Show business can be ruthless at times. Longevity isn’t guaranteed, and the sad reality is that most acting careers have a shelf life. For one reason or another, most stars tend to burn out.
In that spirit of nostalgia , I’m holding a requiem, a sort of celebration to those not quite gone but definitely forgotten. Have a look and check out these 10+ celebrities people completely forgot about!
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Kristin Kreuk.
Kristin first began making a name for herself on the CW series Smallville .
She had a short stint on the live-action TV version of Beauty and the Beast , but since then has remained largely out of the public’s eye.
Josh Hartnett.
For a while there, it seemed as if Josh Hartnett was being groomed to become the next Leading Man in Hollywood.
He was one of the most sought-after young actors for much of the late ’90s and early ’00s.
Eliza Dushku.
Hubba hubba. Thirteen-year-old-me is still madly in love with Eliza Dushku.
She’s perhaps best remembered as playing Missy in the cult classic Bring it On , as well as Danielle in my personal favorite — The New Kid .
JC Chasez.
Every time I bring this up, someone is always wanting to go to war with me. But for the final time, I’ll say it again: Justin Timberlake was NOT the frontman of N*SYNC.
Don’t believe me? Then watch the video for ” Bye Bye Bye .”
Julia Stiles.
I’m not trying to be mean, but I for one am glad that we’ve closed the book on Julia Stiles. She’s someone who I (respectfully) have never cared for.
Probably because she almost single-handedly ruined Dexter .
Mark-Paul Gosselaar
I am a Mark-Paul fan! Dead Man on Campus is a criminally underrated stoner comedy, and his tenure on NYPD Blue was one of the best in the series.
Sadly, he’s never been able to outgrow Zack Morris.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas.
I wonder if JTT watches I’ll Be Home for Christmas during the holidays? I know I sure do, each and every year. The world may have forgotten about him, but I never will.
P.S. I’m still waiting with bated breath for a Home Improvement reunion.
Hayden Panettiere.
I’ll never understand why Hayden Panettiere chose to walk away from the film industry. I think anyone who has seen her performance in Remember the Titans would agree that she had Oscar gold in her future.
Hayden had incredible success in CMT’s Nashville but hasn’t been in a movie since Scream 4 .
Brandon Routh.
Talk about a fall from grace. Brandon Routh was Superman for crying out loud! Normally, playing such a historic character would immediately propel you to the upper echelons of stardom and fame.
Sadly, it had the opposite effect for Brandon.
Marques Houston.
People might have forgotten about Marques Houston, but I certainly never forgot about B2K! Have you heard the new Omarion album? It’s fantastic.
Marques was never able to get out from the shadow of Roger Evans .
Corey Feldman.
Corey Feldman is a tragic case and should be a warning to parents of the many dangers that are associated with the world of child acting.
After a slew of hits that included The Goonies and Stand By me , Corey’s light began to fade.
LeeLee Sobieski
Leelee was absolutely everywhere in the early ’00s, from horror films to music videos.
Aside from a brief appearance in the failed NYC 22 , she’s been largely unheard of for the better part of a decade.
Shane West.
Time has been kind to Shane West. He all but disappeared after starring in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen , alongside the late Sean Connery.
Thankfully, he’s slowly started to dip his toes back into the Hollywood pond.
Freddie Prinze Jr.
Freddie Prinze Jr. was such a heartthrob that he made Paul Walker play second fiddle. If you haven’t seen She’s All That , it may just be the greatest “chick-flick” that ever was or will be.
These days, Freddie is a professional chef , and still married to Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Jennifer Love Hewitt seemed to have it all. She was a teen dream, a scream queen, and well on her way to commanding the Hollywood A-List.
Then, almost as quickly as she arrived, she was gone without a trace.
DJ Qualls.
For a while, it appeared that DJ was about to break out as the next big teen star.
But after appearing in The New Guy , alongside Eliza Dushku and Eddie Griffin, DJ’s career in feature films began to fizzle out.
Eddie Griffin.
Speaking of Eddie Griffin, he followed a similar path to that of his former costar.
Over the past decade, Eddie has made a few sparse appearances in movies and TV. He still performs standup comedy as well.
Dane Cook.
It’s incredibly difficult to explain the appeal of Dane Cook’s comedy to someone who didn’t live through the early ’00s.
Comedians inherently have a short shelf life, but Dane’s seemed to be over in the blink of an eye.
Tom Green.
OK, I lived through Tom Green and I still don’t quite understand him. He had this incredibly unique brand of shock comedy that no one had ever seen before.
Unfortunately, after bearing witness, many people never wanted to see it again.
Frankie Muniz.
The story of Frankie Muniz is both incredibly sad and tragic. After suffering a string of concussions, Frankie was diagnosed with a severe form of memory loss.
He hardly even remembers his time spent on Malcolm in the Middle .
Macaulay Culkin.
Come on, how could I not possibly include Macaulay when the Christmas season is in full swing!
After emancipating himself from his abusive family, Macaulay quit acting for years. He’s only recently found his way back to being in front of the camera.
Shaggy.
You know those artists that you wish you could just kindly shut the door on and forgot you ever listened to them in the first place? Well, “Mista Lova Lova” is definitely that guy for me.
I still have nightmares about the song ” It Wasn’t Me .”
Andrew Keegan.
The years have been kind to Andrew Keegan. He’s as handsome as he was during his days spent on the set of 10 Things I Hate About You .
He’s worked sporadically over the years, but never to the degree of when he was a tween heartthrob.
Marla Sokoloff.
To me, Marla Sokoloff will always be the girl who pressured Stephanie Tanner to smoke on Full House .
Marla is another one who has shied away from the camera in recent years. Recently, she reprised her role for the rebooted Fuller House series, currently streaming on Netflix.
Tom Delonge.
I’m calling it right here and now: 2021 will be the year that we see the reunion of Blink-182 and Tom Delonge!
This year, the band is eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Fingers crossed we see a reunion/induction ceremony!
Barry Watson.
If you’re having trouble placing Barry from the GIF above, try imagining him without the beard and with a flowing mane of chestnut brown hair.
That’s right — it’s Matt Camden from 7th Heaven ! Where does the time go?
Skeet Ulrich.
Horror fans will likely recognize Skeet by another name: Billy Loomis. He was one of the stars of the cult classic slasher film Scream , directed by Wes Craven.
Skeet had a few short stints on a variety of TV shows over the years, but nothing that ever rivaled his popularity in Scream .
Jesse Bradford.
I will always remember Jesse Bradford as the kid who used to cut Gabrielle Solis’ lawn on Desperate Housewives . What a steamy affair that was!
If you’re looking for a fun way to kill an afternoon, check out Jesse in the Shooter TV series.
Rider Strong.
Few Disney bad boys are as endearing as Shawn Hunter from Boy Meets World . Unluckily for Rider, he became typecast after the series ended.
Save for a handful of subpar feature films, he’s all but disappeared.
Seann William Scott.
Oh the Stiffmeister, how I loved you so. American Pie was a huge coming-of-age moment for me, and I’ll always look back on Seann William Scott with fond memories.
Here’s to hoping that we get yet another slice of the pie in 2021.
Tara Reid.
Unless you’re a fan of the Sharknado film franchise, you likely haven’t seen any of Tara’s most recent work.
Although judging by her IMDb profile , it looks as if Tara is going to be plenty busy in 2021.
