# Duos where only one goes on to superstardom and... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 14, 2010, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031 "2010-04-14T04:31:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/1 "2010-04-14T04:31:18Z")
the other goes on to do ok(or worse) for him/herself. The classic case is **Tom Hanks** and **Peter Scolari** of **Bosom Buddies**. Also **Tom Hanks** and **Adrian Zmed** of **Bachelor Party**. **Keanu Reeves** and **Alex Winter** of **Bill and Ted** fame. **Anthony Michael Hall** and **Ilan Mitchell-Smith** of **Weird Science** **George Michael** and **Andrew Ridgeley** of Wham! Basically people who got their big break together but one went on to outshine the other through talent and/or hype. Movies, TV, music, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/2 "2010-04-14T04:47:34Z")
Ike & Tina Turner? Paul Simon & Art Garfunkle? ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/3 "2010-04-14T04:52:58Z")
Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari were the duo that first came to mind when I saw the thread title. There’s also Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams, Laverne & Shirley. Marshall has gone on to success as a director. Cindy … um, I have no idea. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/4 "2010-04-14T05:06:50Z")
Neil Mullarkey and Mike Myers. Sonny and Cher. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/5 "2010-04-14T05:21:28Z")
Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie did a few shows together. Fry isn’t exactly a nobody these days, but he’s no _House_. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/6 "2010-04-14T05:33:49Z")
Al Franken has outfamed Tom Davis. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/7 "2010-04-14T05:42:10Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie did a few shows together. Fry isn’t exactly a nobody these days, but he’s no _House_. I’d say that Fry is still bigger than Laurie in the UK (And no, I don’t just mean physically, although the man \*is \*gargantuan). I’d call them the rare example of a duo in which both members went on to greater glory. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/8 "2010-04-14T05:44:25Z")
Penn and Teller. Penn Gillete has a big career and Teller hasn’t been heard from. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/9 "2010-04-14T08:14:31Z")
Loggins & Messina. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/10 "2010-04-14T08:57:45Z")
Melanie Lynskey & Kate Winslet from **Heavenly Creatures**. The former was by far the better actor but…not as pretty. And so here we are. ETA: Or…perhaps [she bloomed late](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Melanie_Lynskey_at_TIFF_2009.jpg). Rowr. ---
**Author:** ![Flip\_Pancake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f1d935/32.png) [@Flip\_Pancake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flip_Pancake)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/11 "2010-04-14T09:29:10Z")
Naomi Watts and Laura Harring from _Mulholland Dr_. Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist from _Remington Steele_. ---
**Author:** ![sohvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sohvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sohvan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/12 "2010-04-14T09:35:18Z")
I’m surprised no one mentioned **Harrison Ford** and **Mark Hamill** from Star Wars yet, as they’re probably the most well known example of this. One went on to become one of the most famous actors of all time, and the other didn’t do so well. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/13 "2010-04-14T10:51:26Z")
Steven Fry is about as big as Laurie if not bigger. In addition to being an actor he is a major TV personality and writer. He is also a big-time blogger/Twitterer and something of a tech guru. Scarlet Johanssen and Thora Birch in Ghost World. Not exactly a duo but their relative career paths roughly mirror the story of their characters in the film. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2010, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/14 "2010-04-14T11:31:15Z")
Sonny & Cher ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/15 "2010-04-14T12:09:53Z")
Mike Myers and Dana Carvey from **Wayne’s World.** As I recall Carvey was supposed to be the big breakout star from his class of SNL alums, but sort of just disappeared in the mid-90s while Myers went on to star in the Austin Powers and Shrek films. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/16 "2010-04-14T12:29:18Z")
Jack Black and Kyle Gass was the first to come to mind. Gervais and Merchant ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/17 "2010-04-14T12:29:35Z")
> [@Flip\_Pancake](#): > > Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist from _Remington Steele_. And in related news, Cybil Shepard and Bruce Willis from _Moonlighting_. (Stupid brain! You can’t remember the names of your friends’ children, but you can remember this?!) ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/18 "2010-04-14T12:40:41Z")
A _non_-example that I just thought of was Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman. The two of them went to high school together and both starred in [Flirting](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flirting_(film)). Obviously they both made it in the end, but it took Naomi 11 more years. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/19 "2010-04-14T12:56:41Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Melanie Lynskey & Kate Winslet from **Heavenly Creatures**. > > The former was by far the better actor but…not as pretty. And so here we are. > > ETA: Or…perhaps [she bloomed late](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Melanie_Lynskey_at_TIFF_2009.jpg). Rowr. I’ve noticed her as the nice “homely/cute” step-sister in EVER AFTER and the recurring character Rose in Two and a Half Men. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031/20 "2010-04-14T13:04:35Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Melanie Lynskey & Kate Winslet from **Heavenly Creatures**. > > The former was by far the better actor but…not as pretty. And so here we are. Melanie Lynskey went out with a friend of mine for a while. I only found this out after they’d broken up, so never got to meet her, worst luck. I’d always wanted to, as, I agree, she was far better in _Heavenly Creatures_ than Kate Winslet (though, to her credit, she has gone on to prove her talent). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duos-where-only-one-goes-on-to-superstardom-and/536031.md?page=2)