Notable Stars Who Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing
The entertainment industry hinges on the talent of its actors, with only the most charismatic, brave, and skilled performers able to achieve a long-standing career in film or television.
While the medium has seen endless stars come and go over the years–from James Dean and Marilyn Monroe to Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt–certain actors never came close to achieving the same level of lasting popularity. These vanishing stars include everyone from faded superhero actors like Taylor Kitsch and Eric Bana to failed leading stars like Sam Worthington and Mischa Barton. Meet the vanishing stars who never quite set the screen on fire.
Julia Ormond
If anyone seemed ready for a long and successful career in the entertainment medium, Julia Osmond seemed like just that person. Coming to early career prominence in the 1990s, Ormond starred in several well-known films throughout the decade, including The Baby of Mâcon, Legends of the Fall, Sabrina, and The Barber of Siberia.
Despite her appearances alongside well-known acting veterans like Ralph Fiennes, Harrison, Anthony Hopkins, and Brad Pitt, Ormond’s career began to stall by the start of the 2000s. Though she managed to garner an Emmy Award for her 2010’s HBO film, Temple Grandin, Ormond has yet to achieve the same widespread recognition she once held in the ‘90s.
Taylor Kitsch
Establishing himself with the hit NBC series Friday Night Lights, Taylor Kitsch rounded out the 2000s with a promising future ahead of him. Appearing in the fan-favorite role of Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Kitsch went on to star in the 2012 pulp space opera John Carter, an ambitious adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ acclaimed sci-fi series.
Given the poor quality of each film he starred in, though, Kitsch’s tenure as a leading man began to wind down by the mid-2010s.
Josh Hartnett
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, audiences had a difficult time watching a movie without seeing Josh Harnett somewhere in the cast list. Making his debut with Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Hartnett became an instantaneous teen heartthrob, landing the actor roles in commercial films like The Faculty, Pearl Harbor, and Black Hawk Down.
Halfway through the new decade, however, Hartnett’s movies met with a more mixed reception, as seen with The Black Dahlia and Lucky Number Slevin. Stepping away from the limelight by the late 2000s, Hartnett has yet to secure the same popularity he once held. Yet even then, he has done very well for himself with more recent performances in Penny Dreadful, Black Mirror, and Oppenheimer.
Marsha Mason
From the 1970s into the 1980s, Marsha Mason climbed to the heights of the film industry, earning repeated nominations at the Academy Awards and securing two Golden Globes for Best Actress (Cinderella Liberty and The Goodbye Girl). Despite her renowned success in the first half of her career, Mason’s career hit a lengthy slump in the early 2000s. (A divorce from writer Neil Simon, who she often worked with, also probably didn’t help.)
While she has since made occasional cameos in shows like The Good Wife and The Middle, Mason has seemed more focused on her work in live theater.
Cara Delevingne
In 2016, audiences still believed the DCEU had a genuine chance of matching the popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe–something fans hoped might occur with the release of the ensemble film, Suicide Squad. Assembling an all-star cast of notable actors, DC found the film’s chief villain in the form of Cara Delevingne, a respected model whose breakthrough performance came with Suicide Squad.
As it happened, the long-awaited superhero film faced a hostile response, with almost every aspect of the film met with derision. Delevingne’s performance as the possessed archeologist June Moone, in particular, earned consistent scorn from fans and critics, with Delevingne yet to regain her on-screen momentum.
Eric Bana
Making his way from local projects in his native Australia to mainstream American film, Eric Bana possessed a prodigious charisma that clicked well with international audiences in the early 2000s. Earning breakout acclaim for his role in 2001’s Black Hawk Down, Bana went on to star in a number of large-budget genre films, including Troy, Hulk, and Munich.
Despite his rapid rise in the film industry, the second half of the 2000s marked Bana’s rapid descent towards career obscurity. Rather than maintaining his reputation as a proficient leading man, Bana soon found himself relegated to supporting roles, as seen in later films like Star Trek, Lone Survivor, and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.
