# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![parthenokinesis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/cc9497/32.png) [@parthenokinesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/parthenokinesis)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/21 "2005-10-30T03:22:46Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > James Dean. Made three great movies in the 50s, but his career crashed and burned after that. Oh, man you are evil. Can I be your friend? My vote goes to Adrian Pasdar. After _Near Dark_ and _Profit_ I thought He could have really gone somewhere, but instead bupkis. His most recent role? Skeet Machine Salesman in _Secondhand_ Lions. It’s just sad. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/22 "2005-10-30T03:59:43Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > He was supposed to be the best part of _Blade: Trinity_, where he played Wesley Snipes’ wisecracking new partner Hannibal King, … I would also add Parker Posey, also of Blade: Trinity. She never seems to land any rolls other than screeching she-bitch. Reynolds was freakin hillarious in that movie though. ---
**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 30, 2005, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/23 "2005-10-30T04:11:47Z")
Thought I’d mention [Carol Kane](http://imdb.com/name/nm0001406/) as well, she seemed to hover around household-name sorta recognition there for a while ([Annie Hall](http://imdb.com/title/tt0075686/), [The Muppet Movie](http://imdb.com/title/tt0079588/), tv series [Taxi](http://imdb.com/title/tt0077089/)), then kept working but produced nothing really remarkable that I can recall, other than that bit in [The Princess Bride](http://imdb.com/title/tt0093779/) with Crystal. What a [cutie](http://www.autographcollect.com/pics/carol-kane-1.jpg)! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/24 "2005-10-30T04:40:33Z")
> [@Operation Ripper](#): > > Thought I’d mention [Carol Kane](http://imdb.com/name/nm0001406/) as well, she seemed to hover around household-name sorta recognition there for a while ([Annie Hall](http://imdb.com/title/tt0075686/), [The Muppet Movie](http://imdb.com/title/tt0079588/), tv series [Taxi](http://imdb.com/title/tt0077089/)), then kept working but produced nothing really remarkable that I can recall, other than that bit in [The Princess Bride](http://imdb.com/title/tt0093779/) with Crystal. > > What a [cutie](http://www.autographcollect.com/pics/carol-kane-1.jpg)! Heck, she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for _Hester Street_. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/25 "2005-10-30T08:57:30Z")
**Karen Allen** - She was ‘Boone’ in Animal House, and had a big breakout performance as Marion in Raiders of the Lost Ark. She also co-starred in ‘Starman’ with Jeff Bridges, then she fell completely off the map. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/26 "2005-10-30T09:00:34Z")
Speaking of Allens… **Nancy Allen**. Starring roles in ‘Blowout’, ‘Dressed to Kill’, ‘Robocop’, and a good supporting part in ‘Carrie’. Then she vanished, making movies like, ‘Children of the Corn 666: Isaac’s Return’. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/27 "2005-10-30T10:38:16Z")
Thanks to Desperate Housewives, four actresses are out of the running for this category. ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/28 "2005-10-30T12:54:54Z")
Diane Franklin from Last American Virgin. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/29 "2005-10-30T13:07:56Z")
> [@](#): > > 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. Thinking about this one, I believe Bruce deliberately went for something different. He is, after all, not just a B-movie actor. He’s THE B-movie actor. And while he may turn up on the occaisional Sci-Fi Chanel special, he does get to do things like Bubba Ho-Tep, The Adventures of Brisco County Junior, cameos out the wazoo, etc. If he had gone for the normal Hollywood career, he _might_ have made more money. But more likely, he would have been pretty forgettable. ---
**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 30, 2005, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/30 "2005-10-30T13:33:44Z")
[Sorvino](http://imdb.com/name/nm0000227/), who I loved in [Might Aphrodite](http://imdb.com/title/tt0113819/) (that voice!) for which she won the [Oscar](http://imdb.com/title/tt0113819/awards) for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, has continued to work, but has not come close to producing any similarly appreciated work since, and was in a [Lifetime](http://imdb.com/title/tt0461872/) movie this week. Also a real [cutie](http://www.celebaday.com/m/mirasorvino/ms0906.jpg)! [Fonda](http://imdb.com/name/nm0000403/), who I found remarkable in [Single White Female](http://imdb.com/title/tt0105414/) and [Jackie Brown](http://imdb.com/title/tt0119396/) among other roles, has been working mostly in TV lately. [Pic!](http://www.msstate.edu/Images/Film/BridgetFonda_2.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/31 "2005-10-30T14:10:16Z")
I’d just remind everyone that promising acting careers often don’t stall – they _get_ stalled. It’s not what you’ve done – it’s what you’ve done _lately_. And you only have to piss off a producer once, or get passed up for a plum role twice or three times. It’s not their choice necessarily, and it says nothing about their talent, personality, looks or – ironically enough – their public appeal. It’s mostly about their fitness to survive in a tough, subjective top-down business. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/32 "2005-10-30T14:40:59Z")
Interestingly, Furlong did Crow 4, which a pal of mine who’s a major Brandon Lee fan says is the next best to the original. I’d recommend it. Kari Wuhrer: Yeah, I know she mainly did skimpy-clothes movies, but she was actually pretty good. I also nominate Treat Williams. Always liked him. Lorenzo Lamas! Just Kidding. Ray Liotta: He’s doen a lot of straight to video stuff after a strong beginning. ---
