20 A-list actors who were once everywhere and then suddenly disappeared

Thanks in large part to her star turn in the romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, Julia Stiles became quite a phenomenon during the late ‘90s and into the ‘00s. In addition to other romantic films, she became a prominent part of the Bourne franchise. Like many other stars of the 2000s, however, she has never quite become the phenomenon she was earlier in her career. This is a shame, considering her remarkable talent and range in her earlier roles.

With his blond hair and handsome face, Ryan Phillippe was, in some ways, the very epitome of a matinee idol early in his career. The late 1990s was a particularly prominent period in his career, and he managed to appear in a number of successful films, including I Know What You Did Last Summer and Cruel Intentions. While he has yet to achieve that level of ubiquity in subsequent years, he has nevertheless managed to notch some key successes in the world of television, including starring in the series Shooter.   

Brendan Fraser became a household name thanks to his star turns in such fun films as George of the Jungle and the various entries of The Mummy franchise. However, after that, his career fell into a slump, and for a time, he mostly flew under the radar. It wasn’t until his appearance in a number of TV series, as well as his starring role in The Whale (which won him an Oscar), that his career began to rebound. However, he hasn’t quite attained the level of ubiquity that characterized earlier periods of his career.

The Lord of the Rings helped to catapult Orlando Bloom into superstardom, and he followed up his appearance as Legolas with a number of other high-profile projects, including in The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. After that, his career went into a bit of a slump. Though he has yet to recreate the cultural ubiquity of his early blockbuster celebrity, he has still had some moderate successes, including his starring role in the Amazon series Carnival Row as well as a stint in the theater.

Josh Hartnett was the very epitome of the Hollywood heartthrob in the 1990s and early 2000s. As the 2000s went on, he became less of a fixture in the popular consciousness, and though he had some notable TV roles in the 2010s, including in the Showtime series Penny Dreadful, he wasn’t nearly as much of a cultural presence as he’d been at the height of his early career. That has begun to change a bit in recent years, thanks in part to his remarkable performance in M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap.

With his boyish good looks and his effortless charm, Tobey Maguire was everywhere in the early 2000s. It certainly helped that he was the star of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films. Throughout the 2010s, he gradually became less of a presence in the industry. Aside from a few very high-profile appearances, most notably in Spider-Man: No Way Home (in which he reprises arguably his most famous role) and in Babylon, he has mostly flown under the radar, which means that he is definitely poised for a comeback. 

David Spade was a key part of Saturday Night Live during the early 1990s, and he leveraged his popularity on the sketch comedy series to achieve greater TV and film stardom. He seemed to be everywhere in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, from shows like Just Shoot Me to movies like Tommy Boy and Black Sheep. He also notably voiced Emperor Kuzco in The Emperor’s New Groove. He’s been much less visible in the 2010s and 2020s, though he has managed to accrue a number of guest spots on various TV series.

In addition to being the son of noted actor Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez was part of the Brat Pack in the 1980s. As a result, he was everywhere, particularly in the teen films that were such a key part of 1980s culture. However, he gradually shifted into doing more directing, and he has appeared in fewer productions. Estevez has, however, made a few highly publicized TV appearances, including in the TV adaptation of Mighty Ducks that ran on Disney+ in the early 2020s.

With his uniquely energetic and embodied form of comedy, Jim Carrey was one of Hollywood’s darlings in the 1990s. He appeared in a number of hit comedies and even a few action films before moving into more serious fare in the 2000s. However, in the 2010s, he seemed to largely disappear from the limelight, and he certainly wasn’t as prominent as he had been at earlier points in his career. However, he would become a more prominent presence thanks to his appearance as Dr. Robotnik in the live-action Sonic films.

Like many other stars of Saturday Night Live in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Dana Carvey attained a certain level of ubiquity in popular culture. In addition to his work on SNL, he was famous for appearing in the hugely successful film Wayne’s World. Starting in the late 1990s, however, he experienced a bit of a career downturn, and few of his films actually managed to become hits in their own right. In recent years, most of his notable work has consisted of voice acting for various animated productions. 

