Take a nostalgic trip back to the era of shoulder pads and big hair as we celebrate the underappreciated stars who helped shape 80s pop culture! From beloved sitcom icons to John Hughes movie regulars, these performers left an indelible mark on entertainment that deserves recognition.
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00:00Do I smell like somebody took a pic?
00:02We are the bosses of any D-H-O-S-T.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the totally awesome celebrities
00:11who helped define the 1980s, but aren't always remembered as brightly as some of their contemporaries.
00:17We'll be excluding musical artists, however, as they deserve a list of their own.
00:21Nobody puts pay beautiful on it.
00:27Number 10. Bronson Pinchot
00:29Talk about an 80s scene stealer.
00:31Following an appearance in Risky Business,
00:33Bronson Pinchot would go on to make a splash in 1984's Beverly Hills Cop as Serge,
00:38the eccentric art gallery worker.
00:40Demonstrating his versatile acting chops opposite Eddie Murphy,
00:43Pinchot proved he had a penchant for comedic timing.
00:46Don't cover this up.
00:48It's like the wrist of a dog to scrub for the customer.
00:51It's not sexy.
00:52Of course, his true rise to fame came with the role of Balki Bartokomis on the sitcom Perfect Strangers.
00:58It's here that he charmed audiences with his portrayal of an overly optimistic immigrant
01:03from the fictional Mediterranean island of Mipos.
01:08A true fan favorite, Pinchot would continue acting in later years,
01:12but nothing quite matched the impact of his 80s stardom.
01:26Number 9. Phoebe Cates
01:27If you grew up in the 80s, you definitely remember Phoebe Cates.
01:35Heck, she's featured in one of the most rewatched moments in movie history.
01:39You know the one.
01:40The infamous pool scene in 1982's Fast Times at Richmond High.
01:49And while that role is certainly burned in the brains of 80s teens,
01:53Cates also appeared in the darkly comic Gremlins movies,
01:56proving she had ranged beyond her iconic teen comedy role.
01:59Her decision to mostly step away from the limelight to focus on family life
02:03may have contributed to her often being overlooked,
02:06but Phoebe Cates' influence on 80s pop culture is undeniable.
02:10Number 8. Shelley Long
02:12I'm starting to get scared.
02:13Oh, no.
02:14Something always seems to screw us up.
02:16Usually it's you.
02:19Sometimes it's me.
02:20Before shows like Friends and The Big Bang Theory,
02:23Cheers ruled the airwaves as the biggest sitcom on television,
02:26and Shelley Long was a key reason why.
02:29As the snooty yet quirky Diane Chambers,
02:32Long helped define the show's early seasons alongside Ted Danson's Sam Malone.
02:36And while her work on Cheers earned her an Emmy and Golden Globe Awards,
02:41Long eventually left the show to pursue a film career.
02:47She would go on to showcase her affability in such 80s films
02:50as The Money Pit and Troop Beverly Hills.
02:52Meanwhile, 90s audiences developed a soft spot for her
02:55as the matriarch in the Brady Bunch films.
02:58Cindy, that's Mr. Dittmeyer's business.
03:01Remember, nobody likes a snitch.
03:03Number 7. Elizabeth Shue
03:05So how do you like the valley so far?
03:07Well, it hasn't been dull.
03:09Miss Newark dull?
03:11How'd you know I was from Newark?
03:13I asked.
03:14If you needed a charismatic girl next door type in the 1980s,
03:18Elizabeth Shue was no doubt the go-to actress.
03:21For starters, she starred opposite Ralph Macchio in The Karate Kid as Ally,
03:25the love interest of both Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence.
03:29Shue would later steal the show in 1987's Adventures in Babysitting
03:33and 1988's Cocktail.
03:35I wanted to come by and thank you for helping out yesterday.
03:39That's all right. How's she doing?
03:41She has a hangover.
03:44She even stepped into the Back to the Future franchise,
03:46taking over the role of Jennifer Parker from Claudia Wells.
03:49And though she's had a steady career since,
03:51including a memorable role in The Boys,
03:54many forget just how important Elizabeth Shue was in shaping 80s pop culture.
03:59You look amazing.
04:01Oh, thank you. So do you.
04:03God, when was the last time we saw each other?
04:05I think it was senior year.
04:07Number 6. Steve Guttenberg
04:09Carrie Mahoney.
04:10I'm George Martin.
04:11Wish me pals, George. You're an interesting guy.
04:14Few actors had a streak like Steve Guttenberg did in the 1980s.
04:18He was the face of three major film franchises,
04:21Police Academy, Cocoon, and Three Men and a Baby.
04:24Thanks to Guttenberg's everyman charm and comedic timing,
04:27he was one of the most bankable stars of the decade.
04:30While his career eventually slowed down in later years,
04:33there was a time when he was practically everywhere.
04:36In early 2025, the actor proved he was still awesome
04:40when he personally helped move vehicles on clogged roads
04:43for emergency responders during the L.A. wildfires.
04:46When there is a crisis and you abandon your car
04:48in the middle of the street, leave the key in it
04:51so people like myself can move those cars
04:53to the side of the road and let fire vehicles
04:55and emergency vehicles up there.
04:57Steve would go on to encourage kindness
04:59and community support during the dire situation.
05:02Let's try to keep this empathy.
05:03Let's try to keep this kindness and this thoughtfulness.
05:06This is a time that we've got to band together,
05:08that we're not one street or one town or one city.
05:12We're one community, and that's what we are.
05:14Number 5. Joan Collins.
05:16Joan Collins Alexis Carrington Colby walked
05:19so Heather Locklear's Amanda Woodward could run.
