King Hedley II", and has become an icon in the realm of television for her portrayal of Annalise Keating in Peter Nowalk's ABC hit series "How to Get Away with Murder" -- where she has received two Golden Globe nominations. Once again making a bid for a Golden Globe this year, Davis prevailed through her work in partnering with Denzel Washington for the cinematic reenactment of the play "Fences".

6. Natalie Portman

As many will remember, Natalie Portman's acting career did not get started on a favourable foot. Receiving immediate attention for her role as Padme Amidala in the utterly forgettable "Star Wars" prelude trilogy, which returned to the Razzies on a consistent basis overshadowed Portman's Golden Globe nomination for "Anywhere But Here", nearly sinking her profile.

Yet, the same year "Revenge of the Sith" hit the theatres, Portman quickly rebounded, stealing back critical praise for "Closer" and "V for Vendetta", and six years later, walked out of what was then still Kodak Theatre holding the Academy Award for Best Actress for her dark, chilling, and gut wrenching depiction of the psychologically disturbed ballerina Nina Sayers in Darren Arronofsky's "The Black Swan".

Fast forward to 2017, Portman is once again an Oscar favourite for her work in the autobiographical drama "Jackie", documenting the life of Jackie Kennedy as the First Lady in the White House, and after the assassination of her husband -- the iconic John F. Kennedy.

5. Anne Hathaway

Though no where near as young as Scarlett Johansson when she broke into the film industry, Anne Hathaway became a runaway hit when she landed a role as Mia Thermopolis in "The Princess Diaries". This, along with "Nicholas Nickleby", and "Ella Enchanted" lead many to regard Hathaway as 'a role model for children'.

Transitioning into adult roles in 2005, it wasn't long before Hathaway garnered critical recognition for her work in "Brokeback Mountain" and for her portrayal of ambitious, but naive journalist Andrea Sachs in "The Devil Wears Prada", starring alongside the revered Meryl Streep. However, the NYU alumnus is most praised for her depiction of Fantine in the cinematic adaption of Victor Hugo's beloved "Les Miserables", which paved the way for Hathaway to ascend the steps of Dolby Theatre to receive her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Outside her romantic comedies and musicals, the native of Millburn, New Jersey has also shown she can get dark and gritty. DC fans will undoubtedly remember her sly, slippery, yet vulnerable depiction of Selina Kyle in the "Dark Knight Rises".

4. Amy Adams

Of all the actresses who have drawn praise for their work on the big screen, there is no other such individual befitting of the term 'underrated' as Amy Adams. It has been a long road for the native of Castle Rock, Colorado who received her first movie role in "Drop Dead Gorgeous" after auditioning for the character Leslie Miller while nursing a pulled muscle. Talk about someone who really wants it.

Although Adams received her first Oscar nomination for her work in the low-budget "Junebug" for portraying the young, cheerful, and pregnant Ashley Johnston, she was not cast in a theatrically released film until she was hired as the lead in "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day". Moving on to appear in critically acclaimed films such as "American Hustle", "Doubt" and "The Fighter", Adams has been nominated for an Academy Award five times with the voters yet to cast her way. With a strong performance in "Arrival" which slated her for a Golden Globe nomination, an accolade she has had more success accruing, movie buffs and critics have to be thinking that Adams is long overdue to receive the highest honour that exists for those working in the cinematic arts.

3. Jennifer Lawrence

Born and raised in Indian Hills, a town based in rural Kentucky, Jennifer Lawrence was first noticed as the age of 14 when a talent scout from an agency spotted her while she was visiting New York with her family. Now 12 years later, its needless to say that whoever the scout was had very keen eyes.

Appearing in her first film in 2008, Lawrence got her big break two years later when she was cast in the cinematic adaption of Daniel Woodrell's novel "Winter's Bone". Portraying Ree, a teenager struggling to support her poverty stricken family living in the Missouri Ozarks, Lawrence garnered widespread critical acclaim and her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress -- making her the second youngest actress to accomplish such a feat. However, two years later, Lawrence would become the second youngest actress to actually win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in "Silver Linings Playbook" where she starred alongside Bradley Cooper, whom she is now known for her collaborations with. Winning an Oscar at the age of 22, she is only preceded by Marlee Matlin, who won the accolade at a mere 21.

Now 26, and having gained further attention for her work in "Hunger Games" trilogy, expect J-Law to keep laying down the law in acting.

2. Cate Blanchett

Although she is best known for playing the Lady Galadriel in the everpraised and beloved "The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy", Blanchett's much respected credentials expand far beyond the Tolkien Universe. A graduate from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1992, Blanchett rose to stardom just six years later for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in the film "Elizabeth", which earned Blanchett her first BAFTA and Golden Globe, while receiving her first Oscar nomination.

Over a career that has spanned almost three decades, Blanchett has received a total of seven Academy Award nominations, winning twice for delivering memorable performances as Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator" and as Jasmine in Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine". Recently praised for the chemistry she exhibited alongside Rooney Mara in "Carol", an adaption of Patricia Highsmith's novel "The Price of Salt", Blanchett is set to make her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where she will portray the super villain Hela in "Thor: Ragnarok".

1. Meryl Streep

For a career that began in 1971, and is now nearing five decades, Meryl Streep's unparalleled talent seems to show no signs of aging anytime soon. Dubbed 'the best actress of her generation', critics, fellow actors, and movie buffs alike have attributed much of their praise for Streep's adept and subtle ability to naturally transform into any of the characters she plays. From depicting the cold hearted, and cunning fashion editor Miranda Priestly in "The Devil Wears Prada" to playing a labor union activist investigating the wrong doings of the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant in "Silkwood", Streep possesses a versatility that very few actors in her league are able to match.

Out of the countless projects she has done, Streep has been nominated for an Oscar 19 times, winning one three occasions, placing in her in the elite company of Katharine Hepburn, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jack Nicholson, Ingrid Bergman and Walter Brennan -- the only individuals who have received three or more Academy Awards in the field of acting. Even though Katie Hepburn still holds the lead with 4 Oscars, the prowess Streep embodies gives her a good chance of tying, and possibly breaking this record long before the last movie is shot, and the screen goes black for the last time.