Video and cinema, like photography, have become a way for us to travel back in time and revisit different eras, situations, and tales. It’s the screen that allows us to not only look back at great performers and leading men who defined an era, but also to see them now, with the changes that time and the passage of time have brought about in their looks.
Daily Highlight would like to journey back in time to examine how the top guys of the 1980s and 1990s have changed.
1. John Travolta
Source: © Blow Out / Filmways Pictures and co-producers, © johntravolta / Instagram
Multifaceted as they come, John Travolta has enthralled people with his on-screen appearances, together with his dances, productions, and even songs. After leaving millions of people speechless with his performance in Grease, he rose to prominence in the 1980s when he appeared in films such as Blow Out and Staying Alive. Travolta’s appearances in movies like Trading Paint and Pulp Fiction have kept him relevant on the big screen.
2. Richard Gere
Source: © American Gigolo / Paramount Pictures and co-producers, © Invision / Invision / East News
Richard Gere is a well-known actor who has made a name for himself on the big screen. Although he began acting in films in the 1970s, it was in the 1980s that he became most known for his role in the film American Gigolo. The success he gained from that film was just the beginning of a long list of accomplishments he would amass over the years. With the well-known film, Pretty Woman, and more recently, The Dinner, he left no one unmoved in the 1990s.
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3. Christopher Lambert
In the 1980s, cinemas screened numerous films starring Christopher Lambert, a French actor who rose to prominence in Hollywood blockbusters. Some of his best-known roles from that period were Greystoke, The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, and Highlander, and later blockbusters like Resurrection and Ghost Rider followed.
4. Kurt Russell
Source: © Tango & Cash / Warner Bros. and co-producers, © F9 / Universal Pictures and co-producers
Kurt Russell was born into a family of a dancer and an actor, and he started his acting career in the 1960s. Russell continued to become among the most famous faces in action flicks. He featured in famous movies such as Big Trouble in Little China and Tango & Cash in the 1980s, and most lately, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Christmas Chronicles, and Fast and Furious 9.
5. Rob Lowe
Source: © The Outsiders / Zoetrope Studios and co-producers, © roblowe / Instagram
Rob Lowe began his career as a model, but after featuring in a number of plays, he became more enthusiastic in acting. He starred in films in the 1980s, but it was likely The Outsiders, in which he co-starred alongside Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, and Ralph Macchio, that cemented his international fame. He recently featured in Super Troopers 2 and How to Be a Latin Lover, among other films.
6. Tom Selleck
Source: © High Road to China / City Films and co-producers, © Blue Bloods / CBS Productions and co-producers
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Selleck began his acting career. He is a man who is always distinguished by his elegance — and, of course, his famous mustache. His most well-known roles include the private detective protagonist Magnum, P.I. from the 1980s series, as well as his character in Three Men and a Baby. He is still active now and may be seen on the TV show Blue Bloods.
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7. Harrison Ford
Even though he had been performing for some time, his path to success and worldwide fame came only in the late 1970s and early 1980s. George Lucas, the renowned creative filmmaker, granted him the chance to appear in some of his most popular and remembered films, including Star Wars. As a result, Harrison Ford became Han Solo, and then Indiana Jones. The rest, as they say, is Hollywood history.
Source: © The Empire Strikes Back / Lucasfilm, © LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP / East News
8. Michael Douglas
Source: © Romancing the Stone / Twentieth Century Fox and co-producers, © michaelkirkdouglas / Instagram
Michael Douglas, the gifted son of legendary actor Kirk Douglas, followed in his father’s footsteps to become a well-known actor. With roles in major films from the 1980s and 1990s, such as Basic Instinct, he demonstrated that he was naturally born an actor. That may explain why, at the age of 77, he continues to appear in major films like Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers: Endgame, as well as TV shows like The Kominsky Method.
9. Matt Dillon
Source: © My Bodyguard / Twentieth Century Fox and co-producers, © mattdillon / Instagram
Matt Dillon, an actor and film and television producer, was another popular leading man in the 1980s and 1990s. His performances in films such as The Outsiders, Him Die For, and There’s Something About Mary helped to establish his reputation as a critically and popularly appreciated actor.
10. Matthew Broderick
Source: © WarGames / United Artists and co-producers, © Lev Radin / Pacific Press / SIPA / SIPA / East News
Matthew Broderick inherited his parents’ enthusiasm for art and acting, and as a result, he has become a sought-after performer. In the 1990s, he acted in films such as Godzilla and Inspector Gadget, and more recently, he appeared in films such as Lazy Susan.
11. Devon Sawa
Source: © Wild America / Morgan Creek Entertainment and co-producers, © d.sawa / Instagram
In 1995, he became famous for playing the human version of Casper, the lovable little ghost. Further success followed in the year 2000, and he continued his career with the film Final Destination. Devon Sawa appeared in the movie Gasoline Alley in 2022 alongside Bruce Willis and Luke Wilson.
12. John Cusack
Source: © Class / Orion Pictures, © Pursuit / Cartouche and co-producers
Another name from that era that is still remembered today is John Cusack. With films like Being John Malkovich, Cusack was able to reach millions of people and earn a well-deserved place among Hollywood’s stars.
13. James Spader
This actor is perhaps best recognized for his portrayal of Raymond Reddington in the hit TV show The Blacklist. His acting profession, on the other hand, has a lengthy and illustrious past. James Spader starred in Stargate and Crash in the 1980s.
14. Alan Ruck
Source: © Ferris Bueller’s Day Off / Paramount Pictures, © Succession / Project Zeus and co-producers
This iconic actor has appeared in films such as Ferry’s Bueller’s Day Off, Star Trek: Next Generation, and Speed. He was most recently seen in the production The Dropout, which he co-starred in with actress Amanda Seyfried.
Do you recall any other leading males from the 1980s and 1990s? What’s your favorite film from this time period?
