Celebrities We Once Loved - Where are they now?

It's been some time since we've seen most of these stars. Some have chosen a different path, some have tried and tried again to return to theri original celebrity status, and others who simply vanished into suburban life.
So, take a look at the list and see where are the celebrities we once loved so much.

Katie Holmes

Birthdate: 1978-12-18
Famous Years: 1997 - Present
Currently Known For: Actress, Model, Director and Singer
Networth: $25 Million
Famous For: Dawson's Creek and Tom Cruise's Ex-Wife

“We all keep dreaming, and luckily, dreams come true.” Charming young audiences as the girl next door in Dawson’s Creek throughout the late 1990s, Katie Holmes has spent the last two decades proving her talent in Hollywood as an actress, model, director and singer. Amid stellar performances in films like Wonder Boys, Pieces of April and Batman Begins, Holmes has starred as Jacqueline Kennedy in The Kennedys miniseries and even graced the Broadway stage in a production of All My Sons. However, despite her growing success and even the recent resurgence in her career with the 2017 miniseries The Kennedys: After Camelot, Holmes will always be tied to her reputation as one of Hollywood’s former super-couples known as “TomKat” after her six-year marriage to actor and producer, Tom Cruise.

Despite what appeared to be a blissful romance with Cruise’s bursting affection for Holmes, TomKat ended in heartbreak on June 29, 2012 when Holmes filed for divorce and sought sole custody of Suri. Eventually returning to her Catholic faith and settling down with Suri in New York, Holmes has since returned to her roots in acting with flicks like The Giver, Woman in Gold and the upcoming Logan Lucky. Now enjoying a resurgence in her career, Holmes hopes to one day direct but, for now,  her goal is simple: “I just want to be inspired.”

Kenan Thompson

Birthdate: 1978-05-10
Famous Years: 1993 - Present
Currently Known For: Actor and Comedian
Networth: $5 Million
Famous For: Kenan & Kel, All That, Good Burger, Fat Albert and Saturday Night Live

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“Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger! Can I take your order?” Always the funniest among his friends growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, Kenan Thompson’s foray into acting and comedy was at the hands of his mother who was determined to keep her son off the streets and out of trouble. With his mother taking a job at a local acting school to ensure Thompson and his brother could take acting lessons, her intuition proved spot on as Thompson landed his first commercial gigs at 15 years old. Before long, he was one of the biggest stars of the 1990s with shows like All That and Kenan & Kel that led to opportunities like Good Burger, Fat Albert and The Mighty Ducks. Since 2003, he’s reached the height of his stardom as a staple on Saturday Night Live where his impressions and comedy leave audiences doubled over in laughter every night.

Born on May 10, 1978, Thompson’s first official acting debut came when he was 15 years old after he landed a part in a production of The Gingerbread Duck at Tri-Cities High School in East Point, a visual and performing arts magnet school. With his mother doing everything imaginable to keep him off the streets, Thompson then auditioned for The Youth Ensemble of Atlanta and snagged one of his first roles on CNN as an entertainment reporter for their “Real News for Kids” segment. Reviewing music and movies for young adults, Thompson’s review of The Mighty Ducks caught the director’s attention. In 1994, he was invited to join the cast as Russ Tyler in D2: The Mighty Ducks. He later reprised his role for D3: The Mighty Ducks in 1996.

Today, the 38-year-old Thompson has plenty to keep him busy with SNL cashing in on his fame as the man with the most celebrity impressions in the show’s history at a jaw-dropping 122 and including everyone from Steve Harvey and Jermaine Jackson to Star Jones and Al Sharpton. Of course, Thompson says that part of his success is because of his determination to succeed and his ability to prepare and prioritize while balancing life at home as a husband and father. As for his advice to aspiring actors and comedians, he says it all boils down to putting in the effort. “Do the work and put in the time it takes, because otherwise, there’s no way to disguise unprepared work,” he says. “It’s going to be obvious who’s worked on their stuff and who hasn’t. You’ve just got to do it.”

Marques Houston

Birthdate: 1981-08-04
Famous Years: 1990 - 2001
Currently Known For: R&B Singer, Songwriter, Rapper and Actor
Networth: $5 Million
Famous For: Sister, Sister

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“I’m nice. I love people. I love kids; I want kids of my own.” Although the world instantly recognizes the Caped Crusader of Gotham as Batman, there is another, real-life Batman in the mix. So, who is it? He’s none other than actor, R&B singer, songwriter and rapper Marques Houston. Typically taking the stage as “Batman” in front of sold-out crowds, Houston has spent most of his adult life making waves in the R&B industry but not even that compares to his early taste of fame after starring as Roger Evans on the comedy sitcom Sister, Sister that launched his stardom in Hollywood. How did he make the transition from actor to rapper and still manage to find staying power as a celebrity? Let’s find out!

In recent years, Houston has tapped into his passion for filmmaking but assures fans that he isn’t giving up on his first true love—music. Instead, he promises a new wave of music amid his projects as a writer, producer and filmmaker saying, “You’ll see music that inspires people to love and just live life and feel good music. It’s just really good music that you just put on and listen to.”

When it comes to Houston’s personal life, the 35-year-old might be known for his risqué lyrics but he isn’t quick to share details about his relationships. In fact, rumors suggest that he’s had relationships with singer Jamila “Mila J” Chilombo and his You Got Served costar Jennifer Freeman. In 2010, pictures surfaced of Houston celebrating his two-year anniversary with his girlfriend Marlena. Since then, the media is left to speculate on Houston’s love life after confirming his baptism as a Jehovah’s Witness in 2016. Now, his promise for cleaner lyrics certainly makes more sense!

Melissa Joan Hart

Birthdate: 1976-04-18
Famous Years: 1991 - 2003
Currently Known For: Actress
Networth: $14 Million
Famous For: Clarissa Explains It All, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Melissa & Joey

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“What’s the matter? I have to be a witch, I have to be a mortal, I have to be a teenager, and I have to be a girl all at the same time. That’s the matter!” Among the most popular young stars of the 1990s, Melissa Joan Hart is an American actress who is certainly recognizable to anyone who grew up watching Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina the Teenage Witch throughout the decade. Amid her success as a primetime darling with modern hits like Melissa & Joey, the 41-year-old Hart has also proven her talents as a fashion designer, businesswoman, singer, producer, director and voice actress. And, while she may not be a superstar, she has certainly found ongoing success in Hollywood over the last three decades. How does she do it?

Just as Hart has managed to say busy in the spotlight with dozens of projects over the last 30 years including her latest starring role in God’s Not Dead 2, she also has a hectic and rewarding personal life after tying the knot with Wilkerson on July 19, 2003 in Florence, Italy where the nuptials were documented in a television miniseries produced by Hartbreak Films titled Tying the Knot. Over the years, the couple has welcomed three sons—Mason, Braydon and Tucker—with Hart sharing life as a mother of three with People magazine as a blogger documenting everything from potty training to nursing.

As for her past, present and future in Hollywood, the 41-year-old Hart says she doesn’t have many regrets. “If I went back and changed anything, I might not have my healthy kids and strong marriage and beautiful home, but there are a few things I might try and change if I knew it wouldn’t turn the tides.” Then again, she’s one of the few child stars who’s still standing in Hollywood as a well-adjusted, successful adult—and that’s incredibly rare!

Michael Jordan

Birthdate: 1963-02-17
Famous Years: 1991 - 1998
Currently Known For: Owner of the Charlotte Hornets
Networth: $1.14 Billion
Famous For: Chicago Bulls Basketball Player

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“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” You don’t even have to be a dedicated basketball fan to recognize Michael Jordan by name! Not only recognized for his stellar career in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls, “Air Jordan” is synonymous with his product endorsements of Nike Air Jordan sneakers, films like Space Jam and as someone the NBA calls “the greatest basketball player of all time.” As the first billionaire NBA player in history, Jordan is the third richest African American in the world—only behind Oprah Winfrey and Robert F. Smith—with his performance in the NBA still topping the charts with records like the highest scoring average of any basketball player’s career. So, what brought him to the hardwoods in the first place and what’s he up to now as 54-year-old retired NBA star? Let’s find out!

There was something unique about Jordan that people were instantly drawn to with his defensive skills impressing his opponents just as much as his ability to slam-dunk, which earned him the nickname “Air Jordan” and inspired an entire line of Nike athletic shoes. In 1991, he won his first NBA Championship and followed up the feat with wins in 1992 and 1993. Although he briefly retired to try his hand at baseball, he returned to the Bulls in 1995 and took his team to three more NBA Championships with wins in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Along the way, he took home a slew of honors and awards including 14 NBA All-Star Game appearances, 10 All-NBA First Team designations and 10 scoring titles, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, six NBA Finals MVP Awards and five MVP Awards among others. In 1999, he retired a second time only to make another return to the hardwoods in 2001 with the Washington Wizards.

Retiring from the hardwoods for good in 2003, Jordan set his sights on life beyond the court and, amid playing in numerous celebrity charity golf tournaments and promoting his own Jordan Brand clothing line, he bought a share of the Charlotte Bobcats in 2006. Becoming the team’s second-largest shareholder, Jordan reached an agreement with the NBA in 2010 and became the team’s majority owner, which made him the league’s only African American majority owner of an NBA team. Of course, it also helped that he was named the first billionaire NBA player in history in 2015 and took third place behind Oprah Winfrey and Robert F. Smith as one of the richest African Americans in the world.

And, while Jordan is quick to embrace the fame and fortune from his career with the Bulls, he says that his time at North Carolina has meant the most to him. “The University of North Carolina really gave me the foundation that it took to become a basketball player… I was still raw. As a result, I had an appetite to prove to everybody that I was a decent basketball player… That was by far the purest experience for me, and the most satisfying.”

Name: Mike Vitar

Birthdate: 1978-12-21
Famous Years: 1990 - 1997
Currently Known For: Firefighter
Networth: $300000 Famous For: The Sandlot and The Mighty Ducks

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“Anyone who wants to be a can’t-hack-it pantywaist who wears their mama’s bra, raise your hand.” If you have ever used, seen or heard the phrase, “You’re killing me, Smalls,” then there’s a good chance that you might recognize Mike Vitar of The Sandlot fame. Starring as Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez but better known as “Benny the Jet” alongside his pals on the 1993 coming-of-age baseball flick, Vitar’s stint in Hollywood was brief but was marked by great success. Only 12 years old when he made his acting debut, he went on to star as Luis Mendoza in D2: The Mighty Ducks and D3: The Mighty Ducks before wrapping up his acting career in 1997 with an appearance on Chicago Hope. By 2002, his acting days were long gone as he suited up with the Los Angeles Fire Department as the city’s newest firefighter and first responder.

