#30. Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Milano got famous as a child star on Who's the Boss? playing Tony Danza's daughter. She worked in several movies and TV shows and in the 1990s, she became a household name. She was the typical girl next door that everybody loved thanks to her role in Melrose Place. After that, she went on to star in the iconic show Charmed. But after the show ended, she mostly starred in commercials.
Nowadays, Milano is 47 years old and although she still has a passion for acting, she has spent most of her time pursuing other things, such as writing. She released a graphic novel called Hacktivist in 2015 and has also done a lot of charity work and political activism. It has been a long time since she's had a leading role, and we hope to see her work on another TV show or movie soon.
#29. Jessica Biel
Jessica Biel is a household name now, but back in the 1990s, she was still a fresh face. Her first job was actually modeling and she trained to become a singer, but she ended up doing neither of those things. Her very first acting role came in 1997 with Ulee's Gold, which put her on the young Hollywood map. After that, she got more and more roles and achieved true celebrity status in the 2000s.
She then became the other half of popstar Justin Timberlake and has appeared on countless movies. She definitely had a dorky side to her back in the day, but now she is pure Hollywood glamour. She is best known nowadays for her role as main actress and producer of The Sinner, for which she got nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe. It is safe to say she has come a long way and is doing much better now.
#28. Keri Russell
The world got to know Keri Russell in 1998 thanks to her role in Felicity, where the played the title character. The series revolved around a freshman student at University and touched on subjects every student could relate to. It was a smash hit and got her a Golden Globe. But after the show ended, we did not hear much about Russell, who had become a huge star at that point, and she kind of faded away.
Russell decided to focus on her personal life rather than her career for a long time. She had three kids and in 2013, she made a big comeback as part of the cast of The Americans. Her most recent role was in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and is currently working on a Broadway stage show. She has barely changed and has only left her curls behind.
#27. Sarah Michelle Gellar
Who could forget how huge Sarah Michelle Gellar was in the '90s. She rose to fame as the star of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which was a huge hit worldwide. The show lasted from 1997 to 2003 and remains a part of pop culture today. She also appeared on several movies during that time, both in the comedy and the horror genres.
She then kind of disappeared from the spotlight to raise her children with Freddy Prince Jr. and made a comeback in 2011. She decided to stick to television rather than film and appeared on several series such as Ringer and The Crazy Ones. She is not the huge star she used to be, but she will always have a place in TV history as one of the most iconic teen idols of the turn of the century.
#26. Alicia Silverstone
Alicia Silverstone became mega famous overnight when she starred in Aerosmith's music video for Cryin, which caused the offers to pour in and she suddenly had plenty of projects to work on. Her biggest role in the '90s was of course her starring part in Clueless, which transformed her into a teen idol and earned her a contract with Columbia Pictures for millions of dollars. After that, however, we didn't hear much from her.
Even though she had potential to become a huge superstar, she decided to work on theater and small-scale movies, and later stopped acting for a few years to focus on motherhood. She is mostly having minor roles sporadically and is also doing as much as she can to promote animal rights.
#25. Tara Reid
Tara Reid's charm and acting ability got her pretty far in the 1990s, and her breakout role came with the American Pie franchise, which was incredibly successful all around the world. She quickly became one of the most talked about celebrities and she had tons of projects going on. However, her personal life got in the way of her acting career.
She got herself in a lot of trouble with her excessive partying and a few scandals here and there, especially regarding the excessive plastic surgery she underwent in a matter of months. Then, she just kind of vanished. She made a comeback a few years ago thanks to the Sharknado franchise, but that has certainly impaired her chances of getting any serious roles any time soon. Hopefully she will find something better in the future.
24. Angie Harmon
Angie Harmon wowed everyone with her incredible beauty and luscious long, black hair in the late 1990s. She actually got into acting when she was discovered by David Hasselhof on a plane, which is crazy enough. Her breakout role was in Law & Order, where she worked until 2001. From then on, she decided to focus on getting roles on the big screen rather than on television.
Unfortunately, she wasn't so lucky with her film career and returned to television. She has had a few appearances here and there, but no starring roles. Still, she has been doing pretty well on television and has not aged a day. These pictures seem like they were taken just weeks apart!
#23. Mandy Moore
Mandy Moore was everywhere in the 1990s. She started out as a singer signed with Epic Records and released several successful singles such as Candy and So Real, which were hits among teenagers. She mostly focused on singing until she made her film debut in 2001, and her career completely changed directions.
