# Actors / Actresses whose promising careers stalled? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 29, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513 "2005-10-29T22:38:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/1 "2005-10-29T22:38:25Z")
Back when [Fast Times at Ridgemont High](http://imdb.com/title/tt0083929/) was released, I would have bet my life that [Judge Reinhold](http://imdb.com/name/nm0001662/) would have had something similar to, well frankly to what Tom Hanks’ or Steve Martin’s career has amounted to since that era. Reinhold was likable, attractive and a skilled actor … but pfft. Sure he worked, but did not come close to producing the material I expected him to. I would also include a personal favorite, [David Naugton](http://imdb.com/name/nm0622544/), whose turn in [An Amerian Werewolf in London](http://imdb.com/title/tt0082010/) was certainly a starmaker (before that he was the Dr. Pepper guy!), but no, forgettable roles since. He was hot and had skillz, for Og’s sake! Please understand, I am not making fun of or flaming these talented actors, but am lamenting what I imagined could have been. Anyone else have any other personally appreciated actors who didn’t make it big despite their talent? A surprising candidate might be [George C. Scott](http://imdb.com/name/nm0001715/), whose spectacular early / mid career also spectacularly flared out IMHO post [Patton](http://imdb.com/title/tt0066206/). See all the crap TV work he did. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/2 "2005-10-29T22:45:12Z")
[Brad Renfro](http://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0000605/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnx0dD0xfGZiPXV8cT1icmFkIHJlbmZyb3xldj0xfG14PTIwfGxtPTUwMHxjbz0xfGh0bWw9MXxubT0x;fc=1;ft=21) may be the best example of this in recent times. He managed to outdo both Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones in **The Client** , but hasn’t done anything phenomenal since. I liked that he avoided teen mags and such, skipping the Leo DiCaprio level of fame and going straight to the bloated criminal, but it may have cost him some decent gigs. But there’s still hope… ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/3 "2005-10-29T23:05:07Z")
I always thought that Charlotte Lewis was beautiful and her career might take off. Same with Pheobe Cates I really liked some of C. Thomas Howel’s stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/4 "2005-10-29T23:12:52Z")
Bruce Campbell is a successful B-movie actor with a devoted cult following, but I always thought he had what it took to be a major Hollywood superstar: matinee idol good looks, great comic timing and a self-deprecating sense of humor, and a lovable roguish quality as an action hero. ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/5 "2005-10-29T23:29:04Z")
As I’ve mentioned before in this type of thread, I thought Treat Williams had superstar potential. Watch him in _Hair_ – he’s mesmerizing. He’s had a decent career – being a working actor is, in itself an accomplishment – but nothing like what could have been. ---
**Author:** ![mikeargo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/858c86/32.png) [@mikeargo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikeargo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/6 "2005-10-29T23:41:10Z")
After the _Paper Chase_ , a lot of people thought Timothy Bottoms was going places. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/7 "2005-10-29T23:50:16Z")
^^^Lindsay Wagner, too. She’s had a fantastic working television career, though. That guy back in the 80s who was in “Melvin and Howard” and “The Burning Bed.” Megan Gallagher. For the longest, I feared Ed Harris was going to be one of these unfulfilled potential greats. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/8 "2005-10-30T00:13:04Z")
Edward Furlong started with a flare but then just peaked and levelled (due in part to a dysfunctional family and terrible taste in girlfriends). Paul Rudd has worked steadily but has never broken out of “sexy guy next door” roles. Ditto Ryan Reynolds. Rick Moranis had several big screen, big budget and very good performances to his credit and then his career just stopped ala Joe Pesci. (I think Rick intentionally quit for a couple of years when his first wife died as he wanted to be a stay at home dad for his kids, but it’s never picked back up.) An actress named Mary Page Keller had more sitcoms and TV appearances to her credit than most actresses will ever get but she just never took off. Ditto for her co-star Scott Baio, who 20 years later is still struggling with Chachi-dom. A few without as much commentary: Campbell Scott Khrystyne Haje (and co-star Robin Givens) Edward Albert [Michael St. Gerard](http://imdb.com/name/nm0820544/) Treat Williams (his career never really made the leap to A-List) [Timothy Bottoms](http://imdb.com/name/nm0000961/) (from _Paper Chase_ to really bad _Land of the Lost_ remake) Laraine Newman Gene Wilder (icon status, but his great performances were all in the 70s) Rob Morrow Janine Turner (though I think her stalling is by choice) The Baldwin Brothers Who Aren’t Alec Carrie Fisher (though she works a lot as a writer) ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/9 "2005-10-30T00:16:34Z")
