{"id":160643,"date":"2025-08-20T08:38:43","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T08:38:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/160643\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T08:38:43","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T08:38:43","slug":"people-are-sharing-the-90s-stars-who-were-supposed-to-be-the-next-big-thing-but-they-disappeared-from-the-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/160643\/","title":{"rendered":"People Are Sharing The ’90s Stars Who Were Supposed To Be The “Next Big Thing,” But They Disappeared From The Spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently, I asked<\/a> the BuzzFeed Community<\/a> to share which \u201890s stars once seemed destined for greatness but have since faded from the spotlight \u2014 whether by choice or not.<\/p>\n

Here are 16 of their top responses:<\/p>\n

Some responses are from this Reddit thread<\/a>.<\/p>\n

1.”Skeet Ulrich.”<\/p>\n

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\u00a9Dimension Films\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\u2014angrygoose681<\/a><\/p>\n

Skeet was a ’90s horror icon with his roles in Scream and The Craft. He continued to work steadily, but after his twins were born in 2001, he made them his priority. In 2005, he got a divorce and won custody of the kids, so he decided to be a stay-at-home single dad because he could afford it. In 2019, he told Fatherly<\/a>, “Being a parent has driven me to make the decisions I’ve made. I did work, but I would only work in Los Angeles until Riverdale. The kids would be there with me. I hired a nanny once when I was doing the first season of Jericho. They were starting kindergarten, and I hired a nanny once more when I did Law & Order. That’s it. A screaming kid is screaming for boundaries, screaming for something they know. They need a parent to step up.”<\/p>\n

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Michael Tullberg \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

2.”Stuart Townsend, but that’s his own fault because that ego is too big.”<\/p>\n

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New York Daily News Archive \/ NY Daily News via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u2014justineh4c2cc065d<\/a><\/p>\n

With his star on the rise, Stuart was set to play Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings in the early ’00s. However, one day before filming began, he was replaced<\/a> by Viggo Mortensen. He was reportedly fired for being difficult to work with, and Ian McKellan allegedly asked him if he even wanted to be there.<\/p>\n

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Gotpap\/Bauer-Griffin \/ GC Images \/ Via Getty<\/p>\n

Related: 16 Celebs Who Said “No Thanks” To Hollywood Excess And Chose To Live Below Their Means<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

However, Stuart has a different opinion on what happened. In 2005, he told Entertainment Weekly<\/a>, “Two weeks ago I finally read an article where the filmmakers said, ”We were totally wrong about Stuart, and we accept that it was our fault,’ which was so nice because I did get shafted up the ass. I was there rehearsing and training for two months, then was fired the day before filming began. After that, I was told they wouldn’t pay me because I was in breach of contract due to not having worked long enough. I had been having a rough time with them, so I was almost relieved to be leaving until they told me I wouldn’t be paid. I have no good feelings for those people in charge, I really don’t. The director [Peter Jackson] wanted me and then apparently thought better of it because he really wanted someone 20 years older than me and completely different.”<\/p>\n

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VALERY HACHE \/ AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

3.”Rick Moranis is a famous example of this, albeit a bit more ’80s than ’90s. He had a very successful career, including Ghostbusters, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (and its sequels), Little Shop of Horrors, etc., but then he slowed down<\/a> his work after his wife died of cancer so he could be a more attentive single parent to their two kids. Now the kids are grown, and we’re all anxiously awaiting his return<\/a> to our screens with the Spaceballs sequel! Also \u2014 shout out to his Barney Rubble in the live action Flintstones movie (it’s worth a Google to remember that killer cast).”<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Universal Pictures \/ courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\u2014braccolirob<\/a><\/p>\n

In 2015, Rick told the Hollywood Reporter<\/a>, “I took a break, which turned into a longer break. But I’m interested in anything that I would find interesting. I still get the occasional query about a film or television role…I was working with really interesting people, wonderful people [in Hollywood]. I went from that to being at home with a couple of little kids, which is a very different lifestyle. But it was important to me. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. My life is wonderful.”<\/p>\n

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Bruce Glikas \/ Via Getty<\/p>\n

4.”Jonathan Taylor Thomas for sure! He was super talented and had that X factor about him. I wish he would make a comeback. The actor who played Jill on Home Improvement [Patricia Richardson] was on a podcast<\/a> last year where she said she still spoke to him and said he has no desire to return to acting, and I respect him for that. I hope he is living his best life.”<\/p>\n

\"\u2014Anonymous,<\/p>\n

ABC Photo Archives \/ Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u2014Anonymous, 39, Tennessee<\/p>\n

