Hollywood may have a well-deserved reputation for being a spiritual wasteland, but faith is hardly absent from Tinseltown. The following 12 Hollywood powerhouses are at the top of their game in movies or TV and are unabashed about proclaiming their Christian beliefs. And they're far from the exception. We chose them from dozens of candidates, in consultation with insiders and observers who are part of the Christian-Hollywood scene. Those who made the Beliefnet Power Dozen are here because they have the clout to choose their career direction, while keeping their faith and even injecting it into their work in subtle or not-so-subtle ways.

  1. Producer/Playwrite/Actor – Tyler Perry

2. Actor/Producer – Denzel Washington

3. Actress Patricia Heaton – “Everybody Loves Raymond”

4. Producer/Actor Mel Gibson

5. Actor Martin Sheen

6. Producer Ralph Winter (Producer of X-men)

7. Actress Angela Bassett

8. Actress Kristin Chenoweth (The West Wing & The Pink Panther)

9. Producer Martha Williamson (Touched By An Angel)

10. Multibillionaire former oilman & co-owner of several sports teams Phillip Anschutz (financially backed films like Ray & Chronicles of Narnia)

11. Producer Howard Kazanjian (Raiders of the Lost Ark & Return of Jedi)

12. Producer Scott Derrickson (Horror films like The Exorcism of Emily Rose & upcoming film “Paradise Lost”)