Meg Tilly. Not sure why Jennifer Tilly gets so much work, but Meg disappeared. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/10 "2005-10-30T00:37:02Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Rick Moranis had several big screen, big budget and very good performances to his credit and then his career just stopped ala Joe Pesci. (I think Rick intentionally quit for a couple of years when his first wife died as he wanted to be a stay at home dad for his kids, but it’s never picked back up.) Rick Moranis did quit acting to spend more time with his kids, but he hopes to start again soon, since he has one kid in college and another one almost there. He has reinvented himself as a country singer-songwriter with a streak of self-deprecating humor, and just released his debut album, _The Agoraphobic Cowboy_. Check out [http://www.rickmoranis.com](http://www.rickmoranis.com) if you don’t believe me! I actually hope he finds success and a new audience with this venture. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/11 "2005-10-30T00:41:28Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Paul Rudd has worked steadily but has never broken out of “sexy guy next door” roles. Ditto Ryan Reynolds. I think Ryan Reynolds’ career is on an upswing, though. Even though he makes a lot of stupid teen sex/grossout comedies like the truly awful _Van Wilder_ and the new _Waiting_, he really seems to be a solid charismatic leading man with good comic timing – much better than someone like Freddie Prinze Jr., who has played many similar roles in the past. He was supposed to be the best part of _Blade: Trinity_, where he played Wesley Snipes’ wisecracking new partner Hannibal King, and there has been talk about him starring in a spinoff movie. He is also the frontrunner to be cast in a Flash movie, based on DC Comics’ super-speedster hero. _Flash_ would definitely propel Reynolds to the A-list. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/12 "2005-10-30T01:03:30Z")
> [@Cat Fight](#): > > [Brad Renfro](http://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0000605/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnx0dD0xfGZiPXV8cT1icmFkIHJlbmZyb3xldj0xfG14PTIwfGxtPTUwMHxjbz0xfGh0bWw9MXxubT0x;fc=1;ft=21) may be the best example of this in recent times. He managed to outdo both Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones in **The Client** , but hasn’t done anything phenomenal since. I liked that he avoided teen mags and such, skipping the Leo DiCaprio level of fame and going straight to the bloated criminal, but it may have cost him some decent gigs. But there’s still hope… Much like Edward Furlong, put it down to dysfunctional family, substance abuse, etc. Of course, he didn’t start dating his tutor (13 years his senior) when he was 15. While he’s had a MUCH better career than anyone here, I think Christian Bale should get a hell of a lot more recognition than he does. Phoebe Cates quit acting to take care of her kids. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/13 "2005-10-30T01:09:04Z")
I remember seeing the movie Clueless in 1996 or 1997 (it was released in 1995). If you’d asked me then, I would never have imagined that Alicia Silverstone’s career would have stalled as it seems to have while Brittany Murphy’s career seems to have taken off. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/14 "2005-10-30T01:58:57Z")
Matthew McConaughey, though still playing leads, hasn’t become the major star most people predicted of him. James Dean. Made three great movies in the 50s, but his career crashed and burned after that. Carrie Snodgress. Did a star turn with **Diary of a Mad Housewife** , but dropped out of films (to travel with Neil Young) and never caught on. Jo Ann Pflug – supposed to be a star to watch with **M_A_S\*H** , but vanished. Candy Clark – got raves and an Oscar nomination for **American Graffitti** , but her career went nowhere. Most of the actors in **Hill Street Blues** looked poised to break out, including Daniel J. Travanti, Veronica Hamil, and Brice Weitz, but none could build on it. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/15 "2005-10-30T02:02:03Z")
Bernadatte Peters: For the younger Dopers Trance on Andromeda looks like her. She very good at acting, comedy, and singing. She got cancer about the time she was becoming popular on TV. She’s been back for quit a while now, but not on television. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/16 "2005-10-30T02:02:22Z")
**Paula Prentiss**. Gorgeous, funny, talented, married to a director . . . But her career petered out in the '70s. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/17 "2005-10-30T02:14:14Z")
[Chris O’Donnell](http://imdb.com/name/nm0000563/) is a doll and not a terrible actor, and he had some high profile roles early in his career (_Fried Green Tomatoes_, _Scent of a Woman_, _Batman Forever_) but has never hit it really big. His role in _Kinsey_ could have been played by anybody from Danny Devito to Isaac Hayes without anybody really noticing any difference. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/18 "2005-10-30T02:24:40Z")
> [@Harmonious Discord](#): > > Bernadatte Peters: For the younger Dopers Trance on Andromeda looks like her. She very good at acting, comedy, and singing. She got cancer about the time she was becoming popular on TV. She’s been back for quit a while now, but not on television. In fairness to Bernadette, she’s had a great career on Broadway. She’s not waiting tables! ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/19 "2005-10-30T02:40:29Z")
> [@Sir Rhosis](#): > > That guy back in the 80s who was in “Melvin and Howard” and “The Burning Bed.” [Paul Le Mat](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0494432/), who got billed well ahead of Harrison Ford in _American Graffiti_. I saw [Caren Kaye](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0443268/) on a lot of shows in the 1970’s, and thought her combination of looks and comic ability would propel her to “household name” status. As [this page](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0443268/bio) informs us, she’s now retired from showbiz after earning a doctorate in psychology. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/20 "2005-10-30T03:12:47Z")
[Bruce McGill](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0569226/) stood out in the cast of _Animal House_ (his second movie) - I figured his career would grow. But 27 years later, he’s basically still at the exact same level - a strong supporting actor. Certainly a respectable career (he’s been in four films this year) but I’m surprised it didn’t lead to more. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513.md?page=2)