**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, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/33 "2005-10-30T14:43:59Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > In fairness to Bernadette, she’s had a great career on Broadway. She’s not waiting tables! I know that. That would be why I wrote “She’s been back for quit a while now, but not on television.” She stalled for a number of years during her cancer recovery. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/34 "2005-10-30T14:54:21Z")
Thoughts on those already mentioned. **Judge Reinhold** This one baffles me. His string of credits includes hit after hit until right after Beverly Hills Cop II. Looking over the available evidence, it’s funny you mention Hanks, because “Big” was one of the last of about 17 “Freaky Friday” variants that came out in 1988, where an adult had to pretend to be inhabited by a child. “Big” did $50,000,000 and Reinhold’s version, “Vice Versa” only did $13,000,000. Apparently that’s enough to derail one’s career for nearly two decades. Barring some conscious decision on his part, of course. **Phoebe Cates** All Phoebe Cates fans should watch “The Anniversary Party”. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Alan Cumming, Phoebe Cates, and Kevin Kline all play actors who are pretty much themselves. They assess their own and each others’ lives with a certain brutal honesty that must be admired. It’s a bit jarring for people familiar with their careers to see JJL get stung by comments that she’s been phoning it in for years, and to see Phoebe Cates break down and curse the day she gave up career for family. > [@](#): > > That guy back in the 80s who was in “Melvin and Howard” and “The Burning Bed.” Paul Le Mat, who was also the young hot rodder who chauffered around an infant Mackenzie Phillips in “American Grafitti”. I can’t imagine why he’s not a major star. I feel the same about **Adam Baldwin** (no relation to Alec) who was “My Bodyguard”. He’s been working steadily for years, and seems to have resurfaced in “Firefly”, but he should have been much bigger before now, IMO. **Paul Rudd** and **Christian Bale** were just featured in major blockbuster films this summer. Look for the turnaround in their careers by 2008, at the latest. Bale, who also killed in last year’s “The Machinist” has been building slowly for years, but if the delay was necessary to generate a gem like “Velvet Goldmine”, it was worth the wait. And he’s only 31. **Sam Stone** , God love ya, once again we agree in Cafe Society in ways we can only dream of in Great Debates. I’ve regarded the fortunes of both Allens to be great Hollywood tragedies. The inside scoop is that Karen Allen derailed herself during “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, by, in the words of film critic Michael Gebert,“fighting Steven Spielberg every step of the way to provide the only liberated female in any of his films.” Nancy Allen seems to have suffered from a string of bad sequels: Poltergeist III and the two Robocop sequels ---
**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 30, 2005, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/35 "2005-10-30T15:22:42Z")
> [@scotandrsn](#): > > All Phoebe Cates fans should watch “The Anniversary Party”. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Alan Cumming, Phoebe Cates, and Kevin Kline all play actors who are pretty much themselves. They assess their own and each others’ lives with a certain brutal honesty that must be admired. It’s a bit jarring for people familiar with their careers to see JJL get stung by comments that she’s been phoning it in for years, and to see Phoebe Cates break down and curse the day she gave up career for family. Are you kidding [me](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=340009&highlight=Phoebe+Cates)? Is it even close to autobiographical? Good Og, I’m otw to the nearest Netflix. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/36 "2005-10-30T15:47:55Z")
> [@parthenokinesis](#): > > Oh, man you are evil. Can I be your friend? > > My vote goes to Adrian Pasdar. After _Near Dark_ and _Profit_ I thought He could have really gone somewhere, but instead bupkis. His most recent role? Skeet Machine Salesman in _Secondhand_ Lions. It’s just sad. He has just been introduced on _Desperate Housewives_ - so there is hope yet ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/37 "2005-10-30T15:58:01Z")
> [@smiling bandit](#): > > Thinking about this one, I believe Bruce deliberately went for something different. He is, after all, not just a B-movie actor. He’s THE B-movie actor. And while he may turn up on the occaisional Sci-Fi Chanel special, he does get to do things like Bubba Ho-Tep, The Adventures of Brisco County Junior, cameos out the wazoo, etc. To a point. However, I read his autobiography, and it seemed like he had tried to go A-list, but just couldn’t break through. Rather than taking boring roles and hoping for the best, he took leading roles in B-work. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/38 "2005-10-30T16:18:36Z")
[Raoul Bova](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0100556/), the extremely dishy Italian actor whose breakout role for English-speaking audiences was as Diane Lane’s lover in **Under the Tuscan Sun**. Unfortunately for his American fans, he’s done a string of Italian productions, including TV work, though punctuated by his forgettable role as human fodder in **AVP: Alien Vs. Predator**. He’s currently in an American TV show slated to air in 2006 (What About Brian) – but, considering the fate of the majority of TV shows, that’s not a particularly promising development. ---
**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, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/39 "2005-10-30T16:47:43Z")
> [@](#): > > Nancy Allen seems to have suffered from a string of bad sequels: Poltergeist III and the two Robocop sequels She also suffered from getting divorced. Most of her major roles were in movies directed by her husband Brian de Palma. After their divorce in 1984, she only had one more big role (in _Robocop_ in 1987). ---
**Author:** ![wonder9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c57346/32.png) [@wonder9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonder9)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513/40 "2005-10-30T18:00:22Z")
My two favorites from the 80’s, early 90’s seem to have run up against some kind of wall. [Christian Slater](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000225/) was HUGE after Heathers but after a few other movies, you just don’t see him in good parts. And [Val Kilmer](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000174/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnx0dD0xfGZiPXV8cG49MHxrdz0xfHE9dmFsIGtpbG1lcnxmdD0xfG14PTIwfGxtPTUwMHxjbz0xfGh0bWw9MXxubT0x;fc=1;ft=22;fm=1) too. Although I think his might have been a more self-determined choice. He shows up in really edgy, out-of-the-mainstream stuff like Wonderland and The Salton Sea. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-whose-promising-careers-stalled/328513.md?page=3)