"One-Hit Wonder" Actors/Actors who never made it

[The Z]

Cain works consistently, but it's in Hallmark Channel movies and average TV shows.

 

...and religious propaganda films.

[The Comedian]

 

Kilmer? Two words: "Doc" and "Holliday"

 

 

Makes me think of something Mike Nelson wrote after hearing that Val Kilmer had a reputation for being difficult, basically saying what the hell did Val Kilmer ever do that gave him the impression he had earned the right to be difficult?

 

 

And Real Genius. And Top Secret!

[Kuetsar]

 

Kilmer? Two words: "Doc" and "Holliday"

 

 

Makes me think of something Mike Nelson wrote after hearing that Val Kilmer had a reputation for being difficult, basically saying what the hell did Val Kilmer ever do that gave him the impression he had earned the right to be difficult?

 

Or Top Gun, or the Doors, or Heat. . . 

[J.H.]

or Island of Doctor Mor... never mind

 

James

[Reed]

Makes me think of something Mike Nelson wrote after hearing that Val Kilmer had a reputation for being difficult, basically saying what the hell did Val Kilmer ever do that gave him the impression he had earned the right to be difficult?

 

Kilmer being so difficult pretty much got him fired from Batman and Robin. Schumacher didn't want to deal with him again.

 

So maybe there are advantages to be an asshole. 

[J.T.]

I thought that Kerr Smith's movie career was going to skyrocket after Final Destination but he got old and quietly went back to television.

[BrianS81177]

Its amazing how Dean Winters makes the perfect TV cop but never gets to be the lead in a cop show

 

James

Well he did, but it didn't last long. I've already forgotten the name, and it just aired less than 6 months ago I believe

[Spritenaut 32]

 

Its amazing how Dean Winters makes the perfect TV cop but never gets to be the lead in a cop show

 

James

Well he did, but it didn't last long. I've already forgotten the name, and it just aired less than 6 months ago I believe

 

 

Battle Creek.  It was actually fairly good.

 

Yeah, Winter is one of those guys I'd have liked to see make it big(ger).

[AxB]

Discussing The Curve/ Dead Man's Curve in the movei thread made me wonder of Matthew Lillard would be a good fit here. So I looked at his imdb page, and he sure does play Shaggy from Scooby Doo a lot.

 

He was also the lead in SLC Punk and a featured guy in the first Scream*, which are both movies that were supposed to star the future of Hollywood like a 90s version of The Outsiders. But nobody from either cast really really made it.

 

* with Skeet Ulrich, who was supposed to be the new Johnny Depp. The happy, friendly, likeable Johnny Depp. The version of Johnny Depp that was happy to be a mainstream star instead of sulking off and making unwatchable arty movies in Arizona for no reason whatsoever.

[ArtVanderlay]

Discussing The Curve/ Dead Man's Curve in the movei thread made me wonder of Matthew Lillard would be a good fit here. So I looked at his imdb page, and he sure does play Shaggy from Scooby Doo a lot.

 

He was also the lead in SLC Punk and a featured guy in the first Scream*, which are both movies that were supposed to star the future of Hollywood like a 90s version of The Outsiders. But nobody from either cast really really made it.

 

 

 

 

http://www.avclub.com/article/matthew-lillard-on-acting-and-his-new-role-directo-86298

 

To his credit, Lillard seems to have a sense of humor about the whole thing and seems very appreciative of the fact that he's been a "working actor" for the last twenty plus years rather than not having the phone ring at all.

[muhammedboehm]

dont for get his role in Hackers

[HumanChessgame]

 

 

Its amazing how Dean Winters makes the perfect TV cop but never gets to be the lead in a cop show

 

James

Well he did, but it didn't last long. I've already forgotten the name, and it just aired less than 6 months ago I believe

 

 

Battle Creek.  It was actually fairly good.

 

Yeah, Winter is one of those guys I'd have liked to see make it big(ger).

 

 

Speaking of which, did his brother ever do anything after Oz?

 

They're always going to be the O'Reilly brothers to me.

[AxB]

He was in the first episode of Dexter, then disappeared. He didn't die or anything, he just wasn't in any episodes after the first one. I think it was just stunt casting because they already had the cute female doctor from Oz as a female lead and wanted to make sure all the Oz fans watched the show (like how the first episode of The Shield had three people from Homicide in it).

[Technico Support]

To keep the Matthew Lillard love going, here's another seriously great interview with him discussing a bunch of his roles, going from playing teens to playing an adult, and feeding his family for 10 years by playing Shaggy.  If you haven't watched The Bridge, he was really great in that show.

[rainmakerrtv]

Lillard was great in The Descendants. He also had a fun cameo in the all time greatest Muppets Christmas special.

