star-maker

noun

star-mak·​er ˈstär-ˌmā-kər 

variants or starmaker

plural star-makers or starmakers

: someone or something that creates a star

especially : a person or performance that makes or helps to make someone a star in the entertainment industry

As producer and/or director, Judd Apatow is nothing less than a starmaker, elevating the careers of Steve Carell ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin"), Kristen Wiig ("Bridesmaids") and many more into legit movie stardom.

—Matt Pais

Jay Leno said he's looking forward to being a star-maker for young comedians on his new prime-time show.

—Lynn Elber

… Miller has no regrets. Unlike those other roles, her part in "Sister Act" is a star-maker.

—Mark Kennedy

star-making

ˈstär-ˌmā-kiŋ 

adjective

or less commonly starmaking

a star-making performance/role

Examples of star-maker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula, the horror version of Drag Race, began here on a rickety stage at a gay bar and has grown into a drag star-maker in its own right since being picked up by streamers like Amazon Prime and Shudder. —Kirsten Chuba, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

None of the performances feels like a potential star-maker like that of Chiara Aurelia and Olivia Holt in season 1. —Joshua Alston, Variety, 5 June 2023

The man in charge of this band of merrymakers is Nigel Petersen — a thinly disguised Lorne Michaels — an inscrutable star-maker whose whims have shaped late-night comedy since the early 1980s. —Ron Charles, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above