She then focused on acting and left her singing career behind, a move which she admitted to regretting years later. Still, she has found plenty of success as an actress and has starred in the series This Is Us for several seasons now. She has gotten a few nominations for her perfomance on the show, and she also became a Disney princess thansk to her role as Rapunzel in Tangled.
#22. Janet Jackson
Although her brother Michael Jackson became one of the most recognizable artists of the 20th century, Janet Jackson didn't fall that much behind. She made a whole career of her own both as a singer and as an actress, especially during the 1980s. She got an impressive record deal with A&M Records and released several hit albums with the company. Her talent and good looks led her to superstardom.
Unfortunately, due to the 2004 Super Bowl incident, her career was almost completely destroyed. Because her chest was accidentally exposed on television, she was all of a sudden blacklisted from all TV channels and it took her a long time to recover. Still, she is one of the highest-selling recording artists of all time, and is nowadays doing just fine in her mansion and her millions of dollars in the bank.
#21. Liv Tyler
Liv Tyler was first known as Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler's daughter, but later made a career of her own. She started with modeling and later shifted to acting in 1994. She quickly became one of the most demanded young actresses in Hollywood and appeared in several movies, as well as in her father's music videos. She was a beauty icon and endorsed many products for several companies. She basically had it all during the '90s!
When the '90s came to an end, Tyler gained even more recognition as an actress and appeared in the Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as several other movies. Her career slowed down a little in the 2010s until she became part of the cast on the HBO show The Leftovers in 2014. She has done some more TV since then, but no leading roles.
#20. Yasmine Bleeth
Yasmine Bleeth was one of the iconic lifeguards on Baywatch, a show where everyone looked like a supermodel. Her incredible good looks got her a lot of attention in the '90s, and she posed for countless magazine covers during that time. Her role on the show also got her several other offers and she seemed to have a promising career ahead of her. Sadly, her personal demons got in the way of her career and it all came crumbling down.
In 2000, Bleeth was arrested for possession and checked into a rehabilitation facility. She spent several years battling her addiction, which took her away from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. After over ten years of not doing any work, she made a comeback to acting with a minor role in Beautiful Evil in 2014.
#19. Jenny Garth
Beverly Hills 90210 was one of the top teen shows of the '90s. The series was about a group of rich teenagers living in California and all the drama surrounding them, and its stars became famous overnight. One of these stars was Jenny Garth, who played the typical girl next door on the show.
Her role on the show opened many doors for her and she acted in several made-for-TV movies. In the 2000s, her career slowed down. She only did minor roles and had a stint on Dancing with the Stars, where many people believe careers go to die. There had been plans to get her her own reality show, but it never happened. Nowadays she is focusing on her online business, which sells gift boxes designed for mothers.
#18. Tori Spelling
Of course, if we are talking about Beverly Hills 90210 we have to talk about Tori Spelling. Spelling was also one of the stars on the show and her father, Aaron Spelling, was the creator. Because her father was in charge, many people believed she only got acting roles through nepotism, which became a challenge for her to overcome. Slowly but surely, she showed everyone that she could get roles on her own without anyone's help.
She hasn't appeared in any huge blockbusters but has had a steady flow of work for decades. She also had her own reality show, which revolved around her marriage to Dean McDermott and their struggles as a couple. She has appeared on several other reality shows and has had her fair share of scandals, so it is safe to say she knows how to stay in the spotlight.
#17. Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek was regarded as one of the most gorgeous women in the world when she first came to fame, but she quickly proved to everyone that she was much more than a pretty face. She began her career in her home country, Mexico, and moved to Hollywood in 1991. From then on, she starred in many films and also did some television work. It wasn't until after the '90s that she became a worldwide star, however.
Her big break came with Frida in 2002, a biopic about artists Frida Khalo. After that, the roles just kept on coming. She has worked on comedy, romance, and drama, proving her range. Maintaining a career for so many years isn't easy, but she has managed to stay on top this whole time, all while not aging a single day.
#16. Christina Applegate
Anyone who lived through the '90s knowsChrstina Applegate. Her breakthrough role was as Kelly Bundy in the classic sitcom Married... with Children, which aired all throughout the decade, and she later had many other roles on television and film. She even won an Emmy for her supporting role in Friends, and it can't get more '90s than that, can it?
Although she is not the huge star she used to be, she has always had work to do. She has mostly worked in the comedy genre, and her most recent work was Netflix's Dead to Me in 2018. The show received positive reviews and also earned her an Emmy nomination, While she was all over the news back in the day, she now lives a pretty quiet life.
#15. Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei was one of the biggest breakout stars of the '90s, and that came with very high highs and very low lows. She actually won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1992 for her role in the comedy My Cousin Vinny, and she received a lot of backlash for it. Firstly, because comedies are not taken seriously when it comes to the Oscars, and secondly, because people thought other nominees deserved it more.
