There are some actors whose entire careers are defined by their most iconic role or by their best performance (which are not always one and the same). There are also some actors who really only have one well-known role or acclaimed performance to their name, while the majority of their career continues to live in obscurity or even ridicule. The following are some notable examples of actors who never really got to shine beyond that movie or TV show that clicked.
Sam Worthington (The Avatar Movies)
Sam Worthington's performance as Jake Sully in 2009's Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water from 2022 is not exactly "acclaimed." However, James Cameron's blockbuster sci-fi franchise is the only thing on the actor's resume that has managed to make a substantial connection with audiences and can be called a rousing success.
Hayden Christensen (Shattered Glass)
Playing Anakin Skywalker in the two latter installments of George Lucas' Star Wars prequel trilogy has earned Hayden Christensen equal amounts of fame and ridicule that has haunted him most of his career. That is because not enough people know about 2003's intense journalism drama Shattered Glass, in which he gives his best performance as real-life fraudulent reporter Stephen Glass.
Tom Arnold (True Lies)
For years, Tom Arnold's claim to fame was his marriage to Roseanne Barr and, when reviewing his filmography, it remains what he is best known for to this day. Yet, he does have the honor of playing Arnold Schwarzenegger's right-hand man in True Lies, a role he almost did not get, if not for the insistence of writer and director James Cameron.
Brandon Routh (Superman Returns)
Brandon Routh was relatively unknown when he was cast as Clark Kent in 2006’s Superman Returns — a role that should have earned immediate entry to the A-list. While he does have an amusing reputation for playing multiple comic book characters — including Todd Ingram in the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World cast — his one-time donning the old red and blues remains the peak of his fame.
Linda Blair (The Exorcist)
One of the top horror movie Scream Queens of all time is undeniably Linda Blair for her Academy Award-nominated role as Regan MacNeil in 1973’s The Exorcist. However, the demonically possessed 12-year-old is still the only character most mainstream audiences associate with the actor.
Stephen Baldwin (The Usual Suspects)
Stephen Baldwin has a scene-stealing turn as Michael McManus in the classic 1995 crime thriller, The Usual Suspects. However, because his remaining credits have never quite lived up to that performance — or the film itself — most would call him an unusual suspect for mainstream success these days.
Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense)
Haley Joel Osment is still a steadily working actor, appearing in notable films like Kevin Smith’s Tusk and hit TV shows like The Boys. Yet, any time he does show up onscreen, we would not be surprised if he still regularly identified as “the kid who saw dead people in 1999’s The Sixth Sense.”
Lacey Chabert (Mean Girls)
You could argue that Lacey Chabert really did come close to making “fetch” happen with her standout role in 2004’s Mean Girls as Gretchen Wieners. While she has made a name for herself elsewhere with voice acting and leading several Hallmark Channel originals, the gossipy plastic is still the singular defining moment of her career.
Steven Seagal (Under Siege)
Even most of the fans who consider Steven Seagal to be one of the top action movie stars of the ‘90s might agree that he really only has one true quality film to his name: Under Siege. Both a critical and commercial success, director Andrew Davis’ Oscar-nominated 1992 thriller stars Seagal as a former Navy SEAL serving as a cook on a battleship taken over by terrorists.
Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee)
Can you name another character played by Paul Hogan who is not the title character from the 1986 fish-out-of-water movie classic, Crocodile Dundee? The eponymous Outback hunter was also the brainchild of the Australian actor, whose career has been almost completely overshadowed by the role.
Roddy Piper (They Live)
To be fair, the late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper’s main claim to fame was professional wrestling, but his subsequent film career was nowhere near close to on par with, say, Dwayne Johnson or John Cena. At least he can say that he was the star of one of John Carpenter’s best movies, They Live, in the memorable role of an impromptu alien hunter, John Nada.
Alicia Silverstone (Clueless)
Had 1997’s Batman & Robin been a hit, Alicia Silverstone could have been one of the best Batgirl actors ever and her career could have flourished from it. Instead, her breakthrough film role as Cher Horowitz in 1995’s Clueless is the single performance she is most acclaimed and recognized for.
Macaulay Culkin (Home Alone)
Macaulay Culkin’s career beyond child stardom has certainly had its highlights, such as his role in Party Monster, his appearance on American Horror Story Season 10, and his podcast, The Bunny Ears Podcast. However, after all these years, it is still difficult to see him as anyone other than the young, mischievous Kevin McCallister from the Home Alone movies.
Rupert Grint (The Harry Potter Movies)
We do not mean to discredit Rupert Grint’s performances in the Snatch TV show, M. Night Shyamalan’s Servant, or anything else he has done outside of the Harry Potter movies. However, the British actor will always be Ron Weasley in our hearts.
Jessica Alba (Sin City)
Anyone who does not love actor and entrepreneur Jessica Alba probably has not seen her performance as exotic dancer Nancy Callahan in 2005’s Sin City, which is the single most acclaimed title in her filmography. She did earn a Golden Globe nomination for a breakthrough role in Dark Angel, but that short-lived sci-fi series is largely forgotten these days.
