breakout star [brehyk-owt-stahr]
noun
1. An actor in a production who goes from anonymity to stardom with a role in a film or television show.
EX. The breakout star of Family Matters was Jaleel White as Steve Urkel. Originally created as a one-shot character, Urkel stole the show and the producers decided to make a regular character, to serve as the whacky neighbor. And yet, over time, the Family Matters show became less and less about the family and more about Urkel. Over time, the character's roles in the show were defined by their relationship to Urkel and served the week's whacky scheme as a component of the Steve Urkel show. The show was more Steve than family and more Urkel than matters.
There were no survivors.
