Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes' acting career began after a talent manager spotted her photo in a friend's portfolio. She was then cast as Kir in Child of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998), the direct-to-video fifth installment of the Children of the Corn series. The actress was so disappointed by her performance that she hired an acting coach. Within a few years, Mendes skyrocketed to stardom.
Jamie Lee Curtis
This list obviously had to feature the original scream queen, Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtis's breakout role was that of Laurie Strode in John Carpenter's Halloween (1978), which she reprised for most of its sequels. After the film's initial success, Curtis appeared in a string of 1980s slasher flicks before moving on to other genres.