Julia Stiles
Born and raised in New York, Julia Stiles has been acting since the age of 12. By the time she was 17, she already had a few acting credits to her name.
It was in 1999, though, that Stiles rose to stardom with a starring role alongside Heath Ledger in the rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You – a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Two years after that breakout part, Stiles went on to star in Save the Last Dance. Since then, Stiles has kept busy with parts in various films including the Julia Roberts-led drama Mona Lisa Smile, as well as the Bourne film series.
Amanda Bynes
Amanda Bynes stole our hearts with her hilarious, head-turning performances in the teen sketch show All That. During her time on the show, Bynes created tons of memorable characters that would recur in sketches throughout the years including “Ask Ashley.”
When she was 13, Bynes landed her own sketch show – The Amanda Show. Once that ended, Bynes began starring in different films including Big Fat Liar, What a Girl Wants, She’s the Man, Hairspray, Sydney White, and Easy A. Although she took an indefinite hiatus from acting in 2010, Bynes’ personal life has been highly publicized in recent years.
Denise Richards
After spending time as a model, Denise Richards began landing a variety of small roles on a number of our favorite teen shows including Saved by the Bell, Seinfeld, and Married With Children.
It was only when she appeared as Brandi Carson on Melrose Place, though, that she garnered enough attention to move onto bigger roles. In 1997, she earned her breakout role as Lt. Carmen Ibanez in the sci-fi action film Starship Troopers. Since then, Denise has racked up several credits to her name including Blue Mountain State, Two and a Half Men, and The Bold and the Beautiful. Today, she’s a cast member on the reality show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Sara Gilbert
Sara Gilbert got her very first taste of the entertainment industry when her older sister, Melissa Gilbert, starred on the hit ’70s television show The Little House on the Prairie.
Set on following in her siblings’ footsteps, Sara started out by doing commercials as a child. It wasn’t long before she landed the role of Darlene on Roseanne, which she played from 1988 until 1997. Following that nine-year run, Sara continued appearing on a number of shows including 24 and The Big Bang Theory. Aside from a short-lived revival of Roseanne, Sara was also a creator, executive producer, and co-host on The Talk.
Lark Voorhies
Lark Voorhies began acting at a young age, rising to stardom as Lisa Turtle – Bayside High’s gossip queen and fashion expert on Saved by the Bell.
Voorhies only ended up reprising her role as Lisa once during the run of the spinoff series, Saved by the Bell: The College Years. Following her time on the show, Voorhies went on to appear in various soaps including Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful. She also portrayed Merces Langford on In the House from 1997 until 1999. Since then, Voorhies has published three books and made her last film appearance in 2012’s Closer to God: Jessica’s Journey.
Jane Sibbett
If you’re a real ’90s kid, then you remember Jane Sibbett not only as Ross’ lesbian ex-wife, Carol, on Friends but also as the gold-digging Clarice Kensington in the 1995 Mary-Kate and Ashley film It Takes Two.
Since then, Sibbett has continued to work on film and television although her focus has mainly shifted towards producing. In fact, she even began working on a series of documentaries that follow a Croatian-faith healer named Braco – sometimes called “The Gazer” – and has released four films about his work thus far.
Megan Mullally
Although Megan Mullally lost out on the role of Elaine in Seinfeld to Julia Louis-Dreyfus, her big break would eventually come 10 years later when she began portraying Karen Walker – a patronizing, sassy assistant with a particularly high voice – on the NBC hit sitcom Will & Grace.
It was for that stellar performance that Mullally won multiple awards over the years, including two Emmys. Since then, Mullally has made a number of appearances on other shows including Parks and Recreation where she played the crazy ex-wife of Ron Swanson, her real-life husband’s character on the show!
Jaleel White
Jaleel White became an instant star when he began portraying Steve Urkel on Family Matters during the second half of the first season. While he had initially been booked for a one-time guest role on the hit sitcom, White was so funny that he was asked to stay on as the Winslow family’s annoying, nerdy neighbor.
After the show went off the air, White kept busy with roles in a number of shows, even lending his voice to Sonic in the animated series Sonic Underground. Aside from that, White landed a starring role in a series called Grown Ups from 1999 until 2000. Most recently, he played Darryl in Me, Myself, and I.
Katey Sagal
Since her start in the industry, Katey Sagal’s career has been quite a fruitful one. After starting out as a singer-songwriter, Sagal made a name for herself as an actress when she began portraying Al Bundy’s wife, Peggy, on Married…With Children.
After playing Al’s lazy, free-loading wife for 11 years, she moved on to other projects such as voiceover work for the animated adult series Futurama. She then began playing alongside John Ritter and a young Kaley Cuoco in 8 Simple Rules before landing the role of Gemma Teller Morrow on FX’s Sons of Anarchy.
