By Larissa Wong – published 14 Jan 2026
Over the past few years, the T-wave has been gaining more and more momentum, both regionally and internationally. Thai stars have been spotted at some of the biggest events of the year like the Met Gala (see: Bright Vachirawit Chivaaree in 2024 and Freen Sarocha Chankimha in 2025) and the Cannes Film Festival (Freen and Becky Rebecca Armstrong in 2024, Faye Peraya Malisorn in 2025), and named as brand ambassadors for some of the biggest fashion houses (most recently, Lingling Kwong and Orm Kornnaphat Sethratanapong for Dior in November 2025).
While these celebrities and more have now become mainstays at fashion week, each season brings us new fresh faces to watch. These talents are already fan favourites at home—and now, the world is starting to notice. Keep scrolling for the list of up and coming names to know in 2026.
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Thai Celebrities To Watch In 20261. Emi Thasorn Klinnium
Thai-Chinese actress Emi Thasorn Klinnium is gearing up to be one of the most talked-about Thai it girls this 2026. She started her career off strong, landing a role as Nana on the second season of the hit series Girl from Nowhere. She’s best known for her breakout performance as Pam in Us: The Series, alongside fellow breakout star Bonnie Pattaphan Borattasuwan. Last year, during the spring/summer 2026 season, Emi made waves with her debut appearance at Paris fashion week with Saint Laurent in a full leather fit.
2. Bonnie Pattraphus Borattasuwan
Bonnie Pattraphus Borattasuwan is the kind of girl-next-door actress you will not forget. The actress got her start in showbiz as a model and later transitioned into acting in 2024 as a supporting character in High School Frenemy (2024). It was not until she landed her role as Dokrak in Us: The Series, where she really captured the world’s attention. This year, she’s set to star as the lead character Key in the upcoming Thai drama Moonshadow, alongside Emi Thasorn.
3. Perth Tanapon Sukumpantanasan
Perth Tanapon Sukumpantanasan is best known for his performance in the hugely popular Thai drama series Love By Chance (2018) as Ae, capturing the hearts of fans with his boyish charm and his heartthrob image. Following his breakout, he starred in several Thai dramas as well as performed as part of two idol groups, TEMPT and BOYFRIENDS, both of which are no longer active. In 2024, he starred in Perfect 10 Liners (2024) and a year later starred in Me And Thee (2025) alongside Santa Pongsapak Udompoch, which eventually became the famous pairing of “#PerthSanta”.
4. Santa Pongsapak Udompoch
Santa Pongsapak is one of Thai entertainment’s many promising rising stars to watch in 2026. He’s best known for his role as Gun in Perfect 10 Liners (2024) where he acted opposite Perth Tanapon. Thanks to their on-screen chemistry, the two became one of the most-talked about pairs on the show. They reunited once again for the viral series Me And Thee (2025) and have been on top of social media platform X’s trending topics ever since. Additionally, he’s also a musician and a member of JASP.ER, an idol group made by GMM TV and RISER MUSIC.
5. Engfa Waraha
Engfa Waraha is the ultimate triple threat. She’s an actress, singer and former beauty queen who rose to fame on The Voice Thailand in 2017 and as Miss Grand Thailand 2022 before transitioning into acting. It was not until 2023 that she truly became a fan favourite, thanks to her role in the Thai drama Show Me Love (2023) and her on-screen chemistry with co-star Charlotte Austin. The momentum never stopped as in the next year, Engfa starred in The Paradise of Thorns (2024) and went on to win Best Actress of the Year award at the 2025 Thailand Box Office Awards.
The star is set to reunite with co-star Charlotte for the highly-anticipated 4 Elements series, which also stars beloved actresses. Freen Sarocha, Becky Armstrong, Apple Lapisara Intarasut, Mim Panthita Jencharoentham, Milin Dokthian Watinthanakit and Noey Kanteera Wadcharathadsanakul.
6. Charlotte Austin
As fate would have it, Thai-British actress and former beauty queen Charlotte Austin also competed in Miss Grand Thailand in 2022, the same year as her future co-star Engfa Waraha. A year later, she made her breakout role in Show Me Love (2023) and captivated audiences with her striking visuals, compelling acting and her on-screen chemistry with co-star Engfa. She also won the award for Shining Star of the Year at the KAZZ Awards 2025 and is set to star in the already viral 2026 series 4 Elements.
