Another Top 10 Movie Stars Who Dropped Off The Map

First gaining notoriety as one of the leads on the award-winning drama “Party of Five,” Neve Campbell showed off her immense talents as a teen dealing with the death of her parents. After making the leap to the film world, she gave other memorable performances in high school-aged roles in “The Craft” and “Wild Things,” and anchored the “Scream” franchise. After graduating to adult roles, Neve has embraced meatier characters in independent fare. But other than one more foray in the “Scream” series and some guest starring on TV, her star power has decreased – though her talent remains clear.

Whether it was an adrenaline-soaked action flick like “Top Gun,” a western like “Tombstone” or a biopic like “The Doors,” Val Kilmer tried his hand successfully at all of them. Arguably reaching the zenith of his career in 1995 when he starred alongside Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in “Heat,” and took over Batman’s cowl, Val Kilmer’s career trajectory has been on a downward slide ever since. At one point a part of the cream of Hollywood’s leading man crop, he can now only pray to be a part of a well-regarded film like “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” again, as he mostly finds himself in forgettable B movie schlock.

Ms. Connelly’s career has gone through three distinct stages. First, she was a young actress alongside puppets in “Labyrinth” as well as a romantic lead in “Career Opportunities,” though here, she did little to stand out from the pack. When she then transitioned to one of the most respected actresses with awe-inspiring performances in the late nineties and early noughties, she became an Oscar-winning force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, the most recent stage of her career has included relative obscurity and a lack of roles befitting her ample talents.

When Rosanna Arquette was inspired to make a documentary on the difficulties of balancing the professional acting world with attempting to build a family, she titled the project “Searching for Debra Winger.” A three time Oscar nominee with leading roles in seminal films that have become a part of our culture, Debra Winger then made the choice to prioritize her family life over her career and – poof! She was gone. Though she popped up for a very small role in “Rachel Getting Married” that garnered far more notice than a role that size typically does, Winger’s acting appearances remain sporadic at best.

There was a time when this actress’ name was on the lips of every casting agent in Hollywood and she appeared to be a shoo-in for every major role for young women as a result. At the turn of this century, however, something changed as Winona Ryder went from starring in movies like “Reality Bites” to appearing mostly in tabloids after her 2001 shoplifting arrest. Perhaps theimage change hastened her decline, but whatever the reason, Ryder has yet to recapture filmgoers’ hearts the way she previously had.

An absolute pitbull of an actor, Joe Pesci’s Academy Award for his portrayal of Tommy DeVito in “GoodFellas” stands as theultimate proof to his ability to intimidate. On the other hand, though he was the film’s antagonist, his performance in theChristmas classic “Home Alone” was a lovable role. After stealing scenes from some of his generation’s most talented actors, Pesci seemed to say “screw this!” before the end of ‘90s and released a horrendous comedy rap album before announcing his retirement. He’s since made only 2 film appearances to date since 1998, one of which was nothing more than a cameo.

For those of you who are too young to remember the days of the Brat Pack, it was a group of young actors in the ‘80s who starred in seemingly every film featuring teens. Their undisputed queen was none other than Molly Ringwald, a pretty redhead who was beautiful enough to grab the eye but relatable enough to grab your heart. The young actress couldn’t have possibly foreseen the dearth of significant roles the ‘90s would bring and that she would be relegated to spoofing her glory years in thenext century.

A former star who’s become a bit of a punch line, his legacy may be in question now but we hope people will still remember Brendan Fraser’s past impressive performances. Showing comedic timing in films like “Encino Man” and “Bedazzled,” an aptitude for action in “The Mummy” franchise and true dramatic skills in both “Gods and Monsters” and the underrated “School Ties,” Fraser has undeniably earned himself a place in film history. After starring in a couple of films where he interacted poorly with animated characters, he seems to have lost the chance to get the juicy roles he once knew.

An actress who has been nominated for 63 different awards - 18 of which she’s taken home, including an Oscar, 3 Golden Globes and a BAFTA - Renée Zellweger’s filmography has far more winners than losers. Also finding success with comedies like “Me, Myself & Irene” and the “Bridget Jones”’ series, her last real live action success came in 2005 with “Cinderella Man.” Debuting a dramatically different look at a 2014 red carpet event, a newly unrecognizable Zellweger may have insured her film career is a thing of the past. Hopefully not though.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- Mira Sorvino
- Thora Birch
- Michael Biehn
- Crispin Glover
- Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

You may not believe this, but Richard Gere appeared in three movies in 2014 and is scheduled to repeat that in 2015. You may be asking yourself one of two things in response to that information: how is that possible and/or how could he top our list, in that case? You’d be forgiven if you didn’t realize Gere had actually been in a film since 2002’s “Chicago” considering that was probably the last time his name was on filmgoers’ lips. At one time a sex symbol who was named the Sexiest Man Alive and thelead of a bevy of romantic films, we’re left wondering how someone can “disappear” from the spotlight while still making so many films.

Do you agree with our list? Which movie star that dropped off the map surprised you the most? For more acting Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.