10 Actors You Probably Forgot Were In Sci-Fi Movies
4. Gene Simmons - Runaway (1984)
Gene Simmons chose an unusual film to make his Hollywood debut with.
On paper, Runaway looked impressive. For one thing, it was being written and directed by the late Michael Crichton, the genius mind behind Jurassic Park and the original Westworld.
The presence of Tom Selleck as the film’s protagonist, a police officer assigned to track down dangerous robots in a society based sometime in the near future, also bode well for it being an enjoyable watch.
Anyone predicting Simmons would struggle in his first major role as the film’s sociopathic villain Dr Charles Luther was also left eating their words once the film was released with the Kiss musician earning positive reviews in his big debut.
It was an unexpected turn for Simmons though, who had shown little appetite for science fiction cinema prior to bagging the part and wasn't necessarily an obvious choice to play a scientist, given his rock star persona. He nevertheless threw himself into the role with gusto and his performance remains one of the big highlights.
Unfortunately for Selleck, Crichton and Simmons, however, Runaway ended up performing badly at the box office, with The Terminator, a low-budget sci-fi tale also centred around killer robots, hogging the spotlight alongside Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.
Despite the lukewarm response, it remains Simmons's biggest and best film role to date.