# Almost, But No Cigar--Actors Who Showed Promise of Superstardom, then... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 3, 2005, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766 "2005-01-03T01:37:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 7
**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:** [January 6, 2005, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766/121 "2005-01-06T12:43:39Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > She had a leading role set up in a hospital-type show that was unfortunately scheduled opposite _E.R._ and was subsequently destroyed. Pity, really. We really don’t have enough cool, intelligent, sardonic dark-haired babes in TV and movies these days. Damn you, youth culture! Michelle Forbes was supposed to play the lead in a new action series called Global Frequency, based on the comics written by Warren Ellis. The WB had ordered the pilot, and it was filmed, but they never picked it up. This would have been a great show and an amazing opportunity for Forbes, but apparently it was very expensive to produce. Hopefully we’ll end up seeing it one day–at least the pilot, if not a whole season. I’m sure it would do well in this age of Alias and 24. Forbes played Miranda Zero, a cool, intelligent, sardonic dark-haired babe who leads a network of 1,000 deep cover agents around the world, activating whoever has talents best-suited to deal with the latest crisis. When things get bad, the agents would receive a phone call saying “Hello, you’re on the Global Frequency,” and they’d swing into action. With that set-up, the show would have had a new cast every week (except for Forbes’ character and the punky female communications specialist Aleph), and it would have been completely different each time. ---
**Author:** ![jinty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dbc845/32.png) [@jinty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jinty)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766/122 "2005-01-06T13:13:01Z")
Does **Michael Madsen** qualify? Looked his output up on IMDB and the only post Reservoir Dogs films I recognised were Donny Brasco and Mulholland Falls. After that scary turn in RD, you’d have thought he’d be snapped up as a psycho-for-hire or even another Robert Mitchum style heavy, but it doesn’t seem to have happened. Maybe he didn’t want to be typecast. Also surely one of the earliest examples: **Elliot Gould**. Had a great early 70s (MASH, The Long Goodbye) and then apparently rumours of insanity meant that he got refused for big parts thereafter. Still has an impressive list of films, but… mostly small stuff or cameos. Shame cos he had (_has_ TBH) a quirky screen persona that was very engaging. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766/123 "2005-01-06T13:13:30Z")
> [@neofishboy](#): > > **Richard E. Grant** > > He seems to have settled into bit-player-for-Robert Altman-mode in the last few years. While that’s certainly a respectable place to be, I was always expecting him to hit it big in a Gary Oldman or Daniel Day-Lewis kind of way. It seems that he peaked in his _Withnail and How to Get Ahead in Advertising_ days. Maybe he needs to hook up with Bruce Robinson again. Richard is currently “honing his craft” playing an aging rock star in a series of adverts for a certain chain of catalogue stores here in the UK. Alongside Julia Sahwala (Saffy from _Ab Fab_), an actor I always thought would have a better career than she does. Funnily enough, we were discussing her former _Press Gang_ co-star Dexter Fletcher (_Band of Brothers_, most recently) as an actor we feel should be bigger than he is. ---
**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:** [January 6, 2005, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766/124 "2005-01-06T13:23:09Z")
> [@jinty](#): > > Does **Michael Madsen** qualify? Looked his output up on IMDB and the only post Reservoir Dogs films I recognised were Donny Brasco and Mulholland Falls. After that scary turn in RD, you’d have thought he’d be snapped up as a psycho-for-hire or even another Robert Mitchum style heavy, but it doesn’t seem to have happened. Maybe he didn’t want to be typecast. He played the villain Budd in the Kill Bill movies, also by Tarantino. It’s a shame he hasn’t done more, because I always liked Madsen. Even as the psycho Mr. Blonde, he was still riveting to watch. ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766/125 "2005-01-06T17:41:31Z")
> [@Brynda](#): > > Denzel Washington isn’t A-list to you??? What does he have to do, win an Oscar or something? :dubious: > > Denis Quaid, as much as I loved him in The Big Easy, does not still have to chance to be A-list. Too bad, cause he was a cutie. > > My nomination goes to Mark Hamill. How could he be in Star Wars and _not_ turn that into a huge career? Corvette Summer ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766/126 "2005-01-06T18:54:09Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > Nick Nolte seemed like he was going to be a lot bigger in the 80s. Actually, Nick Nolte _is_ a lot bigger than he was in the 80’s. (Have you seen him recently?) ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766/127 "2005-01-06T19:32:18Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > **John Travolta**. Maybe he’s a marginal case because he’s already made a huge name for himself, but it seems to me that after making a string of great movies right after ‘Pulp Fiction’, and zooming to the top of the ‘A’ list, he’s been fading. Fading? _Fading!?_ We are talking about the career of the guy responsible for [Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185183/) … ---
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766/128 "2005-01-06T19:43:49Z")
