Some breakout stars of the 1990s are still just as big today as they were three decades ago. As the biggest film in movie history at the time, 1997’s Titanic made stars of its leads Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, both of whom have gone on to win Oscars later in their career. Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock likewise have made the shift from ‘90s leading lady to Oscar-winning superstar, alongside the likes of Brad Pitt and Will Smith.
Other stars, however, have stepped away from the limelight—often either choosing a quieter life outside of show business, or taking a step behind the camera to work in less celebrity-oriented roles like writing, producing, and directing.
PAMELA ANDERSON
Starring in a show watched by over a billion people every week is all but guaranteed to make you a star, and Pamela Anderson—who burst onto the scene as lifeguard CJ Parker in the TV series Baywatch in 1992—was no exception.
After Baywatch ended in 1997, Anderson took on a number of roles that allowed her to make the most of her comic credentials too, including the TV comedies V.I.P. and Stacked. Reality TV and stage appearances followed (she played Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway in 2022), but recently Anderson has fully stepped back into the limelight with a string of critically acclaimed performances, including a Golden Globe-nominated turn as a fading Vegas dancer in The Last Showgirl, and more recently, opposite Liam Neeson in the equally well received 2025 reboot of The Naked Gun.
WES BENTLEY
A star-making appearance in the multi-Oscar-winning American Beauty in 1999 made Wes Bentley one of Hollywood’s hottest stars and earned him a BAFTA nomination. But in the aftermath, he struggled with addiction for many years and never fully capitalized on the promise of the late ‘90s, and his career derailed for almost a decade.
Happily, a chance meeting on the set of a movie in the late 2000s led to him not only getting sober, but finding the love of his life; he and his wife Jacqui Swedberg have been married for more than 15 years and have two children. Bentley’s career too was able to take off again, and a string of roles in hits like Interstellar, American Horror Story, Yellowjackets, Blade Runner: Black Lotus, and, recently, The Shards have put him back in the spotlight.
ELIZABETH BERKELEY
Best known for playing Jessie in ‘90s school sitcom Saved by the Bell, Elizabeth Berkeley famously took a step in a very different direction in 1995, when she took on the lead role in Paul Verhoeven’s controversial erotic drama Showgirls. The film was a critical and commercial disaster on its release (but has since been considered something of a cult, if rather camp, classic).
What could have been a disaster proved something of another turning point for Berkeley, however, who stepped away from Hollywood to focus for over 20 years on independent cinema and theater, before returning to TV with a role in CSI: Miami in 2008. After taking time out raise a family, she recently returned to acting in the 2020 Saved By the Bell reboot, and a memorable guest role in Ryan Murphy’s All’s Fair in 2025.
THORA BIRCH
Having starred in the likes of Patriot Games, Hocus Pocus, and Alaska, Thora Birch, alongside Wes Bentley, likewise achieved a new level of stardom after her role in 1999’s American Beauty. Roles in the likes of Ghost World, Dungeons & Dragons, and Silver City followed, before Birch took a hiatus from acting in 2012.
She has recently returned to the screen in a number of well-received independent films, including Kristen Stewart’s 2025 directorial debut, The Chronology of Water.
KEVIN COSTNER
One of the biggest and most bankable movie stars of the 1990s was Oscar-winning actor and director Kevin Costner, who followed up ‘80s hits such as The Untouchables and Field of Dreams with the likes of JFK, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and The Bodyguard in ‘90s, as well as historical epic Dances With Wolves (for which he won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director).
Two consecutive flops—Waterworld and The Postman—in the later ‘90s led to a period of fluctuation in Costner’s career, and for much of the early 2000s he took on relatively minor roles and movies.
More recently, however, he has made a welcome return to bigger projects, both in front and behind the camera, including Yellowstone and his monumental four-part Western epic Horizon: An American Saga.
MACAULAY CULKIN
It’s easy to forget that Macaulay Culkin had already appeared in the likes of Uncle Buck and Jacob’s Ladder when festive caper Home Alone made him a household name in 1990. A number of ‘90s blockbusters followed, including My Girl and Richie Rich, before legal issues in his family forced Culkin took a break from acting in 1994.
He made a tentative return to the public eye in the 2000s, working in a handful of stage, film, musical, and TV projects, alongside publishing his autobiography, Junior, in 2005. More recently, he appeared in the 10th season of American Horror Story, could be heard voicing Cattrick Lynxley in Zootopia 2 in 2025, and makes brief cameos on Netflix’s Running Point, which co-stars his wife Brenda Song.
LAURA DERN
Laura Dern first came to prominence in the 1980s, with roles in the likes of Mask and Blue Velvet, before ‘90s hits Wild at Heart, Rambling Rose, and, famously, Jurassic Park made her one of Hollywood’s most talked about actresses.
What happened next, famously, Dern made clear in a 2019 interview with Vulture magazine: “I was doing successful independent movies … I was in Jurassic Park, the most successful movie ever,” Dern recalled, “and it just stopped.” The catalyst was Dern’s decision to appear in TV sitcom Ellen in 1997, as the character who Ellen comes out as a lesbian to. It was a groundbreaking moment of television, but led to intense backlash that derailed Dern’s career at its height.