George Lazenby
After Sean Connery stepped away from the role of James Bond for the first time in the late 1960s, Eon Productions scrambled to find a suitable replacement for the larger-than-life Connery. The search soon led them to British model George Lazenby, who accepted the role of 007 for 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
In an unfortunate turn of events for Lazenby, Connery soon returned to the Bond franchise for Secret Service’s immediate sequel, Diamonds Are Forever, cutting Lazenby’s tenure as 007 short after just one film.
Thora Birch
Like most child actors, Thora Birch kicked her career off with a quick flurry of critical and commercial successes, including early appearances in Purple People Eater, Patriot Games, and Hocus Pocus. As she approached late adolescence, Birch held onto her favorable reputation in the film industry, landing a prominent role in 1999’s American Beauty and the cult classic comedy Ghost World.
With the start of the 2000s, though, Birch’s acclaimed reputation as a young star came to an end, due in part to the behavior of her manager/father. She has since made infrequent appearances in well-known projects (like the indie drama The Last Black Man in San Francisco and the AMC horror series, The Walking Dead).
Sam Worthington
With his lead performance in 2009’s Avatar, Sam Worthington became the next big thing in Hollywood. Based on the newfound popularity brought on by Avatar, Worthington found himself centerstage in an assortment of genre-based works in the early to mid-2010s, including Terminator Salvation, Clash of the Titans, and Hacksaw Ridge.
While Avatar itself remains one of the most successful movies ever made, Worthington’s time as a leading man came to an abrupt end by the close of the 2010s, even if he has returned to the Avatar series with the franchise’s later installments.
Topher Grace
As with most of his co-stars on Fox’s That ‘70s Show, Topher Grace seemed poised for great things in the immediate future. As the series rounded its seventh season, Grace made the decision to leave the show behind, allowing him to star in Sam Raimi’s anticipated Spider-Man 3 as the narcissistic photojournalist-turned-supervillain Venom.
With Spider-Man 3’s middling reception, Grace never again found his footing as a leading man in Hollywood, earning a reputation as a prolific supporting actor in films like Predators, Interstellar, and BlackKklansman.
Gretchen Mol
An interesting case in the annals of acting history, Gretchen Mol’s career seems made up of promising false starts and short-lived periods of success. With her career beginning in 1996, Mol’s first few projects–The Funeral and Donnie Brasco–saw her appear opposite A-list celebrities like Christopher Walken, Al Pacino, and Johnny Depp, lending her further credibility as a burgeoning actor. Mol even appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair in 1998, dubbed “It Girl of the 1990s.”
As successful as her early career seemed, Mol could not land another suitable role for the entirety of the 2000s. Since the start of the 2010s, she has had some luck with a recurring role on Boardwalk Empire and a minor appearance in Manchester by the Sea, but the momentum she once commanded in the late ‘90s has more or less vanished.
Michael Dudikoff
The 1980s remain synonymous with over-the-top action films, giving rise to numerous chisel-jawed action heroes like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Bruce Willis. Along with Arnie and Sly, Michael Dudikoff appeared as one such actor, starring in overly stylized action films like Avenging Force, Platoon Leader, and River of Death.
While Dudikoff has gone on to make occasional cinematic appearances over the decades, the actor has since turned his attention to real estate as his main source of income.
Caroll Baker
Like ‘80s action stars, 1950s and ‘60s came chock full of platinum blonde women attempting to fulfill the role left behind by Marilyn Monroe. With her leading appearances in movies like Giant, But Not For Me, and Something Wild, Carroll Baker seemed like one such actress–a beautiful, talented young woman who displayed consistent chemistry with every co-star she shared the screen with.
In the wake of 1965’s less-than-well-received Harlow, Baker relocated to Italy, severing ties with her employers at Paramount and becoming a frequent star of ‘60s giallo films. When she returned to the States in the mid-70s, she became known for her supporting roles in more grounded dramas and television series, including Murder, She Wrote, and L.A. Law.
