15 actors that did only one film and got popular

Many faces have come and gone by on the Silver Screen, and the struggle to catch their first Big Break and ‘make it in Hollywood’ is a feat only a few achieve. For some, however, a single moment under the spotlight is enough. Dazzling the audience with one memorable role, these actors soared to fame only to step away from the limelight. Some faded into obscurity, while others chose new paths, leaving behind the glitz and glamour of showbiz. From blockbuster stars to cult-classic performers, here are 15 actors who became famous from a single role but later left the Red Carpet behind.

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15 actors who became famous from a single role but later left

1) Peter Ostrum in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Known for his endearing and curious portrayal of Charlie Bucket, Peter Ostrum, a child actor at the Age of 12, captured the hearts of many in the 1971 adaptation of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Ostrum was offered a three-film contract, which he turned down, and even though, as a young adult, he auditioned for Broadway, Ostrum soon discovered his passions lay elsewhere. He graduated from Cornell University with a doctorate in veterinary medicine and has pursued a successful career in the field, which was even featured in a short documentary series called "Veterinarians On Call." Ostrum even made reappearances in quite a few Interviews after the 2005 remake of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory by Tim Burton.

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2) Danny Lloyd in The Shining (1980)

Danny Lloyd debuted in the classic horror film The Shining, based on the Stephen King Novel with its namesake. After his first and last major role in cinema, he dropped out of the film industry for a while, only making a brief cameo during the baseball game scene in Mike Flanagan's 2019 sequel, Doctor Sleep. Lloyd quit acting around age 13, and in an interview with The Guardian in 2017, he said that he wished to "lay low and live a normal life." His wish came true as he became a Biology professor at a community college in Kentucky.

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3) Carrie Henn in Aliens (1986)

Rebecca “Newt” Jorden, played by 10-year-old Carrie Henn in James Cameron’s sci-fi horror masterpiece Aliens, is the only role that the talented child actress has been in. However, the experience was rather a special one for Henn. Despite having no prior history in acting, she was awarded the 1987 Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actress. She also went on to forge a long and lasting relationship with her co-star from the movie, Sigourney Weaver. She talks about Weaver, saying, “I believe our chemistry was immediate from the moment we met and continued to grow.” She quit acting and has found a career as a teacher in California.

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4) Dennis Wilson in Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)

The American musician Dennis Carl Wilson starred as the Mechanic in the 1971 American road film directed by Monte Hellman. The movie follows and depicts the life and realities of a group of street racers. Wilson’s portrayal of his character is charming and engaging as ‘The Mechanic’ along with ‘the Driver’ played by James Taylor, the two drive aimlessly across the United States and its countryside in a 1955 Chevy and bantering and living their day-to-day lives from the money they make from street racing. Wilson originally co-founded the Beach Boys with his brothers and was the band’s drummer. He returned to the Music Industry after his brief moment on the Big Screen.

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5) Gwen Stefani in The Aviator (2004)

In the 2004 Martin Scorsese film The Aviator, Gwen Stefani starred as the iconic Jean Harlow, the ultimate ‘It girl.' The movie was a biopic on the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and went on to earn 11 Academy Award nominations and win 5 of them. Although Stefani is known most popularly for her career in Music and Fashion, her work in this film remains as exemplary as the rest of her other creative ventures.

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6) Dorothy McGowan in Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (1966)

A Top model in the making, Dorothy McGowan vanishes after starring in the French satirical comedy ‘Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? ’. A film that uncovers the glamorous and difficult atmosphere of the European Fashion scene while stripping back the grimy layers of mistrust and exploitation in the industry. McGowan was already a known face in the modeling sphere, appearing in magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, but subsequently disappearing after the release of this film in 1966.

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7) Maria Callas in Medea (1969)

Callas, famous for her contributions as a Greek soprano, was renowned for her Opera performances. However, her limelight in the film industry was short-lived despite her innate and “unusual ability to seek out the emotional nuance in phrases,” says Osborne. Starring in the 1969 Italian production Medea, Callas played the leading role in the movie. She returned, however, to sing Opera and did not enter the movie scene thereafter.