Happily, times have changed—and so has Dern’s career. A long-overdue resurgence in the 2010s and 2020s has seen Dern star in the likes of Wild, Big Little Lies, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Little Women, and Marriage Story (which earned her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress).
SARAH MICHELLE GELLER
As the title star of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sarah Michelle Geller was one of the biggest TV stars of the 1990s and 2000s, which she followed up with a string of hit big-screen roles in Scream 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions, the Scooby Doo movies, and The Grudge.
Having taken a step back from acting in the 2010s to raise her family, she has since made a welcome return to acting and remains a fan favorite—as evidenced by the outcry that followed Hulu’s decision to nix a proposed Buffy reboot in 2026.
MELISSA JOAN HART
Lead roles in both Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina the Teenage Witch made Melissa Joan Hart one of ‘90s television’s most popular stars. She continued her run of TV hits in the 2000s and 2010s, most notably with Melissa & Joey opposite Joey Lawrence, and has continued to take on increasingly varied projects ever since.
She made her directorial debut with the short Mute in 2005, published her memoir in 2012, continued directing with episodes of The Goldbergs and Young Sheldon in the later 2010s, and hosted a podcast, What Women Binge, in the 2020s.
DAVID HASSELHOFF
Having starred in TV’s Knight Rider in the 1980s, David Hasselhoff continued his domination of the small screen in the 1990s with his lead role Baywatch from 1989 to 2000. Swapping the screen for the stage in the 2000s, he took on roles in the likes of Chicago and The Producers, and was a judge on both America’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent in the 2000s and 2010s.
Never one to shy away from poking fun at himself, or from taking on an outlandish B-movie, his full list of credits includes the likes of Dodgeball, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, Piranha 3DD, and Anaconda 3: Offspring. Now in his 70s, Hasselhoff remains just as popular a cult figure as always.
MICHAEL KEATON
Michael Keaton went from being one of the biggest stars of the ‘80s, with roles in the likes of Beetlejuice and Batman, to one of the biggest stars of the ‘90s, thanks to hits including Batman Returns, Much Ado About Nothing, and Jackie Brown.
In a 2014 interview, Keaton admitted that his choice of role and film had always been somewhat unexpected, adding that, “I could’ve made more money or been more famous … but I was never willing to preserve it by doing things I didn’t want to do.”
Choosing unusual and unlikely projects led to a critically acclaimed career resurgence in the 2010s, when Keaton picked up a Best Actor nomination for his lead role in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman. The resurgence has continued ever since, with Keaton recently earning an Emmy and Golden Globe for his role as a drug-addicted doctor in Dopesick in 2021.
ANNA PAQUIN
Canadian-born actress Anna Paquin made history in 1993 when she picked up an Academy Award for her role in The Piano at the age of just 11. Roles in the likes of Fly Away Home, Jane Eyre, Almost Famous, and the original X-Men movies followed, and Paquin has continued an impressive list of credits ever since.
She earned a Golden Globe for her role in vampire drama True Blood in 2009, appeared in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman in 2020, and starred in Netflix’s critically acclaimed True Spirit in 2023.
DAVID HYDE PIERCE
As Niles in Frasier, David Hyde Pierce picked up four Emmy Awards and five Golden Globe nominations—but famously chose not to return to the series when it was rebooted in the early 2020s.
At least part of the reason why was that Pierce was his prior commitments to HBO Max series Julia, but Pierce had also returned to the theaer after Frasier first came to an end in 2004, and largely stepping away from film and television had allowed him to carve out an hugely acclaimed return to Broadway for over 20 years.
Stage roles in the likes of Spamalot, Curtains, Hello, Dolly!, and The Pirates of Penzance were matched by four Tony Awards nominations (and two wins), and Pierce has continued to work chiefly on Broadway ever since. Most recently, in 2026 he appeared in a star-studded staging of Oklahoma! at Carnegie Hall.
JASON PRIESTLEY
Beverly Hills, 90210 made Canadian actor Jason Priestley one of the 1990s’ biggest stars. Alongside a string of minor roles in the 2000s, avid motor racing fan Priestley pursued a career as a rally driver before returning to the small screen in 2010 in the comedy drama Call Me Fitz, followed by Private Eyes from 2016–2021, and Private Eyes: West Coast from 2026.
FREDDIE PRINZE, JR.
The son of American stand-up and comic actor Freddie Prinze, Freddie Prinze Jr. first came to prominence in the 1990s as the star of blockbusters such as I Know What You Did Last Summer (on the set of which he met his future wife Sarah Michelle Geller) and She’s All That.
Alongside continuing to act in the 2000s, Prinze Jr. embarked on a career in wrestling and has worked intermittently with the WWE since 2008; he has hosted a sports podcast, Wrestling with Freddie, since 2021. He has continued to act alongside his work in sports, however, and recently reprised his role in the 2025 reboot of I Know What You Did Last Summer, alongside original co-star Jennifer Love Hewitt.
