Faded Stars
Every day, there are people coming to Hollywood with dreams of becoming a famous actor—and sadly, most of them will never achieve that goal. But some will. Some will become famous movie stars with their names in lights and even etched into awards. But just because you're a famous actor one day doesn't mean people will remember you the next day.
Not everyone can be Humphrey Bogart, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, or Audrey Hepburn. There are lots of actors whose names were, at one point, on the tip of everyone's tongue but most folks today might not even know their name if they saw them on the screen.
How many of these once popular actors do you remember?
Heather Graham
Graham had her breakout role as "Rollergirl" in PT Anderson's 1997 masterpiece Boogie Nights. After that, she rolled all over Hollywood with lead roles in a bunch of films throughout the next 10-15 years, including From Hell, Lost in Space, and the second Austin Powers movie.
In 2006, she was also cast as the star of a new TV show called Emily's Reasons Why Not. ABC had high hopes for the series and did a ton of promotion for it—but it was canceled after six episodes.
Lost in Space (1998) We're Lost, Video Junkyard Clips
Steve Guttenberg
While the name probably doesn't mean much to younger audiences, for movie-goers of the 80s and 90s, Steve Guttenberg was one the most popular actors of the time.
He broke out as the star of the Police Academy movie in 1984 and he didn't look back. Over the next 4-5 years, he appeared in more movies than almost anyone (tying with Gene Hackman for the busiest actor). And while they all weren't hits, Guttenberg had his name on a number of big time successes: Cocoon, Three Men and a Baby, and Short Circuit, to name a few.
Montgomery Clift
A contemporary of Marlon Brando and James Dean—Montgomery Clift was, like the aforementioned Brando and Dean, one of the original method actors. And throughout the 1940s and 50s, Clift was one of Hollywood's most popular leading men.
However, a car accident in 1957 and his struggles with addiction that followed led to his bright star fading from view and, unlike Brando and Dean, Clift's name isn't as well remembered by today's audiences.
Studio Publicity, Wikimedia Commons
Taylor Kitsch
Heading into the 2010s, Taylor Kitsch was going to be the next big thing. His role on the critically acclaimed series Friday Night Lights had made him a heartthrob and Hollywood had decided he was going to be the next big action star for the new decade. But after John Carter and Battleship both flopped hard at the box office, Kitsch's heat cooled down.
Walt Disney, John Carter (2012)
Aaron Paul
Like Kitsch, Paul also saw his popularity explode from his role in a television series—in Paul's case, it was Breaking Bad. He had a chance to expand his popularity with the starring role in 2013's Need for Speed—but the movie disappointed at the US box office.
Gran Via, Breaking Bad (2008–2013)
Kurt Russell
As Snake Plissken, Russell escaped from New York in 1981, and in 1988, he was one half of Tango and Cash. He's been a leading man in drama and action movies as well as comedies and for the 80s and 90s, he was one of the most popular actors in Hollywood. These days, more people probably know him as Kate Hudson's stepfather than for his acting work.
And speaking of Kate Hudson's parents...
AVCO Embassy, Escape from New York (1981)
Goldie Hawn
To the younger generation, allow us to inform you that Goldie Hawn isn't just Kate Hudson's mother. She is a funny and talented actress who was one of Hollywood's "it" girls of the 70s and 80s, and has been nominated for two acting Oscars (winning one). She even saw a resurgence in popularity in the 90s with the surprise blockbuster The First Wives Club.
Paramount Pictures, The First Wives Club (1996)
Leelee Sobieski
Sobieski rose to fame in her teens with her roles in 1998's Deep Impact, followed by Never Been Kissed and Eyes Wide Shut in 1999. She continued to act throughout the 2000s and picked up some Emmy and Golden Globe noms as well. But by 2012, she made the decision to pretty much leave the business in order to focus on her children and her art career.
Deep Impact: Her parents can’t come (HD CLIP), Binge Society
Sarah Polley
Sarah Polley first gained popularity in her home country of Canada, starring in the series Road to Avonlea. She rode that fame across the border to Hollywood and in the second half of the 90s, starred in a number of films, from The Sweet Hereafter to Go. However, by 2010, she had pretty much stopped acting.
