The 10 top-trending actors on Google in 2017 were largely notable for reasons other than acting

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The 10 top-trending actors on Google in 2017 were largely notable for reasons other than acting

kevin spacey

Evan Agostini/AP

Kevin Spacey.

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  • Google's list of the top-trending actors of the year contains several names that weren't particularly notable for their acting output.
  • Meghan Markle topped the list after her engagement to Prince Harry became a prominent search item.
  • The status of Kevin Spacey and Louis C.K. as trending topics largely stems from the bombshell sexual misconduct allegations made against them in recent months.
  • Find Google's 10 top-trending actors below.

Google has shared a list of the top-trending actors in 2017, and it contains several names that were most notable this year for reasons other than acting - including a royal engagement, a revival of a cult film, and multiple instances of alleged sexual misconduct.

Google's annual lists of trending topics track the search items that "had the highest spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2017 as compared to 2016," the company told Business Insider.

The search engine's resulting list of the most-searched actors finds a few expected, high-profile names, like Meryl Streep, alongside relative newcomers, like "Stranger Things" star Millie Bobby Brown.

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Of the top ten names, however, five actors were not particularly prominent for their acting output in 2017.

Though she starred on the USA series "Suits," Meghan Markle topped the list after her engagement to British royal Prince Harry became an internet sensation.

The former "House of Cards" star Kevin Spacey and comedian Louis C.K. were the second and fourth most-searched actors, respectively. An outsized interest in Spacey and C.K. surely stemmed from the bombshell sexual misconduct allegations made against them in recent months, as well as their subsequent career fallouts.

Actress Maia Campbell, who is known for her role on the '90s sitcom "In the House," and hasn't had an acting credit since 2007, showed up at number nine on the list. Her trending is seemingly due to a viral video that appeared to show her asking a man for drugs at an Atlanta gas station in July, as well as her refusing help from LL Cool J, her former "In the House" costar, in response to the video.

Sneaking in at the tenth spot, Tommy Wiseau's fame grew after James Franco released "The Disaster Artist," a film that depicted the making of Wiseau's cult 2003 classic, "The Room."

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Here is Google's list of the top-trending actors in 2017:

  1. Meghan Markle
  2. Kevin Spacey
  3. Gal Gadot ("Wonder Woman")
  4. Louis C.K.
  5. Meryl Streep
  6. Bill Skarsgård ("It")
  7. Millie Bobby Brown
  8. Tom Holland ("Spider-Man: Homecoming")
  9. Maia Campbell
  10. Tommy Wiseau

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