Today, the 38-year-old’s future in Hollywood might come at the price of his popularity especially after an incident on October 31, 2015 when Vitar and two other firefighters got into a physical altercation with another man. With the victim severely injured, Vitar was arrested on December 3, 2015 and was released on a $30,000 bail, facing up to four years in prison. Fortunately, he avoided jail time after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge in January 2017. Sentenced to attend weekly anger management classes for 12 months, pay a $2,000 fine and perform three months of community service, Vitar certainly got off the hook! Of course, an arrest doesn’t rule out a return to Tinsel Town! So, like he said, stay tuned!

Seth Green

Birthdate: 1974-02-08
Famous Years: 1990 - Present
Currently Known For: Actor, Comedian, Producer, Writer and Director
Networth: $20 Million
Famous For: Austin Powers and Robot Chicken

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“There’s no greater way to gain an audience’s sympathy than by being unfortunate.” Coming a long way from his early days as a commercial star where he played Alfalfa from The Little Rascals in a Jell-O commercial and found fame in a Rally’s “Cha Ching” ad during the 1991 Super Bowl, Seth Green truly skyrocketed to stardom in the late 1990s as Scott Evil, the son of Dr. Evil, in the Austin Powers franchise. Over the years, Green has proven his talents as an actor, director, writer, producer and comedian with hits like Can’t Hardly Wait, Party Monster, Without a Paddle, The Italian Job and Airborne. He’s also the creator and executive producer of Adult Swim’s hit sketch comedy series Robot Chicken. Of course, the 43-year-old credits hard work and early influences like Caddyshack, Porky’s and Saturday Night Live for his ongoing success.

From the time he was born on February 8, 1974 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Green’s parents knew he was something special with his knack and passion for performing in front of family and friends. Already well-accustomed to auditioning by the age of seven, he landed a few small gigs before snagging the role of “Alfalfa” from The Little Rascals in a Jell-O Gelatin Pops commercial in 1984. The same year, he made his film debut in Billions for Boris and The Hotel New Hampshire, the latter of which featured Jodie Foster and Rob Lowe. By 1987, Green was climbing higher on the Hollywood ladder when he appeared as Patrick Dempsey’s little brother in Can’t Buy Me Love and later in Woody Allen’s Radio Days.

As people started to recognize the redheaded, freckle-faced kid from the Jell-O commercial and other flicks like Big Business, My Stepmother is an Alien and Stephen King’s It, Green caught a huge break in 1991 when he appeared at the Super Bowl after his unforgettable performance in the Rally’s “Cha Ching” commercial. From there, the sky was the limit for the young star who found countless opportunities on the horizon with roles in the direct-to-video horror flick Ticks and the short-lived television series, The Byrds of Paradise. Snagging a small part in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer only to see his scene cut from the final release, Green never lost sight of his Hollywood dreams and eventually joined the cast of the Buffy television series from 1997 to 2000 as Daniel “Oz” Osbourne.

Amid growing success on television with appearances on Weird Science, Step By Step, Mad About You and The Drew Carey Show, luck was certainly on Green’s side in 1997 when he costarred in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. The film’s success boosted Green’s career like never before as he reprised his role as Scott Evil for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me in 1999 and again in Austin Powers in Goldmember in 2002. Along the way, he proved his talents in a variety of roles in flicks like Josie and the Pussycats, Rat Race, The Italian Job and Scooby-Doo2: Monsters Unleashed while lending his voice to Chris Griffin on Family Guy and appearing in multiple episodes of Batman Beyond, 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd, Greg the Bunny and That ‘70s Show.

In 2005, Green was more than ready to prove his talents as a creator, writer, director and producer when he developed the sketch comedy series Robot Chicken for Adult Swim. Over the last 12 years and with Green doing most of the voice work for the characters, the show has enjoyed incredible success with dozens of Emmy Awards and Annie Awards spanning categories like Best General Audience Animated Television Production and Outstanding Short Format Animated Program to Writing in a Television Production and Best Animated Television Production. He’s even partnered with his longtime friend, the legendary George Lucas, and released specials like Robot Chicken: Star Wars, Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II and Star Wars: The Clone Wars, to name a few.

Likely one of the busiest actors in Hollywood, Green has stayed exceptionally busy even with his prosperous Robot Chicken empire and, over the last five years, has appeared in everything from Phineas and Ferb and Franklin and Bash to Conan and Men at Work. In 2013, he teamed up with Seth McFarlane to create a new family-friendly sitcom, Dads. Shortly after the release, Green sat down with Uproxx.com for an interview and shared the inspiration behind the series.

“I love acting,” Green said. “Acting’s always been my first love. I grew up watching multi-camera television shows. Shows like All in the Family and The Jeffersons and Family Ties and The Golden Girls. Shows were about real people living real life that was hilariously funny because it was socially and culturally provocative. And so, you know, the conversation I had with Seth McFarlane and Alec and Wellesly was that’s the show we all grew up on, that’s the show they wanted to make. And I thought I would absolutely be in for that.”

Joining the cast of Dads for only one season before Fox axed the series, Green had enough star power in Hollywood to find additional work and starred in Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. until 2015 with other appearances in Castle, The Loud House, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and The Simpsons. He’s stayed just as busy on the silver screen with The Lego Batman Movie, A Futile and Stupid Gesture, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Coup d’Etat.

As for his personal life, the Hollywood funnyman married actress Clare Grant in Northern California on May 1, 2010 and later settled down in Los Angeles where they both happily immerse themselves in work. When it comes to his stretch of stardom as an adult, Green remains humble even after over three decades of success, saying, “I was never famous as a kid. That’s the biggest difference between me and any other kid actor is that I wasn’t famous as a kid.” We can’t help but disagree!

Elin Nordegren

Birthdate: 1980-01-01
Famous Years: 2004 - 2010
Currently Known For: Former Nanny and Model
Networth: $100 Million
Famous For: Tiger Woods' Ex Wife

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While at the height of his career, golfer Tiger Woods was introduced to a 21 year old Swedish woman named Elin Nordegren. Nordegren had been working as a nanny and model in her native country, and was eventually hired by Jesper Parnevik, who is also a PGA golfer. Parnevik’s wife had been asked repeatedly by Woods to introduce the two, and it finally happened in 2001. Woods wasn’t the only one according to Parnevik, who said that all of the golfers were asking questions about her.

Woods was the one that landed the bachelorette, though, showing his prowess over the other golfers on the tour yet again. About two years after starting their relationship, Woods and Nordegren announced that they were engaged, and were married in late 2004 during a luxurious wedding that cost over $1 million. However, the public didn’t know about their relationship until they were already married.

Nordegren and Woods maintained a very private life, which can be difficult to do when Woods was the highest paid athlete in the world at the time. Most didn’t even know that Nordegren was pregnant in 2007 until Woods told the public that their daughter, Sam, was already born. The couple would have another child in 2009, a son named Charlie.

Even though people weren’t privy to much of the information surrounding the relationship between Woods and Nordegren, most assumed that things were going well. All of that would change in 2009. Two days before Thanksgiving, tabloids started running a story that said Woods had been cheating on Nordegren. On Thanksgiving morning, there was a huge fallout from the story.

Woods had left the couple’s home early in the morning, crashing into a fire hydrant and tree in his SUV. Woods was worse for wear before crashing, with several injuries to his face. At the time, Woods said it was a private issue that happened at his home, but the truth was revealed less than a week later. It had turned out that Woods had been involved in extramarital affairs with several women, causing him to take a break from golf.

Nordegren remained mum on the situation with the press, while Woods would later admit that “I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to.” A few months after that statement to the press and Woods going into therapy, the couple would split officially in August 2010. Nordegren had a powerful team of lawyers, and received at least $100 million as part of the settlement. There was some good news about the divorce, though, as the couple have shared custody over the children.

Despite their marriage not working out, the relationship between Nordegren and Woods has been amicable. “They have not been getting along as a married couple (would), but there has been no conflict over the children,” an insider said. “They both want what’s best for the kids.” Even a couple of years after their divorce, Nordegren had good things to say about her former husband.

With extra time and money after the divorce, Nordegren decided to go back to school, completing her degree in psychology from Rollins College. At the time of her graduation, Nordegren said that “My relationship with Tiger is centered around our children and we are doing really good. We really are, and I am so happy that this is the case. He is a great father.” Nordegren added that “I’m not going to deny that I went through the wringer, but I don’t think I doubted we’d end up here (in divorce).”

The fallout from Woods’s infidelity has died down noticeably over the years, especially as injuries have mounted and kept him out of the limelight. Nordegren has also done a good job at staying away from too much press, something that has been good for the children. Over the past few months, though, both Woods and Nordegren have taken the time to compliment one another publicly.

Woods told Stephen Colbert that Nordegren has “been one of my best friends and I’ve talked to her about so many different things and she does the same thing with me back and forth.” He added that “We communicate so much better now, it’s incredible. I wish we would have done that earlier on, but it’s been incredible to have a best friend like that.” The biggest reason they have connected so well lately, Woods said, is because “We have Sam and we have Charlie. And we love them so much that we are going to do whatever it takes to make that work.”

Just weeks earlier, Nordegren had said that maintaining a relationship with Woods “was always my dream, that the kids can have two loving parents that show respect for eachother. And I feel that’s what they have.” It was comforting for fans of both Woods and Nordegren, as the children seem to be doing well and there isn’t animosity between the two parties.

So now that she is single, has a degree and raising two children, what else is Nordegren up to these days? There were rumors that she was dating Chris Cline, a 58 year old billionaire (she is 37 years old) who has invested heavily in the coal industry, though it either didn’t last long or a relationship never actually happened. Instead, the latest rumors have Nordegren involved with Gavin Rossdale.

If you recall, Rossdale is the lead singer of popular 1990’s band Bush, and he is also the former husband of singer and television host Gwen Stefani. No matter which direction she goes, the gorgeous Swede has certainly landed on her feet following the divorce from Tiger Woods. We probably also haven’t seen the last of Nordegren on the golf course, as it looks like her son Charlie is well on his way to a career in his father’s footsteps.