Jonathan exited Home Improvement before the series ended, appearing in only three episodes of the final season. Trading acting for academia, he attended Columbia, Harvard, and St. Andrew’s University. In 2013, he told People<\/a>, “I’d been going nonstop since I was 8 years old. I wanted to go to school, to travel, and have a bit of a break…To sit in a big library amongst books and students \u2014 that was pretty cool. It was a novel experience for me.”<\/p>\n

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GT\/Star Max \/ FilmMagic \/ Via Getty<\/p>\n

5.”Jamie Walters is now a firefighter, IIRC. He had a hit single and seemed to be a rising star, but he played Donna Martin’s abusive boyfriend on 90210 so well that it damaged<\/a> his career. He seemingly couldn’t get hired.”<\/p>\n

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Fox courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\u2014abby-rose<\/a><\/p>\n

Jamie quit acting to become a firefighter in Los Angeles. In 2024, he told The US Sun<\/a>, “A lot of years have gone by, and I don’t think people are expecting when the fire department shows up that the guy in uniform might be somebody from a TV show in the ’90s. I’m thankful that I was able to switch gears and do something that I’m proud of and that my kids find interesting and cool. I still have a lot of friends that are in that business, but it’s a tough business. Unless you’re doing well, it’s a struggle to raise a family.”<\/p>\n

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“I started having second thoughts about this [acting] career path, and I’d always been interested in becoming a firefighter. The more I researched, I was like, oh man, it’s hard to get this job. This is really competitive. It took like three years, the process, from the time you take the written and you have medical exams, background checks, psychological, more physical agility checks. I finally got my job offer to come to the training academy in 2003,” he said.<\/p>\n

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John Atashian \/ John Atashian\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

6.”Jasmine Guy.”<\/p>\n

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Gene Trindl \/ \u00a9NBC \/ Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\u2014Bulky-Cauliflower921<\/a><\/p>\n

Related: Leonardo DiCaprio\u2019s 26-Year-Old Girlfriend, Vittoria Ceretti, Just Talked About What It\u2019s Really Like Dating Him \u2014 And Some Of Her Comments Are Making Me View Them Differently<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Best known for A Different World, Jasmine has continued working, mainly in smaller TV roles and made-for-TV movies. Following her divorce in 2008, she relocated to Atlanta with her daughter. In 2010, she told Creative Loafing<\/a>, “I wasn’t working enough in LA and kept leaving LA to work. When my daughter was younger, I had no issue with taking her out of preschool, since I know my colors and my ABCs, and could teach her those. But once she got older \u2013 she’s 10 years old now \u2013 I had to decide what’s the best lifestyle for her. Atlanta is easier for transportation, money, food, rent, jobs. And I found it more loving, more embracing. Because I grew up here, I knew what will happen for a young person who lives here. I found LA to be a more separate city, and I hated that separation. I want her to grow up around all kinds of people.”<\/p>\n

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Carol Lee Rose \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

7.”Bridget Fonda.”<\/p>\n

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Columbia TriStar \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u2014AllyBILM<\/a><\/p>\n

According to the Independent<\/a>, Bridget Fonda retired from acting in 2002. She had actually signed on to a recurring role on The Practice in 2003, but after “miraculously” surviving a car accident a few weeks before the series went into production, she was replaced. In 2023, she reportedly told a paparazzo at an airport that she wouldn’t return to acting because “it’s too nice being a civilian.”<\/p>\n

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MEGA \/ GC Images \/ Via Getty<\/p>\n

8.”Shane McDermott. A handful of TV appearances and one movie (with Jack Black and Seth Green), and he noped right out of Hollywood and became a realtor.”<\/p>\n

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\u00a9Warner Bros\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\u2014luxahoy<\/a><\/p>\n

Shane became known for his roles in Airborne, All My Children, and Swans Crossing. However, he reportedly<\/a> stopped acting because he wanted to lead a simpler life and start a family. Now based in Texas, he’s an artist<\/a> as well as a realtor.<\/p>\n

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Ron Galella \/ Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images<\/p>\n

9.”Leelee Sobieski. She was hugely popular in the ’90s with films such as Deep Impact and Never Been Kissed. Then she retired from acting in the 2010s to focus on her family and art career.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9Paramount\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\u2014gaelicmaiden<\/a><\/p>\n

