I believe Peter Scolari played the dad on the syndicated TV series Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, which ran for a few seasons. I just checked his IMDb page and he’s worked pretty consistently, but he’s certainly not a “big star”.
I don’t think it’s fair to put Alex Winter in this category. He purposely dropped out of acting and is happy being a director of smaller stuff.
However, you just know that Lacey Chabert has a Jennifer Love Hewitt dart board in her house. Just look at Not Another Teen Movie.
Well, this isn’t quite the same, but I imagine Jeffrey (Captain Pike) Hunter must’ve seen lines around the block for Star Trek movies and conventions, and thought “Cripes, I’m a better actor than that Canadian ham Shatner! That should be ME!”
Beyond that, Han Solo was a secondary character in “Star Wars.” Mark Hammill must wonder why Harrison Ford became such a huge star, while he’s done little except cartoon voices.
Several members of the “In Living Color” cast have done all right for themselves, but all must wonder why Jim Carrey is the one getting 20 million bucks per picture.
Oh, but the best example I can think of is… “Rawhide.” Clint Eastwood was a second banana on “Rawhide,” but became the biggest star (and one of the biggest directors) in Hollywood. Eric Fleming must’ve wondered how that happened!
Not likely. He died in 1969.
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Jeff Conaway from Taxi must really be the king of this category. His co-stars included Andy Kaufman (an inexpicably bigger-than-ever-in-death legend), Judd Hirsch (several TV series, movie appearances and B’way runs), Christopher Lloyd (one of the busiest character actors in Hollywood for many years), Danny Devito (by far the greatest on and offscreen success), Tony Danza (two successful series and a successful talk show), Marilu Henner (bestselling books and continued series work- made millions from some shopping channel tie-in thingy), while Conaway has never been more than a third banana on series (never the star like his former co-workers).
Jack Burns (b.k.a. Warren from Andy Griffith) was part of a comedy team with George Carlin (who became a superstar of stand-up after the act dissolved) and later teamed with Avery Schreiber (who while not as big as Carlin certainly kept busy in commercials and guest appearances) while Burns made an embarassing SNL appearance and then faded from view.
Cheech Marin has had a very successful career as a character actor playing everything from homeless lowlifes to successful businessmen while former partner Tommy Chong played the same stoner character on That 70s Show and went to prison (very unfairly, imo).
Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff became horror superstars the same year and starred in several movies together, though by the end Bela was making a fraction of Boris’s paycheck and of course wound up penniless doing some of the worst movies ever made while Karloff only became more respected, richer and accoladed as he got older.
I’m told I resemble her quite frequently, so let me just say, thanks for the compliment!
I don’t think this is correct.
Scolari also provided at least one voice in Tom Hanks’ Polar Express.
Bruce Willis far eclipsed Cybill Shephard in spite of her head start on his career. She hasn’t done terribly (a moderately successful sit-com), but no $15 million paydays. (OTOH, considering she has no talent and Christine Baranski carried her on the show that bore her name she’s done fantastically.)
There’s a major gender dichotomy even when talent is equal. Tom Cruise never slowed down after RISKY BUSINESS while Rebecca DeMornay just survived, and the same is true of Harrison Ford/Kelly McGillis from WITNESS, Patrick Swayze/Jennifer Grey from DIRTY DANCING and other programs.
I think the intention in STAR TREK: TNG was to bring Patrick Stewart on board for authority figure and Jonathan Frakes for Sex Appeal. Now Patrick is earning millions in major summer releases and Frakes is voicing video games and lodged in everybody’s mind as Piscopo and Fairchild’s poker partner in the ubiquitous discount software bin.
Well, that could be because Stewart is about a googleplex times sexier (this coming from a straight guy).
Phillip Michael Thomas hade four letters on a gold chain around his neck when Miami Vice peaked: E G O T.
When asked what they stood for, he replied: “It’s for every award I’m gonna win.”
I wonder if Calista Flockhart is happy being with Harrison Ford, now that Jane Krakowski won a Tony and is turning into a sex symbol, considering Flockhart had the lead and Krakowski was brought on as a rather tragic figure.
That’s incorrect. The four guys in the band were played by Johnathon Schaech, Steve Zahn, Tom Everett Scott and Ethan Embry, while the kid in Big was played by David Moscow.
Bela also became a drug addict, which might have had something to do with his declining fortunres.
I thought I heard Tom Hanks say that it was the same boy in a featurette for this movie, but I must have either misunderstood or misremembered. Either way, consider the statement withdrawn, and I’ll just crawl away in shame… (and get back to work).
The other guys in Bonanza have to resent Michael Landon’s huge success. He was just an unknown kid when the series started.
Michael McKean has done more than his Spinal Tap cohorts.
More work, perhaps, but I’d venture to say that Christopher Guest has had greater success by any other measure.
Of the two guys in Two Guys and a Girl, Ryan Reynolds has been the one to parlay it into a big-time movie career (albeit several years after the show folded).
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This surprises me somewhat, as I thought for sure Richard Ruccolo had more star power.
Not that I’d kick either one of 'em out for eating crackers. 
Jeff Conaway stared in the movie Grease, but I heard he turned super fundamental Christian. He may not be interested in Hollywood anymore.
Harry Shearer is no slouch, either, between the Simpsons paycheck and his popular NPR talk show (Le Show).
I’m hoping Nathan Fillion will be the guy from that cast to really makle it big, come September.
What’s the name of the other guy who was with Paul Reiser in “My Two Dads”? Paul goes on to do “Aliens” and “Mad About You”…I think that other guy landed up in TV hell - lots of made-forTV films and soaps
Scolari was the first person I thought of too. Back in Bosom Buddies I liked him better – I like that short, muscular type. And I also noticed the resemblance between Scolari and Steve Zahn and Hanks and that other kid.