How was Helen Slater not huge? "Supergirl" is the answer to that question. The infamous spin-off to Chris Reeve's "Superman" forced producers Ilya and Alexander Salkind to sell the franchise rights, killing the 20 year old newcomer's career before it ever really started. Sure, "The Legend of Billie Jean" was a relative rebound the following summer, and she had supporting roles in three comedy hits- "Ruthless People", "The Secret of My Success", and "City Slickers". The Bethpage beauty still found the industry unwilling to bank on her in bigger parts, and by the early '90s, Michelle Pfeiffer, Meg Ryan, and Julia Roberts ruled. Slater quickly faded from the film scene. She worked consistently in television in the 21st Century(DC projects were a respectful nod to the past), but it's hard to shake the feeling that Hollywood failed to make the most of Helen's wholesome appeal.
Mary Ellen Trainor appeared in countless popular movies, often in blink-and-you'll-miss-it roles. She's Kathleen Turner's sister in "Romancing the Stone". She's the Mom in "The Goonies". She's a news anchor in "Die Hard". She's a comic foil to Mel Gibson as a snippy psychiatrist in all four "Lethal Weapon" movies(her greatest part). She's a 2015 cop in "Back to the Future Part II" and Jenny's babysitting friend in "Forrest Gump"- she was married to Robert Zemeckis. This is an enviable list of credits, even if she only spent a day or two on the set. Trainor had the looks and talent to star in something, and could've lifted up any number of TV shows. Sadly, she died of cancer at age 62.
Kelly Preston IS famous, mostly as the wife of John Travolta. She didn't really have to work, but her biggest movies indicate an untapped potential that leads one to wonder what might have been. If you were a male with blood in your body, you were a not-so-secret admirer of her in the late '80s, it's as simple as that. Arnold Schwarzenegger has Preston to partially thank for the box office performance of Ivan Reitman's "Twins". Unfortunately, there was no real follow-up, and her next few movies("The Experts", "Run", "Only You") did nothing. It took eight years for Kelly to command the public's attention again, alongside fellow Scientologist Tom Cruise, in Cameron Crowe's "Jerry Maguire". She steals her scenes as his psycho soon-to-be ex Avory, and could've played comedic villains for the rest of her life(I don't mean "Battlefield Earth" and "Gotti"). Sadly, cancer cut that life short. Preston passed away in 2020 at age 57.
Bakke
Lauren Holly is a textbook example of momentary fame. Everyone knew her name in 1995. She probably has to show her ID to all but the biggest TV heads after 2010.
I think it was the accent. Hollywood didn't know what to to with the fetching French actress after 1995's Best Picture "Braveheart", even though every man in America had a few ideas. Settle down. Sophie
There's an alternate reality where Maria Pitillo is a major star. In a world where Sarah Jessica Parker doesn't exist, I could see her as Carrie Bradshaw. The NY/NJ native appeared in several short-lived TV projects, but nothing clicked. Legendary hitmaker James Burrows("Cheers", "Taxi") couldn't even make it happen. At least she got to be in one of the greatest movies of all time(for a minute), Tony Scott's "True Romance" with Bronson Pinchot and a sample-bag of uncut coke. The pretty, petite Pitillo was a standout in the large ensemble cast of 1995's "Bye Bye Love", an otherwise weak comedy about McDonald's and divorced dads. Does Matthew Modine actually think he can do better? Roland Emmerich's "Godzilla" was her close-up in 1998. The would-be blockbuster underperformed at the early summer box office, and Pitillo was an easy target for cruel critics and TriStar executives expecting another "Independence Day". Strangely, the then-thirtysomething year old Maria never got another high-profile role, and quietly retired from acting in 2008.
The sky seemed the limit for Alison Lohman
Elisha
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