Loni Anderson

Birthdate: 1945-08-05
Famous Years: 1978 - 1989
Currently Known For: Actress
Networth: $12 Million
Famous For: Burt Reynold's Ex wife

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There are certain celebrity ex-wives out there that weren’t all that famous before meeting their A-list hubbies, but that wasn’t the case for Loni Anderson. Anderson’s acting career started all the way back in 1966, and she had landed supporting roles on many different shows that ranged from “S.W.A.T.” to “Three’s Company”. Early in her career, Anderson had been married twice. First, it was Bruce Hasselberg (1964 to 1966) and then Ross Bickell (1973 to 1981).

During her second marriage, Anderson had the biggest role of her career, starring as Jennifer Marlowe on the hit comedy series “WKRP in Cincinnati”. When the series ended in 1981, Anderson turned her attention to film. In her first big comedy film after the show ended, she appeared in “Stroker Ace”. It was on the set of that film when she met actor Burt Reynolds.

Reynolds and Anderson started a relationship shortly afterwards, and would tie the knot in 1988. Early on in their marriage, the couple adopted a son named Quinton. Unfortunately, the marriage would not last long and she cut ties with Reynolds in 1993. Though five years might not sound very long, that’s pretty impressive for Hollywood.

Kelly Le Brock

Birthdate: 1960-03-24
Famous Years: 1984 - 1995
Currently Known For: Actress and Model
Networth: $2 Million
Famous For: Steven Seagal's Ex Wife

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There are certain names that when you hear them, you automatically think about a certain era of time. The couple that was Kelly Le Brock and Steven Seagal, you instantly think of the 1980’s and even part of the 1990’s. Le Brock had been brought up by wealthy parents, with her father owning several business ventures that included an upscale restaurant, and her mother who was a model. As a teenager, Le Brock decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps to join the modeling world.

Le Brock was instantly recognizable as a model, but not so much as an actress. That changed when she was involved in a relationship with a film producer named Victor Drai in the early 1980’s, leading to her landing roles in both “The Woman in Red” and “Weird Science”. Le Brock and Drai were married in 1984, the same year that she made her acting debut in one of his films, but then the couple split two years later in 1986.

At the time of the divorce, actor Steven Seagal was still married to Adrienne La Russa, an actress from the show “Days of Our Lives”. Despite that hurdle, Le Brock and Seagal engaged in an affair, which led to Le Brock becoming pregnant. Because of that, Seagal’s marriage was annulled and he then married Le Brock in 1987. Le Brock took some time off to raise their first child, Annaliza, instead of focusing on films.

Talia Balsam

Birthdate: 1959-03-05
Famous Years: 1989 - 1993
Currently Known For: Actress
Networth: $4 Million
Famous For: George Clooney's Ex Wife

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When it comes to the career of George Clooney, a lot of people are interested in the A-list star’s personal life. While Clooney has been in relationships with the likes of Stacy Keibler, Renee Zellweger and current wife Amal Alamuddin, many forget that his first marriage came with actress Talia Balsam. The two were married from 1989 to 1993, with the marriage ending in divorce that didn’t seem to get too much negative attention, unlike most Hollywood marriages.

Balsam cam from the famous Van Patten family, including her uncle Dick Van Patten. Balsam had been in movies such as “The Supernaturals” and television shows like “Taxi”, “Murder, She Wrote” and “Magnum, P.I.” before meeting Clooney. However, she was never really a leading lady and spent much of her time in supporting and minor roles. When the couple started dating, things picked up to the next level, and it happened very fast.

Balsam was 30 years old while Clooney was 28, and the two decided to tie the knot after just a few months. They got a recreational vehicle and drove to Las Vegas, opting for a quick wedding without much fanfare. After they divorced in 1993, Clooney would of course become one of the biggest names in Hollywood. So whatever happened to Balsam? Well, she has actually had a very good career without Clooney in her life.

Burke Ramsey

Birthdate: 1987-01-27
Famous Years: 1996 - 1999
Currently Known For: Computer Software Developer
Networth: Unknown
Famous For: JonBenet Ramsey's Brother

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In 1995, the biggest news story of the year came when a verdict was reached in the O.J. Simpson murder trial. 1996 was quiet for the most part in terms of huge news stories for a while, but that would change on Christmas Day. It was then that a child pageant queen named JonBenet Ramsey was found strangled and killed. What was originally considered a homicide became the source of a lot of speculation, criticism, finger pointing and overall mystery.

The tragedy occurred in Boulder, Colorado, which became a hotbed for media trying to gather information. JonBenet’s parents, John Bennett and Patsy, were at the forefront of the questioning, though neither were charged with any wrongdoing in the situation. As of today, there is still no suspect in the case. Instead, there is only a ransom note that was found, which itself was controversial.

Amongst the chaos of the investigation was JonBenet’s brother, Burke. At the time of the death, Burke was just a couple of weeks shy of his 10th birthday. At first, police pondered if Burke may have been the one that took JonBenet’s life, but was not considered a suspect. Burke was in the home at the time of the death, though. With the court of public opinion always open for business, there were many that accused Burke of being the killer.

Destiny's Child

Birthdate: 1996-01-01
Famous Years: 1997 - 2006
Currently Known For: Solo Artists, Actresses, Television Personalities and Record Producers
Networth: $600 Million
Famous For: Survivor and The Writing's On the Wall Albums, 'Say My Name', 'Independent Women' and 'Bootylicious'

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“Ooh, two things I don’t like when I’m tryna get my groove, is a partner that meets me only halfway and just can’t prove.” The music industry was taken by storm in 1997 when an American girl group known as Destiny’s Child topped the charts with Michelle Williams, Kelly Rowland and (the now exceptionally famous) Beyonce Knowles taking the stage to sold-out venues around the world. But, truth be told, it all started in 1990 when Knowles and Rowland met in Houston, Texas and formed a girl group known as Girl’s Tyme.

Although the band didn’t have much success and even lost the competition during their stage debut on Star Search, Knowles and Rowland were well on their way to stardom with Knowles’ father agreeing to manage the girls. Cutting the band down from six to four members and booking the group gigs at local salons and age-friendly venues, Knowles’ father handled their schedule while her mom sewed all their costumes. Along the way, the band changed names numerous times before settling on Destiny’s Child in 1996. Shortly after, they landed a contract with Music World Entertainment and Columbia Records in 1997.

Nearly a decade after meeting, Knowles and Rowland saw their hard work and persistence finally pay off in 1998 when they released their self-titled album, which sold over one million copies in the United States. Following up the release with The Writing’s on the Wall in 1999, their second album became an instant best-seller thanks to two hit singles “Say My Name” and “Bills, Bills, Bills.” Unfortunately, their growing success couldn’t overshadow the troubles among the band as original members—LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson—left the group after arguing that Knowles’ father favored his daughter and Rowland more than them. As luck would have it, this made room for Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin, who left the group only a year later in 2000. Destiny’s Child as the world came to know them—with Knowles, Rowland and Williams taking center stage—was born.

Barbi Benton

Birthdate: 1950-01-28
Famous Years: 1969 - 1976
Currently Known For: Interior Decorator
Networth: $20 Million
Famous For: Hugh Hefner's Girlfriend (1969-1976)

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“I believe that mink are raised for being turned into fur coats and if we didn’t wear fur coats those little animals would never have been born.” Unless you are a diehard fan of vintage Playboy magazines or the television series Hee Haw, you probably aren’t familiar with the name Barbi Benton. Then again, if you keep up with the wild world of Hugh Hefner, you just might recognize Benton as one of Hefner’s favorite playmates after the legendary playboy hired her as his cohost on Playboy After Dark. Weeks later, romance blossomed as Benton dated Hefner and enjoyed the height of her success from 1969 to 1976 with multiple Playboy covers and acting gigs on shows like Hee Haw, The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. So, what’s she been up to since her love affair with Hefner fizzled in the late 1970s? Let’s find out!

Born as Barbara Lynn Klein on January 28, 1950 in New York City, her parents moved the family from the Big Apple to Sacramento, California when she was only two years old. Once settled in the Golden State, she enjoyed a normal childhood and attended Rio Americano High School where the glitz and glamor of Hollywood finally called her name after she dabbled in everything from scuba diving and piano to dreams of becoming a veterinarian. At 16 years old, she started modeling to make extra money and, after high school, enrolled at the University of California Los Angeles. Before she could truly experience college life, however, the 18-year-old accepted a position with Playboy to cohost Playboy After Dark alongside the show’s director of entertainment, Hugh Hefner, himself.

Stunning with her doe-eyed stare and gorgeous mane, it only took two recording sessions before Hefner asked Benton out on a date. The offer astounded the 18-year-old Benton since Hefner was 42 years old at the time. “I don’t know. I’ve never dated anyone over 24 before,” Benton told Hefner as he jokingly replied, “That’s all right, neither have I.” Despite the age difference and Benton’s trepidation over dating an older man, the duo proved to be an ideal match as Hefner took Benton under his wing and made her a central figure in the Playboy organization. Along the way, he convinced her to change her name to Barbi Benton to ensure she had a bright future in the entertainment industry.

Elisabeth Shue

Birthdate: 1963-10-06
Famous Years: 1982 - Present
Currently Known For: Actress
Networth: $12.5 Million
Famous For: The Karate Kid, Back to the Future Part II, Leaving Las Vegas and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

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“I may be the girl next door, but you wouldn’t want to live next to me.” Although her parents worked as C-level executives in her hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, Elisabeth Shue wasn’t interested in a corner office with a view and set her sights on Hollywood after briefly attending Wellesley College. Planning to work in television commercials to cover her college tuition, Shue’s career flourished after she made her feature film debut in the 1984 classic, The Karate Kid. Proving both her beauty and talent, she went on to star in Cocktail, Adventures in Babysitting and the Back to the Future franchise as well as The Saint, Hollow Man and Leaving Las Vegas, which earned Shue a Golden Globe nomination. At 53 years old, she’s still going steady after wrapping up a three-year stint on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and appearing in the 2017 remake of Death Wish.

Shue was born on October 6, 1963 in the mid-Atlantic state of Delaware where her father, James William Shue, was a renowned attorney, congressional candidate and real estate developer who was later named the president of the International Food and Beverage Corporation. Her mother, who worked as the vice president of the Chemical Banking Corporation’s private division, divorced James when Shue was nine years old and moved her children—Shue and sons William, Andrew and John—to South Orange, New Jersey.