Therefore, even though she was an Academy Award winner, she had to fight hard to earn her place in Hollywood - and she certainly did. After that rocky decade, Tomei solidified herself as an actress and got many significant roles, her most recent one being Aunt May on the Spiderman movies. Also, can we talk about how this woman is 55 years old?
#14. Stacey Dash
Stacey Dash, along with Alicia Silverstone, was one of the breakout stars from the movie Clueless, which as we've mentioned before, was immensely successful. Silverstone decided to move on to other roles, while Dash stuck with the franchise and was a part of the Clueless television series for a few years. After that, she kind of disappeared.
Dash made a 180° turn and decided to become a political commentator instead of an actress. She has been very outspoken about her conservative views and worked for Fox News for some time. In 2019, however, she was involved in a huge scandal as she was arrested for domestic abuse against her husband, Jeffey Marty. Since then, she has been keeping a low profile.
#13. Michelle Williams
Like many of the stars on our list, Michelle Williams was a teen idol in the '90s. She starred alongside Katie Holmes in the very successful teen drama Dawson's Creek, which allowed her to get several other roles and eventually move on to more mature roles. She mostly focused on independent films for many years until she had her big cinematic break after the '90s.
Her breakthrough was in the iconic Brokeback Mountain, through which she also met the father of her child, the late Heath Ledger. The movie earned her her first Academy Award nomination, after which three more followed. She has appeared in many films since then and gotten numerous accolades. While she went through a rough patch after Ledger's passing, she got back on her feet and moved on a couple years later.
#12. Brandy
Brandy came in the music scene like a wrecking ball. In 1993, she released her first album titled Brandy, which went quadruple platinum in the United States alone and sold over six million copies around the world. She also pursued an acting career at the same time and starred in the sitcom Moesha. Her second album was twice as successful as the first and she really seemed like she was going to be the next big popstar of the century, but that was not the case.
The 2000s weren't good for her career and she struggled to sell her records. In 2006, she was involved in a car accident where she accidentally took the life of another person. This caused her career to almost crumble and she took time off. She made a comeback in the 2010s with her own reality show. Even though she hasn't had the success she had in the '90s again, she is still one of the highest-selling female artists of all time.
#11. Gwen Stefani
The '90s welcomed Gwen Stefani to the music world and people loved her. She was the singer of ska band No Doubt, which sold many records worldwide. The band experimented with very different sounds and brought something new to mainstream music. Stefani always stood out and got plenty of fame on her own, but it wasn't until after the '90s that she became the solo superstar that we know and love today.
Her first solo album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. came out in 2004, which broke records everywhere. Her second album wasn't as successful, but that did not slow Stefani down. She has won several awards both with the band and as a solo artist, and she is still making music. Nowadays she spends most of her time as a judge on The Voice alongside her long-time boyfriend Blake Shelton. Also, she still looks like she's in her 30s, wow.
#10. Shannen Doherty
Since we've talked about Tori Spelling and Jenny Garth, we have to talk about the queen of all, Shannen Doherty. She was the mean girl on Beverly Hills 90210 everyone loved to hate, and she was quite the mean girl off screen too. She famously had so many conflicts with her co-stars that she was kicked off the show, but that did not hurt her career. If anything, she became more popular thanks to her mean girl image.
Through the late '90s she starred in Charmed alongside Alyssa Milano. The two also did not get along and Doherty was kicked out of that show as well. After that, however, her career did slow down. She has worked on small projects and reprised her role of Brenda on the spin-off and sequel to 90210. She is currently taking a break from acting because she is battling breast cancer. Hopefully she will get better soon!
#9. Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt achieved teen-star status thanks to her role in Party of Five, a series that ran from 1995 to 1999. Her big break into film was the horror movie I Know What You Did Last Summer, which was very successful at the time. Unlike many other teen stars, she managed to shift her career as she became an adult.
In the 2000s, Hewitt started starring in romantic comedies and later moved on to her own show, Ghost Whisperer, which was about a woman who solved mysteries by speaking with the dead. After that, she basically only worked in police dramas. Her career went through many changes, but what didn't change at all is her face. She still looks totally the same!
#8. Melissa Joan Hart
Melissa Joan Hart was all over the small screen in the '90s. She first starred in Clarissa Explains It All which got her quite the teen following, but her true big break came with Sabrina the Teenage Witch. The show was immensely popular and ran for seven years. Her popularity opened many doors for her and she also starred in a few movies, but after the '90s were over, she faded into obscurity.
