Actors are among the most recognizable famous people on the planet. And yet, memory is fickle. If an actor doesn’t appear in any major roles for a few years or is mainly in supporting roles, the general public can forget they were ever famous. Here are fifteen actors you probably forgot about.
Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney was both a recording artist and an actor but he hasn’t been in much lately. Real old-school RPG fans fondly remember him as the voice actor for the Kingdom Hearts character Roxas. In a fun return to form, he played the character again in the 2019 game Kingdom Hearts III.
Brion James
The late Brion James played a ton of background characters and antagonists and was really good at being a loathsome jerk. He’s perhaps best known for his memorable role in the original Blade Runner, where he plays Replicant villain Leon Kowalski opposite Harrison Ford.
Stacy Keach
Avid Shakesperean and longtime character actor Stacy Keach has been in a ton of movies and TV shows. He was in American History X, Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, and The New Mike Hammer. Part of why he faded from the public eye is a 1984 arrest for drug charges while arriving at Heathrow Airport, for which he served six months in prison.
Fred Savage
Fred Savage was everywhere in the 80s and is best-known for his role on The Wonder Years. Interestingly enough, did you know that’s him in The Princess Bride? Yeah, a young Fred Savage plays the unnamed grandson who hears the story that comprises the bulk of the movie.
Barbara Hershey
While her name might not sound immediately familiar, you’ve certainly seen Barbara Hershey in at least a few projects. She was in Black Swan, Falling Down, Hoosiers, Beaches, and more besides. She even won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her role in A Killing in a Small Town back in 1990.
Dean Stockwell
Dean Stockwell’s name might not ring a bell unless you watched a lot of Quantum Leap back in the day. That’s right, he was Al, the hologram who helped guide Sam through his various time-traveling leaps in the 20th Century. Stockwell was a phenomenal actor and deserves more recognition than he got during his lifetime.
Heather Graham
Heather Graham was a hot commodity at one point in the 90s and 00s, appearing in a ton of major projects like Twin Peaks, Austin Powers, The Hangover, and Scrubs. Her unique look propelled her to stardom, but she’s been in very few movies or shows since around 2009.
Bruce Dern
The incomparable character actor Bruce Dern has been in a ton of great movies, but you might not be able to place his name at first. Tarantino fans, in particular, will remember him for his gripping role in the 2015 western The Hateful Eight. Also, as you might guess, he’s the father of Laura Dern.
Pam Grier
Speaking of actors who are recognizable to Tarantino fans, Pam Grier is an iconic actor who starred in a series of action movies in the 70s. Her movies were memorable for centering around a black woman at a point in time when action movies were primarily concerned with muscular white guys mowing down crowds of faceless bad guys.
Frankie Muniz
The Malcolm in the Middle star, Frankie Muniz, vanished from the public eye for years after the beloved sitcom wrapped up. This is largely because he moved on from acting to pursue a career in racing, which has kept his public profile much lower than starring in a sitcom!
Billy Baldwin
Actor Billy Baldwin is the second-youngest of the four Baldwin Brothers, but he’s much less high-profile than some of his siblings. He’s only been in a handful of projects, like Flatliners, Silver, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Recently, he appeared in the Netflix series Northern Rescue as John West.
Sinbad
David Adkins, better known as Sinbad, was a very popular actor and comedian throughout the 90s. Then, he kind of just faded from the public eye. His most notable turn in the 21st Century so far has been his fantastic cameo in a 2008 episode of It’s Always Sunny, when he appears as a dream to Dennis.
Clancy Brown
Clancy Brown has been in so many movies that it would be tough to list them all. Many Millennials best know him for his voice role as Mr. Krabs on the beloved children’s cartoon Spongebob Squarepants. Recently, he’s also been on The Mandalorian and will appear in The Penguin.
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Matthew Lillard
Matthew Lillard is perhaps best known for his role as Shaggy Rogers in the 2002 live action adaptation of Scooby-Doo and its sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. Notably, those films were a bit harder edged than the cartoons, which could be partly due to the screenwriter being none other than Troma luminary James Gunn.
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Keith David
Keith David’s stoic looks and intense performances make him instantly recognizable, but he mostly does voice work these days. Which makes sense, given that he has a booming baritone that lends a serious edge to any character he plays. These days he works with Dan Harmon a lot, with roles on Community and Rick and Morty being among his best comedic work.
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