9. C. Thomas Howell
All started well for C. Thomas. In 1983 he landed a coveted role in Francis Ford Coppola's
The Outsiders, alongside the likes of Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon and Tom Cruise, followed that up with
Red Dawn (again with Swayze) and was one of two actors in the running to play Marty McFly in
Back to the Future. By this point he'd won a Young Artist Award and was a bonafide teen pin-up. Most people know him most through
The Hitcher - where he gives a commanding performance as the terrified and tortured Jim Halsey, leading many to think a new star had landed. However, after that it all went down hill. His follow up,
Soul Man, was poorly received ( not because he 'blacked up' but because it was rubbish) and from there he watched his career sink down the crapper. A string of never-to-be-heard-of-again films went straight to video, including
Kid, Curiosity Kills, Side Out and
A Tiger's Tale, and so he began the 90's in a slump. This slump soon became the norm with more bargain bin fodder such as
Treacherous, That Night, Jailbait, To Protect and Serve and
Acting on Impulse. To date he's more renowned for starring in and directing the mockbuster
The Day The Earth Stopped - a film designed to cash in on the blockbuster remake
The Day The Earth Stood Still (earning a mega-threat of legal action from 20th Century Fox). The sad thing is he's unrecognisable from the chiselled hero of the 80's. Time, fame (or something more sinister) has seemingly taken its toll.