20 of the biggest stars of the box office in 1996

As the year draws to an end, Wonderwall.com is remembering the biggest box office stars of yore — of 1996, to be exact! Keep reading to get the scoop on 20 of the actors and actresses who ruled Tinseltown two decades ago, starting with Will Smith. The same year "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" concluded, the actor-rapper starred in "Independence Day," the top-grossing film of 1996.

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The year was good to Tom Cruise. He starred in both the third ("Mission: Impossible") and fourth ("Jerry Maguire") highest-grossing films of 1996. And he earned an Oscar nomination for his performance as the titular sports agent in "Jerry Maguire."

RELATED: "Jerry Maguire" cast: Where are they now?

Helen Hunt — who, at the time, was known primarily for her work on the beloved sitcom "Mad About You — starred as Dr. Jo Harding in "Twister," the second-highest-earning film of 1996.

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Fresh off the 1995 hit "Apollo 13," Bill Paxton starred as Bill Harding in "Twister," the second-highest-earning film of 1996.

After appearing in the 1995 hit "Outbreak," a rising star named Cuba Gooding Jr. portrayed NFL player Rod Tidwell in "Jerry Maguire," the fourth-highest-earning film of 1996. He also earned an Oscar for his work opposite Tom Cruise in the dramedy.

Rising star Renee Zellweger scored her major breakthrough with 1996's "Jerry Maguire," the fourth-highest-earning film of 1996. She'd previously appeared in smaller cult classics like "Reality Bites," "Empire Records," "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation" and "Love and a .45."

The same year that he won two Oscars for his work on 1995's "Braveheart," Mel Gibson starred in "Ransom," the fifth-highest-grossing film of 1996. He earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance as a millionaire whose son is kidnapped.

Glenn Close starred in three films in 1996: "Mary Reilly," "Mars Attacks!" and the live-action adaptation of Disney's "101 Dalmatians," which was the sixth-highest-grossing film of the year.

The same year he won an Oscar for his performance in "Leaving Las Vegas," Nicolas Cage starred as Stanley Goodspeed in "The Rock," the seventh-highest-grossing film of 1996.

Sean Connery also starred in "The Rock," the seventh-highest-grossing film of 1996.

The same year he earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in 2015's "Apollo 13," Ed Harris portrayed the villain, General Francis X. Hummel, in "The Rock," which was the seventh-highest-grossing film of 1996. He also appeared in "Eye for an Eye" and the TV movie "Riders of the Purple Sage" that year.

Eddie Murphy portrayed multiple roles, including the titular scientist, in 1996's "The Nutty Professor," the eighth-highest-grossing film of the year.

Jada Pinkett Smith starred as Carla Purty opposite Eddie Murphy in the 1996 comedy "The Nutty Professor," the eighth-highest-grossing film of the year. She also appeared in the ensemble crime drama "Set It Off" that year.

A year after he starred in 1995's "Jumanji," Robin Williams portrayed Armand Goldman in "The Birdcage," the ninth-highest-grossing film of 1996. It was quite the year for the late, great comedian, who also appeared in "Jack" and a Kenneth Branagh-directed film adaptation of "Hamlet" that year.

In 1995, Gene Hackman appeared in "The Quick and the Dead," "Crimson Tide" and "Get Shorty." The following year, he starred in "The Chamber," "Extreme Measures" and "The Birdcage," the ninth-highest-grossing film of 1996.

Samuel L. Jackson appeared in five films in 1996: "Hard Eight," "The Great White Hype," "Trees Lounge," "The Long Kiss Goodnight" and "A Time to Kill," the 10th-highest-grossing film of the year. He earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in the crime drama.

In 1995, Sandra Bullock starred in "The Net" and "While You Were Sleeping," for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination. The following year, she appeared in "Two If by Sea," "In Love and War" and "A Time to Kill," the 10th-highest-grossing film of 1996.

The same year he won an Oscar for his performance in "The Usual Suspects," Kevin Spacey appeared in "A Time to Kill," the 10th-highest-grossing film of 1996. (He also appeared in 1995 hits "Outbreak" and "Se7en.")

A rising star named Matthew McConaughey appeared in three films in 1995 and three in 1996: "Lone Star," "Larger Than Life" and "A Time to Kill," the 10th-highest-grossing film of the year.

A year after he scored an Oscar nomination for his performance in "Pulp Fiction," John Travolta starred in three films, including two of the highest-grossing films of 1996: "Phenomenon" and "Michael." He also appeared in "Broken Arrow" and won a Golden Globe for his performance in "Get Shorty" that year.