There's No Way Someone Can Name 100% Of These 90s Stars
- by Eric
- – on
- in Entertainment
There was once a punk rock band, who sang about the eighties, “I have to push, I have to struggle.” The decade of decadence didn’t’ seem to have much pushing or struggling. But it did have neon lights, and nearly unending supplies of Aqua Net gave way to the dark and gritty early nineties. Musicians using Aqua Net and wearing tight leather gave way to flannel and greasy grunge rockers. Singing about just having fun became ripping into your feelings. The typical 80’s movie of cheesy fun and corny jokes became more serious crime thrillers and dark black humor.
Some movies reflected the gritty shift - Arnold and Sly were still around, but all kinds of people were becoming action stars. It wasn't all grimy and morose - bubble gum pop and light-hearted teen comedies were abound too. The decade seemed like a mixed bag and because of that, all kinds of stars sprouted up. Some became megastars and are still running around today. Some achieved moderate success. Still more had one or two hits and faded into obscurity.
How nostalgic for the nineties are you? How many stars of the decade do you remember. Whether you were a nineties kid or not, take our quiz and find out just how well you remember this epic decade.
Name This Nineties Star
The nineties saw this actor became a man. After the boy from the eighties who slid across the floor in Risky Business. Before he jumped on couches and let the world know he was a serious Scientologist. He defied all of the odds the decade hurled at him. He showed dramatic range in flicks like The Firm and A Few Good Men. Won even more fans over when he shouted “show me the money,” in Jerry Maguire. He embodied Lestat and started the Mission Impossible film franchise.
Name This Nineties Star
When Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was a smash success, studios searched and searched for similar delinquent boys who could pull off all kinds of pranks. Zack Morris was the king of the pretenders, and this actor played him from 1988-1994 on one of the most popular teen shows of all time. He then dyed his hair back to its original color for a cult comedy in 1998. Zack Morris and this actor are one and the same - no matter how much this guy’s done, he will always be remembered for being the punk kid manipulator extraordinaire.
Name This Nineties Star
Much like all the other decades before or since, the nineties had its fair share of cutie crushes. But none of them screamed the girl next door more than Saved By The Bell’s Kelly Kapowski. She was far and away the nicest and most popular girl in school. So, it was a bit of a surprise when she went from nice girl to vixen in that other California zip code. As Valerie Malone, she came into Beverly Hills and inadvertently and sometimes on purpose stirred up trouble.
Name These Nineties Stars
Hailing from Tulsa, Oklahoma, this trio of brothers released their debut album, The Middle Of Nowhere in 1997. While they weren't around for most of the decade, they did help usher in the Bubble Gum Pop that closed out the decade. Powered by the single “MMMBop,” the brothers - Taylor, Zack, and Isaac somehow became a monster group for a few years. They even garnered Grammy nominations for Best New Artist, and Record Of The Year, and Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group.
Name These Nineties Stars
Before anyone ever heard of Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child, there was Left Eye, T-Boz, and Chilli. Three lovely ladies that somehow made dressing up in humongous baggy pants beautiful. With the release of their debut single, “What About Your Friends,” they hit the hip-hop scene full force. Despite run-ins with law, they would release their second album and the tour-de-force single, Waterfalls. The song would win every conceivable award it could win and remains one of the best hip-hop songs ever.
Name This Nineties Star
As a very young stand-up, this guy wowed Lorne Michaels enough to be invited to join the cast of Saturday Night Live. After he was fired, along with Chris Farley from the show, he starred in a trilogy of comedy classics Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, and The Waterboy. But it was his memorable turn in The Wedding Singer that would garner him some critical praise and propel him to more dramatic roles in the early aughts. But even to this day, this early part of his run is looked back in fondly.
Name These Nineties Stars
Full House was cheesy, schmaltzy, and extra saccharine. Besides introducing John Stamos to the masses, the show was supposed to be a starring vehicle for Bob Saget and his take on Danny Tanner would wind up being the start of a multimedia empire of movies, albums, clothes, and all kinds of accouterments. The twins’ company, Dualstar has had its ups and downs, but thanks to the early success of Full House and those royalties helped turn them into two of the wealthiest women in all of entertainment.
Name This Nineties Star
Home Improvement was a family sitcom starring Tim Allen. But for kids who read Tiger Beat magazine, they idolized middle child, Randy. He shares his dad's penchant for jokes but is also the most book smart of the three Taylor boys. While Randy might be his most known role, his voice is most known for playing young Simba in The Lion King. He also starred in Man Of The House with Chevy Chase. His nickname was JTT, but what did it stand for?