Diane Lane. She was probably my first celebrity crush, I saw a number of bad movies in the late 80’s simply because her name was on the rental box. I’ve since recognized that she has talent to go with those incredible looks. Though she has had a decent career, she should have been A-list at some point. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766/129 "2005-01-06T19:45:59Z")
I’ll nominate **Mira Sorvino**. I guess she was typecast… I’d also like to simply point out that some of the most impressive actors/actresses have never had a realistic chance at “superstardom,” and I suspect many of them wouldn’t have wanted it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766/130 "2005-01-06T20:00:54Z")
> [@ddgryphon](#): > > Corvette Summer [personal aside] Ahh! I remember waiting to watch that thing with _bated breath_ in 1978. Because it was Luke! How could it not be awesome! And at the tender age of eight, I learned how staggeringly non-awesome a movie could be![/personal aside] ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766/131 "2005-01-06T20:07:11Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Actually, Nick Nolte _is_ a lot bigger than he was in the 80’s. (Have you seen him recently?) Actually, last year I saw him in a hotel in Toronto, and he looked in decent shape. Amazing, considering his well-known problems with the bottle. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766/132 "2005-01-06T21:27:57Z")
Parker Posey (House of Yes, Dazed & Confused, Party Girl) Philip Seymour Hoffman (Boogie Nights, Talented Mr. Ripley) Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko) Hilary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry) - all ought to be more famous than they are now. But at least Swank’s career seems to be getting some momentum from her new flick. (Can’t remember the name offhand, but it’s directed by Clint Eastwood.) Eddie Murphy seems to me like the archetype of a momentary superstar whose time has come & gone. Halle Berry seems to wasting her cache as an oscar winner, and will quickly be eligible for this category. I tried tracking down an online copy of this article but couldn’t. But, Truman Capote once wrote a great magazine piece - I think for “Vanity Fair” - about the fleeting nature of Hollywood superstardom entitled “Kier Dullea, Gone Tomorrow.” (Kier Dullea [rhymes with “here today”] was the ‘star’ of **2001: A Space Odyssey** and was supposedly going to be the next big superstar, circa 1968.) If you ever happen to see a copy, read it, it’s funny. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766/133 "2005-01-07T03:34:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by NDP > Actually, Nick Nolte is a lot bigger than he was in the 80’s. (Have you seen him recently?) > > > [@Duke](#): > > > > Actually, last year I saw him in a hotel in Toronto, and he looked in decent shape. Amazing, considering his well-known problems with the bottle. Your probably right. It’s just that it was such obvious set-up for a “fat guy” joke that I just had to do it. Anyway, how about [Nastassja Kinski](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000176/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHxwbj0wfHE9S2luc2tpfGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__;fc=1;ft=20;fm=1) as someone whose career didn’t fulfill its promise? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766/134 "2005-01-07T03:38:15Z")
> [@Moody Bastard](#): > > [personal aside] > Ahh! I remember waiting to watch that thing with _bated breath_ in 1978. > Because it was Luke! > How could it not be awesome! > And at the tender age of eight, I learned how staggeringly non-awesome a movie could be![/personal aside] Not to mention how butt ugly a car could be. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766/135 "2005-01-07T05:34:08Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Actually, Nick Nolte _is_ a lot bigger than he was in the 80’s. (Have you seen him recently?) No, haven’t read much about my favorite actor from the 80s since his DUI. The last movie I saw him in was “The Good Thief” an indy film that was pretty good. I always thought Nick had a lot more acting potential than most people saw in his “big” films from the 80s. If anyone has see some of his more down to earth serious roles (as opposed to 48 Hours) I think they’d recognize that. Do you just mean he’s gotten fatter or has he been involved in something? ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766/136 "2005-01-07T05:56:34Z")
> [@Art Vandelay](#): > > Parker Posey (House of Yes, Dazed & Confused, Party Girl) > Philip Seymour Hoffman (Boogie Nights, Talented Mr. Ripley) > Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko) > Hilary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry) > > - all ought to be more famous than they are now. But at least Swank’s career seems to be getting some momentum from her new flick. (Can’t remember the name offhand, but it’s directed by Clint Eastwood.) > Eddie Murphy seems to me like the archetype of a momentary superstar whose time has come & gone. > > Halle Berry seems to wasting her cache as an oscar winner, and will quickly be eligible for this category. > > I tried tracking down an online copy of this article but couldn’t. But, Truman Capote once wrote a great magazine piece - I think for “Vanity Fair” - about the fleeting nature of Hollywood superstardom entitled “Kier Dullea, Gone Tomorrow.” (Kier Dullea [rhymes with “here today”] was the ‘star’ of **2001: A Space Odyssey** and was supposedly going to be the next big superstar, circa 1968.) If you ever happen to see a copy, read it, it’s funny. He recently landed a couple of different roles on Law & Order. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/almost-but-no-cigar-actors-who-showed-promise-of-superstardom-then/282766.md?page=6)