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(#1) Hayden Christensen
- 37
In the early 2000s, Hayden Christensen seemed poised to be the next big thing. Christensen had a handful of small roles before gaining considerable notice - and several major award nominations - for his performance in 2001's Life as a House.
But it was his role as Anakin Skywalker in 2002's Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and 2005's Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith that launched him to what many thought would be superstardom. But that's not how things played out for Christensen. Instead, he left Hollywood and bought a farm.
He said his exodus from Hollywood was his own doing. "I guess I felt like I had this great thing in Star Wars that provided all these opportunities and gave me a career, but it all kind of felt a little too handed to me," he said. "I didn't want to go through life feeling like I was just riding a wave."
Christensen still acts, but to many, he'll always be Anakin Skywalker.
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(#2) Alicia Silverstone
- 42
As Cher in the 1995 film Clueless, Alicia Silverstone became an overnight sensation. While no one can take away her permanent place in pop culture (and pop culture's lexicon), Silverstone struggled to find another success on par with Clueless. She didn't stop working after her most popular role, but her experience in Hollywood left her feeling somewhat disillusioned.
Then, in 2017, she returned to the big screen in a big way, acting in films such as the award-winning The Killing of a Sacred Deer. She also stars in TV's period comedy American Woman and started her own line of dietary supplements.
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(#3) Ralph Macchio
- 57
Regardless of Ralph Macchio's age, to many people, he will always be The Karate Kid. Macchio has continued to act since Karate Kid Part III in 1989, including roles in the 1992 film My Cousin Vinny and on the TV series Ugly Betty. None of his subsequent performances, however, have matched the popularity of Daniel-san.
Macchio married his wife Phyllis in 1987, and they have two children, one of whom is also an actor. He understands how important his most famous performance is for many people - and even reprised the role in Cobra Kai.
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(#4) Lacey Chabert
- 36
Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls was actually one of the nicer mean girls, but she was a complete and utter dunderhead - and we loved her for it. The actress who played her, Lacey Chabert, was a child actor with a long list of credits before scoring her biggest role in the 2004 high school comedy penned by Tina Fey.
More recently, Chabert has focused almost exclusively on Hallmark Channel movies; indeed, she seems to be their resident star, headlining several of their televised films over the years - a role she's seemingly happy with.
"One of the things I love about it is you're guaranteed a happy ending," she said about Hallmark's movies. "To be a part of a project that adds a little love and light and levity into the world is something I'm very proud of."
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(#5) Mark Hamill
- 67
Outside of Star Wars and its various incarnations, Mark Hamill hasn't really made a splash. Luke Skywalker is easily one of the most beloved and recognizable performances in all of movie history, so beating the Luke image would be tough for anyone to accomplish.
While Harrison Ford was able to do it with Han Solo, Hamill just never found the right films or roles to take him to that next level of fame. He did, however, find success as a voice actor, famously voicing the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series along with other shows and video games. He also reprised his role as Luke Skywalker in more recent Star Wars sequels, starting with The Force Awakens in 2015.
He married Marilou York in 1978, and they have three adult children.
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(#6) Jack Gleeson
- 26
King Joffrey was the baby-faced tyrant king on HBO's Game of Thrones, and it was a role that brought Jack Gleeson a significant amount of exposure and notoriety. Coming from a performing background and appearing as a child in a few films, the Irish actor was just 19 years old when he won the role of Joffrey.
After several successful seasons on GoT, however, Gleeson retired from mainstream acting and got a degree in philosophy and theology. He also started a small theater company called Collapsing Horse.
Gleeson has a refreshingly straightforward view of his brush with fame: "My whole life, I wanted to be a big famous successful actor," he told the Herald Sun in 2016. "I suppose something just changed. I still love acting, and I see myself acting in the future, but that kind of spark is not there anymore, and I don’t know why."
