Fame!

The road to fame twists and turns so much that nobody has a clear view on what has to be done to be famous. Fame, in this day and age, is so volatile that the celebrities of yesteryear can fast become the has-beens of today.

Often, it’s easier to rise to fame than to resurface from a fall from fame. After all, “fame and riches are fleeting, getting stupid is eternal,” as said by Don Williams, Jr.

Some celebrities bounce back from their fall from fame. Others, however, are often unsuccessful in their efforts and are left to reminisce about the glory days that have passed. As their careers stay in relative obscurity, a quick Internet search here and there might yield some updates on these celebrities.

Here’s a glimpse into the lives of some of these washed-up celebrities.

10. Mr. T

Known for his catch phrase, “I pity the fool!” Mr. T, born Laurence Tureaud, reached the peak of his career as an actor when he played Sgt. “Bad Attitude” Baracus in the TV show, “The A-Team.” He also starred as opponent to Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa in “Rocky III.”

Throughout much of the 80s, Mr. T was known for his signature Mohawk that he claims was influenced by his African heritage. By the 90s, however, Mr. T had to take a break from his career as a celebrity, mostly because he was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma.

Today, no longer earning as much as he did with The A-Team, Mr. T still does some commercials here and there. Mostly though, his work stems from his advocacy work as a Born Again Christian.

Should people pity Mr. T? Maybe not, actually.

9. Jeremy Jackson

Jeremy Jackson was once a teen idol and recording artist with two top ten singles. Mostly known for his role as Hobie Buchanan alongside David Hasselhoff’s character in the lifeguard drama, Baywatch, Jeremy Jackson fell prey to drugs. In 2005, he was arrested for setting up an illegal crystal methamphetamine lab at his home to supposedly prompt his recovery from drug addiction.

Re-emerging recently, with a face maintained by plastic surgery and a mullet that makes Carrot Top look tame, Jackson proclaimed himself “Mr. Myspace,” saying that he’s a hot item in the social networking website. Though he did make the rounds of talk shows about his experiences with drug addiction, the way he handled his post-Baywatch career has sadly made Jackson just another washed-up former child star.

8. Steven Seagal

Sometime in the late 80s, Steven Seagal came to Los Angeles after serving as a 7th-dan black belt Aikido instructor in Japan. His first big break came when his first movie, “Above the Law” (1988), was released to moderate box office success. With this, Seagal’s career as an action star blossomed well into the mid-90s.

Many people point out that the climax of his career came when “Under Siege” (1992) was released, making Seagal being a hot item of sorts. Unfortunately, his fame plateaued, eventually spiraling downwards into obscurity.

During this time, Seagal gained a hefty amount of weight and started treating stunt men horribly while on set. Though he continues to make movies, none of them have ever reached the success of his first few films.

7. Jean-Claude Van Damme

Riding the tide of foreign action stars coming to America, Jean-Claude Van Damme was nicknamed “The Muscles from Brussels.” Having made the rounds of the Karate and Kickboxing tournaments in Belgium, Van Damme came to America to pursue a career in the movies.

His big break came with the cult-classic “Bloodsport” (1988). A fast succession of action films soon followed. By the mid-90s, however, his career started to slow down. Many point out that “Street Fighter: The Movie” (1994) signaled the denouement of his career.

As of today, he hasn’t released a movie, and has only appeared in the public scene with the “What’s Your Game?” commercial series for “World of Warcraft.”

6. Pauly Shore

Starting off as a stand-up comedian sometime in the early 1990s, Pauly Shore had his first break when MTV approached him to do “Totally Pauly,” which garnered moderate popularity during its four-year stint.

In 1992, Shore did “Encino Man” alongside Brendan Fraser. Sadly, all of his succeeding movies performed poorly in the box office, as people probably realized he wasn’t that funny anymore.

Returning to the stand-up comedy scene, the public eye refocused on Pauly Shore’s career. While performing, an officer went up on stage and got into an argument with Shore. The argument ended with the officer landing a punch on Shore. At first, the video of the punching incident circulated throughout the Internet, generating a significant amount of buzz. Later on, though, news broke out that the entire incident was staged.

Such an interesting way to prove you’re washed up.