Thanks to his appearances in a number of unusual but popular comedies, including Napoleon Dynamite and Blades of Glory, Jon Heder was a bit of a household name, establishing himself as a unique comedic voice and on-screen presence. Most of his most notable hits were released in the 2000s and into the early 2010s. While he has continued to act and appear in various films and television series, he has yet to regain the name recognition and the cultural ubiquity that he had in the earlier stages of his career. 

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Geena Davis went from hit to hit, starring in such acclaimed films as Thelma & Louise and A League of Their Own. However, a couple of box office failures set her back, and she increasingly turned to TV and advocating for the inclusion of more women in entertainment. In addition to this work, she has appeared in several television series, most notably in Grey’s Anatomy, where she played a recurring role from 2014 to 2018.

Mike Myers is arguably one of the more successful alumni of Saturday Night Live. In addition to appearing in the hugely successful film Wayne’s World — itself an elaboration of the sketch Myers originated on SNL — he appeared as Austin Powers in the various films featuring the character. After a career zenith in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, however, Myers starred in a number of films that were failures with both critics and audiences. Though he continues to appear in a number of TV series and other projects, he has yet to achieve quite the level of success as he attained during his heyday.

Like so many other stars of the late ‘90s, Ashton Kutcher first came to national attention thanks to his role in the hit sitcom That ‘70s Show. Throughout the 2000s, he appeared in a number of comedy films, most of which were at least somewhat successful. Though he has appeared in a number of series and other projects in recent years, none of them have achieved quite the level of prominence and cultural ubiquity as his earlier work from the 2000s and 2010s.

Winona Ryder burst into the popular consciousness thanks largely to her role in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, but she followed that up with several other successful roles. She proved remarkably versatile, appearing in everything from Bram Stoker’s Dracula to The Age of Innocence. After her arrest for shoplifting, however, her career took a bit of a hit, and she receded somewhat from public view, though she was almost always appearing in some project. Starting in the mid-2010s, however, she once again returned to prominence, thanks in no small part to her starring role in the Netflix series Stranger Things.

Macaulay Culkin, like many other child stars, found fame early but also had to contend with the many complications that it raises. He catapulted into household name status thanks to his starring role in Home Alone and Home Alone 2. He appeared in several projects throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s — including in the drama Party Monster — but his work tapered off again after that, except for some notable appearances, including in Ryan Murphy’s long-running American Horror Story.

Rick Moranis is arguably one of the most beloved and recognizable stars of the 1980s. In addition to starring in the movie adaptation of the musical Little Shop of Horrors, he was also known for being in such successful films as Ghostbusters, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and The Flintstones. Starting in the late 1990s, however, he gradually became less and less prominent, primarily because of family commitments. He has subsequently only made a few select television and film projects.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas was the very definition of a teen heartthrob for much of the latter part of the 1990s, thanks in no small part to his starring role on the popular sitcom Home Improvement. He was also famous for providing the voice of the young Simba in The Lion King. In the late 1990s, however, he began to appear in fewer and fewer projects, largely foregoing the entertainment business to focus on academics. He did return to some TV in the mid-2010s, and he has become more active behind the camera.

Like many of the best-known and prominent female stars of the late 1990s and early 2000s, Cameron Diaz became both a sex symbol and a key fixture in romantic comedy. Given the enormous box office haul many of her movies managed to bring in, it’s unsurprising that she was ubiquitous. Ultimately, however, she retired from acting for much of the 2010s, though she has recently begun a return to the big screen with the film Back in Action,  in which she co-starred with Jamie Foxx.

For much of the 1980s, Meg Ryan was the queen of romantic comedy. In large part, this was because of her much-acclaimed collaboration with director Nora Ephron and co-star Tom Hanks, particularly in the films You’ve Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle. As the 1990s gave way to the 2000s, however, Ryan gradually transitioned from blockbuster rom-coms into more independent fare and into directing. In addition to this, she also made a number of television appearances on several shows.