23 actors who are long due for a career renaissance

The blonde bombshell of the ‘90s, Pamela Anderson, became a household name after she ran in slow motion on the beaches of Baywatch, but she became infamous when a home video made its rounds. After a lot of tabloid scrutiny, Anderson took a step back from acting, but it’d be grand to see her back in action on a sitcom or something because the small screen misses her.

Anyone who was a child in the ‘90s knows all too well who Jonathan Taylor Thomas is, or rather JTT. That’s how cool he was. He went by his initials. After he traded Hollywood for college, no one really ever saw him again. He did pop up alongside his former TV dad in Last Man Standing, but other than that, JTT has become the millennials’ version of Bigfoot because whenever he is spotted in public, it feels like a miracle. If JTT ever wants to make a quick buck, he could book a rom-com alongside the likes of Rachael Leigh Cook or something, and 30-somethings would take the nostalgia bait.

Once upon a time, Julia Stiles was teen movie gold, and while she did appear as a crucial character in the fifth season of Showtime’s Dexter, that’s been about it since her days saving last dances. Someone book Julia Stiles on a procedural cop drama ASAP.

Spaceball's Rick Moranis famously left Hollywood after his wife got cancer to take care of his kids, which no one is mad about. Fans commend the actor for putting his family first, but that was years ago. Now that those kids are grown, it’s time for Moranis to give the world what they want, a Ghostbusters cameo, another Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, a Little Giants reunion Ed O'Neill. Fans will take anything at this point.

This isn’t because David Hyde Pierce hasn’t worked since Frasier left the air in 2004. He's been in The Good Wife, Hellboy, and most recently HBO's Julia. This is more because fans want to see him reprise his iconic role in the reboot of Frasier on Paramount+, and they won't rest until he brings Niles Crane back to life.

Phoebe Cates was working in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, but then it felt like she disappeared in thin air. While the world doesn’t need another Gremlins (because the first two are each perfect enough in their own way, and the animated Netflix series is perfect on its own), the world does deserve to see Cates more.

When it comes to teen heartthrobs, Freddie Prinze Jr. does take a huge slice of that cake. From She’s All That to being in the live-action adaptation of Scooby-Doo, he’s a legend among Tiger Beat readers, but he went behind the scenes later in his career. He acts as a voiceover artist and writes for the WWE, with fans only seeing him in occasional Instagram posts made by his wife and Scooby-Doo co-star, Sarah Michelle Gellar. It’d be really cute if they starred in anything together again one day. One can only hope.

The baddie of primetime, Heather Locklear was a force to be reckoned with on Melrose Place. While she reprised that role when The CW tried (and ultimately failed) to bring it back, it just wasn’t the same. It’s time that not only Locklear’s career is revived but also the nighttime soap with her at the helm.

People only got to hang with Mark Curry for what seemed like a short time before it felt like he was a thing of the past, but those comedic chops should not go under the radar anymore. Get Mark Curry a sitcom on Netflix, like, yesterday.

Frankie Muniz shot to fame as the star of Malcolm in the Middle, did a few movies in the 2000s, and then peaced out. He recently came out of the shadows, like many do trying to breathe new life into their careers, and appeared on Dancing with the Stars. While it seems like Muniz is more focused on his passion, racing, than acting, it would be nice if there was one little Malcolm reunion in his future before he hung up acting for good.

They don’t make child actors like they used to, and Mara Wilson is proof of that. Matilda, Miracle on 34th Street, Mrs. Doubtfire — the girl was on fire, and all before middle school. Since then, she’s done a lot of writing, and if Hollywood was smart, they’d have her on speed dial to perhaps not act in a show but lead one as a head writer. Get her in the mix with the likes of New Girl’s creator, Liz Meriwether, and Abbott Elementary’s Quinta Brunson.

Where, oh, where has Vince Vaughn been? In the 2000s, it felt like every other quotable movie starred that giant of a man, and now that he’s MIA, the world has felt less humorous. If the world wants ridiculous comedies to return, they’re going to need Vaughn, too.

Alicia Silverstone is forever a pop culture icon because of Clueless, but she deserves to have at least one more gigantic and celebrated role in her back pocket. She almost did when she popped up as the mother of Kristy on the retelling of The Baby-Sitters Club, but Netflix decided the world couldn't have nice things. With that, someone please give Alicia another role in that realm. She was so good in it!

Emile Hirsch was one of Hollywood’s "It" young actors, and then it’s like everyone moved on to Timothée Chalamet and forgot about him. 

Yes, Orlando Bloom still makes headlines, but it’s when he’s with Katy Perry or showing a picture of their daughter. And yes, he basically never has to work again after staring into two of the largest franchises ever, but it’s not fair for him to keep all that handsome to himself, right?

Leelee Sobieski befriended Drew Barrymore in Never Been Kissed , starred alongside Jason Statham in In the Name of the King, and then was kind of never heard from again, at least on screen. Since then, she's made a name for herself as Leelee Kimmel, but if she ever wanted to make a comeback to movies, she'd be welcomed with open arms.

Sinbad suffered some medical issues in recent years, but the second he’s back to himself, we will all be ready. It’s just a shame he wasn’t ready in time to revive his role in Good Burger 2.

It’s not like the Olsen twins have gone anywhere. Growing up on TV and VHS tapes across the world, all eyes have been on the identical pair since they were in diapers. That makes it easy to understand why they made their money and said goodbye to acting, even rejecting a chance at being in the Full House revival, Netflix’s surprise hit, Fuller House. However, it would be nice if they ever took part in the silliness of their childhood and did something that celebrated all they've accomplished. 

When the internet realized Pauly Shore was a dead ringer for the Sweatin’ with the Oldies enigma that is Richard Simmons, many took to social media to say, hey, put that man in a Simmons biopic. Lo and behold, the power of the internet came through, and in 2024, Shore starred in a short film as the aerobics connoisseur.

My Name is Earl wasn’t the end of the road for Jason Lee, who was lucky enough to score a human role in the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise, but that’s not enough for fans who miss seeing Lee on their TV screens. Could he take on a dramatic role a la True Detective? Most definitely. Could he stick with comedy and hopefully get another sitcom that doesn’t end with a cliffhanger? Fingers crossed.

One of the dynamos from Living Single, Kim Coles has stayed active in her career with guest spots here and there, but it’s about time she gets another chance at a leading role on TV again because her comedic energy is very much missed regularly.

Ever since White Chicks and the first two Scary Movies, Shawn Wayans hasn’t really been doing too much in front of the camera. This is a shame since he and his brother Marlon were a perfect comedic duo. Hopefully, the world will see them reunite for another string of parody movies one day.

When Amanda Bynes entered the picture on Nickelodeon’s All That, she was the youngest cast member at the time, but her age didn’t stop her from propelling past her peers. She quickly rose in the ranks, earned her own show, and eventually became a power player in the 2000s teen movie scene. Of course, her personal life took some unfortunate turns, but there’s still hope left in fans' hearts that one day, she’ll get back to where she was and return to her throne as a queen of comedy.