Which movie has the most relatively unknown actors who would go on to be “stars.” By stars I mean people who would go on to be leads in future major films or become recognizable at some point in their careers for other projects.
I can’t think of one with more than “The Outsiders” with Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Diane Lane, and Leiff Garrett. I think Sofia Coppola was in it too. Leiff Garrett might have already been a teen idol and kinda sorta famous and Matt Dillon might have been a lesser teen idol at the time.
Bladerunner had Harrison Ford, Daryl Hannah, Rutger Hauer, Edward James Olmos, Sean Young, Brion James, Joanna Cassidy and William Sanderson. Not all stars sure, but many are great character actors at the start of their careers.
One of my favorite’s, Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Sean Penn
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Judge Reinhold
Phoebe Cates Holy Cow!
Ray Walston Already famous
Forest Whitaker
Eric Stoltz
Nicolas Cage
Anthony Edwards
You had future superstars Spike Lee, Laurence Fishburne, Samuel L. Jackson and musician Branford Marsalis – three future castmates from TV’s It’s A Diff’rent World Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison and Darryl Bell – future Spike Lee Joint collaborators Bill Nunn, Roger Guenveur Smith, Giancarlo Esposito and Joie Lee, future directors Rusty Cundieff and Kasi Lemmons, perenniel TV wife Tisha Campbell, legends Ossie Davis and Joe Seneca.
Do The Right Thing added to THAT list Danny Aiello’s breakthrough role as Sal, John Turturro and Richard Edson as sons Pino and Vito, and introduced to the world Rosie Perez, the late comedian Robin Harris AND Martin Lawrence, more before-he-blew-up Sam Jackson and screen gem Ruby Dee.
Not a big list, but last night I caught the first ten minutes or so of The Rachel Papers, and I swear that Rufus Sewell was the bartender at the party.
Ron Howard (post-Andy-Griffith, but pre-Happy-Days)
Richard Dreyfuss
Suzanne Somers
Paul Le Mat
Harrison Ford
Cindy Williams
Mackenzie Phillips
Kathleen Quinlan
Charles Martin Smith
Joe Spano (best known from emmy-nominated role on NYPD Blue)
Debralee Scott (later Hotsy Totsy from Welcome Back Kotter)
To a much lessser extent I was surprised how many present and future tv stars were in “Can’t Hardly Wait” (a teen coemdy from the late 90s)…now granted some of them were already known: We have Seth Green, Jenna Elfman, Ethan Embry, Lauren Ambrose (including two other 6 Feet Under future cast memebers; Freddy Rodríguez and the guy who played Gabriel), Melissa Joan Hart and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
To a much lessser extent I was surprised how many present and future tv stars were in “Can’t Hardly Wait” (a teen coemdy from the late 90s)…now granted some of them were already known: We have Seth Green, Jenna Elfman, Ethan Embry, Lauren Ambrose (including two other 6 Feet Under future cast memebers; Freddy Rodríguez and the guy who played Gabriel), Melissa Joan Hart and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Oh and that sliders guy… Josh… His brother was the Bachelor. Fat Kid from Stand By Me…
The Paper Chase gave us John Houseman (who was “discovered” here) Lindsay Wagner (who’d mostly done just TV up until that point), and quintessential “Hey! It’s That Guy!” character actors Graham Beckel, James Naughton and Edward Herrmann. You don’t know their names? You know their faces.
The Last Picture Show with director/co-writer Peter Bogdonavitch, gave us Cybill Shepherd, Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cloris Leachman (who also did mostly just TV), Ellen Burstyn, Eileen Brennan, Sam Bottoms and of course, Randy Quaid.
Animal House gave us a bunch, too. John Belushi, Karen Allen, Tom Hulce, Steven Furst and Kevin Bacon all got their start in the movie industry here. Others like John Vernon and Donald Sutherland merely solidified their greatness.