The only girl in a family of four children, Shue had close ties to her brothers and was especially close to her youngest brother, Andrew, who went on to star as Billy Campbell in Fox’s hit series, Melrose Place. During this time, Shue attended Columbia High School and tried her hand at acting, which she obviously had a knack for after appearing in ads for big brands like Burger King, DeBeers and Hellmann’s. Never imagining that acting would become a full-time job, she enrolled at Wellesley College where, during her junior year, a friend encouraged her to return to acting to cover her college tuition.

Karyn Parsons

Birthdate: 1966-10-08
Famous Years: 1990 - 1996
Currently Known For: Actress, Producer and Television Writer
Networth: $1.5 Million
Famous For: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

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“Now, this is a story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside down…” Although she wasn’t the prince of Bel Air, Karyn Parsons certainly was a princess after landing the biggest role of her career in 1990 when she was cast as Hilary Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Spending the next six seasons as the bratty, self-centered Hilary, Parsons went on to appear in films like Major Payne but never truly found the same level of fame as her days in the Bel-Air mansion. In fact, she married film director Alexandre Rockwell in 2003 and retired from acting entirely to focus on being a full-time mother to their daughter, Lana, and son, Nico. Now, the million-dollar question is whether Parsons has any plans of returning to Hollywood once her kids are grown?

Born on October 8, 1966 in Los Angeles, California, Parsons is the product of a beautiful love story between an African American woman from Charleston, South Carolina and a Caucasian man with Welsh ancestry living in Butte, Montana. With her parents eventually settling in California, Parsons grew up in Los Angeles and attended Santa Monica High School where her love of acting blossomed. Believing she was destined for stardom, she took a job as a restaurant hostess and took acting classes on the side while going to every audition she could find. It wasn’t until the late 1980s that Parsons finally caught a break when she landed her first television appearance on The Bronx Zoo. Appearing in two episodes on the series, she went on appear in Hunter and CBS Summer Playhouse before making her silver screen debut in the 1989 low-budget horror flick, Death Spa.

In 1990, Parsons went to an audition for a new series called The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air but wasn’t thrilled about the concept of the show. “I remember my first reactions being, ‘Oh, God, it’s a sitcom with a rapper? Like, what’s that?’” she told NPR in 2014. Parsons auditioned for the part of Hilary Banks who was originally written as a “polished, cool model,” which only added to Parsons nerves. “My first reaction to it was, ‘Oh, well, this is ridiculous, I’m not to get this,” Parsons said. “I’m not a model type. This is silly.” Fortunately, Parsons was brave enough to make the part her own and, after portraying Hilary as a self-obsessed brat during the audition, she snagged her first major role in what would become the defining moment of her entire career!

Lynda Carter

Birthdate: 1951-07-24
Famous Years: 1975 - 1979
Currently Known For: Actress, Singer, Songwriter and Former Miss World America 1972
Networth: $10 Million
Famous For: Wonder Woman

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“I never meant to be a sexual object for anyone but my husband.” Few people will argue that Lynda Carter was one of the most beautiful women of the 1970s. First turning heads after being crowned Miss World America in 1972, Carter went on to earn superhero status as she starred in the hit television series Wonder Woman from 1975 to 1979. Although the show was short-lived by today’s standards, it was enough to launch Carter to international stardom as a celebrity and sex icon. Since the show’s end nearly four decades ago, Carter seems to have a superpower of her own after aging gracefully in Hollywood and proving she’s still as gorgeous as ever at 65 years old.

Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona where she was born on July 24, 1951 as the youngest of three children, Carter was only five years old when she made her television debut on Lew King’s Talent Show. The appearance was only minor but it gave Carter, who stood out among her classmates for being exceptionally tall and lanky, a glimpse into what her future could be like as a performer. Often teased and called “Olive Oyl” because of her towering height, Carter didn’t seriously turn to music until high school. “I was taller than all the boys except the tackles on the football team,”

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Carter told TV Guide. “And all my girlfriends seemed to be 5-foot 3-inch blondes. I even was rejected as a pompon girl because I towered over everyone else.”

Not really fitting in at Arcadia High School, Carter turned her full attention to music and started singing professionally at the local pizza parlor for $25 each week. She joined a band called Just Us before she teamed up with her cousins and aspiring actor Gary Burghoff to start their own band called The Relatives. Fortunately, the band showed great promise as the Sahara Hotel and Casino lounge in Las Vegas booked them for three months. At the time, Carter was bringing in $400 per week as a singer but was not yet 21 years old and had to enter the Las Vegas hotel through the kitchen every night before the band’s set.

Monica Lewinsky

Birthdate: 1973-07-23
Famous Years: 1995 - Present
Currently Known For: Anti-Bullying Activist, Fashion Designer and Television Personality
Networth: 500,000
Famous For: Her Affair With Former President Bill Clinton

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“I, myself, deeply regret what happened between me and President Clinton. Let me say it again: I. Myself. Deeply. Regret. What. Happened.” As part of one of the biggest scandals in White House history, Monica Lewinsky is a name that people are all too familiar with after the White House intern had a relationship with President Bill Clinton. The affair made international headlines and led to President’s Clinton’s impeachment after he lied under oath about the affair saying, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” Forever dubbed “that woman,” Lewinsky became a hot topic around the world as she went from a formerly unknown 22-year-old to an international celebrity for all the wrong reasons. Struggling to find her footing over the last few decades, she’s recently returned to the spotlight as an anti-bullying activist by sharing her story and changing the conversation to help others.

Raised in an affluent family in southern California where her dad was a renowned oncologist and her mother was a published author, Lewinsky was born on July 23, 1973. Although she wanted for very little as a child growing up in Beverly Hills, Lewinsky was extremely sensitive and struggled with her weight, which made her teenage years even harder. “I was very sensitive, so I couldn’t take a joke,” Lewinsky recalled. “I remember sitting on my parents’ bed and them practicing with me how to take a joke, how to not cry.” With her parents divorcing in 1988, things were hard for Lewinsky as she attended Bel-Air’s John Thomas Dye School and Beverly Hills High School before transferring to Bel-Air Prep in 1991.

After high school, Lewinsky enrolled at the two-year Santa Monica College and picked up a job at Beverly Hills High School where she worked in the drama department. During this time, she allegedly began an affair with her former high school drama teacher who was married. By 1993, she transferred to Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon and, two years later, graduated with her degree in psychology. Thanks to her family’s affluence and large network of friends, she snagged an unpaid internship at the White House in 1995 and quickly moved across the country in a decision that would change her entire life.

Nancy Kerrigan

Birthdate: 1969-10-13
Famous Years: 1990 - 1995
Currently Known For: Actress and Spokesperson
Networth: $8 Million
Famous For: Former Olympic Figure Skater

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“She was a feisty Boston tomboy who played hockey with her brothers.” Best known for taking the ice as a world-class figure skater, Nancy Kerrigan has been at the heart of figure skating and scandal since the early 1990s. Winning bronze medals at the 1991 World Championships and at the 1992 Winter Olympics, she earned a silver medal at the 1992 World Championships and was named the 1993 US National Champion. Tragedy, however, struck in 1994 when Kerrigan was attacked with a police baton outside a training facility in Detroit. With her career in jeopardy, Kerrigan made headlines around the country as evidence proved her competitor, Tonya Harding, was involved. Fortunately, Kerrigan recovered and took home the silver medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics as Harding fumbled on the ice and landed in eighth place. Since then, Kerrigan has started a family, appeared on Dancing with the Stars and is now working on a documentary about eating disorders among athletes.

Decades before she was immersed in scandal, Kerrigan was born on October 13, 1969 in Stoneham, Massachusetts where her father worked as a welder while her mother was a homemaker. Growing up with brothers who spent their afternoons playing hockey, Kerrigan was a feisty tomboy who gave her brothers a run for their money on the ice especially after deciding she wanted to become a figure skater at six years old, By the time she was eight, she started private lessons and, at nine years old, won her first competition at the Boston Open.

Coming from a blue-collar family, Kerrigan’s father worked three jobs—including one resurfacing the ice at the local ice skating rink—just to pay for Kerrigan’s private skating lessons but, because she had obvious talent, he didn’t mind. For years, he watched his daughter skate around the rink under coach Theresa Martin’s watchful eye before Kerrigan’s talent far surpassed Martin’s ability as husband and wife, Evy and Mary Scotvold, took over and coached Kerrigan throughout her entire competitive career.

Nancy McKeon

Birthdate: 1966-04-04
Famous Years: 1977 - 1990
Currently Known For: Actress
Networth: $6 Million
Famous For: The Facts of Life

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“Normally, I don’t watch myself because I’m not very objective.” Despite already appearing on soap operas like The Secret Storm and Another World, Nancy McKeon didn’t truly make a lasting impression in Hollywood until 1980 when she debuted on the second season of The Facts of Life as Jo Polniaczek. With her character foiling the rich and rebellious Blair Warner, Nancy immediately found her niche among audiences as she debuted on the series as the motorcycle-driving, bossy and short-tempered Jo. Spending the next eight years on what would become one of the longest running sitcoms of the 1980s, Nancy continued to work in Hollywood but never recaptured the same success she enjoyed on The Facts of Life. Instead, the 51-year-old has found greater fulfillment as a wife and mother of two with only sporadic appearances in television and film over the last three decades.

Born on April 4, 1966 in Westbury, New York where her father, Don, owned a travel agency and her mother, Barbara, stayed home to raise her and her older brother, Philip, Nancy’s foray into acting came by accident all because her mother couldn’t find a babysitter. With Philip’s piercing blue eyes and blond hair, a client at the travel agency urged Don to let his son try his hand at acting and modeling. On a whim, Don agreed as Barbara researched local agencies. Unable to find a babysitter for the young Nancy, she took Philip to an audition with Nancy tagging along. “The strange thing is that the agent went down the line at this cattle call and picked Nancy but not Philip,” Don told TV Guide. “Later Phillip got into it, too; but honestly, if they’d both been turned down that first day, we’d never have pursued it beyond that.”

Fortunately, both Nancy and Philip continued to find success as commercial stars and transitioned from models to child actors with Nancy snagging roles on soap operas like The Secret Storm and Another World. At the same time, Philip’s career flourished as he landed a major role on Alice starring Linda Lavin. Although life in New York was perfect for the family of four, they packed their bags and moved to Los Angeles in 1975 with the hopes that Nancy would find the same level of success as Philip. Luckily, that’s exactly what happened but not without hard work, persistence and patience.

