Turning Point: When Actors Became Superstars

We're looking at career-defining moments for Michael B. Jordan, Jennifer Hudson and more.

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Whether it's box office success, critical acclaim or an unexpected hit, we can usually pinpoint the single film that turns a working actor into a bona fide star. Here are the moments that made your favorite actors superstars.

Photo By Significant Productions,Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Michael B. Jordan, Fruitvale Station (2013) - Whether it's box office success, critical acclaim or an unexpected hit, we can usually pinpoint the single film that turns a working actor into a bona fide star.  For Jordan, that role came in Fruitvale Station. The actor had been working for years on television (Friday Night Lights, The Wire) and in film (Chronicle, Red Tails), but his portrayal of murdered Bay Area man Oscar Grant III has Hollywood whispering Oscar nomination and fans comparing him to Will Smith. (Photo: The Weinstein Company).

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Michael B. Jordan, Fruitvale Station (2013) - Michael B. Jordan's life was changed with Fruitvale Station. The actor had been working for years on television (Friday Night Lights, The Wire) and in film (Chronicle, Red Tails), but his portrayal of murdered Bay Area man Oscar Grant III made him a household name. (Photo: The Weinstein Company).

Photo By Photo: The Weinstein Company

Monster's Ball (2001) - This intense drama about a racist prison guard who rethinks his beliefs after falling in love with a Black woman, who happens to be the wife of the last man he executed, unintentionally echoed the somber feeling of post-9/11 America. The film has stood the test of time as a great dramatic work and also showcases a career-making performance from Halle Berry, who won a historic Oscar for Best Actress for her role as a grieving wife and mother. Here's a look at where the key players from Monster's Ball are 13 years after the film's release.(Photo: Lionsgate)

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Halle Berry, Monster's Ball (2001) - Although Berry had been flexing her acting chops for years in films like Jungle Fever and Losing Isaiah, Monster's Ball but her in the history books. The actress lobbied hard for the role and her efforts paid off. She became the first Black woman to win an Academy Award for a leading role. (Photo: Lionsgate)

Photo By Photo: Lionsgate

Kevin Hart, Think Like a Man (2012) - The industry has a tendency to look at Black films and entertainment as a sub-genre not intended for the mainstream, but Hart put the industry in its place when he helped take TLAM right to the top of the box office. After his star-making turn in the film, everybody wants a piece of him. (Photo: Sony Pictures)

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Kevin Hart, Think Like a Man (2012) - Kevin Hart put the industry in its place when he helped take TLAM right to the top of the box office. After his star-making turn in the film, everybody wanted a piece of him. (Photo: Sony Pictures)

(Photo: New Line Cinema)

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Sanaa Lathan, Love & Basketball (2000) - A Yale grad with Ivy League brains and girl-next-door beauty, Lathan crushed hearts with her first leading role as Omar Epps' romantic (and athletic) match in this Black rom-com classic. She also earned an NAACP Image Award, a BET Award and an Independent Spirit Award for the film. (Photo: New Line Cinema)

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Jaden Smith, The Karate Kid (2010) - There has been much discussion over who would become the next Will Smith (Michael B. Jordan and Anthony Mackie are just a couple of contenders), but Hollywood may not need to look any further than Smith's own progeny. Jaden proved he could carry a movie when his debut, The Karate Kid, grossed nearly $350 million worldwide and made him a household name. (Photo: Columbia Pictures)

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Jaden Smith, The Karate Kid (2010) - There has been much discussion over who would become the next Will Smith (Michael B. Jordan and Anthony Mackie are just a couple of contenders), but Hollywood may not need to look any further than Smith's own progeny. Jaden proved he could carry a movie when his debut, The Karate Kid, grossed nearly $350 million worldwide and made him a household name. (Photo: Columbia Pictures)

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Jaden Smith, The Karate Kid (2010) - Jaden Smith proved he could carry a movie when his debut, The Karate Kid, grossed nearly $350 million worldwide and made him a household name. (Photo: Columbia Pictures)

Photo By Photo by Toni Passig/Getty Images

Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls (2006) - She may not have prevailed on American Idol, but Hudson got one hell of a consolation prize. The singer was cast in a leading role in 2006's Dreamgirls and literally knocked the socks off of critics and audiences with her heartbreaking performance. She earned an Oscar win and a Vogue cover and launched her Hollywood career.  (Photo: DreamWorks)

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Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls (2006) - She may not have prevailed on American Idol, but Hudson got one hell of a consolation prize. The singer was cast in a leading role in 2006's Dreamgirls and literally knocked the socks off of critics and audiences with her heartbreaking performance. She earned an Oscar win and a Vogue cover, launching her Hollywood career. (Photo: DreamWorks)