CHRISTINA RICCI
Having made her film debut in Mermaids at the age of just 10, Christina Ricci became one of the 1990s’ biggest stars with roles in the likes of The Addams Family movies, Casper, The Opposite of Sex, and Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow.
A supporting role in Oscar-winning biopic Monster followed in the early 2000s, and Ricci has continued to work on stage, screen, and television ever since. In 2021, she joined The Matrix universe with a role in The Matrix Resurrections, rejoined Tim Burton for Netflix’s Wednesday in 2022, and voiced Catwoman in the animated series Batman: Caped Crusader in 2024. She’s played the role of Misty in all three seasons of Yellowjackets, with the fourth and final installment on the way.
MIRANDA RICHARDSON
Acclaimed British actress Miranda Richardson swapped the West End for Hollywood in the 1990s, picking up two Oscar nominations and memorably appearing in a decidedly creepy dual role in Sleepy Hollow.
At the height of her career in America, however, Richardson chose to intentionally step away from movie stardom (she famously turned down Glenn Close’s role in Fatal Attraction) and chose to pursue smaller and independent projects instead.
Although she has taken on a handful of roles in blockbuster movies since (most notably playing vicious journalist Rita Skeeter in the Harry Potter films), she has continued to work both on stage and in more challenging and independent film and television projects chiefly in the UK.
DEVON SAWA
Making his film debut in 1994, Devon Sawa co-starred alongside Christina Ricci in Casper in 1995, and took a lead role in Final Destination in 2000 (the same year he memorably appeared in the video to Eminem’s “Stan”). He stepped away from major film roles in the early 2000s, choosing instead to appear in smaller and independent projects, but made a welcome return in 2021 in the critically acclaimed Syfy reboot of Chucky. Cementing his place as a horror cinema icon, he will next star in the new Return of the Living Dead.
DAVID SCHWIMMER
All the cast of TV’s Friends went on to a number of different and very varied projects. David Schwimmer, meanwhile, has kept more of a lower profile since Friends ended in 2004, choosing instead to work chiefly in the theatre (he made his Broadway debut in 2006) and behind the camera.
Having directed several episodes of Friends and spinoff series Joey, he made his feature-length directorial debut in 2007, with Simon Pegg comedy Run, Fatboy, Run. More recently, however, he has returned to roles in front of the camera, starring in the likes of The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Intelligence, and Goosebumps.
ALICIA SILVERSTONE
Alongside starring in ‘90s cult classics Clueless and Batman & Robin, Alicia Silverstone memorably appeared in the videos to Aerosmith’s ‘90s hits “Cryin’,” “Amazing,” and “Crazy.” In the 2000s, however, Silverstone made a conscious choice to step away from lead roles and focus instead on smaller, varied, and independent movies, as well as theater; she made her Broadway debut in The Graduate in 2002.
She has continued to work on stage and screen ever since, including a recent role in 2025’s Oscar-nominated black comedy drama Bugonia.
LEELEE SOBIESKI
Leelee Sobieski starred in ‘90s hits Deep Impact and Never Been Kissed, followed by the likes of horror thriller Joy Ride and crime thriller The Glass House in the 2000s, before retiring from acting in 2012 to forge an entirely new career as an artist.
She continues to work and exhibit as an acclaimed abstract artist, based in New York, under her married name, Leelee Kimmel.
SHARON STONE
Although she made her film debut back in 1980, Sharon Stone became one of the 1990s’ biggest stars with roles in Basic Instinct, The Specialist, and Casino (which earned her an Oscar nomination).
Hospitalized with a bleed on the brain in 2001 (after which doctors put her chance of survival at 1%), Stone stepped away from acting in the 2000s, returning the big screen in only a handful of smaller, ensemble, and often independent roles.
A supporting role in Netflix’s Ratched in 2020 threw her back into the limelight, and Stone has continued to balance film, television, voiceover, and fashion work ever since. Recently, she returned to the runway at the Paris Fashion Show in 2026.
MENA SUVARI
Roles in the likes of American Beauty and American Pie made Mena Suvari a major star in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, but after her breakthrough she opted instead to work in independent movies before making the shift to television in the 2010s alongside starting a family.
She published her memoir in 2021, and recently earned her first Emmy Award nomination for her role in the acclaimed short-form sci-fi series RZR. This year, she returned to American Horror Story for the current 13th season.
SKEET ULRICH
Arguably, Skeet Ulrich’s breakout role in slasher flick Scream in 1996 should have set him on the path to superstardom, but instead he chose to prioritize family life and chose smaller roles and TV cameos while raising his two children.
He has continued to act throughout his career, notably in Riverdale, Five Nights at Freddy's 2, and multiple Scream movies.
CASPER VAN DIEN
Casper Van Dien made a name for himself as the hero of 1997’s Starship Troopers, before roles in Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow and the 2000 psychological horror Sanctimony. He has continued to work both in front and behind the camera ever since, mixing B-movies, TV movies, and direct-to-video films with weightier roles in dramas such as Watch Over Me and All American.
Recently, he reunited with Burton for a role in Netflix’sWednesday.