John Goodman
Although he landed a number of acting jobs prior to Roseanne, John Goodman undeniably rose to stardom when he began portraying the relatable and very authentic Dan Connor.
Following his time on the show, Goodman made appearances on various television shows and films including The West Wing, Center of the Universe, Evan Almighty, and Treme. In 2012, he played a prominent role in Argo. Despite the fact that Goodman has had quite an extensive career, he’ll always be remembered as Roseanne’s fun-loving husband and our favorite TV dad.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Jonathan Taylor Thomas became a total ’90s heartthrob when he was cast as Randy Taylor on Home Improvement.
Thomas played the role until the show’s final season, when he asked for his character to be written out of the show so that he could attend university. Since his time playing alongside Tim Allen, Thomas continued working on different projects including lending his voice to the Nickelodeon cartoon The Wild Thornberrys as well as The Tangerine Bear: Home in Time for Chrismas. Aside from voice work, Thomas has appeared in several TV movies such as Common Ground and An American Town.
Karyn Parsons
Karyn Parsons – while the name may not ring a bell, there’s no doubt that you’ll recognize her face.
Parsons made her way into our hearts as Hilary Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After the show ended, Parsons went on to star in the short-lived TV series Lush Life. That was then followed by a couple of film roles in movies such as The Ladies Man and Major Payne. Parsons also happens to be the creator of Sweet Blackberry, a line of animated films about unsung black heroes. In 2019, Parsons published her first middle-grade novel, How High the Moon, which was loosely inspired by stories of her mother’s childhood in the Jim Crow South.
Julianna Margulies
Julianna Margulies entered the industry in 1991 but it wasn’t until a few years later, in 1994, that she rose to fame as Carol Hathaway on ER.
Although her character wasn’t intended to last very long, Margulies’s performance clearly made an impression. The only cast member to win an Emmy for the show, Margulies stayed on for six years before moving on to a number of film and television roles. From 2009 until 2016, Margulies starred as Alicia Florrick in the legal drama The Good Wife. She also played Ruth in the 2017 drama Three Christs.
Tatyana Ali
You might remember her as Ashley Banks, Phil and Vivian’s youngest child, on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air but it turns out that actress Tatyana Ali was already used to being on camera long before she landed the part.
She first got her start on Sesame Street when she was just six years old. It was Fresh Prince, though, that launched her to stardom. After the show wrapped, Ali made appearances in various films including The Clown at Midnight, Nora’s Hair Salon, and Back in the Day. From 2010 until 2014, Ali starred in Love That Girl!
Mackenzie Rosman
Mackenzie Rosman’s acting career began when she landed the part of Ruthie Camden on 7th Heaven in 1996. She actually got the role after personally greeting each person in the room with a handshake during her audition.
Aside from her time on the show, Rosman appeared in the independent film, Gideon. In 2009, she played Loreli in The Tomb alongside Wes Bentley and Kaitlin Doubleday. A year later, Rosman played a small role in The Secret Life of the American Teenager. In September 2013, Rosman proved that she’s no longer the little Ruthie that people remember her as when she posed for Maxim.
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Barr got her start as a standup comedian during the 1980s but it wasn’t until she was cast as the matriarch in Roseanne that she really rose to fame. Since the sitcom about a working-class family went off the air in 1997, Barr has kept busy doing voiceover work as well as making appearances on several TV shows.
Aside from hosting her own talk show before it was canceled, Barr has produced several reality shows. Roseanne was revived in 2018 on ABC and was even renewed for an additional season. The show was canceled, though, after Barr caused controversy with a racey tweet.
David Hasselhoff
Nicknamed “The Hoff,” David Hasselhoff first gained recognition as Dr. Snapper Foster on The Young and the Restless. Still, it was his portrayal of L.A.
County lifeguard Mitch Buchannon on Baywatch that really put the actor on the map. After playing this role for 11 years, Hasselhoff kept himself busy with various projects. Over the years, the actor has been seen in a large number of movies and shows. In 2000, Hasselhoff fulfilled his childhood dream of being a Broadway star when he made his debut in Jekyll and Hyde. Aside from that, Hasselhoff had starring runs in the Broadway productions of Chicago and The Producers.
James Van Der Beek
James Van Der Beek was easily one the hunkiest ’90s heartthrobs out there – every girl wanted to marry him and every guy wanted to be him. Upon its debut in 1998, the show was an instant success.
While Van Der Beek portrayed Dawson Leery on the WB’s Dawson’s Creek, he also kept busy starring in films including Varsity Blues and American Psycho. Once the show went off the air in 2003, Van Der Beek had many guest roles on TV shows and in movies. In 2008 and 2009, he returned to the world of teen drama when he appeared in several episodes of One Tree Hill. In 2019, he competed in the hit dance competition series Dancing With the Stars.
