# "One Hit" Actors **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 12, 2021, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569 "2021-09-12T23:02:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2021, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/101 "2021-09-13T21:20:26Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > > > Here’s an example: Bronson Pinchot. He stole the scenes he was in with Eddie Murphy in _Beverly Hills Cop_ and there was a lot of buzz about him afterwards. But nothing really happened for him after that. > > Aah, I get it, you’re one of those people who think TV work doesn’t count as real acting, or something. Because Balki is way more famous a character than (had to look this up…) Serge. It wouldn’t surprise me if Bronson Pinchot ended up getting typecast as “the guy who does the funny accent” after playing Serge and Balki. Although I do remember him in _The Langoliers_ miniseries in the mid-1990s, I couldn’t name anything else he did after that. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2021, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/102 "2021-09-13T23:56:46Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > > > I think the first time most of us noticed **Rutger Hauer** was in _Blade Runner_ (a charismatic performance topped off with that magnificent soliloquy). He was in a lot of films after that but rarely rated much higher than a B list action staple. > > Isn’t that more of the case of a B-Movie staple who has one great role in an actually good movie. He was well known in Dutch cinema; think of **A Soldier of Orange**. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/103 "2021-09-14T00:13:48Z")
A lot of people know Malcolm McDowell as the guy who 'killed" Captain Kirk in _Star Trek: Generations_. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/104 "2021-09-14T00:15:33Z")
Sarah Holcomb, the young actress who played the mayor’s daughter in Animal House. She later appeared in Caddyshack. But drugs on both sets did her in in a big way, as in severe schizophrenia at age 20 brought about by cocaine addiction. She lives in Connecticut under a different name. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/105 "2021-09-14T00:43:01Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > A lot of people know Malcolm McDowell as the guy who 'killed" Captain Kirk in _Star Trek: Generations_. Not possible. That was all a fantasy of Picard’s imagination after he ended up in the Nexus. By extension, all the Star Trek “canon” featuring Picard since then must necessarily be considered a work of fiction within a work of fiction. We should consider it a mercy that Picard only showed up in DS9 before the movie. It’s a bummer that we lost _First Contact_ in the exchange, but otherwise I’d say the canon comes out much stronger overall. Now if we could just get him to make an appearance in _Discovery_… ETA: But, back OT, I don’t think anyone thought he was gonna be a big star when they saw him in that movie, so I think he still fits in this thread. Nevertheless, point taken: some might plausibly know him as “that guy who ‘killed’ Kirk” rather than merely “A British Person.” ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/106 "2021-09-14T01:02:14Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > Malcolm McDowell. Apart from _A Clockwork Orange_ , I’d wager he’s now best known as [A British Person](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0705929/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_164). > [@dorvann](#): > > A lot of people know Malcolm McDowell as the guy who 'killed" Captain Kirk in _Star Trek: Generations_ . Ah, people of a certain age might also remember him as the title character in _Caligula_. Granted, a porn film is not usually considered a notable cinematic production, but a porn film that included three future Oscar winners, two of whom would subsequently be knighted for their contributions to the theater (and one who turned his knighthood down), drew a little more attention than the usual low-budget _bow-chicka-wow-wow_ smut flick. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/107 "2021-09-14T01:12:33Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Ah, people of a certain age might also remember him as the title character in _Caligula_. Sorry; are we talking about H. G. Wells? ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/108 "2021-09-14T02:15:18Z")
George Lazenby is the perfect nomination for this, but only because it was his own damn fault. Was an Australian TV actor who never actually acted before (mainly being an extra or doing commercials), got signed for a **SEVEN** picture deal to be in the James Bond franchise, then in a combination of listening to his idiotic agent who claimed that the James Bond franchise “wouldn’t last the 70’s” and his own huge ego on set making him a nightmare to work with, he proceeded to quit the Bond franchise and then star in a bunch of box office duds. Then only got work past that by playing an unofficial “James Bond” in every single thing afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/109 "2021-09-14T02:42:35Z")