05:22On Dynasty, one of the most watched TV shows of the decade,
05:26Collins redefined what it meant to be a television villain.
05:29Well, since you haven't come up with anything better,
05:31you are fired!
05:32Her catfights with Linda Evans' character Crystal were legendary,
05:36as Collins brought an unmatched level of style
05:38and attitude to the screen.
05:40I've also noticed that this house is in a
05:42very shabby condition these days.
05:44Definitely run down in case no one's had the nerve to tell you.
05:47Making audiences love to hate her,
05:49she earned multiple Golden Globe nominations
05:51and a win for the role.
05:53And while her vixen portrayal paved the way
05:55for countless television characters that followed,
05:58it also influenced 80s fashion.
06:00Yup, many can thank the actress for playing a significant role
06:04in popularizing those bold shoulder pads in women's clothing.
06:07Number 4. Emilio Estevez.
06:09You can't talk about 80 celebrities
06:11without talking about the Brat Pack.
06:13As a core member of the group,
06:15Emilio Estevez delivered iconic performances
06:17throughout the decade in movies like
06:19The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire.
06:21It's like this mindless machine
06:23that I can't even relate to anymore.
06:26Andrew, you've got to be number one!
06:31I won't tolerate any losers in this family.
06:34Your intensity is for shit!
06:37Win! Win! Win!
06:39He extended his range far beyond those roles, however,
06:42with turns in 1986's Maximum Overdrive
06:45and 1988's Young Guns, to name a few.
06:48The 90s would also prove fruitful for Estevez,
06:51including three Mighty Ducks films.
06:59And while often overshadowed
07:01by his more famous brother Charlie Sheen,
07:03his father Martin Sheen,
07:04and former Brat Pack colleagues,
07:06Estevez's contributions to 80s cinema
07:08proved to be just as significant
07:10and wonderfully varied.
07:11Speaking of Brat Pack members...
07:13Number 3. Anthony Michael Hall.
07:15John Hughes' movies practically defined the 80s,
07:18and Anthony Michael Hall was the king of them.
07:21Yeah, but it was only...
07:24It was only because I didn't want to know
07:25I was a virgin, okay?
07:26Hall played the quintessential geek
07:28in such John Hughes films as 16 Candles,
07:31The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science.
07:33Should we give her a brain?
07:35Yeah, we can play chess with her.
07:37Chess?
07:39Just give her a brain.
07:40Yep, Anthony made being awkward cool
07:43before it was trendy.
07:44He later diversified his roles
07:46by joining the cast of Saturday Night Live
07:48from 1985 to 1986
07:50with his real-life buddy Robert Downey Jr.
07:52Let's say his last book, which was, of course...
07:57Well, you already have to beg her.
07:58I have to beg to differ with you here
08:00because I feel that the...
08:02to which you obviously refer,
08:04that simply represents a dramatic synthesis of the...
08:09Hall also broke away from his nerdy image in the 90s
08:12with roles in films like Edward Scissorhands
08:14and later-in-life turns in The Dark Knight
08:16and Halloween Kills.
08:17However, the 80s remain his true golden era.
08:21Number 2. Jennifer Grey.
08:23Nobody puts baby in a corner.
08:26Nobody puts Jennifer Grey in a corner.
08:29The actress became an absolute 80s sensation
08:32with Dirty Dancing,
08:33where she played the role of Baby
08:35opposite Patrick Swayze's Johnny.
08:37Of course, before that,
08:38she shined as Ferris Bueller's snarky sister
08:40in 1986's Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
08:43You're letting him stay home?
08:45I can't believe this.
08:46If I was bleeding out my eyes,
08:47you guys would make me go to school.
08:49This is so unfair.
08:50However, while Jennifer was on track
08:52to become Hollywood's next big star,
08:54her fame declined thanks in part
08:56to some controversial cosmetic surgery.
08:58Worried that her appearance
08:59might limit her opportunities,
09:01she underwent rhinoplasty,
09:03which altered her look so drastically
09:05that it's said even close friends
09:06struggle to recognize her.
09:08Just who I am,
09:09I have no question about it,
09:11so I feel pretty good in this skin.
09:14While she never quite reached the A-list,
09:16for 80s fans, she remains an icon.
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09:36Number 1. Rick Moranis
09:38When it comes to overlooked 80s stars
09:40who deserve their flowers,
09:41Rick Moranis stands at the top.
09:43You know, Mr. Tully,
09:44you are a most fortunate individual.
09:46I know.
09:48You have been a participant
09:49in the biggest interdimensional cross-rip
09:52of 1909.
09:53So great.
09:54The Canadian comedian
09:55was the comedic glue of Ghostbusters,
09:57the ultimate parody master in Spaceballs,
09:59and the heart of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,
10:01not to mention a plethora
10:03of other memorable credits to his name.
10:05It works.
10:06The machine works.
10:08Do the kids know?
10:09Well, yeah, the kids know.
10:11Moranis had an unmatched ability
10:13for portraying lovable nerds
10:15and quirky characters,
10:16making him one of the most
10:17in-demand comedic talents of the era.
10:20Though his success carried into the 90s,
10:22he chose to step away from acting
10:24to focus on his family
10:25after his wife's passing.
10:26Despite his absence from Hollywood,
10:28his impact on 80s pop culture
10:30remains immeasurable.
10:32I am your father's brother's nephew's
10:35cousin's former roommate.
10:40What's that make us?
10:42Absolutely nothing,
10:44which is what you are about to become.
10:47What celebrity makes you yearn for the 80s?
10:49Let the nostalgia flow
10:50in the comments below.
10:55Did you enjoy this video?
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