10 Best One-Hit-Wonder Actors
You know of one hit wonders in the music world, but what about actors who had only one good role?
One of the most difficult aspects of any actor's career is finally getting that one part that sets them apart from their peers. Most well-known actors have a part like that, even if they've gone on to perform in some seriously good roles for years after, but you always think of that one role when thinking of the actor.
For someone like Tom Cruise, it's probably Maverick from Top Gun while Arnold Schwarzenegger is, and always will be, the Terminator. While those parts were memorable, both actors went on to star in tons of movies, and most of them were amazing... but what about the actors who only ever managed one incredible role?
Those actors are the rare "One-Hit-Wonders" of the acting world. They may have gone on to perform in plenty of roles after their huge hit, but nothing ever came close to the role we all know them for years and years later.
One-Hit-Wonder actors are relatively rare, and some of the ones on this list might surprise you. The ones identified weren't selected because they're not good at their craft; rather, they were chosen because they only had that one amazing role throughout their entire career.
10. Linda Blair
Linda Blair's long career began in 1970 with The Way We Live Now, but it was her performance as Regan MacNeil in 1973's The Exorcist that made her a household name. That movie was iconic and stands as one of the most important films of the genre, but it didn't help Blair land many roles.
Blair's work on The Exorcist was criticized as being blasphemous, but that was more of a criticism of the movie as a whole. Despite this, she was able to continue working as an actress throughout the 1970s, '80s, and into well into the '10s. Most of her work in the 2000s has been on shorts, television films, and documentaries.
All-told, Blair has dozens of film and television roles spanning nearly 50 years of working in Hollywood, but she's really only known for two things: her work on The Exorcist, and the fact that she's dated Rick Springfield, Rick James, and a host of other musicians—you have to admit, she's got a type.
Blair's most recent film role was as Helen Harris in Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel, and she appeared as herself in the episode "Scream Queens" of RuPaul's Drag Race, which only helped to reinforce her one-hit-wonder status as it relates to The Exorcist.