Phoebe Cates

Birthdate: 1963-07-16
Famous Years: 1982 - 1994
Currently Known For: Entrepreneur
Networth: $5 Million
Famous For: Fast Times at Ridgemont High

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“There are a lot of actors out there who’ve made one or two films and who never work again.” With her father praised as a pioneer in television and on Broadway, Phoebe Cates had some big shoes to fill when she made her acting debut at 17 years old in Paradise. Doing several fully nude scenes, Cates later regretted the project and was thrilled when she snagged another gig—Fast Times at Ridgemont High—where her bikini drop put her on the map among teen audiences. Finding similar success throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, she went on to appear in Private School, Gremlins and Drop Dead Fred before retiring from Hollywood for good after marrying actor Kevin Kline and starting a family. The couple is still married today after 28 years with the 53-year-old Cates showing no signs of returning to Hollywood anytime soon.

Long before her iconic bikini drop in Fast Times, Cates was born on July 16, 1963 in New York City where her family’s connections to the entertainment industry ran deep. Her father, Joseph Cates, was a renowned Broadway producer and television pioneer known for creating shows like The $64,000 Question. Her uncle, Gilbert Cates, was also a heavy hitter in the industry and, along with her father, produced several Academy Awards shows. Suffice it to say, Cates was born into a family of legends as she set out to make a name for herself at the Hewitt School and the Professional Children’s School before enrolling at the Julliard School with the hopes of becoming a dancer.

Winning a scholarship to the School of American Ballet, Cates’ dreams of taking the stage as a dancer were within reach when a knee injury cut her dancing career tragically short when she was 15 years old. Giving up dancing, she focused on launching her career as a model and, because of her beauty, poise and family name, she enjoyed almost immediate success. However, her heart wasn’t in it as she later said, “It was just the same thing, over and over. After a while, I did it solely for the money.”

Raquel Welch

Birthdate: 1940-09-05
Famous Years: 1960 - 1980
Currently Known For: Actress
Networth: $30 Million
Famous For: One Million Years B.C.

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“The mind can also be an erogenous zone.” Considered the most popular sex symbol of the 1960s and credited for raising the bar in Hollywood as a strong female lead amid submissive sex symbols, Raquel Welch first turned heads in 1966 when her role in Fantastic Voyage landed her a contract with 20th Century Fox. The same year, she appeared in One Million Years B.C. and skyrocketed to stardom not for her performance—she only had three lines, after all—but for her doe-skinned bikini highlighting her hourglass figure. With the scene plastered on posters around the country, she became an international sex symbol and went on to appear in over 40 movies while earning countless titles like “100 Sexiest Stars in Film History,” “100 Sexiest Stars of the Twentieth Century” and “Hottest Women of All Time.”

Still holding those titles today at 76 years old, Welch was born on September 5, 1940 as Jo-Raquel Tejada in Chicago, Illinois. The eldest of three children raised by a Bolivian aeronautical engineer and a mother with origins back to the Mayflower, Welch was only two years old when the family moved to San Diego, California. The youngster knew she wanted to perform and started studying ballet at seven years old, which certainly came in handy during her first beauty contests in high school. She won Miss Photogenic and Miss Contour at 14 years old and, after enrolling at La Jolla High School, was crowned Miss La Jolla and Miss San Diego’s “The Fairest of the Fair” at the San Diego County Fair. During this time, she gave up ballet after her instructor told her she didn’t have the right figure for it. However, the end of one passion opened a door to the next as Welch was crowned with her biggest honor to date—as the Maid of California.

Graduating from high school in 1958 and winning a drama scholarship to study at San Diego State College, acting wasn’t the only thing on the horizon for Welch as she married her high school sweetheart, James Welch, on May 8, 1959. Amid her starring roles in local theater productions, Welch balanced life as a new wife and mother of two before securing a job as a weather forecaster with San Diego’s KFMB. Eventually quitting college and divorcing James in 1964, Welch took her children and moved to Dallas, Texas where she modeled for Neiman Marcus only to return to Los Angeles a few months later with the hopes of launching her acting career.

Shannon Elizabeth

Birthdate: 1973-09-07
Famous Years: 1996 - Present
Currently Known For: Actress and Model
Networth: $9 Million
Famous For: American Pie, Scary Movie and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

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“I’m not doing any more nudity.” If you grew up in the late 1990s, chances are you recognize Shannon Elizabeth from her jaw-dropping performance as Nadia in American Pie starring Jason Biggs, Chris Klein and Tara Reid. After her success on the teen comedy, she appeared in films like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Scary Movie before becoming a household name of horror with flicks like Night of the Demons, Cursed, Thirteen Ghosts and Jack Frost. Of course, nothing has topped Shannon’s sexually charged debut in American Pie that established the young Texan as a sex symbol among men—both young and old—in a role that still defines her reputation even today, 17 years later.

Long before she stripped down for American Pie, she was born as Shannon Elizabeth Fadal on September 7, 1973 in Houston, Texas. Raised in Bellmead where she enjoyed a typical Texas childhood, Shannon was like most girls her age and, apart from her studies, spent most of her free time on the tennis court or with her boyfriend. In fact, she excelled on the tennis court and briefly considered a professional career before quitting the team after an incident with her coach. Shortly after her fame skyrocketed, she sat down for an interview in 2000 where she recalled her first passion for the sport saying, “I loved tennis and wanted to go pro, but I didn’t get along with my team’s coach. She would scream at us while we were playing. To let off steam, I would spell out b***h in sign language with my fingers. Now, I watch these 17-year-old girls who are ranked number one and I wish I could have competed at that level.”

Giving up on a future in tennis, Shannon left Texas in her rearview mirror after high school graduation and moved to New York where she signed on as a model with Ford & Elite. Desperate for work and for anything to keep her out of The Lone Star State, Shannon accepted every offer thrown her way as she once appeared on the back cover of a Midol booklet for Teen magazine. “It was a picture of me in a gym outfit, holding a water bottle and sort of looking off into the distance,” Shannon recalled. “I was just happy to get a job.” Fortunately, the Midol ad and a Taco Bell commercial were the worst of it as Shannon snagged a few minor roles in television series like Arliss and Hang Time before making her film debut as a rape victim in the 1997 horror flick, Jack Frost.

Susan Dey

Birthdate: 1952-12-10
Famous Years: 1970 - 2004
Currently Known For: Former Model and Actress
Networth: $10 Million
Famous For: The Partridge Family and L.A. Law

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“I’ve had women come up to me and say I was the reason they went to law school.” Getting her start as a model in New York City, Susan Dey didn’t have any acting experience when she landed the part of Laurie Partridge at 17 years old on the hit television series The Partridge Family in 1970. Regardless, she wowed audiences and spent the next four years alongside Shirley Jones, David Cassidy, Danny Bonaduce and the rest of her television family before finding even greater success on NBC’s hit drama, L.A. Law. Earning three Emmy Award nominations, six Golden Globe nominations and one Golden Globe win for her performance as Grace Van Owen from 1986 to 1992, no award or level of fame could entice Dey to stay in Hollywood as she quietly made her exit from the stage for good in 2004. What happened and what’s she been up to? Let’s take a look at her early career and exit from Tinsel Town!

Dey was born on December 10, 1952 in Pekin, Illinois but was raised in New York City where her father, Robert Smith Dey, worked as a newspaper editor at the Standard-Star and her mother, Ruth, was a nurse up until her death in 1961 when Dey was only eight years old. Navigating her childhood and teenage years without a mother, Dey attended Columbus Elementary School in Thornwood, New York before moving to Bedford, New York where she attended Fox Lane High School. Graduating from high school in 1970, Dey had already set her sights on the runway and focused on launching her career as a model.

At 17 years old, Dey took a huge chance and auditioned for the role of Laurie Partridge on ABC’s newest television series called The Partridge Family, which starred Shirley Jones as a widowed mother raising five children. Despite having absolutely zero acting experience, Dey blew the producers away with her audition and snagged her first acting gig. During an interview with Dey’s on-screen mom, Shirley Jones, decades after the show ended, Jones gushed over Dey’s talent saying, “She was wonderful. She developed so beautifully as an actress. Here was a young model from New York… who had never acted before. She was a natural. She was so beautiful to look at. She had that willowy, wonderful look.”

Tina Majorino

Birthdate: 1985-02-07
Famous Years: 1992 - Present
Currently Known For: Actress
Networth: $1.5 Million
Famous For: Napoleon Dynamite, Veronica Mars and Legends

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“I really feel like I’m going to be an actress for the rest of my life.” Unlike so many other child actors who push harder and harder with the hopes of surviving the transition to adulthood in Hollywood, Tina Majorino knew she needed a break after finding early success in Camp Wilder, When a Man Loves a Woman, Alice in Wonderland and Corrina, Corrina. In fact, the youngster took a hiatus from Tinsel Town for five years to make sure acting was her true passion only to return in 2004 with some of the biggest hits of her career including Napoleon Dynamite, Veronica Mars, Big Love and True Blood. Most recently, she’s returned to television for appearances on Grey’s Anatomy before starring as Maggie Harris on TNT’s Legends.

Majorino was born on February 7, 1985 in Westlake, California and caught her first major break as an actress in 1992 when she was cast in ABC’s sitcom Camp Wilder at seven years old. Although the show was short-lived, it was enough to get Majorino’s feet wet in the industry as she made her feature film debut in the 1994 flick When a Man Loves a Woman starring Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia. Months later, she wowed audiences with her starring role in Corrina, Corrina opposite Whoopi Goldberg and Ray Liotta. From there, she starred in Waterwold before snagging the title role in Alice in Wonderland.

Despite her flourishing career in Hollywood with appearances in television flicks like New York Crossing, True Women, Before Women Had Wings and Merry Christmas, George Bailey, Majorino wasn’t sure if she wanted a future in acting and, in 1999, took a hiatus from Hollywood. “I took time off from the time I was 13 until I was 18,” she told MovieHole.net during an exclusive interview. “I wanted to take that time to be a kid and make sure that acting was really what I wanted to do. I don’t like doing things or committing to things when I don’t feel that I can give one hundred and ten percent.”

Tyra Banks

Birthdate: 1973-12-04
Famous Years: 1991 - Present
Currently Known For: Actress, Television Personality, Model, Producer, and Author
Networth: $90 Million
Famous For: America's Next Top Model and The Tyra Banks Show

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“I sold more bras and panties than anybody else, and I was traipsing down that runway with 30 pounds more booty than the other girls…” Far from her childhood days on the playground where she was frequently teased as an “ugly duckling,” Tyra Banks has turned heads over the last two decades as one of the most beautiful women in the world. Taking a huge risk and launching her modeling career at 15 years old, Banks became the first African American woman to land covers on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and GQ. She made millions off her curves and climbed the ranks as one of the top earning models in the world while proving her talents as an actress, producer and entrepreneur with a string of hits. So, as a woman who seems to have it all, how does she do it?

