when you think about actors who could have been great but never happened, who do you think of and why (scandal, poor movie choices, etc)?

First name that comes to mind ... River Phoenix

Jan-Michael Vincent (was great when he was sober, lost his way when the booze took over)

Cuba Gooding Jr. (I've been scratching my head over every film choice this guy has made since "Jerry Maguire".)

Robert Forster (Poor movie choices for several decades.)

Edward Norton, he is great, but lately :/

Is that a reflection of Norton phoning it in or just because there hasn't been any great roles for him to choose from?

but....he died, so how can you make a statement like that with only the few movies (most he got good reviews for) he made prior to, um...dying?

I think it falls under the "squandered" category since he died of an OD.

John Belushi (looking burned out as early as "Continental Divide")

Todd Bridges ("Different Strokes")

Macaulay Culkin (Kit's a helluva dad )

Bobby Driscoll ("Song of the South")

Woody Harrelson (could have been A-list after "Natural Born Killers")

Lukas Haas ("Witness")

Anne Heche ("Psycho" remake)

Olivia Hussey (what happened after "Romeo and Juliet"? )

David Janssen ("The Fugitive")

Juliette Lewis (see Harrelson)

Sal Mineo ("Rebel Without a Cause")

Jay North ("Dennis the Menace")

Dana Plato (see Bridges)

Freddie Prinze ("Chico and the Man")

River Phoenix is the definitive answer to the thread question.

Had the most potential...

Christian Slater was huge coming out of the 80's with Heathers and Gleaming the Cube but he can't stay out of jail. Robert Downey, Jr. is having a rebirth but he really could have been great. Likewise Charlie Sheen.

Val Kilmer's reported on-set behaviour really killed his career. His looks have really taken a beating too. I've seen him in a few movies and really liked him.

Val Kilmer? Really? If squandering means doing stuff like Spartan and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, I hope he continues.

They could have been great?

classic!

I'd say ODing on drugs is the same as squandering your own downfall.

Wesley Snipes is definitely another good suggestion. I have to wonder if he was blacklisted?

I really thought that Rutger Hauer was going to be great after seeing him play Roy Batty. Unfortunately(although I do enjoy some of these movies), he went the B movie route. I also thought that Mickey Rourke was going to have a bigger career after seeing him in The Pope of Greenwich Village.

Gerard Butler comes off the box office smash 300 to star in an Escape from NY remake!

Wesley Snipes career: what happens when you always bet on black.

His career is so bad right now that it's only a matter of time until he takes Joe Rogan up on a smackdown.

Steven Seagal

George Reeves-(Superman)-and then the show goes off the air the man could not get job.


William Holden great actor by loved to drink way to much,he got very old very fast because of it

.
Marilyn Monroe she could had be much better actress if she had tried harder.

Try again.