Name This Nineties Star
Wednesday Addams, indie darling, goth alt-rock crush girl. The nineties were full of appearances from this child actress who grew up during the decade. She started in Mermaids opposite Cher and another 90s icon, Winona Ryder. She then went on to become a bit of an icon when she played Wednesday. Before she grew into more mature roles, she also played in Casper. The cherub faced star would round out the decade in Tim Burton’s take on the legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Name This Nineties Star
During the nineties, this actor became the apple of many female fans eyes. He had stirring turns in Philadelphia and Interview With The Vampire before hooking action fans as well with his turn as El Mariachi in the revenge actioner, Desperado opposite nineties beauty, Salma Hayek. He also squared off against Stallone in the highly underrated Assassins. If you needed a Latin lover in the nineties, you called this guy, who also helped bring Zorro back to the big screen as well.
Name This Nineties Star
He broke out playing Willie Mays Hayes in the first Major League, but this guy was more than just laughs and became an action star throughout the nineties. Some of the biggest hits of the decade came from him – New Jack City, Passenger 57, Demolition Man, and U.S. Marshals. He also continued to star in comedies of the day like White Men Can’t Jump and To Wong Foo. Lest we not forget that towards the end of the decade, he kickstarted the entire comic book movie craze with Blade.
Name This Nineties Star
There’s a sense of danger whenever this actress comes on screen. Perhaps its due to the roles she takes. Maybe it’s her swagger and approach to the role. Or maybe it’s a little bit of both. She helped Gilbert Grape get through a rough patch in his life in the early part of the decade. But one year later, that sweet little girl who played Becky was swallowed whole by the mesmerizing performance she gave as Mallory Knox for director Oliver Stone.
Name This Nineties Star
Nowadays she is one of the most famous spokespersons for PETA in the world. But in the nineties she was tantalizing audiences as Darien in The Crush, not to mention a video vixen in not one, but three Aerosmith videos - Cryin, Amazing, and Crazy. She ended the decade as Batgirl in the least favorite received Bat-flick of all time. But in-between all of this, she starred as Cher Horowitz in one of the funniest movies of the decade - Clueless.
Name This Nineties Star
During the eighties, Hulkamania was running wild. Whether you were a wrestling fan or not, you knew who Hulk Hogan was. The same held true in the nineties for this character. He just clicked with anti-establishment and resonated with working class wrestling fans all across the world. This guy went out every Monday night and beat the heck out of his boss, while flipping him the bird and drinking copious amounts of beer in Vince McMahon’s ring. Who wouldn’t empathize and cheer for this guy – he became the biggest star the wrestling business had ever seen.
Name This Nineties Star
The first time fans saw this pop star was as a Mouseketeer on the Mickey Mouse Club. She would then embark on a solo run. While the better part of the decade was filled with grunge and gangster rap, she helped to usher in the return of so-called “bubblegum pop.” Her debut single, …Baby One More Time became the biggest selling album ever by a teenager. Why wouldn’t it? It was a decent catchy song with a dance video that featured this artist in a schoolgirl outfit. Controversial? Maybe, but it propelled her first album and name into the stratosphere.
Name This Nineties Star
This heartthrob became a chameleon of sorts during the nineties. Not afraid of hiding his beautiful looks under any and all kinds of makeup in any and all kinds of roles. From traditional good-looking rogue, J.D. in Thelma And Louise to playing Tyler Durden in Fight Club, his fearless acting style led him to all kinds of memorable roles. He spent the decade alternating between quirky roles and heartthrob roles. But perhaps his most star-making role of the decade was brash Detective Mills in the best and most haunting cop movie ever made, Se7en.
Name This Nineties Star
Thanks to Quentin Tarantino, the former Vinny Barbarino, this guy had a renascence during the decade. After he played Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, he was back in non-stop demand; he earned an Oscar nomination for the role. He would also have a memorable role in Get Shorty. He chewed up all kinds of scenery for John Woo in films like Face/Off. But the former Danny Zuko also showed some serious acting chops in dramas like Mad City, A Civil Action, and The General’s Daughter.
Name This Nineties Star
Blink and you would have missed him as troubled teen Luke Brower during the final season of Growing Pains. While he was a mere footnote on the popular sitcom, he would turn into a Hollywood powerhouse throughout his lifetime. It began with dramatic turns in films like This Boy’s Life, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, and The Basketball Diaries. But the world completely opened up for this kid when he jumped aboard James Cameron’s epic, Titanic; where he became, you know it - “the king of the world.”