Tyra Lynne Banks was born on December 4, 1973 in Inglewood, California where her mother worked as a medical photographer and her father was a computer consultant. With her parents divorcing when she was six years old, Banks was raised with her older brother in Los Angeles and was frequently teased for her looks after a growth spurt at 11 years old left her three inches taller and 30 pounds lighter. “At first I was too thin,” Banks said. “A little strange, odd-looking. My eyes are too far apart, my chin is narrow, my forehead is very wide. I was too thin.” Her brother mixed peanut butter and chocolate shakes for her every day after school with the hopes of helping Banks gain weight but nothing seemed to work.

Everything changed for Banks on her first day of school at the all-girl Immaculate Heart High School where a classmate approached her and encouraged her to become a model. Never thinking of herself as beautiful before, Banks was willing to give modeling a shot and applied at four agencies only to be rejected. She eventually landed her first contract with L.A. Models before signing on with Elite Model Management at 16 years old. Modeling throughout Europe during her first year on the runway, Banks was careful not to get her hopes up and had a backup plan in place if the catwalk didn’t work. “At the beginning, I gave myself a year to go on auditions and another year to become a supermodel,” Banks told The Guardian, “and if that didn’t happen I was going back to school.”

Kane

Birthdate: 1967-04-26
Famous Years: 1998 - 2015
Currently Known For: Actor, Insurance Broker, Politician and Professional Wrestler
Networth: $7 Million
Famous For: WWE Wrestler

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“He who controls the past, commands the future. He who commands the future, conquers the past.” First jumping into the wrestling ring as Kane—The Undertaker’s demonic half-brother—in the early 1990s, Glenn Thomas Jacobs has met great success in a variety of industries over the years after proving he can do more than body slam his way into a total knockout. Although he is best known as a wrestler with the WWE, Kane has worked as an insurance broker and actor with his recent debut in the political arena after announcing his plans to run as the Republican nominee for the Knox County mayoral seat in his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. Of course, it’s hard to imagine Kane exchanging his iconic red mask for a suit and tie after decades of jumping in the ring with heavy hitters like Stone Cold Steve Austin. Then again, anything is possible—right?

Born in Torrejon de Ardoz, Spain on April 26, 1967, Kane’s time overseas was brief as his parents, who were stationed with the United States Air Force, later returned to the States and settled in a rural town north of St. Louis. With little else to do in his hometown, Kane recalled his first encounter with wrestling during an interview with WrestlingInc.com in 2015. “I grew up in rural Missouri about two hours north of St. Louis and, if the wind was blowing right on a Saturday night, I could catch All Star Wrestling out of Kansas City, which was run by Bob Geigel and some of the stars there were Bulldog Bob Brower and Ray Candy.”

Visiting his grandmother once a month in St. Louis, Kane’s interest in wrestling blossomed as he tuned in to watch the latest wrestling matches on his grandmother’s television. However, by the time he reached high school, his interest in the sport waned as he focused all his energy on using his 7’0”, 300-pound frame to jumpstart his football career. He enrolled at Northeast Missouri State and earned his degree in English Literature while playing football and basketball for the college. During this time, his interest in wrestling piqued once again thanks to his roommates in the dorm.

Pauley Perrette

Birthdate: 1969-03-27
Famous Years: 2003 - Present
Currently Known For: Actress, Singer, Writer and Entrepreneur
Networth: $16 Million
Famous For: NCIS

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“When I was little, I think that I wanted Superman to be my boyfriend.” When NCIS debuted on primetime television in 2003, fans instantly fell in love with the quirky forensic scientist sporting a few tattoos and black hair named Abby Sciuto. But, who is Abby in real life? The gothic scientist obsessed with death is played by the talented and beautiful Pauley Perrette who first dreamed of working with animals before moving to New York City where she starred in several commercials before catching her first big break in 2001. Landing the role of Abby just two years later, Perrette has spent the last 14 years alongside a star-studded cast as one of television’s favorite primetime ladies whose interests span everything from civil rights to running her own store, Donna Bell’s Bake Shop, in Manhattan, which honors her late mother.

Born in The Big Easy on March 27, 1969, Perrette’s family didn’t spend much time in New Orleans before moving across the southern United States briefly settling in Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina. The only real stable piece of property or home the family owned was on her father’s land in Alabama, which is exactly why Perrette calls Alabama “home.” Even with her life at home frequently uprooted, Perrette’s parents offered the stability she needed as she dreamed of one day working with animals, becoming an FBI agent or taking the stage with a rock and roll band. In fact, her adventures in Hollywood were completely unexpected.

“My dad is a firefighter and as are all my cousins,” Perrette said during an interview, “and I am incredibly proud of that. But this is all me being out here and it’s a total accident and it’s really strange. I am the only person in my family that’s in the entertainment industry. And I studied sociology, psychology and criminal science in school, so this was just a complete accident.”

Richard Thomas

Birthdate: 1951-06-13
Famous Years: 1971 - Present
Currently Known For: Actor and Producer
Networth: $2 Million
Famous For: The Waltons

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“We want to go out with a bang, not a whimper.” With his parents owning the New York School of Ballet and dancing with the New York City Ballet, Richard Thomas had some mighty shoes to fill as a child. First getting his start on Broadway at seven years old, Thomas launched a successful television career with appearances on As The World Turns and The Edge of Night before landing the most iconic role of his entire career—as John-Boy Walton on The Waltons. Earning two Emmy Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations and one Emmy Award win, Thomas left the series on a high note. Since then, the 65-year-old has certainly carried on the family legacy with decades of success in dozens of television series and films with his most recent stint on the FX Network’s drama, The Americans.

Thomas was born on June 13, 1951 in Manhattan where his parents owned and operated the New York School of Ballet, which gave the youngster a great advantage when he decided to pursue a career on the stage as a child. Attending The Allen Stevenson School and the McBurney School in Manhattan, Thomas was only seven years old when he made his Broadway debut as the young John Roosevelt in the 1958 production of Sunrise at Campobello. He then shifted his attention to television and, in 1959, appeared in A Doll’s House before debuting on daytime television in soap operas like The Edge of the Night and As the World Turns, both of which were conveniently shot in Manhattan.

Completely unfazed by starting his career so early, Thomas reminisced about his early career during an interview with SmashingInterviews.com. “Shortly within a year or so of starting, I was doing television here in New York,” Thomas said. “In the late 50s, it was like TV, and during that first golden age, so I was always working here. It was mostly in New York in the 50s before the big film shows started out west. Then when that happened, I had a long list of television guest starring roles as a kid and all that.”

Melissa Sue Anderson

Birthdate: 1962-09-26
Famous Years: 1974 - 1982
Currently Known For: Actress
Networth: $1.5 Million
Famous For: Little House on the Prairie

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“I’m calculating, self-sufficient, reserved and I enjoy being alone.” Tumbling down a grassy hillside never looked so fun until Mary, Laura and Carrie Ingalls rolled down the Minnesota prairie without a care in the world as part of the intro for the hit television series Little House on the Prairie. With Michael Landon and Karen Grassle taking on the role of Charles (Pa) and Caroline (Ma) Ingalls, twins Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush played the young Carrie as Melissa Gilbert played Laura “Half Pint” Ingalls and the beautiful Melissa Sue Anderson played the shy, older sister, Mary. In fact, Anderson was the only star on the series to earn an Emmy Award nomination after wowing audiences and critics alike for her performance during the fourth season when her character went blind. Now, over three decades later, fans still remember Anderson as “blind Mary” although the 54-year-old has done quite a bit more in Hollywood since the 1970s.

Born on September 26, 1962 in Berkeley, California, Anderson’s first interest was in dance as she excelled on the stage so much that her dance teacher encouraged her parents to find an agent. Luckily, her parents took the advice and hired an agent who found it easy to find the young Anderson work thanks to her piercing blue eyes and gorgeous blonde hair. In 1972, she made her acting debut at 10 years old on an episode of Bewitched. The following year, she made a memorable appearance on The Brady Bunch as the girl who kissed Bobby Brady.

With obvious talent, Anderson was 11 years old when she auditioned as the oldest daughter, Mary, for a new series on NBC titled Little House on the Prairie starring Michael Landon. Recalling her audition during an interview, Anderson said, “There were 50 girls, approximately, who originally interviewed for the part of Mary . That was narrowed down after a meeting with a room full of NBC executives. That was then narrowed down to 25 girls to read for Michael Landon—which was a thrill in itself, I might add. That was narrowed down again for a screen test. I was only 11, so I really can’t tell you how long it was, but it seemed like forever before I knew. I was ecstatic when I heard I’d got the part!”

Bo Derek

Birthdate: 1956-11-20
Famous Years: 1979 - 1995
Currently Known For: Actress
Networth: $50 Million
Famous For: 10 (Film), Affair with John Derek

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“Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping.” Wowing the world with her slow-motion beach run wearing a nude colored bikini with braids in her hair, Bo Derek instantly found fame as an actress and international sex symbol after she starred in the 1979 film 10. Her fame followed her well into the 1980s as she appeared in films like Tarzan the Ape Man, Bolero and Ghosts while enjoying every minute of her success with her husband, John Derek, until his death in 1998. Since then, the former model has aged gracefully in and out of the spotlight while embracing her second chance at love with actor John Corbett. So, what’s her Hollywood story and what’s she been up to over the last few decades? Let’s find out!

Born as Mary Cathleen Collins on November 20, 1956 in Long Beach, California, her father worked as an executive with the renowned Hobie Cat Company while her mother was a stylist and makeup artist for celebrities like Ann-Margret. With her parents eventually divorcing, Cathleen attended the George S. Patton Continuation School and Narbonne High School in Harbor City, California but was more interested in life outside the classroom than what her teachers had to say. During an interview on Late Night with David Letterman, she confessed, “I was 16 when I quit high school. I didn’t really mean to quit. I spent about a month going to the beach surfing and sunbathing while I was supposed to be in school—when I got caught, my mom was furious. I started to go back to school, and I was really enjoying it and then I went to go do this film with John in Greece…”

Only 16 years old when she first met actor and director John Derek, the two had an instant connection as he offered her a role in his latest movie. “He said the only problem is you’d have to leave school and go to Greece,” she recalled during an interview with Interview Magazine in 2016. “It took me about two seconds to make that decision. And my mom was very cool. She came along as my chaperone, on the gorgeous island of Mykonos, in the winter, so we were the only foreigners there. It was magical.”