[bobholly138]

That chick from Welcome To The Dollhouse, Heather...something or other.

She was in the final season of Roseanne as DJ's girlfriend. Then was in Hostel II.

 

Wasn't Gretchen Mol supposed to be the young actress revolutionising Hollywood movie making forever? Then she disappeared... then came back to do the Bettie Page movie, and promptly disappeared again.

She was one of the leads in Boardwalk Empire.

[Elsalvajeloco]

Wasn't Gretchen Mol supposed to be the young actress revolutionising Hollywood movie making forever? Then she disappeared... then came back to do the Bettie Page movie, and promptly disappeared again.

She was one of the leads in Boardwalk Empire.

...which was not one of the show's finest decisions IMO. It seemed it happened by hook or by crook. Midway through the abbreviated final season, all of the favorite non-Nucky characters were dead or actual history due to various time jumps necessitated their on-screen or off-screen death. The few that probably weren't had their deaths/imprisonment leading to their death foreshadowed early in that season. Gillian Darmody? Still around. Not only still around, but in young tomboy form through flashbacks and the present day version played by Gretchen Mol. Then we got a very drawn-out scenario of how Nucky caused her to get raped by the Commodore when she was underage. By the final scene of the final episode, Terence Winter might as well popped on screen and yelled "Ta-Da!" at us.

[Ace]

 

That chick from Welcome To The Dollhouse, Heather...something or other.

She was in the final season of Roseanne as DJ's girlfriend. Then was in Hostel II.

 

 

 

 

And both Princess Diary movies.

[EricR]

There are a lot of really well known actors popping up in this thread. My pick is Michael Pare. He wasn't/isn't a very good actor, but he definitely had something. It seems like he just had bad luck and starred in a few movies that bombed, yet later became cult hits on cable. Streets of Fire is one of my favorite movies, but I also get why it flopped. Eddie and the Cruisers is good too, but it was another bomb. He also had a good recurring role on Greatest American Hero. I was excited when he booked a John Carpenter movie (Village of the Damned) but he literally dies 5 minutes in. He was also a minor part in Virgin Suicides and had a fun cop show with Michael Beck called Houston Knights. But for a good looking guy who couldn't act very well, tons of other similar guys have had way more successful careers. He still gets tons of work, but he's done 4 Uwe Boll movies so that should tell you the quality of work. 

 

As far as actual actors who only had ONE role, Dylan Baker's oldest son in "Happiness" I thought did an amazing job, especially during the scene where Baker is telling him how he molested one of his classmates. That kid never acted again. 

[elizium]

As far as actual actors who only had ONE role, Dylan Baker's oldest son in "Happiness" I thought did an amazing job, especially during the scene where Baker is telling him how he molested one of his classmates. That kid never acted again. 

 

No kidding, kid probably needed therapy after that movie.

[Jingus]

He still gets tons of work, but he's done 4 Uwe Boll movies so that should tell you the quality of work.

TWELVE Uwe Boll movies, actually. (Going all the way back to before Boll made video game adaptations.) Poor Pare!

[AxB]

As far as actual actors who only had ONE role, Dylan Baker's oldest son in "Happiness" I thought did an amazing job, especially during the scene where Baker is telling him how he molested one of his classmates. That kid never acted again. 

 

Two of the kids from Mysterious Skin haven't acted since. But the one who had the really thankless, scarred-for-life role (his character grew up to be Joe Gordon-Levitt's character) had done a ton of work before and has been pretty busy after.

[EricR]

 

He still gets tons of work, but he's done 4 Uwe Boll movies so that should tell you the quality of work.

TWELVE Uwe Boll movies, actually. (Going all the way back to before Boll made video game adaptations.) Poor Pare!

 

 

I...had no idea Boll even had 12 movies. Woody Boll and Mia Pare. It's kind of cute in a way. I'm glad Pare still gets work, but I will forever be angry I didn't get the originally planned Streets of Fire trilogy.

[Jingus]

I...had no idea Boll even had 12 movies.

The man isn't just insane; he's also insanely prolific. He's directed thirty feature films, and produced over fifty of 'em. That's one reason why his movies suck so badly, he races through them at Roger Corman speed and doesn't bother getting an extra take when someone makes any mistakes.

[Kuetsar]

 

I...had no idea Boll even had 12 movies.

The man isn't just insane; he's also insanely prolific. He's directed thirty feature films, and produced over fifty of 'em. That's one reason why his movies suck so badly, he races through them at Roger Corman speed and doesn't bother getting an extra take when someone makes any mistakes.

 

I think German tax laws have some weird right off about movies losing money. So he has no motivation to make them better as he(and his producers) make a shit load of money when they bomb, or some such.