In 2018, Leelee told AnOther<\/a>, “A lot of the time when you work, it’s a money project basically. I started paying the rent on our house when I was 15, so I had a lot of pressure and things got complicated for me\u2026 So when I could, I stopped. It’s kind of a gross industry \u2013 well, they all are, when you examine them \u2013 but in acting, you’re selling your appearance so much. I would cry every time I had to kiss somebody; I couldn’t stomach it. I would think, ‘I like this person, so I don’t think they should pay me to kiss them,’ or ‘I don’t like this person, so I don’t want to kiss them. Why is my kiss for sale?’ It made me feel really cheap.”<\/p>\n

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Dominik Bindl \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Related: Cynthia Nixon Might Have The Most Normal-Looking Kitchen Of Any Person Apparently Worth $20 Million, And Fans Are Loving The Realness<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

“It didn’t matter whether people thought it was an admirable thing to do \u2013 in my soul I thought, ‘My kiss is not for sale’ \u2013 it might have been acting, but it was real for me as it was my first or third kiss, so it was confusing for me. I don’t know why it’s legal for a child to act unless they can sell oranges or whatever legally too. It’s a crazy double standard, and that’s super weird for me. Now that the #MeToo movement has come forward, people understand more that it’s pretty gross and uncomfortable,” she said.<\/p>\n

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Michael Loccisano \/ WireImage \/ Via Getty<\/p>\n

10.”Richard Grieco.”<\/p>\n

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\u00a9Universal\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\u2014Jock7373<\/a><\/p>\n

Richard is known for his roles in 21 Jump Street, Mobsters, and If Looks Could Kill. While he’s done a few smaller acting roles over the years, he’s also become known for his paintings. He describes<\/a> his work as “Abstract Emotionalism.” In 2012, he told Chron<\/a>, “Dennis Hopper told me my artwork was too good to just hang on walls. He said I needed to get out and show it.”<\/p>\n

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Monica Schipper \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

11.”Richey Edwards.”<\/p>\n

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Mick Hutson \/ Redferns \/ Via Getty<\/p>\n

\u2014lovelychicken23<\/a><\/p>\n

The Main Street Preachers’ lyricist and rhythm guitarist was known<\/a> for his incredible talent as well as his outspokenness about social issues. However, he also very publicly dealt with mental health issues. In 1995, the day before the band’s US tour was set to kick off, he disappeared. He left his hotel in London, dropped his passport, prescription, and credit card at his home in Cardiff, then drove to a service station near a bridge in the small town of Aust. The car was found at the station, but Richey was never seen again. In 2008, he was legally declared<\/a> dead \u2014 something his parents had the option to do since 2002, but they held out hope that he’d faked his own death to escape the pressure of the spotlight.<\/p>\n

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Dave Tonge \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

12.”Didn’t Jason Patric kinda fizzle out?”<\/p>\n

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\u00a9Miramax\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\u2014waxmuseums<\/a><\/p>\n

“Jason Patric decided very early on in his career that he wasn’t interested in being famous at all \u2014 that happened when he dated Julia Roberts, and the spotlight was on both of them for a minute. He’s still working in films today, and definitely had the talent and good looks to be a bigger star, but he maintained that he was just happier without the fame thing. There are some actors who love the work but just prefer not to be in the spotlight.”<\/p>\n

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Ron Galella, Ltd. \/ Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u2014sappydark<\/a><\/p>\n

In 1992, while he was still dating Julia, Jason told the Oklahoman<\/a>, “It’s a persona that one has to deal with that’s largely speculative and out of control. I don’t subscribe to People magazine, and I don’t know what George and Edna think in Illinois, but I haven’t been invited over anyway. I’ve been forced into a glare at times that certainly was not my creation… The idea is that because you have fame or money, you have no right to privacy, that somehow that’s been forfeited. If you go to the other end of the spectrum and say someone who makes under $20,000 a year has no protection and no privacy, you’d have your head handed to you. The idea of the human being has been forced out the window.”<\/p>\n

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Bob Scott \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

And in 2003, he told the Irish Independent<\/a>, “I knew dating [Julia] would be trouble. I just didn’t know how much of an impact it would have on my privacy, because I’m such a private person. What happened was the ultimate nightmare. I’d worked for six years on my career to be as anonymous as possible, and in the space of a few weeks, I was one of the most public people in the world just because I was dating a famous person who enjoyed being in the media spotlight. There is celebrity that comes with fame. There’s no question about it. I don’t bemoan that. However, don’t come into my house, don’t bother me at a non-public event. But if I use my personal life to advance my fame, then I owe you my personal life. If I invite People magazine to the wedding, then they’re invited to the divorce as well.”<\/p>\n