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(#7) Brandon Routh
- 39
Iowa native Brandon Routh was yanked from obscurity to play the coveted titular role in the 2006 film Superman Returns. He had only a few television and movies credits when he won the role of arguably the most popular superhero of all time. But while Superman Returns received praise from many critics, some diehard fans were disappointed with the film - including its director, Bryan Singer.
Despite Routh's movie-star good looks and considerable talent, he has yet to match the pace he established with Superman Returns, continuing to work on lower-profile roles and projects. He does lament not getting to don the blue tights and red cape again.
"I would have liked to done another movie," Routh told ABC News in 2016. "I love the character."
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(#8) Linda Blair
- 60
As the little girl whose head spun around and threw up green stuff all over a priest, Linda Blair's performance in The Exorcist left an indelible impression on anyone who saw the legendary 1973 film. The 13-year-old actress even received death threats as a result of the movie.
Sadly, The Exorcist was Blair's one hit, and none of her subsequent performances have come close to making the same impact, although she continued to work in films, on TV, and on Broadway. Blair said in 2016 she has not retired, but she devotes much of her time to activism and philanthropy – mainly animal welfare.
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(#9) Alex Winter
- 53
Most of us tend to think of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure as being A) a ridiculously inane but somehow lovable film from our childhood, and B) the springboard that catapulted Keanu Reeves to megastar status. But there was another dimwitted character by Ted "Theodore" Logan's side throughout that movie, and he was portrayed by actor Alex Winter.
Winter has never matched his Bill & Ted-era popularity, which is why he's often regarded as a one-hit wonder, but he's still around and working. His career is largely focused on directing these days, and he has said that a third Bill & Ted movie is in the works.
Winter spoke out in 2018 about his recovery from abuse as a child actor, saying, “It’s going to take time, it’s going to take mental health work, it’s going to take the capacity of society to listen to some very unpleasant truths about itself."
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(#10) Kate Bosworth
- 36
The roles Kate Bosworth is most remembered for are Lois Lane in Superman Returns and Anne Marie Chadwick in Blue Crush. But, by the end of the decade, her career appeared to be slowing down.
Bosworth has kept on acting in smaller roles, but she's also turned her attention to fashion and jewelry design. She married director Michael Polish in 2013, and they are working to cultivate a filmmaking presence in Montana.
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(#11) Jake Lloyd
- 29
Jake Lloyd, another Star Wars alumnus, wasn't yet 10 years old when he was cast as the young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The level of celebrity this role brought him would be difficult to manage even for an adult, but Lloyd was nearly crushed by the onslaught of publicity and exposure. He said that fame turned his life into a "living hell."
After the film, he reportedly threw out his Star Wars stuff and retired from acting, but his troubles were not over. Veteran Star Wars actor Mark Hamill once came to his defense, saying, "He was only 10 years old, that boy, and he did exactly what George wanted him to do. Believe me, I understand clunky dialog."
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(#12) Robert Pattinson
- 32
Robert Pattinson became a star with the release of the Twilight movies, portraying dreamy vampire Edward Cullen with just the right mix of bravado and aloofness. But in the years since the blockbuster series of films, Pattinson has kept a relatively low profile while building a resume of smaller but critically acclaimed movies.
After Twilight, the actor probably doesn't need the work, but it will be interesting to see if he lands another huge box office success. In his personal life, Pattinson tends to keep out of the spotlight, but he was reportedly engaged to singer FKA Twigs before the couple split in 2017.
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About This Tool
When talking about miracles that have become popular, we often think of musicians and singers, while few people think of actors or actresses. Nevertheless, looking back at the history of movies, there are still many actors who performed well in a certain movie or TV show, and then rarely appeared on the screen, or they cannot successfully shake off the stereotypes of the popular roles they have played.
The random tool introduced 12 actors and actresses who were famous for a certain role and gradually lost their fame. One-Hit Wonders are common nowadays, even if they have made breakthroughs later, there is not much they can do.
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