Robert Englund (A Nightmare On Elm Street)
Playing Freddy Krueger in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise made Robert Englund a horror movie icon and earned him a long career of countless other spooky roles. Yet, have any of his subsequent credits — horror or otherwise — been nearly as popular as the grotesque, razor-glove-wielding boogeyman? Maybe in his dreams.
Edward Furlong (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)
Edward Furlong made a stunning acting debut in the pivotal role of a teenage John Connor in one of the greatest action movies of all time, 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Unfortunately, his career never reached the same level of prowess or popularity again, which can be partially attributed to his history of substance abuse.
Rachael Leigh Cook (She's All That)
Actor and model Rachael Leigh Cook has had a steady career all her life. However, none of her credits have quite stood the test of time like the 1999 teen movie favorite, She’s All That, which spawned a Netflix original gender-swapped remake, He’s All That, in which she appeared in a new role.
Anthony Perkins (Psycho)
Anthony Perkins is considered one the biggest Hollywood stars of his time, but only for one role in particular: Norman Bates in one of the greatest horror movies of all time — Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 classic, Psycho. He would actually reprise the murderous momma’s boy and motel manager twice more in 1983’s Psycho II and Psycho III, the latter of which he also directed three years later.
David Schwimmer (Friends)
Much of the Friends cast managed to outlive their roles on the hit sitcom with versatile projects that helped them avoid being typecast. We cannot quite say the same about David Schwimmer, whose distinct portrayal of Ross Gellar seems to follow him everywhere he goes.
Jaden Smith (The Pursuit Of Happyness)
Seven-year-old Jaden Smith made a promising debut as the onscreen son of his real-life father, Will Smith, in 2006’s The Pursuit of Happyness, but very few of his roles since have made a genuine impression on critics and audiences. That being said, the older he got, his acting roles became less frequent as he focused more on his music career.
Carrie Henn (Aliens)
If you ever wondered what happened to Newt from Aliens, she became one of the many child stars who walked away from Hollywood, but did so quicker than most, as the 1986 sci-fi classic is her only acting credit. So, in this case, we can call Carrie Henn — who went on to become a teacher — an acting “one-hit-wonder” by choice.
Alex Winter (The Bill & Ted Movies)
Alex Winter had such astonishing chemistry with Keanu Reeves as the dim-witted, titular heroes of the Bill & Ted movies. Yet, while Reeves climbed up the A-list, Winter never really found a role as popular as Bill S. Preston, Esq. He would find some success working as director in film and TV, however.
Fran Drescher (The Nanny)
Actor and comedian Fran Drescher earned rousing success when she co-created the hit sitcom The Nanny, in which she also starred as Fran Fine. The boisterous character remains her most famous role to date, as Drescher is better known today for being elected President of SAG-AFTRA in 2021.
Adam West (Batman)
The late Adam West is, undeniably, one of the most legendary live-action Batman actors, having played Bruce Wayne in the classic 1960s TV show, its feature-length spin-off, and two animated films decades later. However, he is really the only one in that club so far who can say that playing Batman is the singular defining role of his career.
Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite)
As the title hero of 2004’s Napoleon Dynamite, Jon Heder gave one of the most legendarily bizarre and uniquely funny performances in a comedy movie for its time, if not all time. The success of the indie sleeper hit would garner more roles for the actor, but none that earned nearly the same acclaim or notoriety.
Frankie Muniz (Malcolm In The Middle)
Playing the fourth-wall-breaking title role of Malcolm in the Middle in the early 2000s made Frankie Muniz one of the top child stars of his time, but his subsequent success later in life was decidedly hit or miss. He still acts to this day but has also taken up a career in NASCAR racing.
Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous)
Whatever happened to Patrick Fugit — the actor who launched his career in 2000 by leading the Almost Famous cast as young, aspiring music reporter William Miller? There’s a good chance you have seen him in one of his many credits over the years — such as Gone Girl or 2022’s Babylon — but just failed to recognize him.
Katherine Heigl (Grey's Anatomy)
Katherine Heigl had a relatively successful run in movies, especially as the female lead of 2007’s Knocked Up, which she famously spoke negatively of. Said comments would actually have a negative impact on her career and, thus, her Emmy-winning role on in the Grey’s Anatomy cast as Dr. Izzie Stevens in the mid-2000s is still her most famous and commendable role.
Peter Ostrum (Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory)
At the end of 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, poor Charlie Bucket becomes wealthy after the titular chocolatier (Gene Wilder) gives his factory to him. As for the actor who plays the lucky boy, Peter Ostrum, he immediately abandoned his acting career in favor of becoming a veterinarian.
Bo Derek (10)
Bo Derek is an undisputed legend in the modeling industry, but we cannot quite say the same about her acting career. She did have one acclaimed hit to her name, however, in the form of Blake Edwards’ Oscar-nominated, 1979 rom-com, 10, opposite Dudley Moore.
Justin Chatwin (War Of The Worlds)
If you are not sure who Justin Chatwin is, there are two movies we could name that could help you identify him. There is Steven Spielberg’s 2005 adaptation of War of the Worlds, in which he plays Tom Cruise’s onscreen son, and there is also 2009’s universally reviled live-action anime adaptation, Dragonball: Evolution, in which he was grossly miscast as Goku.
For the actors above who are still with us and are still interested in the craft, we hope to see them in another surefire hit soon enough.
