Fox's X-Men franchise marked the beginning of the modern superhero craze. The first movie in the series, 2000s X-Men, introduced Marvel's mutants into the cinematic landscape of the new millennium, launching a film series that would eventually include thirteen movies released across twenty years.
Logically, the series attracted a lot of prestigious actors who earned considerable acclaim for their performances in other movies, including some much-deserved Oscar nominations and even a few wins. These actors elevated the X-Men's standing and added substantial prestige to the franchise that was crucial to dignifying the superhero genre.
Hugh Jackman
The X-Men franchise turned Hugh Jackman into a bonafide star from the moment he stepped onto the screen as Wolverine. In return, Jackman provided fans with the definitive portrayal of Logan, a character already popular in the comics who nevertheless reached new levels of fame thanks to the Australian actor's now-iconic performance.
Thanks to Wolverine, Jackman became one of the most iconic actors of the 2000s, diversifying his resumé by working with acclaimed directors like Darren Aronofsky, Christopher Nolan, and Bax Luhrmann. He received his first and so far only Oscar nomination for his work in Tom Hooper's 2012 adaptation of Les Misérables.
Sir Ian McKellen
Sir Ian McKellen played two of the most iconic characters in early 2000s cinema: Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and, of course, Magneto in X-Men. The latter was the X-Men franchise's main antagonist, an Auschwitz survivor who believes in mutant superiority.
McKellen received his first Oscar nomination in 1999 for his lead portrayal of iconic movie director James Whale in Bill Condon's Gods and Monsters. A second acknowledgment from the Academy would come in 2002 for his supporting turn in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Halle Berry
One of the most iconic movie actresses of the 2000s, Halle Berry played Ororo Munroe, AKA Storm, in four films of the Fox X-Men series. Her character started as a supporting player before becoming a co-lead in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand.
Berry began her career in the 90s, garnering critical acclaim and a slew of awards for her portrayal of Dorothy Dandridge in the HBO made-for-television movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. In 2002, she became the first and so far only Black woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress thanks to her performance in Marc Foster's harrowing drama Monster's Ball.
Anna Paquin
2000's X-Men featured Oscar winner Anna Paquin as Rogue, a shy young girl who lives in fear of her mutant abilities. Although she was one of the movie's de-facto leads, her character would become increasingly unimportant as the series progressed, to the point where she only had a few scenes in The Last Stand.
Paquin won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Jane Campion's 1993 period piece, The Piano. At age eleven, Paquin was one of the youngest actors ever to win an Oscar; it remains her only nomination to this day.
Elliot Page
Introduced in The Last Stand, Elliot Page's Kitty Pryde is one of the X-Men's new additions, a mutant with the power to become intangible and phase through solid matter. Kitty returns with a pivotal role in X-Men: Days of Future Past, where her phasing abilities allow Logan's mind to travel back in time.
A year after The Last Stand premiered, Page had his breakthrough role in Jason Reitman's coming-of-age comedy-drama Juno, playing the title character. His performance garnered critical acclaim and earned him an Oscar nomination at the 2008 ceremony.
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Iranian-American actress Shohreh Aghdashloo had a small role in 2006's The Last Stand. The actress played Doctor Kavita Rao, a scientist at Worthington Labs working on the mutant cure.
Aghdashloo began her career in her native Iran before moving to England in the late seventies. After decades of playing numerous roles in film and television, she received critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination for her supporting turn in Vadim Perelman 2003's psychological drama House of Sand and Fog.
Jennifer Lawrence
Already an Oscar nominee for her role in Winter's Bone, Jennifer Lawrence played a younger and more spirited version of Mystique in 2011's X-Men: First Class. She'd reprise the role, providing arguably the best version of the character in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past, returning for X-Men: Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix.
Following her 2011 nomination for Winter's Bone, Lawrence became one of the youngest actresses to win the Best Actress Oscar when she claimed the trophy for her work in David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook. Lawrence would receive two more nominations, both for O. Russell films: 2013's American Hustle and 2015's Joy.
Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender played a younger version of Magneto, starting with First Class. Suave, magnetic, and calculating, Fassbender kept all the qualities McKellen brought to the character and rejuvenized them with a spy-like quality that made Magneto all the more menacing.
Fassbender had his breakthrough in 2008 with the film Hunger before achieving further fame next year with Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds. The actor received his first Oscar nomination in the Supporting Actor category for Steve McQueen's jarring drama 12 Years a Slave. He'd receive a second mention, this time in the Lead Actor category, for his portrayal of Apple founder Steve Jobs in Danny Boyle's 2015 film of the same name.
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Kodi Smit-McPhee
One of the X-Men's most underrated characters, Nightcrawler finally got to be front and center in 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse. The character played a pivotal role in X2, but Apocalypse put him in the spotlight, played by Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee.
Smit-McPhee is one of the first-time nominees at the 2022 Oscars. He received a Supporting Actor nomination thanks to his quiet and nuanced turn in Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog, the overwhelming favorite to win Best Picture. Smit-McPhee himself has a very strong chance to prevail in his category, having already won the Golden Globe and several critics' awards.
Jessica Chastain
2019's Dark Phoenix was a sad ending to the venerable Fox X-Men franchise. The story was underwhelming, the visual effects unimpressive, and even the actors looked tired. Jessica Chastain played the film's antagonist, Vuk, the leader of the shape-shifting D'Bari race who seek to destroy the Phoenix.
Chastain rose to prominence in 2011 by starring in multiple acclaimed films, among them The Help, which earned her her first Oscar nomination. She received another one the next year for her leading performance in Zero Dark Thirty but lost to her Dark Phoenix co-star, Jennifer Lawrence. This year, Chastain is back in the Oscar race, thanks to her performance as infamous televangelist Tammy Faye Messner in The Eyes of Tammy Faye.