But while we haven't seen her on screen in over a decade, she has been doing great work behind the camera, writing and directing multiple features. She's even picked up two nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars (winning one).
Road to Avonlea, CBC Television
Elliott Gould
With his roles in films like M*A*S*H, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, and The Long Goodbye—Elliott Gould saw his fame rise throughout the 60s and 70s. So, when he showed up as Monica and Ross's dad on Friends in the 90s there were probably a good amount of viewers who recognized the star. Today? What do you think?
And speaking of Friends' parents...
United Artists, The Long Goodbye (1973)
Marlo Thomas
How many viewers today would understand why Rachel's mom got such a huge applause from the studio audience when she appeared for the first time? We guess it would depend if they remember Marlo Thomas' hit series That Girl which aired from 1966-71 and made her a star.
Buster Keaton
When it comes to the silent film era, there are two names that stand above all others: Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. But while true cinephiles will obviously know who Buster Keaton is—the fact that his name isn't as instantly recognizable as Chaplin's is a true shame.
Roger Ebert wrote of Keaton's "extraordinary period from 1920 to 1929", when he "worked without interruption", as having made him "the greatest actor-director in the history of the movies".
Christina Ricci
The original Wednesday Addams. Okay, not the original from the 1960s Addams Family TV show—but from the movies of the early 90s. And speaking of the 90s: Casper, Now and then, Mermaids, The Ice Storm, Sleepy Hollow—Christina Ricci had her name on the posters of plenty of memorable films from the decade.
Paramount, The Addams Family (1991)
Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Child stardom isn't easy and for all the child stars who go on to become famous actors in their adult years, there are many more who are unable, or unwilling, to turn that early fame into a prolonged career in the business.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas was a big star in the 1990s thanks to his role as Tim Allen's son Randy Taylor on the hit series Home Improvement. He was also the voice of young Simba in 1994's The Lion King. By the 2000s, Thomas had stepped away from the spotlight and has only been seen on screen sporadically in the 21st century.
ABC, Home Improvement (1991-1999)
Lara Flynn Boyle
The beautiful and talented Lara Flynn Boyle first gained popularity with her role as Donna Hayward in the television series Twin Peaks. From there, she appeared in Wayne's World as well as other films, and earned an Emmy nomination for her work on The Practice between 1997 and 2003.
Propaganda Films, Twin Peaks (1990-91)
Van Johnson
Who is Van Johnson, you ask? Have you ever heard of Frank Sinatra? Well, back in the 40s and 50s, Van Johnson was such a popular movie star that he was nicknamed "The Voiceless Sinatra". These days, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone born in the last 40 years who even knows his name.
Melanie Griffith
Melanie Griffith kicked her popularity into high gear with her multi-nominated performance as Tess McGill in 1988's Working Girl. From there she starred in a bunch of high-profile movies—and while many of them flopped, that doesn't take away from her star power throughout the 90s and the fact that she was a highly sought after casting in Hollywood at the time.
Twentieth Century, Working Girl (1988)
Don Johnson
Don Johnson was married to Melanie Griffith from 1989-96—and he is also the reason everyone was wearing sports coats with the sleeves rolled up and loafers in the 80s. As Detective James "Sonny" Crockett on Miami Vice, Johnson became the epitome of cool for a whole generation and those that were around at the time will never forget it. Those born since...just don't get it.
What's the Idea of Miami Vice? | Miami Vice. by Miami Vice
Clara Bow
To say that Clara Bow was a huge star might be an understatement. One of the actresses of the 20s and 30s to make the transition from silent films to talkies, Bow was so popular that her being in a film was said to have guaranteed investors, by almost two-to-one odds, a "safe return".
In January of 1929, Bow received more than 45,000 fan letters, and was the biggest box office draw of both 1928 and 1929.