5. Corey Feldman

Corey Feldman was considered one the hottest teenage stars throughout the 80s. With roles in blockbuster movies such as “Gremlins” (1984), “The Goonies” (1985) and “The Lost Boys” (1987), Feldman took the acting circuit by storm.

As with many of the tragic stories of child stars, Feldman fell prey to the lure of drugs, since he had so much money to spare. By the 1990s, Feldman’s star status suddenly fell, as he publicly battled with drug addiction.

Today, most of his acting jobs are relatively out of the spotlight. If anything, his fledging popularity rests on the fact that he was once a highly-prized celebrity.

4. Vanilla Ice/Robert Van Winkle

In 1990, Vanilla Ice’s hit, “Ice Ice Baby” became the first rap song to top the Billboard 100 charts. When he broke through into the limelight, the public went wild with this new and upcoming artist. Hip Hop was the new thing at the time, and Vanilla Ice’s initial success can be seen as outgrowth of the trend.

In one year though, the public clamor suddenly fell silent when news broke out that stories of Vanilla Ice’s so-called gangster roots were mere fabrications used as a marketing ploy. Where he supposedly went to an all-black high school, Vanilla Ice, or Robert Van Winkle, grew up in a middle-class suburban home in Carrolton, Texas.

After his downfall, Van Winkle lay low for a bit to later attempt a music career as rap-metal artist. That too failed miserably, since he was unable to resurface from his initial fall from fame.

3. Gary Coleman

The show “Different Strokes” captivated audiences for a good 10 seasons. Though some have pointed out that the show’s premise of a rich white man adopting two black kids is questionable, many still took the show’s characters to heart, especially that of Arnold Jackson, played by Gary Coleman.

Coleman was born with a congenital kidney disease that left him as small as he is. Constantly requiring dialysis, Coleman still managed to make most out of his stint on “Different Strokes.”

His foray onto the big screen, however, came up short (no pun intended), as reception to his movies was moderate, if not outright negative. When “Different Strokes” ended, Coleman was unable to break free from his popularity as Andrew Jackson. Effectively, he was typecast forever as the kid who’d say “What you talkin’ bout, Willis?”

2. Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Mostly known for his role as Tim Allen’s son on “Home Improvement,” Jonathan Taylor Thomas was a veritable teenage heartthrob during the 90s. Alongside “Home Improvement,” JTT, as many of his fans would call him, provided the voice to Young Simba in Disney’s “The Lion King” (1994), and starred in such movies as “Tom and Huck” (1995) and “Wild America” (1997).

Come the penultimate season of “Home Improvement,” JTT left the show, supposedly to pursue college. Some observers, however, think that with this move, JTT was thinking of finally striking out on his own as a true blue actor. With this, he came out in “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” (1998), to a very lukewarm reception. The release of this movie can be considered the start of the dwindling of his career.

Today, there’s some issue about his sexual preference. Also, after studying for some time at Harvard, he then enrolled in the University of St. Andrews.

1. Macaulay Culkin

Ranked second in VH1’s 100 Greatest Kid Stars, Macaulay Culkin is mostly known as the star of the “Home Alone” movies. These movies were undoubtedly box office hits, making Culkin’s signature face-grabbing scream known throughout the world.

Culkin’s popularity, however, never transcended his role as Kevin McCallister. Though he starred in such movies as “My Girl” (1991) and “The Good Son” (1993), he was never able to reach the same success he achieved with “Home Alone.” He eventually went on hiatus from acting, and took to the public eye only through tabloids and paparazzi pictures.

More recently, however, Culkin’s career started to rise again. Starring in movies such as “Party Monster” (2003) and “Saved” (2004), he started becoming a favorite indie film actor, since these films have generated significant cult followings and good reviews from critics.

There’s a chance that Culkin could be as successful as he was with “Home Alone.” Still, this has yet to happen. In this way, Culkin still falls under the list of celebrities who have fallen from light of fame.

They’re Just People, You Know

Though some might think that the stories of these celebrities are tragic, they are really just a bunch of individuals trying to do well in their careers. As some people succeed, others fail. The only difference with these washed-up celebrities is that their failures are plastered all over magazines, tabloids, billboards and websites.

 

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