Actors Who Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing But Fizzled Out

Ilan Mitchell-Smith

Ilan Mitchell-Smith is a classically trained ballet dancer and even accepted a scholarship to perform at the School of American Ballet. Later, he landed a role on Weird Science, a teen movie by John Hughes. Today, he's a professor at California State University, Long Beach.

Michael Schoeffling

Schoeffling is best known for his role as Jake Ryan in Sixteen Candles opposite Molly Ringwald. To fans, he was the perfect actor to play the heartthrob. He apparently thought Hollywood wasn't all that, and retired from acting, became a carpenter, and now lives a quiet life.