Related article: 16 Thai Dynamic Duos And The Shows To Watch Them In
7. Namtan Tipnaree Weerawatnodom
Namtan Tipnaree Weerawatnodom is no stranger to the spotlight—in fact, she’s been in showbiz since 2013, as co-host of the Thai variety show Strawberry Krubcake from 2013 to 2015. She kept the momentum going and went on to land her debut role as a supporting actress in U-Prince (2016). It was not until she starred in Friend Zone (2018) that her career really started to take off. In 2024, her fan base grew exponentially, thanks to her on-screen chemistry with fellow leading lady Film Rachanun Mahawan in their hit drama Pluto (2024). The pair, also known as “#NamtanFilm”, will continue to work together in upcoming dramas Girl Rules (2026) and Her (2026).
In 2025, the world began to take notice of her magnetic star power, with brands like Prada and COS inviting her to sit in the front row at Milan and New York fashion week.
8. Film Rachanun Mahawan
Film Rachanun Mahawan got her start as an actress on Thai survival reality show Go On Girl Star Search (2019). In true it-girl fashion, she won the entire competition, signed with GMMTV, and made her acting debut as a supporting character on Dark Blue Kiss (2019)—all in the same year! She later landed roles in hit dramas like 2gether: The Series (2020) , Still 2gether (2020), The Comments (2021) and Midnight Series: Dirty Laundry (2023). Her career truly skyrocketed after the release of Pluto (2024), where she played opposite Namtan Tipnaree. Fans couldn’t get enough of “#NamtanFilm” and the dynamic duo is set to reunite for Girl Rules (2026) and for their highly anticipated 2026 drama Her.
9. Jimmy Jitaraphol Potiwihok
Jimmy Jitaraphol Potiwihok is a Thai actor, singer, model and doctor. Yes, you read it right, he’s a licensed medical doctor! In 2021 he signed with entertainment company GMMTV and made his official debut as a supporting character in Bad Buddy (2021), alongside our April 2025 cover stars Milk Pansa Vosbein and Love Pattranite. He later gained wider recognition for his leading roles in Vice Versa (2022) and Last Twilight (2023), where the beloved pairing between him and Sea Tawinan Anukoolprasert a.k.a “#JimmySea” was born. The pair eventually took over X’s trending page with their latest drama, My Magic Prophecy (2025), where he played a doctor.
10. Sea Tawinan Anukoolprasert
Tawinan Anukoolprasert, more popularly known as Sea, is an actor, singer and model who’s grown to be one of the most talked-about rising stars of 2025. He made his debut and landed his breakout role as Talay in Vice Versa (2022), alongside Jimmy. He later went on to land roles in Last Twilight (2023), The Trainee (2024) and most recently as the lead in My Magic Prophecy (2025).
11. Sonya Saranphat Pedersen
Thai-Danish it girl Sonya Saranphat Pedersen is gearing up to be the next big thing. The star made her debut in Bad Buddy (2021) as a supporting character and later went on to land her breakout role as the leading lady in Affair the Series (2024), playing opposite Lookmhee Punyapat Wangpongsathaporn. The pair later became known as “LMSY” and reunited for the viral Thai drama Harmony Secret (2025).
12. Lookmhee Punyapat Wangpongsathaporn
Punyapat Wangpongsathaporn or Lookmhee for short, has become a standout personality in Thai entertainment in the past year. She first gained widespread attention for her lead role as Wanwiwa in Affair the Series (2024), where her chemistry with co-star Sonya Saranphat was established. A year later, the pair set screens on fire once again with their drama Harmony Secret (2025).
13. William Jakrapatr Kaewpanpong
William Jakrapatr Kaewpanpong started out as the main vocalist of T-pop boyband LYKN, formed through reality survival programme Project Alpha (2022). He is particularly skilled in musical theatre and is well known for his strong vocals and his ability to play guitar and piano. He later transitioned into acting and landed his breakout role as Thame in ThamePo Heart That Skips a Beat (2025), playing opposite Est Supha Sangaworawong. The “#WilliamEst” pairing became a fan favourite duo and one of the most talked-about pairings of 2025.
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14. Est Supha Sangaworawong
Est Supha Sangaworawong is a Thai actor, rising star and a former competitive swimmer who won a bronze medal at the 31st Southeast Asian Games in 2021. He began with supporting roles in shows such as Love By Chance 2: A Chance To Love (2020), Get Rich (2023), Beauty Newbie (2024), and High School Frenemy (2024). In 2024, he landed his first leading role as Po in ThamePo: Heart That Skips a Beat (2024) with William Jakrapatr, earning them a massive “#WilliamEst” fanbase and a place as one of Thailand’s most promising stars to watch in 2026.