Harold Dean Carsey, Wikimedia Commons
Eric Bana
Bana broke out in 2000 with his starring role in the cult Aussie film, Chopper—and for the next few years, he was as big as it gets: from Black Hawk Down to a voice role in Finding Nemo, to starring alongside Brad Pitt in Troy, and the lead in Steven Spielberg's Munich. There are probably many of you who forgot that in 2003, he was the Hulk.
But as big as he was in the aughts, his name doesn't hold the same cache with moviegoers these days.
Troy (2004) | Modern Trailer by Sankhara
Eddie Furlong
Eddie Furlong made his acting debut as John Conner in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Talk about starting off strong, right? Well, that blockbuster role sent him to the top of many casting agents' lists and he worked pretty consistently throughout the 90s—finishing strong with roles in American History X and Detroit Rock City.
However, issues in his personal life took over and Furlong quickly fell out of Hollywood's good graces. He hasn't appeared in much of note since the turn of the century.
Carolco Pictures, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Alicia Silverstone
To the idea that Alicia Silverstone is forgotten, 90s kids would probably say, "As if!" Because if you were consuming popular media in the 1990s, she was hard to miss. From her appearances in Aerosmith videos to her iconic role in Clueless—Silverstone was one of the most popular actresses of her day for the younger generation. She even played Batgirl in the 1997 Batman & Robin movie.
Clueless (1995), Paramount Pictures
Jean Harlow
While everyone thinks of Marilyn Monroe when they hear "blonde bombshell"—this was actually Jean Harlow's nickname during her time as one of Hollywood's biggest stars of the late 1920s and 30s. Harlow was only in the business for nine years, but she made such an impact that in 1999, the American Film Institute named Harlow the 22nd greatest female screen legend of all time.
So, at least she isn't forgotten by the film world.
Josh Hartnett
Josh Hartnett has seen a little resurgence in the last 10 years or so with his work in the television series Penny Dreadful and roles in recent films Oppenheimer and Trap.
However, people were not going to see those films because Hartnett was in them—which is very different from the 2000s, when he was the draw (or at least one of the draws) in movies like: 40 Days and 40 Nights, Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, and The Black Dahlia.
Charlie Hunnam
Yes, Sons of Anarchy fans—we know that Charlie Hunnam will never be forgotten by you. However, the attempt to transfer the popularity that the show provided Hunnam into movie stardom just didn't go as planned.
When Guy Ritchie chose him to star in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, things looked like Hunnam was movie star-bound. But after the film crashed at the box office and the planned sequels were shelved, movie stardom seemed less likely.
Warner Bros., King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
Rachael Leigh Cook
Rachael Leigh Cook was "all that" in 1999, when she took off her glasses and walked down the stairs in that red dress. But while she will always have a place in our teen rom-com hearts, there is a whole generation that probably doesn't even recognize the name.
Miramax, She's All That (1999)
Kelly McGillis
In 1985, McGillis starred opposite Harrison Ford in Witness and in 1986, she played opposite Tom Cruise in Top Gun. She appeared in 2022's Top Gun: Maverick, but only via archival footage from the first film.
Harrison Ford & Kelly McGillis - Witness (1985), Movie Passion
Elizabeth Berkley
After Saved by the Bell, it looked like Elizabeth Berkley was set to make the leap to movie star when she was cast in the lead role of the highly-anticipated 1995 film, Showgirls. But, as many of you probably know, the film was a huge disaster and it pretty much halted Berkley's hopes of movie stardom right in their tracks.
The film has gained a big cult following over the last couple decades, though—so, we will never forget Berkley completely.
Carolco Pictures, Showgirls (1995)
Bridget Fonda
The Fonda name is still highly recognizable even today—but when you hear it, you probably think of Jane or Henry or Peter. But not Bridget. The daughter of Peter Fonda (and Jane Fonda's niece), she broke out with her role as a journalist in The Godfather III and saw her popularity continue to rise with the 1992 thriller Single White Female.
Singles, City Hall, and Jackie Brown are just a few of the many films Fonda appeared in in the 90s. Since 2000, though, her credits are kind of sparse.
Single White Female (1992) - Clip: Surprise Twins (HD), ScreamFactoryTV
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