Kirk Cameron
Before Kirk Cameron was cast as the oldest son on Growing Pains, he actually got his start on television doing commercials as a child.
After he began portraying Mike Seaver on the show, though, Cameron became every teen girl’s crush especially considering that his character was known to charm lady after lady. Once Cameron became an evangelical Christian towards the end of the show’s run, though, he wanted his character’s actions to reflect his newfound faith. Although he never left show business behind completely, Cameron has since been focused on his new faith, even co-hosting The Way of the Master – a Christian ministry show from 2003 to 2014.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Mark-Paul Gosselaar was just 14 years old when he began playing Zack Morris on Good Morning Miss Bliss.
Although the show was canceled after one season, the producers found Gosselaar so charming that they decided to redevelop the show to center around his character – and that’s how Saved by the Bell came to be. After a four-year run, Gosselaar began making the transition into film. After first appearing in a TV movie, the actor got his big break on the big screen in Dead Man on Campus. From 2001 until 2005, he played Detective John Clark, Jr. in NYPD Blue. This year, he’ll be reprising his role as Zack Morris in the upcoming American web reboot of Saved by the Bell.
Tiffani Amber Thiessen
We can’t possibly talk about the great Zack Morris without bringing up Kelly Kapowski – the most popular cheerleader at Bayside High on Saved by the Bell.
When Tiffani Amber Thiessen began playing Kelly, she became the envy of many teenage girls not to mention that most guys wanted to date her. After Thiessen charmed her way into our hearts as Kelly, she moved onto Beverly Hills, 90210. Aside from that, the actress has appeared in shows such as Good Morning Miami and What About Brian. Since 2018, Thiessen has been portraying Lori Mendoza on Alexa & Katie.
Melissa Joan Hart
Before Melissa Joan Hart began playing Sabrina Spellman on Sabrina the Teenage Witch in 1996, she was first Clarissa in Clarissa Explains it All from 1991 to 1994.
Still, it was her performance as a teenage witch that helped her rise to stardom. As Hart got older, she took an interest in working beyond the screen, managing to direct several episodes of her hit sitcom. After seven years gracing the screens, Sabrina went off the air. It was then that Hart directed her first movie. Aside from that, Hart made appearances on several television shows until landing a starring role on Melissa & Joey (2010-2015).
Tori Spelling
Being that her father is a bigtime film and television producer, Tori Spelling got her start in the entertainment industry at a young age.
It wasn’t until 1990, though, that Tori rose to prominence as Donna Martin on her father’s teen drama – Beverly Hills, 90210. Although she reprised that role for a reboot in 2009, Tori has essentially transitioned to reality TV. She has had several shows documenting her family life including Tori & Dean: Inn Love, Tori & Dean: Cabin Fever, and 2014’s True Tori. In 2017, she appeared as Julie Lewisohn in the TV-movie Mother May I Sleep With Danger.
Fran Drescher
Known for her nasal voice and thick New York accent, Fran Drescher became a household name as Nanny Fine on her hit show, The Nanny.
The series – which Drescher and her then-husband co-created – took much inspiration from the actress’s early life and ran for six seasons. After the series wrapped, Drescher worked on various projects before getting back to writing and producing material of her own. After a short-lived series in 2005, Drescher put her life back on screen with Happily Divorced – a show based on her and her ex-husband’s longterm relationship. Since then, she has appeared in an episode of Broad City and is currently starring as Debbie in Indebted.
Heather Locklear
Heather Locklear rose to prominence in 1993 when she began portraying Amanda Woodward on Melrose Place, a role she played until the series wrapped in 1999
Immediately following that run, Locklear played Caitlin Moore on Spin City from 1999 to 2002. Despite problems in her personal life – including her divorce from Richie Sambora and falling out with ex-best-friend, Denise Richards – Locklear has continued acting. From 2016 until 2017, she played First Lady Katelyn Christian in Tyler Perry’s Too Close to Home.
Lori Loughlin
This one’s for all the Full House fans out there. Best known as Rebecca Donaldson, or Aunt Becky, Lori Loughlin appeared on the sitcom from 1988 until 1995.
While this was her most prominent role on television, Loughlin had already reached fame after winning awards for her performances in The Edge of Night. Although Loughlin has had no issues staying relevant in Hollywood – landing starring roles on shows including 90210, When Calls the Heart, Summerland, and more – she has recently gotten caught up in quite a few legal affairs…
Keri Russell
Although Keri Russell has been acting since the age of 15, it wasn’t until she began playing the lead role on the series Felicity that she would rise to stardom.
