The 30 biggest breakout stars of 2016 under the age of 30

By Jessica Wedemeyer 12:03am PST, Dec 7, 2016

As the year draws to an end, Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at 30 rising stars under the age of 30 who truly wowed this year. Keep reading to get the scoop on Alden Ehrenreich, Ashley Graham, Millie Bobby Brown and more of the biggest breakout actors, musicians, models and personalities of 2016, starting with the future Han Solo. The 27-year-old actor previously appeared in "Beautiful Creatures" and "Blue Jasmine," but his career got a major boost this year when he won the coveted lead role in the upcoming "Star Wars" spinoff, starred in Warren Beatty's "Rules Don't Apply" and stole the show from A-list co-stars like George Clooney and Channing Tatum in the Coen brothers' "Hail, Caesar!"

In February, Ashley Graham became the first plus-size model to pose for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The 28-year-old stunner has enjoyed tremendous success since then. She walked for H&M, appeared on the covers of Maxim and British Vogue, starred in a Lane Bryant commercial and in DNCE's "Toothbrush" music video and launched a line of swimsuits for curvy women.

Millie Bobby Brown made her acting debut in 2013 but didn't achieve international superstardom until 2016 when she portrayed Eleven in the hit Netflix series "Stranger Things." The English actress is just 12 years old.

Tom Holland made his feature-film debut in 2012's "The Impossible" but is now one of Hollywood's fastest rising stars thanks to his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In May, he debuted his interpretation of Peter Parker in "Captain America: Civil War." The 20-year-old Brit spent the rest of the year shooting "Spider-Man: Homecoming." He also appeared in 2016's "Edge of Winter."

Cindy Crawford's mini-me, Kaia Gerber, spent 2016 taking the modeling world by storm. This year, the 15-year-old beauty, who made her New York Fashion Week debut in 2015, starred in a campaign for Miu Miu sunglasses, became a face of Marc Jacobs Beauty and posed for Vogue.

"This Is Us" is one of the best-rated new shows of 2016, and it wouldn't exist without its trio of young stars: Mackenzie Hancsicsak (young Kate), Lonnie Chavis (young Randall) and Parker Bates (young Kevin).

Trevante Rhodes earned raves for his performance in Oscar contender "Moonlight." The 26-year-old actor starred as the adult version of the main character, Chiron, during the third act of the film.

Kelsea Ballerini's debut studio album, "The First Time," launched in mid-2015, but she didn't truly enjoy the fruits of her labor until this year when her single "Peter Pan" hit No. 1 on the country charts. The 23-year-old singer also scored a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.

Glen Powell made his acting debut in 2003 but didn't score his first major breakthrough role until he starred as Chad Radwell on the first season of "Scream Queens" in late 2015. This year, he returned for four episodes of Season 2 — and stole the spotlight from the queens. The 28-year-old actor also appeared in "Ride Along 2," "Misconduct" and the critical darling "Everybody Wants Some!!" (The Guardian called him a "charismatic standout" of the Richard Linklater comedy.) He's also set to star in the buzzed-about early 2017 film "Hidden Figures."

Haley Bennett made her feature-film debut back in 2007, but 2016 was a game changer for the 28-year-old actress. This year, she starred in "The Girl on the Train," "The Magnificent Seven," "Rules Don't Apply," "Hardcore Henry" and "A Kind of Murder."

Auli'i Cravalho made her acting debut with Disney's "Moana," in which she voiced the titular heroine. (The 16-year-old made her singing debut in the animated film too!)

Hailey Baldwin's relationship with Justin Bieber and friendship with Kendall Jenner torpedoed her into the spotlight in early 2015, but this year, she truly made a name for herself independently of her famous friends. In 2016, the 20-year-old daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin starred in campaigns for Ralph Lauren's Denim & Supply line, H&M x Coachella, Tommy Jeans and Guess. She also launched a makeup capsule collection and reportedly romanced Drake.

For better or for worse, Chad Johnson became the breakout star of Season 12 of "The Bachelorette." The 28-year-old luxury real estate agent consistently made headlines for his wild antics on the show. He continued his bad behavior on "Bachelor in Paradise," from which he got the boot after just two episodes, and is currently shooting the second season of "Famously Single."

Alessia Cara has been enjoying the perks of newfound stardom since she released her debut studio album, "Know-It-All," in November 2015. Her single "Here" reached the top of the charts last year, and this year, she released two more charting singles: "Wild Things" and "Scars to Your Beautiful." The 20-year-old singer also performed Lin-Manuel Miranda's "How Far I'll Go" for the official "Moana" soundtrack and earned a People's Choice Award nomination for Favorite Breakout Artist.