The Color Purple (1985) - This adaptation of Alice Walker's novel by Steven Spielberg introduced two new talents to the world: Oprah Winfrey, in her acting debut, and newcomer Whoopi Goldberg. But even in the face of all that female talent, Danny Glover managed to hold his own as "Mister." At the time of the film's release, the movie was protested by the NAACP but the film is considered a classic today. (Photo: Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection)

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Oprah Winfrey, The Color Purple (1985) - When Quincy Jones and Steven Spielberg cast Winfrey, who was then a local talk-show host with no acting experience, as Sofia in the film adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, critics expected her to fall flat on her face. Instead, Winfrey delivered a standout performance amidst a star-studded ensemble. She went on to be nominated for an Oscar, along with cast mate Margaret Avery, making it the first time two Black women would compete in the same category. Unfortunately, neither won. (Photo: Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection)

Rosie Perez in Do the Right Thing - Spike Lee has a talent for plucking people out of obscurity and turning them into stars. He did some of his best work when he turned Rosie Perez from fly girl to Hollywood "It" Girl in this 1989 classic.(Photo: Courtesy 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks)

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Rosie Perez, Do the Right Thing (1989) - Plucked right off a dance floor and given the role of a lifetime by Spike Lee in 1989, Perez was unforgettable as high-strung Tina. Perez went on to become one of the most significant actresses in the independent film scene and a cultural icon. (Photo: 40 Acres Films)

Photo By Photo: Courtesy 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks

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(Photo: TriStar Pictures)

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Denzel Washington, Glory (1989) - As a formerly enslaved person turned soldier, a little-known Denzel Washington stole this movie and got himself an Oscar in 1990. The unforgettable scene in which he's whipped after going AWOL but refuses to break his resolve cemented his place as one of the best actors of all time. (Photo: TriStar Pictures)

Cleo, Set It Off - In Set It Off, Queen Latifah played Cleo, a tough lesbian who decides to rob banks with her friends. In the movie, Latifah proved that a woman could play a gangster as good as any man. (Photo: New Line Cinema)

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Queen Latifah, Set It Off (1996) - Already a respected and groundbreaking MC, Latifah demonstrated her talent for acting in this bank robbery drama. Her character Cleo pulled a classic move from Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid by shooting herself out of captivity and losing her own life in the process. Latifah earned glowing reviews from critics and an Independent Spirit Award for the film. (Photo: New Line Cinema)

(Photo: Universal Pictures)

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Samuel L. Jackson, Jungle Fever (1991) - A fairly successful stage actor with several Off-Broadway productions and films under his belt, Jackson's illustrious film career was kicked off with a supporting role in this Spike Lee joint. Jackson stole the show as drug-addicted Gator and won a top acting prize at the Cannes Film Festival — the 1991 film was also Halle Berry's movie debut. (Photo: Universal Pictures)

Photo By Photo: Universal Pictures

Jason's Lyric, Wednesday at 9A/8C - Allen Payne and Jada Pinkett-Smith are listening to love's song. Take a look at a few other flicks where the music of love captures some lucky hearts.(Photo: MGM Pictures)

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Jada Pinkett Smith, Jason's Lyric (1994) - This love story with a tragic end showcases Smith's full power as a beautiful, strong Black woman. Like Jason (Allen Payne), audiences fell in love with her character Lyric, who inspires the best in her man. (Photo: MGM Pictures)

Will Smith, Bad Boys - Teaming with Martin Lawrence, Will Smith plays Detective Mike Lowrey, part of the Miami P.D., in Bad Boys. He’s funny, daring and ready to take it to whoever’s in his way. Smith and co. followed up in 2003 with the sequel. (Photo: Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films)

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Will Smith, Bad Boys (1995) - This action-comedy turned Smith from TV's favorite rascal to a full-blown movie star and kicked off a box office streak. It's easy to see why: the actor was charming, easy on the eyes and had an undeniable screen presence. (Photo: Columbia Pictures)

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Eddie Murphy, Beverly Hills Cop (1984) - With Raw, Murphy turned being a comedian into rock star status. The heat couldn't have been hotter around the bad boy comic by the time this film came out. And boy did he deliver. Beverly Hills Cop launched a box office streak second only to Will Smith's. (Photo: Paramount Pictures)

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Eddie Murphy, Beverly Hills Cop (1984) - With Raw, Murphy turned being a comedian into rock star status. The heat couldn't have been hotter around the bad boy comic by the time this film came out. And boy did he deliver. Beverly Hills Cop launched a box office streak second only to Will Smith's. (Photo: Paramount Pictures)

(Photo: New Line Cinema) Nia Long Larenz Tate

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Nia Long and Larenz Tate, Love Jones (1997) - Set in arts-centric Chicago, this film has passion and poetry to spare. Nia Long as Nina Moseley and Larenz Tate as Darius Lovehall were perfection in 1997. Although they both had film careers before this romantic classic, Love Jones made them stars. (Photo: New Line Cinema)

Photo By Photo: New Line Cinema