A performance that earned her a Golden Globe, Russell played Felicity Porter from 1998 until 2002. Since then, Russell has kept her career running steadily, appearing in films such as Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Free State of Jones among plenty more. In 2019, she portrayed Zorii Bliss – an old acquaintance of Poe’s – in the concluding chapter to the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Star Wars: Episode XI.
Candance Cameron
Candace Cameron followed in her brother’s footsteps and entered the limelight when she began playing Donna Joe ‘D.J.’ Tanner in the popular sitcom Full House.
From 1987 until 1995, Cameron played alongside a star-studded cast – Bob Saget, John Stamos, and the Olsen twins. Aside from that, Cameron is known for her work with the Hallmark Channel, playing the title character in the film adaptation of the Aurora Teagarden novel series. Like her brother, Cameron is an evangelical Christian and has starred in films including The Wager and Faith of Our Fathers. In 2016, Cameron reprised her role as D.J. in the revival series of Full House aptly named Fuller House.
Yasmine Bleeth
Now a former actress, Yasmine Bleeth became a worldwide sensation after landing a starring role in the hit ’90s television show Baywatch.
Following her performance as that iconic lifeguard, Bleeth played LeeAnn Demarest on the soap One Life to Live. Three years before retiring from acting and retreating from the spotlight, Bleeth accepted a starring role in the series Titans. Aside from accepting swimwear and lingerie modeling gigs, Bleeth also launched a swimsuit line of her own – Yaz Wear. Today, she and her husband split their time between L.A. and Scottsdale, Arizona.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar’s acting career began when she was just four years old after getting spotted by an agent in New York City.
After making her acting debut in a made-for-television movie and originating the role of Kendall Hart on the daytime soap All My Children – for which she earned an Emmy – Gellar was cast as the title character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. After a six-year run, the show ended and Gellar moved onto other ventures, landing roles in films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream 2. She also played Daphne in the live-action Scooby Doo movies. In February 2020, the actress joined the main voice-cast as Teela in Netflix and Kevin Smith’s Masters of the Universe: Revelation.
Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Culkin began his career as a child actor starring in hit films including Home Alone, My Girl, and Richie Rich to name a few.
Before Culkin took a hiatus from acting in 1994, he got to host Saturday Night Live in ’91 when he was just 11 years old. After retreating from the spotlight, Culkin went back to school. In 2003, he returned to the screen as a guest on Will & Grace. Aside from acting, Culkin also has a satirical comedy podcast and a rock band called the Pizza Underground. From 2002 until 2010, Culkin dated Mila Kunis, and has been dating former Disney star Brenda Song since 2017.
Larisa Oleynik
Described as the proverbial girl next door during her teens, Larisa Oleynik became a teen idol when she landed the leading role in the series The Secret World of Alex Mack in which she portrayed a teenage girl who receives telekinetic powers as a result of an accident.
The series ran on Nickelodeon from 1994 to 1998, becoming one of the network’s top three most-watched shows. After the show ended, Oleynik played in movies including The Babysitters Club and 10 Things I Hate About You. Since then, she has had roles on shows such as Mad Men, Pretty Little Liars, and Law and Order: SVU.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is yet another ’90s star that appeared in the film 10 Things I Hate About You.
Before that, though, Joseph had racked up a number of credits to his name as he started acting when he was just six years old. In 1996, he began portraying Tommy Solomon on the sitcom 3rd Rock From the Sun, which ran for six seasons. Since then, Joseph has gone on to star in films including (500) Days of Summer, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, and Snowden. Aside from acting, Joseph also runs the online collaborative production company HitRecord.
Christina Ricci
When she was just nine years old, Christina Ricci made her film debut in the comedy-drama Mermaids.
Following that, Ricci rose to stardom as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values. Still, it wasn’t until she appeared in films like Casper as well as Now and Then that Ricci became a teen idol. Throughout the years, she has continued to star in movies including Sleepy Hollow. As of 2020, Ricci has no plans of slowing down as she landed a leading role in the upcoming series Yellowjackets.
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan rose to fame at just 11 years old when she starred in the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap.
Following her time on that film, Lohan’s career only continued to grow, landing starring roles in films including Life-Size, Freaky Friday, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, and Mean Girls to name a few. Since then, Lohan’s personal life became a focal point in the media as she began running into trouble. Although she’s had some minor roles in recent years, her focus has since moved towards music.
Kenan Thompson
If you grew up in the ’90s, then there’s no doubt you recognize Kenan Thompson. He first earned fame as an original cast member on Nickelodeon’s sketch comedy series All That before co-starring in his own sitcom alongside Kel Mitchell – Kenan & Kel.
He then went on to land other roles in films including Good Burger and Fat Albert. Today, you can spot the comedic actor on NBC’s long-running sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live. Thompson has been a cast member since 2003, making him the longest-tenured cast member in the show’s history…which is, ya know, a pretty big deal!