Rachael Leigh Cook

Birthdate: 1979-10-04
Famous Years: 1996 - 2001
Currently Known For: Actress, Model, Voice Artist and Producer
Networth: $1.5 Million
Famous For: She's All That, Josie and the Pussycats

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“I think I’m a million different faces.” Making her acting debut at seven years old in a public service announcement for foster care, Rachael Leigh Cook went on to appear in ads for Target before seeing her face plastered across Milk Bone boxes alongside her furry, four-legged dog. Ready to make a name for herself in Hollywood as a teen, she debuted in The Baby Sitters Club before finding fame as the star of She’s All That in 1999. The film was a sleeper hit and skyrocketed Cook to stardom before she shifted gears and focused on independent flicks, which built her reputation as the “Indie Queen.” Since then, the 37-year-old has stayed incredibly busy with voice acting projects in video game-based films like Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and the animated sketch comedy series Robot Chicken while premiering on the Hallmark channel in films like Summer Love.

Long before she found fame in Hollywood, Cook was born on October 4, 1979 in Minneapolis, Minnesota where her mother was a weaver and cooking instructor while her father worked as a social worker and former stand-up comedian. Despite being shy as a child, Cook somehow made her way in front of the cameras and appeared in her first public service announcement at seven years old. Three years later, she was a child model and appeared in a series of advertisements before she decided to pursue acting full-time at 14 years old. Looking back, Cook doesn’t quite know how or why she decided on Hollywood for her future. “As for what inspired me to act, I don’t think it was my idea,” she admitted. “It might sound strange but, in retrospect, it seems more alien or divine. It was definitely not my parents’ idea, as supportive as they were. I will never know how it even occurred to me as a shy kid to attempt to break into such a competitive industry…”

In 1995, Cook made her first featured film debut in The Baby Sitter’s Club and went on to appear as Becky Thatcher in Tom and Huck before her modeling agency booked her to star in the 1996 short film, 26 Summer Street. The following year, she had a leading role in Country Justice but didn’t truly find national fame until 1998 when she destroyed a kitchen using a frying pan in the public service announcement titled This is Your Brain on Drugs. Her performance turned heads as she snagged her breakout role in the 1999 romantic comedy, She’s All That, which became the most financially successful film of her entire career.

Lisa Whelchel

Birthdate: 1963-05-29
Famous Years: 1979 - Present
Currently Known For: Actress, Author and Public Speaker
Networth: $3 Million
Famous For: The Facts of Life

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“We all bear the burden of being attractive and feminine.” From an adorable Mouseketeer on The New Mickey Mouse Club and playing the rich and rebellious Blair Warner on The Facts of Life to becoming a fan favorite on Survivor: Philippines, Lisa Whelchel has enjoyed ongoing success as an actress over the last four decades. Along the way, the Texas native has shared her Christian faith as a speaker with Women of Faith conferences around the world in addition to proving her talents as a singer with her Grammy Award-nominated album, All Because of You. So, how exactly did a former Mouseketeer and sitcom star make her way to one of reality television’s biggest series? Let’s take a look.

Born in Littlefield, Texas on May 29, 1963, Whelchel was raised in Fort Worth where her mother worked as a real estate agent and her father worked as a skilled electrician before they divorced in 1981. Amid her parents remarrying and adding stepsiblings into the mix, Whelchel was 10 years old when she became a born-again Christian and dedicated her life to her faith in a decision that would impact her entire future. In fact, once she relocated to California in her 20s, she attended The Church on the Way in Van Nuys where she met and fell in love with the associate pastor, Steven Cauble. The couple married in 1988 and welcomed three children before divorcing in 2012. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves!

Whelchel was only 12 years old when she made her acting debut after talent scouts in Texas were searching for the next Mouseketeer to join Disney Studios’ newest show, The New Mickey Mouse Club. Landing the part, she was 13 years old when she moved to California as the show was picked up for syndication from 1977 to 1978. As the young actress made more and more contacts in the entertainment industry, it wasn’t long before she caught another break when she was cast as the rebellious, shallow and snooty Blair Warner on NBC’s new series, The Facts of Life. Although Whelchel was nothing like her on-screen character, her performance was a huge hit as she spent the next nine seasons in 209 of the show’s 210 episodes. The only episode she didn’t appear in was after she refused a storyline where Blair was the first of the girls on the show to lose her virginity. Remaining true to her Christian faith, Whelchel bowed out of the episode as creators rewrote the story for Mindy Cohn who played Natalie on the series.

Samantha Fox

Birthdate: 1966-04-15
Famous Years: 1980 - 1989
Currently Known For: Singer, Actress and Television Personality
Networth: $20 Million
Famous For: Iconic Pinup Girl of the 80s

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“I don’t believe in labels. I believe in love and attraction. I never knew what I was until I met Myra.” Already enrolled in stage school at seven years old after making her theatrical debut at three, Samantha Fox knew she was destined for the spotlight. Despite signing a record deal just months after joining her first band when she was 15, Samantha put her music career on hold after she placed second in an amateur modeling contest. Turning heads with her oversized chest and curves, she became the youngest topless model on Page 3 of The Sun and was praised as one of the most iconic pinup girls of the 1980s. Of course, a lot has happened over the last three decades with the now 51-year-old enjoying success as a pop singer, actress and television personality with most headlines now focusing less on her looks and more on her relationship with her manager, the late Myra Stratton. So, what’s the whole story? Let’s find out!

The oldest daughter of actress Carole Wilken and John Patrick Fox, Samantha was born on April 15, 1966 in East London, England. Showing an early interest in performing, she was three years old when she made her theatrical debut at the St. Thomas More Catholic School in Wood Green. She began honing her acting skills in her teens at the Anna Scher Theatre School before joining her first band and signing a record deal with Lamborghini Records only weeks later. During this time, Samantha’s mother was busy working on her behalf as she entered Samantha in the Girl of the Year amateur modeling contest with The Sunday People. With Samantha showing off her curves wearing sexy lingerie, she placed second out of 20,000 entrants.

Although she lost the contest, Samantha’s photograph caught the eye of The Sun, which was a British tabloid known for publishing photos of topless girls dubbed as “glamour models.” Despite the risqué nature of the magazine, Samantha was itching for opportunity and fame and begged her parents to give their consent, which they did. At only 16 years old, she made history as the youngest woman to ever pose topless for Page 3 and as the youngest to sign a four-year modeling contract with the magazine. She became an instant star and won the magazine’s “Page 3 Girl of the Year Award” in 1984, 1985 and 1986, and was recognized as one of the most iconic pinup girls of the 1980s and as one of the most photographed British women of the decade.

Traci Lords

Birthdate: 1968-05-07
Famous Years: 1985 - 1995
Currently Known For: Actress, Singer, Model, Writer, Producer and Director
Networth: $7 Million
Famous For: Adult Films

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“I’ve owned who I am. I have defended my past and I’ve been annoyed by my past but, in the end, it’s just that. It’s my past.” Easily one of the most controversial figures in the entire adult entertainment industry, Traci Lords first made waves in the 1980s after she landed a job as a nude model at only 15 years old and convinced producers she was older than she looked by presenting a fake driver’s license. A year later, she was featured in Penthouse magazine and was already one of the most popular porn stars in the industry when authorities discovered the truth about her age. At the center of controversy, Lords was blacklisted from the industry in what many consider to be one of the greatest scandals in the history of adult film. So, what happened to Lords after she cost her former producers, directors and friends millions of dollars and nearly ruined their reputations?

Years before Lords made headlines as the “Princess of Porn,” she was born as Nora Louise Kuzma on May 7, 1968 in the steel town of Steubenville, Ohio where she spent most of her time with her grandmother to avoid her father’s excessive alcoholism and abuse. Recounting her father’s violent temper in her autobiography, Lords later wrote, “Women had not been liberated and husbands ruled the house. Women cleaned it and a strong opinion was rewarded with a fat lip.” Although her parents later divorced when she was seven years old, that wasn’t the end of Nora’s abuse when, at 10 years old, she was raped by a 16-year-old boy who threatened to kill her if she snitched.

Carrying a heavy burden of secrets before she was old enough to drive, Lords moved to California with her mother and sister in what became yet another turning point in her life as her mother’s boyfriend, a coke dealer, encouraged her to use drugs. Already well-developed for her age and sexually active, Lords was pregnant at 15 years old and, fearful of asking her mother for help, turned to her mother’s boyfriend who scheduled an abortion. Now owing him, she returned the favor by babysitting for one of his friends who eventually gave her a fake driver’s license and a stolen birth certificate as her life continued to spiral further and further out of control.

Batista

Birthdate: 1969-01-18
Famous Years: 1999 - Present
Currently Known For: WWE Star and Actor
Networth: $13 Million
Famous For: WWE Wrestler, Guardians of the Galaxy

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“You do take a beating in professional wrestling. But I love it.” Known in the ring as Batista and on the silver screen as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, David Bautista is a semi-retired professional wrestler turned actor who also dabbles in bodybuilding and mixed martial arts. How’s that for staying busy? Taking the ring as Batista with World Wrestling Entertainment from 2002 to 2010, he became a six-time world wrestling champion with two WWE Championship titles and four World Heavyweight Championship titles. In fact, he held the World Heavyweight Title for 282 days, which is the longest of any wrestler in WWE history. Of course, the 48-year-old didn’t stop there as he’s gone on to prove his talents as an actor with fans and critics alike praising his performance as Drax the Destroyer in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. So, how exactly did he get his start in the ring and make the transition to Hollywood?

Born as David Michael Bautista on January 18, 1969 in Washington, D.C., Bautista’s childhood was marked by extreme hardship. His parents divorced when he was very young but that was the least of his worries after he witnessed three murders on his front lawn before his 10th birthday. By the age of 13, he was already stealing cars throughout the neighborhood and, by 17, he cut all ties with his parents and left home. Eventually working as a bouncer in various clubs around the city, his rebellious anger came full circle when he was arrested and sentenced to a year of probation after beating a club-goer unconscious and leaving another severely injured. With few other options to make money, he was working as a lifeguard when he discovered bodybuilding, which he later credits as saving him from a life behind bars. His passion for wrestling only came later.

