20 once-famous actors who became one-hit wonders

Alicia Silverstone has popped up in the 21st century in the remake of The Baby-Sitters Club on Netflix and in the dark comedy Y2K, but she wasn’t driving either project. The only real hit she had in her career was 1995’s Clueless.  If an actor is going to have a hit, it may as well be one of the most decade-defining teen movies ever.

Today, Jeff Cohen is known as a lawyer, but in the ‘80s, he was known for his Truffle Shuffle in The Goonies. Cohen played Chunk, an iconic character from a much-loved part of pop culture. While The Goonies remains in the hearts of many, Cohen opted out of acting to focus his attention elsewhere.

Lauryn Hill has proved to be someone who prefers a one-and-done situation. Not only is The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill her only album, which scored her five Grammys, Sister Act 2 is the only thing she’s ever acted in that people continue to talk about. It's legendary how little she has done, but how impactful her art has been. 

Peter Billingsley did appear in the 2003 holiday staple, Elf, but that cameo tied in with his hit from 20 years earlier, when he was just a kid starring in the must-watch movie every December, A Christmas Story.

Being a part of one of the biggest sitcoms ever isn’t too shabby, but while most of his costars went on to do other things, Michael Richards kind of just remained Kramer.

Kim Walker was the Heather in red in the dark teen comedy, Heathers. She did land in Say Anything… and the short-lived TV series based on The Outsiders, but nothing ever made her as recognizable as Heathers.

To say Prince is a one-hit wonder sounds strange because, through music, he gave so much, but in regards to acting, there wasn’t much. He was a scene stealer in one episode of New Girl once upon a time, but it’s safe to say many can only note Purple Rain when it comes to his time on screen.

When she was one of the three stars of The Blair Witch Project, she was known as Heather Donahue. Today, that’s still Rei Hance’s claim to fame.

Michael Jordan might have six NBA championships to his name, but he only has one box office smash, Space Jam.

This isn’t to say Jennifer Grey danced dirty, and that was it. She was in 2024’s A Real Pain, which won Keiren Culkin an Oscar. It’s just that when people think of Jennifer Grey, Dirty Dancing is all that ever comes to mind.

Michael Conner Humphreys is better known as “young Forrest” from Forrest Gump. With only three acting credits to his name, it’s clear that having one hit was more than enough for Humphreys.

Girls premiered in 2012 and became an instant favorite of millennials who felt it was relevant to their current lives. Many liked seeing Lena Dunham as a passenger on the struggle bus called Life because it was relatable. Years later, this is still Dunham’s shining moment.

Napoleon Dynamite was Jon Heder’s first major movie role, and while he’s consistently worked since, nothing has come close to the level of success of his debut.

So, Crossroads didn’t make as much as a Marvel movie would, even in 2002, but it also didn’t flop thanks to the star power of its star, Britney Spears. This would be her one and only hit movie. Perhaps she’ll spin into another role one day.

The Big Bang Theory  was one of the most popular and talked-about shows of the 2000s, and Jim Parsons was at the center of many of those conversations. His Sheldon Cooper is among some of the most memorable TV characters. While other stars like Ed O'Neill and Danny DeVito have proven that actors can score multiple sitcom successes, Parsons still only has one, unless people count his voiceover work in Young Sheldon, which ... no.

Ariel Winter played one of the best middle children in ABC’s former juggernaut, Modern Family. She could have gone on to do more, but decided to step away from Hollywood to live a more low-key life. Not a bad thing, though. She did do 11 seasons of a hit series.

There were rumors that Josh Saviano grew up to be a shock rocker turned public disgrace, Marilyn Manson. Of course, those rumors were just urban legends spread through ‘90s playgrounds. In reality, Saviano left acting after The Wonder Years. He did a couple more things after that, including a three-episode run on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Today, Kevin Arnold’s onscreen BFF is a real-life lawyer.

This is an instance of an actor who has a mile-long resume but really only ever did big things once. That’s when Jane Kaczmarek played Lois on the Fox hit Malcolm in the Middle, a role for which she was nominated numerous times.

The first movie Michael Schoeffling ever did was his biggest. Sixteen Candles was part of the John Hughes dynasty, and Schoeffling was the Tiger Beat heartthrob who gave it its fairy tale ending. That dropped in theaters in 1984, but by 1991, Schoeffling was done acting. At least he got one pop culture staple in.

It’s hard to know what Fran Drescher is better known for, her laugh or her singular hit TV series, The Nanny.