I remember him from **this movie** , which I think is greatly underappreciated: > **[Blame It on the Bellboy (1992) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103827/)** > > Blame It on the Bellboy: Directed by Mark Herman. With Dudley Moore, Bryan Brown, Richard Griffiths, Andreas Katsulas. Several strangers converge on a hotel in Venice, Italy, where a bellboy's bad English sets them up to clash against each other in a... (He was the bellboy.) ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/110 "2021-09-14T02:47:21Z")
Don Knotts? The entire cast of Seinfeld? The proviso that everyone thought he/she would be a “big star” sort of adds an extra element to this that takes away from every example. Mark Hamill is probably the best example but were people in 1977 saying that he would be the next Clark Gable? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/111 "2021-09-14T04:31:08Z")
> [@Somethingwitty1](#): > > Most sitcom actors. I came here to mention Balki and Larry in perfect strangers. ---
**Author:** ![DoubleG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@DoubleG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoubleG)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/113 "2021-09-14T05:34:35Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Don Knotts? The entire cast of Seinfeld? > > The proviso that everyone thought he/she would be a “big star” sort of adds an extra element to this that takes away from every example. > > Mark Hamill is probably the best example but were people in 1977 saying that he would be the next Clark Gable? Julia Louis-Dreyfus won the Primetime Emmy 7 times after Seinfeld. I think she might have done ok for herself. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/114 "2021-09-14T07:13:39Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Another one who I think falls into the same category, although even more dramatic is Sam Worthington. Star of **Avatar** , and then not much else of note besides playing Perseus in some IMO, bad Greek mythology movies. I think he’s spent a lot of the last few years filming Avatar 2 and 3. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/115 "2021-09-14T07:24:23Z")
I think people sometimes forget _Blade Runner_ was hardly a blockbuster success or a critical darling. And Hauer was not the star, so him moving on to more “not the star roles” in other films isn’t unexpected. I wouldn’t call _Batman Begins_ or _Sin City_ “B list action” films. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/116 "2021-09-14T07:28:39Z")
> [@DoubleG](#): > > Julia Louis-Dreyfus won the Primetime Emmy 7 times after Seinfeld. I think she might have done ok for herself. Not that she needed to, she’s from money. Like, [_big_ money](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Dreyfus_Company). ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/117 "2021-09-14T10:22:04Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > But he’s done nothing else in terms of fiction on TV (he hosted the UK version of Robot Wars), though has had a fairly successful career as a DJ on BBC radio. He had some well publicized (thanks to scumbag UK tabloids) struggles with drug abuse. Craig Charles was on Corrie for the better part of a decade, which I’m pretty sure qualifies as fiction. I’d also recommend his excellent turn on Lynda La Plante’s drama series _The Governor_. > [@DoubleG](#): > > Julia Louis-Dreyfus won the Primetime Emmy 7 times after Seinfeld. I think she might have done ok for herself. > [@MrDibble](#): > > Not that she needed to, she’s from money. Like, [_big_ money](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Dreyfus_Company). She’s also now feeding from the MCU trough, so I don’t think she’ll be hurting for spare change any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![demflame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7bcc69/32.png) [@demflame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/demflame)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/118 "2021-09-14T10:57:59Z")
Sometimes it feels bad to all, but the truth is if they denied acting then how to make a movie or continue the movie show. Maybe sometimes the story may not be continued. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/119 "2021-09-14T11:12:34Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > as in severe schizophrenia at age 20 brought about by cocaine addiction. I’m going to say that I doubt the cocaine caused her schizophrenia. 20 years old is around the age that people do develop schizophrenia. While I am sure that drugs didn’t help, they were likely not the cause. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/120 "2021-09-14T12:15:10Z")
More a _one-decade_ wonder, than _one-hit_, Debra Winger appeared headed for sustained A-list status in the early ‘80’s – early ‘90’s, starring in hits like Urban Cowboy, Terms of Endearment, and Shadowlands. She certainly demonstrated excellent acting chops. But, by the mid 90’s she seems to have been demoted to mainly TV roles. However, this was self imposed in 1995, when she took a hiatus from acting. _"I wanted out for years.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569/121 "2021-09-14T12:39:28Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > But, by the mid 90’s she seems to have been demoted to mainly TV roles. Most actresses face this issue as they age. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-actors/950569.md?page=7)