“When I was a kid my favorite wrestler was The Warlord,” Bautista recalled. “He wasn’t in the league of guys like Hulk Hogan or Ricky Steamboat, but he was always my favorite because he was the largest human being I had ever seen.” Inspired by The Warlord’s size and hoping to make his own mark as a bodybuilder and wrestler, Bautista first tried enrolling at the World Championship Wrestling Power Plant where Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker told him he would never find success in the industry. “I was living in Minneapolis at the time and WCW were holding open tryouts, so I actually just went to try out at their Power Plant but I actually failed miserably and they kicked me out and told me never to come back,” Bautista admitted. “However, I got a buzz from it and decided I wanted to pursue it.”

Daryl Hannah

Birthdate: 1960-12-03
Famous Years: 1984 - 2004
Currently Known For: Actress
Networth: $20 Million
Famous For: Splash, Steel Magnolias and Kill Bill

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“I wanted to go and live in the land of Oz and meet the tin woodsman and the cowardly lion and the scarecrow. I wanted to go to those places. Literally.” Getting her start in Hollywood in the 1978 horror flick The Fury, Daryl Hannah’s foray into acting seemed like a longshot after she was diagnosed with borderline autism as a child. An outcast at school, Hannah used her imagination to escape her anxiety and later realized her love for acting as she immersed herself in films. By 1984, her dreams came true when she was cast as a mermaid opposite Tom Hanks in Splash, which skyrocketed her career with roles in films like Roxanne, Wall Street and Steel Magnolias. She went on to star in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill flicks and took a brief hiatus from Hollywood before making her grand return to television in 2015 in the Netflix original series, Sense8. What’s her complete Hollywood story? Let’s find out!

Hannah was born on December 3, 1960 in Chicago, Illinois where, before her parents divorced, her father owned a barge and tugboat company while her mother worked as a schoolteacher. Despite a pleasant childhood with her mother, stepfather and siblings in Long Grove, Illinois, Hannah knew she was different from everyone else. “I was a little odd and incredibly introverted and withdrawn when I was young,” she admitted. “I was tall, stick-thin skinny and kind of goofy looking and not very communicative. Everybody at school picked on me because I was different—I had white hair and a boy’s name.”

Fortunately, Hannah’s mother recognized her daughter’s extreme shyness and took her to a specialist who diagnosed her with borderline autism and recommended both medication and institutionalization. Instead, Hannah’s mother refused and homeschooled her daughter for a year just as Hannah’s imagination and interest in film blossomed. “I was about 11 when I understood that movies weren’t something that just happened in reality and someone caught it on camera,” she said. “Once I realized that it was actually a job I could have, I actively pursued it. I would leave school at lunchtime and use a payphone to call up agents for a job.”

Heather Locklear

Birthdate: 1961-09-25
Famous Years: 1980 - 2002
Currently Known For: Actress
Networth: $25 Million
Famous For: Dynasty, T.J. Hooker, Melrose Place and Spin City

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“I think I’ve always been good so God wouldn’t strike me dead.” One of the most recognizable actresses from the 1980s and 1990s, Heather Locklear found early success as an actress after capturing the attention of legendary director Aaron Spelling who cast her as Sammy Jo Dean in Dynasty. With Spelling instantly recognizing her talent, Locklear was then cast opposite William Shatner in TJ Hooker before starring in one of the biggest roles of her career as Amanda Woodward on Melrose Place from 1993 to 1999. Since then, the blonde bombshell has defied aging in Hollywood with hits like Spin City, Hot in Cleveland and Franklin & Bash while enjoying a string of high profile relationships with rockers like Tommy Lee and Richie Sambora.

Born on September 25, 1961 in Los Angeles, California, Locklear had a quiet childhood while her mother worked as a production executive and her father was a career officer with the United States Marine Corps. After high school, she enrolled at the University of California Los Angeles and pledged two sororities but never initiated after she started modeling for the campus bookstore. Realizing her stunning beauty could easily open doors for her future, she quickly made the transition from college student to aspiring actress as she appeared in hit television series like CHiPs, Eight is Enough and 240-Robert.

As Locklear dreamed of catching her first major break in Hollywood, luck was certainly on her side when her primetime television cameos caught the attention of Aaron Spelling who gave her the chance of a lifetime when he cast her as Sammy Jo Dean in the second season of Dynasty. Instantly seeing ratings improve on the soap opera, Spelling cast her in TJ Hooker opposite William Shatner in 1982. Locklear continued making appearances on Dynasty over the next few years before wrapping up TJ Hooker in 1985 and returning to Dynasty full time in 1986 until the show’s cancellation in 1989. She later reprised her role as Sammy Jo in the 1991 miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion.

Tonya Harding

Birthdate: 1970-11-12
Famous Years: 1990 - 1991
Currently Known For: Homemaker
Networth: $10000
Famous For: 1994 Figure Skating Controversy – The Whack Heard Around the World

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“I have never been the stereotypical figure skater.” Taking the ice with ease and grace as she became the first American woman to land a triple axel jump during competition, Tonya Harding showed exceptional promise as a figure skater in the late 1980s and 1990s. In fact, she won two Skate American Championship titles and took home a win at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1991 before her world came crashing down in 1994 when she was banned from the U.S. Figure Skating Association for life because of her involvement in the attack against her competitor, Nancy Kerrigan. No longer known for her triple axels and jaw-dropping performances, Harding was linked to “the whack heard round the world” as she lost her career and forever tarnished her reputation.

Long before the 1994 scandal ended her professional career, Harding was born on November 12, 1970 in Portland, Oregon where, at three years old, she was introduced to ice skating. Instantly falling in love with the sport and the confidence it gave her, she spent more and more time at the rink to avoid her mother’s verbal and physical abuse at home. “She became very abusive and was drinking all day long,” Harding later told Oprah Winfrey during an interview. “Beating me, dragging me off the rink, hitting me with a hairbrush… right in front of everyone.”

By the age of 12, Harding could land a triple lutz jump and was more determined than ever to have a future as a figure skater. Throughout the mid 1980s, she set her sights on competing and dropped out of David Douglas High School in her sophomore year to focus on the ice. Weeks later, she finished in sixth place at the 1986 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and saw her ranking improve over the next few years with a third-place finish in 1989. Many believed that 1990 would be Harding’s biggest year yet but, after suffering from the flu and asthma, her free skating performance suffered and dropped her from second place to seventh overall.

Brooke Shields

Birthdate: 1965-05-31
Famous Years: 1978 - Present
Currently Known For: Actress
Networth: $25 Million
Famous For: Pretty Baby, Blue Lagoon, Endless Love and Suddenly Susan

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“I was a caretaker to a drinker. I didn’t have time to consider going off the rails myself—all I wanted to do was to get A’s in school and keep my mom alive.” Easily one of the most beautiful women in the world, Brooke Shields has enjoyed over five decades of success after first getting her start as a child model at only 11 months old. She then made waves in Hollywood after starring as a child prostitute in the 1978 film Pretty Baby, which gained her widespread recognition and sealed her fate as a rising star. With opportunity knocking, she went on to star in The Blue Lagoon and Endless Love before landing her own sitcom—Suddenly Susan—in the 1990s. Along the way, she’s proven her talents as an author, wife and mother while shedding light on her childhood in Tinsel Town, the unique start to her career and her own struggles with motherhood.

Brooke was born on May 31, 1965 in Manhattan, New York where her father was a business executive with Revlon and her mother, Teri, was an aspiring actress, producer and model who envisioned a bright future for her daughter. Only five days after Brooke was born, Teri remarked, “She’s the most beautiful child and I’m going to help her with her career,” which was a promise Teri kept 11 months later as she launched her daughter’s modeling career with an Ivory Soap ad. Before long, the young Brooke was a well-known model with Eileen Ford of the Ford Modeling Agency starting a children’s division just for her.

In 1978, Brooke was only 12 years old when she landed her first major acting gig as a child prostitute in Pretty Baby. With Brooke appearing nude in numerous scenes, the film was widely controversial but launched Brooke’s career to even greater heights as she became the youngest model to ever appear on the cover of Vogue magazine at 14 years old in 1980. The same year, she modeled for Calvin Klein and went on to appear in what would become one of the most notable films of her entire career—The Blue Lagoon. Once again appearing in nude scenes, Brooke later testified that an older body double was used before another round of controversy followed with the sexually explicit film, Endless Love.

Justine Bateman

Birthdate: 1966-02-19
Famous Years: 1982 - 1989
Currently Known For: Actress, Writer and Producer
Networth: $5 MillionFamous For: Family Ties

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“When I got Family Ties, I wasn’t even thinking about being an actress. I thought I might become a window dresser.” With her father a renowned director and acting coach, Justine Bateman and her younger brother, Jason, had some big shoes to fill as they paved their own paths to Hollywood as teens. Despite having only a few high school acting credits under her belt, Justine had obvious talent and snagged her first major role in 1982 as Mallory Keaton on Family Ties with Michael J. Fox playing her on-screen older brother. She wowed audiences with her beauty and wit over the next seven years before wrapping up the series in 1989. Since then, the 51-year-old has launched her own consulting and production company, graduated from the University of California Los Angeles and started a family of her own!

The eldest daughter of a British Pan Am flight attendant and a film director, Justine was born on February 19, 1966 in Rye, New York. With her mother constantly traveling and ensuring Justine and her younger brother were both exposed to diverse cultures with frequent trips to Europe, Mexico, Australia and abroad, the family eventually moved from the Big Apple to Boston and then to Salt Lake City before finally settling down in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. By then, Justine and Jason were old enough to know they wanted to pursue acting and, as teens, found acting gigs in minor television series to help their parents pay the bills. Even then, Justine’s father ran a tight ship as Justine told Rolling Stone, “It was always instilled in us that school was number one. That was one of the contingencies upon which we got in this business—my brother and I. My father said, ‘If your grades slip from where they are now, you’re out.’ I mean, I had reality parents more than stage parents.”

Attending Taft Charter High School in Woodland Hills, California, Justine was only 16 years old when she caught her first major break in 1982 after being cast as Mallory Keaton on Family Ties. During an early interview with Rolling Stone, the show’s producer—Gary David Goldberg—admitted that hiring Justine was a risk especially since she was only 16 years old with only a few Wheaties and Dial soap commercials on her resume. So, what did he see in her? Calling it the “X factor,” Goldberg said, “Either it’s there or it’s not. Everybody says what Cary Grant did looked so easy—he just stood around and said the lines. But it’s deceptively difficult to look natural.” Fortunately, Justine had it.

Mary Beth McDonough