Inspired by this post. Now, this is not a definitive list, and I may have missed a role that really defined some of these women and their careers. Enlighten me. Is there another actress who you feel is totally underrated and underappreciated? Would love to hear your opinions and contributions to the list!

So do I think that any of these lovely ladies could win an Oscar like the divine Ms. Tilda Swinton up there? No, perhaps not. But they are still worthy of some credit and better roles.

Fairuza Balk: Sure, she was the adorable dumpling in “The Worst Witch,” but she also strayed into some seriously strange and exciting acting roles in her formative years. With some a-typical turns as the angry teen wiccan in The Craft, and the understated, sensitive Trudi in Gas, Food, Lodging, Fairuza always seemed to fall just shy of the spotlight. Following the monumental disaster of The Island of Dr. Moreau, she has drifted in and out of the Hollywood consciousness, mostly in supporting roles and Adam Sandler vehicles. Would love for her to return to dominate the screen.

Lacey Chabert: She is forever a teenager because of that squeaky adolescent voice. It’s about time that Lacey grew out of bit parts in Not Another Teen Movie and Mean Girls, and stepped up to more adult roles. She just seems like she has more to offer than she has in the past, and I always found her very likeable. It would be great to see her attempt a more mature acting style.

Laura Elena Harring: A beautiful woman with a mysterious and seductive quality, she really burst onto the scene in David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr. Apart from that role, however, she has had scant success, playing the uncredited “Beth’s Mom” in One Missed Call, and the potential love interest Cathryn (many of her scenes were summarily and unjustly cut) in one of my favorite films, Willard. She appears to have a few projects coming up, but this actress definitely deserves more.

Zoe Saldana: Gorgeous. Talented. Feisty. She stole the show in Center Stage, and I was nearly heartbroken that she wasn’t given a bigger role in Pirates of the Caribbean (or even a role at all in its sequels). Thankfully she has a chance to break through in the upcoming Star Trek. Cross your fingers…

Clea DuVall: Apart from always being the grumpy outcast, Clea does have versatility. She can be the grumpy teenaged outcast (The Faculty), the grumpy FBI Agent outcast (“Heroes”), and the grumpy ghost-viewing outcast (The Grudge). Come on girl. Give me something, anything different.