Sunny Pawar is 2016's answer to "Room" star Jacob Tremblay. The 8-year-old newcomer made his acting debut in "Lion" playing the young version of Dev Patel's character, Saroo. "Sunny Pawar is officially Oscar season's new 'it' boy," proclaimed Vanity Fair in December.

Anya Taylor-Joy became one of Hollywood's most in-demand young actresses after she starred in three buzzy 2016 films: 17th century-set horror flick "The Witch," AI thriller "Morgan" and President Obama biopic "Barry." And the 20-year-old actress is just getting started!

Maren Morris released her debut studio album, "Hero," in June. The Recording Academy rewarded the 26-year-old country cutie by nominating her for a Best New Artist Grammy.

French-Algerian dancer-actress Sofia Boutella scored her major breakthrough in 2016 when she starred as Jaylah in "Star Trek Beyond," one of the highest-earning films of the year. Next year, she's poised to make waves opposite Tom Cruise as the titular villain in "The Mummy."

Lucas Jade Zumann made his feature-film debut with 2015's "Sinister 2" but didn't truly achieve his first big breakthrough until he was cast as Jamie in "20th Century Women," in which the 15-year-old actor shares scenes — and holds his own! — with Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Billy Crudup and Greta Gerwig. He brings "as much spiky intelligence as vulnerability to Jamie's struggle with identity and manhood," wrote The Hollywood Reporter of the newcomer's performance in the film.

Daya released her debut studio album, "Sit Still, Look Pretty," in October 2016. The album — which featured songs, including "Sit Still, Look Pretty" and "Hide Away" from her 2015 self-titled EP — also included new single "Words." Additionally, the 18-year-old singer performed during the 2016 White House Easter Egg Roll and the 2016 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Plus, her vocals are featured on The Chainsmokers' Grammy-nominated single "Don't Let Me Down."

Neel Sethi made his feature-film debut in "The Jungle Book," which is currently the fourth-highest-grossing movie of 2016. The adorable actor, who turns 13 on Dec. 22, starred as Mowgli in the live-action-CGI-hybrid reboot of the 1967 cartoon.

Kylie Bunbury made her acting debut in 2010 and has appeared on "Twisted" and "Under the Dome" but didn't score her first big break until "Pitch" debuted this year. The 27-year-old actress has earned raves for her performance as fictional pitcher Ginny Baker, the first female MLB player.

Tiffany Trump shot into the spotlight in 2016 thanks to her dad, President-elect Donald Trump. Earlier this year, the 23-year-old daughter of Marla Maples graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where she double-majored in sociology (with a concentration in law) and urban studies. On July 19, she spoke in support of her father during the Republican National Convention.

Micah Fowler made his acting debut in 2013's "Labor Day" but hadn't returned to the screen until "Speechless" debuted this year. On the ABC sitcom, the 18-year-old actor stars as a high school student with cerebral palsy who's lost the ability to speak. Entertainment Weekly called him the breakout star of the well-reviewed series.

Zoey Deutch made her acting debut back in 2011, but she knocked it out of the park in 2016 with starring roles in mainstream comedies "Dirty Grandpa," "Everybody Wants Some!!" and "Why Him?" The 22-year-old actress also starred in two smaller films: crime-drama "Vincent N Roxxy" and teen comedy "Good Kids."

Keith Stanfield may have made his feature-film debut with 2013's "Short Term 12" and appeared in other critically acclaimed films such as "Selma," "Dope," "Straight Outta Compton" and "Miles Ahead," but 2016 was totally his year thanks to a little show called "Atlanta," on which he starred as Darius. (The New York Times called his performance on the FX comedy "wonderful.") The 25-year-old actor also appeared in Oliver Stone's "Snowden."

Taylor Hill, who started modeling for Victoria's Secret in 2015, made her feature-film debut in 2016's "The Neon Demon." In July, the 20-year-old beauty became the new face of Lancôme.

The sweet beats of The Chainsmokers were impossible to avoid this year. The DJ duo proved that their 2015 No. 1 single "Roses" from their "Bouquet" EP was no fluke by releasing the 2016 EP "Collage," which featured singles "Don't Let Me Down" and "Closer," and by earning three Grammy nominations. While Alex Pall (left) is 31, Andrew Taggart will turn 27 on New Year's Eve.