Name This Nineties Star
If James Dean secretly had a kid, then Beverly Hills, 90210’s Dylan McKay would have to be him. He was the resident bad boy who instantly had new student Brenda Walsh crushing on him and her brother Brandon becoming fast friends with the guy. He helped define what cool was in the early part of the decade, and brought back long sideburns and pompadoured back in the process.
Name This Nineties Star
Most television celebrities are only known for one big iconic role throughout their entire lifetime. You've hit rarified air if you not only have two shows - but two in the same decade, is astronomically great luck and hard work. This wholesome family starlet starred one of the first kids shows for Nickelodeon - Clarissa Knows It All. After her run on that show, she'd get the chance to carry her own network show. Based off the popular Archie Comics series, she became Sabrina Spellman, the Teenage Witch.
Name This Nineties Star
He was the Fresh Prince of late eighties and early nineties rap. Then he became a charming, funny actor with his own sitcom, living the posh life in Bel-Air. Then he became the action star of the decade. Starring in Independence Day and Men In Black pretty much guaranteed that when the summer needs saving, you call this man. He saves the world and his country, he saves the galaxy, he saves Miami. He just couldn't save the Wild Wild West.
Name This Nineties Star
Seemingly overnight, this actress went from daytime soap opera player to vampire slaying mega star. She was a bit player in several movies and TV shows before jointing All My Children as Kendall Hart. Also during the decade she was part of several great movies like I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream 2. Of course her biggest claim to fame was being the star of one of the greatest cult shows of the decade - Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Name This Nineties Star
When you don the cape of the greatest and most inspiring superhero of all time, you instantly become an icon. No matter the decade. This actor would take part in guest spots on shows like A Different World and 90210. In 1997, he would hunt down Drew Barrymore in the heist comedy Best Men. In 1993, he would forever become part of the pantheon of comic book superheroes when he took on the role of Superman. Opposite, the smoldering Teri Hatcher, the duo is still today the most smoldering Lois And Clark ever.
Name This Nineties Star
The journey get Clerks made has become the stuff of Hollywood milk and honey lore. The writer and director of the now-classic comedy had sold his extensive comic book collection and maxed out a heap of credit cards in order to get his film made. It became a smash success and ol’ Silent Bob himself was off to the races as an indie-film darling and someone all wannabes would aspire to. It might be hard to imagine since they both surpassed him, but this guy also helped Good Will Hunting get made.
Name This Nineties Star
There were two great hairstyles in the nineties. One of them was the giant head of curls that adorned Keri “Felicity” Russell’s head. The other hairdo was simply called “The Rachel.” Named after Rachel Green on Friends, the hairstyle was worn of course by the actress that played her. In addition to becoming America’s Sweetheart while playing the iconic Friend, this actress began dating Brad Pitt, which would help give rise to even more tabloid media throughout the country.
Name This Nineties Star
The hoots and hollers from fans at Married…With Children tapings told the tale well enough - Kelly Bundy was a very beloved typical blond bimbo. But the actress behind the blonde Bundy was anything but. Besides tantalizing fans in as little clothing as the Fox network censors would allow, she starred in not one, but two comedies of the decade. She played Diane in Mafia, a send up of mob movies. She was also Sue Ellen in the cult classic, Don't Tell Mom...
Name This Nineties Star
He created several memorable characters during his run on Saturday Night Live. One of which, Wayne Campbell wound up getting not one but two movies where he and his buddy Garth running around saving their own show and then trying to put on their own o'clock festival. The other memorable SNL skit had him “fahklempt” when Barbra Streisand surprised the cast and cameoed. Perhaps even more successful than that would be when the actor went solo and created Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery.
Name This Nineties Star
It happens to so many young actors and actresses on TV shows. They're a part of a prime time sitcom cast as little cute toddlers or pre-teens. Then they go through the same changes everyone else goes through. They just have to do it pretty much right before the eyes of a bajillion TV viewers. That's what happened to the cast of Boy Meets World, but none more so than Topanga. She went from the nerdy girl next door to teenage beauty seemingly overnight.
Name This Nineties Star
The next door neighbor character on any sitcom is generally a complete out of control weirdo. Steve Urkel was all of these things, packaged in the body of a complete geek with high waisted pants, suspenders, and giant framed glasses. Always vying the affections of Laura Winslow meant he was always lurking around to bother her or annoy her father, Carl. He might have had a heart of gold, but he had no dexterity or tact, always adding an “did I do that?” anytime he inadvertently smashed something.