Estella Warren
Having met with success in her earlier ventures as a synchronized swimmer and fashion model, Estella Warren tried her hand at acting at the start of the 2000s.
Despite her imminent abilities on the runway, Warren’s foray into drama proved disastrous, with her performances in 2001’s Planet of the Apes and Driven netting Warren the Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress.
Emilio Estevez
More often than not, children who follow their renowned acting parents’ career paths have their hands full. With Emilio Estevez, however, Hollywood seemed to have found a promising successor to his father, Martin Sheen’s name. A key member of the ‘80s Frat Pack, Estevez’s roles in The Outsiders, The Breakfast Club, Repo Man, and Young Guns earned him a promising reputation in the film industry, with audiences awaiting to see what became of young Estevez.
As the ‘90s got underway, however, Estevez’s leading man status began to slip, resulting in Estevez being reduced to starring in middling sequels (D2: The Mighty Ducks) and appearing in minor supporting roles (Mission: Impossible). Nowadays, the Sheen descendant has turned his attention more towards directing and writing.
Mischa Barton
An accomplished actor known for her extensive work in theater, film, and television, Mischa Barton could portray any character she signed on to play. Transitioning from her career in theater for American TV in the mid-’90s while still just a child, Barton soon became known for her supporting appearances in independent dramas and romantic comedies, like Lawn Dogs, Notting Hills, and The Sixth Sense.
Reaching adulthood in the early 2000s, Barton managed to secure a main role in the hit teen series, The O.C., bringing her to newfound levels of fame. In the latter half of the decade, however, Barton’s popularity started to wane. That, coupled with mental health issues, saw the actor soon returning to the indie dramas of her youth.
Mike Myers
SNL has no shortage of impressive alumni, from original Not-Ready-For Primetime Players like Bill Murray and John Belushi to more contemporary breakout cast members like Pete Davidson and Kate McKinnon. In the 1990s, said cast member came in the form of Mike Myers, the eccentric comedian known for his flamboyant impressions and idiosyncratic characters.
Departing from SNL at the start of the decade, Myers’ career met with immediate success thanks to his work in Wayne’s World, the Austin Powers trilogy, and the Shrek franchise. As the 2000s got underway, the prestigious SNL faced mounting disappointments in his filmography, culminating in his disastrous 2008 comedy, The Love Guru. Since then, Myers has kept a lower profile, appearing in a handful of supporting roles throughout the 2010s. Of all the vanishing stars profiled here, Myers may have enjoyed the most success, which makes his disappearance all the more inexplicable.
Guy Pearce
A phenomenal character actor who never shied away from an unconventional role, Guy Pearce seemed the type of actor destined to excel in every film he signed on to appear in.
While the first decade of his career ushered in extraordinary films–like L.A. Confidential and Memento–Pearce found himself cast in diminishing roles from the mid-2000s onwards, as seen from his lack of mainstream success in the past decade.
Brandon Routh
Yet another superhero actor whose fame proved all too brief, Brandon Routh made superhuman waves with his lead performance in 2006’s Superman Returns.
As it happened, though, Routh never found another role on par with the Man on the Steel, languishing in lesser movies that received little to no critical fanfare (Fling, Life Is Hot In Cracktown, Table for Three). With Superman Returns never receiving a formal sequel, Routh has gone on to make guest appearances in a variety of TV shows throughout the 2010s and 20s.
Claire Forlani
In the 1990s, Claire Forlani seemed like the next major leading lady in the film industry, having accrued significant attention from movie-goers for her roles in Mallrats, Basquiat, and Meet Joe Black.
While the ‘90s proved prosperous for Forlaini, the actress’s luck began to turn with the start of the new decade. Unable to find a stronger role that suited her dramatic capabilities, viewers can find Forlani’s biggest successes since the 2000s in the form of CSI: NY and NCIS: Los Angeles.