She only had minor roles and appearances in made-for-TV movies over the years. She also opened up a candy shop, which was her childhood dream, but it was forced to close because a former employee sued her for racial discrimination. She has mostly appeared in religious films and has focused on raising her children in recent years and has also done some work as a director here and there.
#7. Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst is one of the very few child stars who actually made it in Hollywood as an adult. Her very first role came in 1988 when she was just six years old, and she got parts in pretty big movies over the years. Her breakthrough role was in 1994's Interview with the Vampire when she was twelve, and from then on, she became a star. She appeared in several teen movies, most notably in Bring It On.
She also did very well in the following years, starring in the Spiderman trilogy as Mary Jane and on many other movies. In the last decade, she has mostly worked on independent films and has even done some directorial work and screenwriting. She has shied away from the spotlight and enjoys keeping her life and her relationship to Jesse Plemons private.
#6. Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder is a '90s icon, but she never had it easy. She became a huge star thanks to her role in Beetlejuice in 1988, but her success caused her to be heavily bullied at school. She basically gew up in front of the screen and got into a highly-publicized relationship with Johnny Depp from 1988 to 1994.
She had very great moments in the 1990s, but the 2000s weren't so good to her. She had an accident on the set of Alien Resurrection where she almost drowned, and that incident, coupeld with her trauma from high school, caused her to suffer from depression. She was also arrested for shoplifting in 2001 and her career to a huge dive. She made a comeback in 2016 thanks to Stranger Things, and everything seems to be going well.
#5. Uma Thurman
It is hard to imagine Uma Thurman doing anything other than actress, but she actually started out as a model in the 1980s. In the early '90s, she transitioned into films and quickly displayed not only her talent, but her range. She worked on everything from comedy, to action, to drama and romance. In 1994, she iconically became Quentin Tarantino's muse, starting with her role in Pulp Fiction.
As we all know, she went on to become one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood... until her face changed. She went on hiatus for a while and in 2015, she emerged looking very different, which caused a stir online. In the last couple of years, she has mostly appeared in television and has kept a very low profile. Hopefully, she will get back to making movies soon.
#4. Britney Spears
Britney Spears dominated the charts right from the moment her first ever single, Baby One More Time, hit the radio in 1998. She emerged in the very late '90s, but those two years left on the decade were totally hers. She could do no wrong, and every album she put out was a critical and commercial success. During the 2000s, however, things weren't so good for Britney, not only as far as her career went, but also in her private life.
Following the series of scandals and personal issues Britney had in 2007, she took some time off to focus on herself. She didn't make a proper comeback until two years later, when she seemed to be doing much better. She slowly climbed back to the top and is now dominating the charts once more. She also hasn't gotten herself in any trouble in years, so good for her!
#3. Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez is one of those very few people in the world who can do basically everything, all while not aging a single day. She exploded into stardom in the '90s thanks to her portrayal of Selena Quintanilla in Selena, and she has proven herself as an actress, singer, and dancer. She quickly got more and more movie deals as the years went by, and her albums sold like hotcakes.
She has stayed extremely relevant over the years, and especially her singing career has been very lucrative for her. She has had many singles topping the charts and is considered one of the most influential celebrities in history. She did go through some setbacks between 2006 and 2009, but her career recovered in 2010 and is now better than ever.
#2. Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson exploded into fame as a sex symbol in the '90s thanks to her role in Baywatch. She went on to be on basically every magazine out there, most notably on several covers of Playboy. In fact, her first cover on the magazine is what got her the audition to be on Baywatch. She did plenty of modeling work as well as acting, but the 2000s weren't as kind to her as the '90s were.
Her rocky relationships, especially with Tommy Lee, got her plenty of attention from the media and a sex tape of her and Lee was stolen from her home. Their relationship eventually went up in flames and they had an intense custody battle for their kids. Once her personal issues settled, she focused on her career again. She hasn't enjoyed the same level of success she used to have, but seems to be doing well.
#1. Jennifer Aniston
Nothing screams "'90s" louder than Jennifer Aniston. She came to fame thanks to her leading role as Rachel in Friends, which was of course one of the most successful shows at that time. Her haircut on the show caused such a revolution that it was named "the Rachel" and countless women ran to the hair salon to get it done. She was making the world laugh and setting trends all at once.
Although the other actors from the show have had their fair share of success, she is actually the only one from the cast who managed to break "the TV curse" and venture into the big screen. She is now one of the biggest stars in the world and has starred in more movies one person could watch in a lifetime. Also, how is this woman 50 years old? She looks much better than she did before!