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Michael Tullberg \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

13.”Edward Furlong.”<\/p>\n

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CBS Photo Archive \/ CBS via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u2014Tasty-Celery9082<\/a><\/p>\n

After rising to fame in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Edward reached teen idol status in the ’90s. However, in the following decades, his career declined to mainly straight-to-DVD releases as he faced<\/a> a series of substance abuse problems and legal issues, including a DUI and several alleged instances of domestic abuse.<\/p>\n

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Bobby Bank \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Related: 34 Cringey Celeb Moments That I Feel Like Everyone Collectively Forgot<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

When he returned to the Terminator franchise in 2019, the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence director of programs, Jacquie Marroquin, told the Hollywood Reporter<\/a>, “It’s important not to sweep Edward Furlong’s reported history of domestic violence under the rug just because he’s returning to a beloved movie role… There are consequences for survivors, who may think twice about seeking help when they see people who harm gaining fame or power without being held accountable by their fans and peers.”<\/p>\n

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Gilbert Carrasquillo \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

14.”Anybody remember Dan Cortese, the rock climbing himbo from Seinfeld?”<\/p>\n

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NBC \/ Via Netflix<\/p>\n

\u2014Aromatic-Bath-5689<\/a><\/p>\n

Dan has worked consistently, but he dealt with typecasting. In 2009, he told Greg in Hollywood<\/a>, “It is one of those things with television where it’s, ‘Dan’s great at playing the good-looking, dumb guy, that’s what he does. If you need a good-looking, dumb guy who can hit his mark and hit the punchline, he’s your guy.’ It is tough to play against type… I always want to play against type. The fact that I’ve basically made my living as a television actor. In television, you tend to get pigeonholed, where they’ll be like, ‘You know who we need for this? We need Dan because Dan plays that guy.’ But I would love to have like a film role where I could play completely against type. I love dark movies; I like dark comedies. Anything like that.”<\/p>\n

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Leon Bennett \/ WireImage \/ Via Getty<\/p>\n

15.”Kari Wuhrer played the part of Gina Lempke in the Stephen King movie Thinner (1996) and was a part of the ensemble in Anaconda (1997). She also spent a year on Beverly Hills, 90210 in the mid-’90s. But I can’t tell you the last time I heard her name.”<\/p>\n

\"\u2014Anonymous,<\/p>\n

\u00a9Paramount\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\u2014Anonymous, 41, Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

Kari was a working actor through the ’90s, ’00s, and 2010s. She last appeared in the made-for-TV movie Fianc\u00e9 Killer in 2018. She’s active on Instagram<\/a>, where she shares her life as a dedicated mother.<\/p>\n

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Gregg DeGuire \/ WireImage \/ Via Getty<\/p>\n

16.And finally: “Jewel \u2014 she was so major, like Taylor Swift! And now nothing\u2026”<\/p>\n

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NBC \/ NBCU Photo Bank\/NBCUniversal via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Jewel took a two-year hiatus following the success of her second album, and she later took a seven-year break before releasing her most recent album in 2022. She told Spin<\/a>, “I couldn’t psychologically adjust to the amount of fame that I got to. By the time I was on the cover of TIME, it didn’t work for me. It was really psychologically crushing, and so giving myself two years to contemplate, ‘How do I do this? Can I do this? Does this make me happy?’ and developing a career and a strategy that upheld my number one goal, which was to make sure my mental health was the priority. Then my number two goal was I want to make the records I want, how I want, in the genre I want, that’s going to be how it is. It’s going to be an adventure.”<\/p>\n

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Amy E. Price \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

“The choices I made in my career, especially in the ’90s, were considered suicidal\u2013career suicide. Taking two years off at the height of my fame was a huge no-no. Switching genres was a huge no-no, but it’s what I needed to do to keep myself psychologically healthy and creatively healthy. I had to deal with a lot of people saying, ‘Oh, she’s washed-up. She doesn’t know what to do for her third album.’ Completely misunderstood, and to make sure that didn’t bother me, and that’s your decision. It has to be water off a duck’s back. You persevere because you believe you made the right decision,” she said.<\/p>\n

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Taylor Hill \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Are there any other actors you thought would be major stars, but their careers never quite took off? Let us know in the comments (or in the anonymous comments box below)!<\/p>\n

Do you love all things TV and movies? Subscribe to the Screen Time<\/a> newsletter to get your weekly dose of what to watch next and what everyone is flailing over from someone who watches everything!<\/p>\n

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Read it on BuzzFeed.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n