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8) Emmanuel Schotte in L'humanité (1999)

Emmanuel Schotte is best known for his role as Pharaon De Winter in L'Humanité, a French film directed by Bruno Dumont in 1999. In the film, he portrays a police officer investigating the brutal rape and murder of a young girl in Bailleul, a commune in northern France near the Belgian border. For his role, he received the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1999. Despite his success, Schotte refrained from appearing on the big screen again and resides in Bailleul. However, he did appear as “Jenny’s Uncle” in the 2018 French mini-series “Coincoin et les Z'humains,” directed by Bruno Dumont.

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9) Tami Stronach in The Neverending Story (1984)

Playing the innocent Childlike Empress in the fantastic story set in the world of Fantasia, Tami Stronach debuted in cinema but left shortly after. The movie introduces the audience to the lost folklore, and the role as the ultimate life force of the fantasia is played brilliantly by Stronach. However, the fame of such a high-budget movie brought both good and bad for the young actress, and she quit her acting career after receiving overwhelming unwanted attention. She pursued her interests as a dancer and singer, gaining significant renown in the former and entering a glorious career in the latter.

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10) Nadine Nortier in Mouchette (1967)

The plot of Mouchette stands as a disturbing tragedy following the story of a little girl abused by her parents. Even though Mouchette is successful in fleeing the cruel realities of her home life, she comes across a poacher in her travels who is initially kind to her but conceals his malicious intentions. Nortier conveyed the gentleness of Mouchette with great acting prowess on screen, but despite the success of the film did not pursue a career in acting. The director of the movie, Robert Bresson, is known to cast ordinary people in his work, so a one-hit star seems to be an artistic choice on the director’s part.

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11) Jeff Cohen in The Goonies (1985)

Adored for his role as Chunk in the cult classic “The Goonies”, Cohen unsuccessfully dabbled in a few more roles before finding his true calling in Law. Director Richard Donner in Variety would talk about Cohen, saying, “His acting had an incredible sense of genuineness, of reality. He was Jeff—he drew from himself, and I think that's who he is now.” Cohen used his connections to land summer jobs in different movie studios, but discovering that many of his illustrious heroes and Giants in the industry have Law degrees shifted his interest to starting a Law firm. He went to UCLA School of Law and later successfully founded his firm called Cohen & Gardner, centering his focus on Entertainment and Media Law.

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12) Sarah Pickering in Little Dorrit (1987)

A British visual artist, Sarah Pickering, plays the titular role in Christine Edzard’s 1987 adaptation of Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens. Her Acting career, even though minimal, gave her the opportunity to play alongside prominent British personas in her role as Little Dorrit in a movie that stands as a classic even today. Pickering returned to her artistic pursuits and is a teaching fellow in fine art and media at the Slade School of Fine Art at the University College London. She states her passions as “fakes, tests, hierarchy, sci-fi, explosions, photography and gunfire.”

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13) Amber Scott in Hook (1991)

A Steven Speilberg retelling of the classic tale of Peter Pan was a swooshing success at the Box Office. Maggie, played by Amber Scott, is the daughter of Peter Banning, acted by the talented Robbin Williams, who travels back to Neverland to save his children from Captain Hook, the story’s magical antagonist, and Banning's alter-ego. Cinema, however, was not a long-running venture for Scott as she left the industry to finish her education, graduating from Trinity College in 2006. She did re-enter the entertainment industry more than a decade later as a producer on the 2019 short film Cannonball.

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14) Britney Spears in Crossroads (2002)

At the age of 19, Britney Spears starred in the popular teen drama “Crossroads.” Even though it is not unusual for music artists to dabble in the film industry, for Spears, this movie would mark her one and only attempt at acting before readily going back to her music career. The movie follows the classic tropes of teen drama and conflict resolution, and even while being appreciated by many fans and critics, the film gears itself mostly towards promoting Britney’s third studio album and hence failed to receive much acclaim beyond its generational impact.

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15) Stefan Güttler in Heart of Glass (1976)

Stefan Güttler is known for his role as Huttenbesitzer in the German film Heart of Glass, directed by Werner Herzog. The story revolves around a small village plunged into chaos after the death of a glassmaker renowned for making a special ruby glass. The Baron and villagers descend into madness. Güttler delivered a notable performance alongside his peers, most of whom were made to perform while under hypnosis to suggest a trance-like state of the townspeople. Beyond the film, very little information is available about his career and personal life.