Name This Nineties Star
As the original Buffy, this actress still has plenty of fans that hold her Vampire Slayer antics in high regard. While she didn't have a lot big hits during the decade, she had enough co-starring roles to rack up memorable status. She was the girlfriend of Jennifer Connelly in John Singleton’s impactful Higher Learning. On the comedic side, the blond starlet melted hearts twice co-starring Charlie Sheen - most notably getting taken (or was she?) in the sweet and silly caper, The Chase.
Name This Nineties Star
The original J.Lo - after getting her start on Disney’s Kids Incorporated she would feature in Sister Act 2 before landing a role on the popular orphan drama, Party Of Five. Her status as a teen idol and mega crush steadily grew throughout the nineties. She starred in the teen rom-com, Can't Hardly Wait and her own franchise - I Know What You Did Last Summer. As a tour-de-force performer, she also released several albums, including her self titled album in 1996.
Name This Nineties Star
On any other show during this decade, he's the top star. He's got charm, muscles, and dimples for days. How could he be anything but the top star? Because he's on a show with perennial teenage prankster, Zack Morris. Once the frenemies quit fighting over Kelly and paired up with her and Jesse respectively, they would become besties. Bayside’s star jock became just another cog in Zack’s machine of crazy schemes. After The College Years ended, he would portray champion diver Greg Louganis as well as star on the modest hit, Pacific Blue.
Name This Nineties Star
Once Bayside moved from small town Indiana to Bayside, California Zack got himself a new next-door neighbor / best friend. Instead of Heather Hopper’s do-gooder Nikki, we got this actress’ do-gooder Jessie. She would try her best to be Zack’s conscience and voice of reason but winds up sucked into his schemes too. No wonder she got addicted to caffeine pills. Once she left High School, she took part of (and took it off) in the so-bad-it's-good box office failure, Showgirls.
Name This Nineties Star
When the Walsh’s moved from the cold and dismal Minnesota to the bright and warm lavish Beverly Hills zip code, Brandon had to learn really quick how to fit in. Which he did just by being a nice guy. He always looked out for all of his friends and tried to do the right thing, even when his buddies Steve and Dylan might not have been. He also starred in several films of the decade, Calendar Girl in particular received near continuous play on cable stations.
Name This Nineties Star
From bit parts to playing the crush in the comedy 8 Days A Week, to playing Bud Bundy’s love interest April in a possible spin-off episode. This respected powerhouse actress was known more for her style in nineties than her acting chops. Very few if any actresses had the tremendous head of curls like she had. She got to show off her phenomenal mane as well as her talents as the star of Felicity. Sadly, her haircut is largely to blame for the decline of the series.
Name This Nineties Star
While not a lot of stand-up comedy aficionados knew who this performer was in the late eighties, he still earned enough clout to get a shot at being on his own sitcom. It wasn't well-received at first, but NBC kept renewing it, and then an episode called “The Contest” aired. The show blew up from there and would go for nine seasons. It would wind up becoming one of the most popular TV shows of all time. Its eponymous star has been heralded as a comedic genius ever since.
Name This Nineties Star
We all love our beautiful blondes, don't we? They look impossibly gorgeous and as far as Hollywood is concerned, generally are at the very least decent actresses. Names like Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield come to mind. In the nineties, this Canuck cutie first started as the original Tool Girl, Lisa on Home Improvement. But it was her role on Baywatch as CJ Parker that would garner her worldwide adoration.
Name This Nineties Star
He had one of the best fight scenes of the decade as a thug looking for Patricia Arquette in True Romance. This big bear of a man also had roles in films like Crimson Tide, Fallen, and 8MM. But he will also be known for portraying Tony Soprano the firm but fair and calm but brute family but mafia family man on The Sopranos. The series debuted in 1999 and could definitely be seen as the first truly great must watch can't miss appointment TV show. That's very much thanks to this man.
Name This Nineties Star
Much like her counterpart, Pamela Anderson, this funny lady first got noticed for her physique and beauty. She was much more than that. She gained a lot of fans with the MTV generation as the co-host of the dating game, Singled Out. The blond beauty also starred in two sitcoms of her very own and was a celebrity at WrestleMania XI. Perhaps her most high-profile gig of the decade was starring in the South Park creator's second feature film, Basketball.
Name This Nineties Star
From the muddy banks of the Wishkah in Washington came the band that helped bring grunge rock to the masses. Nirvana’s second album, Nevermind was that proverbial “assault on the senses,” that signaled a new movement was beginning. With the band front and center of a movement that defied to be defined as a movement, Nirvana’s lead singer did all he could to rally against being the figurehead for corporate shills. Depending on the story you believe, he sadly took his life. But his music and legacy live on.