20 Big 90s Celebs We Rarely Hear About Anymore (And What They're Doing Now)

Ever wonder what happened to some of your favorite stars of the 90s? Maybe they were your girl-crush, one of the more popular 90s heartthrobs, or maybe they played the part of your favorite character in a television show or movie. However, they managed to come into the spotlight and draw attention from fans everywhere, these celebrities all had a prominent role in the entertainment industry throughout the 90s.

While some celebrities from the 90s are still wracking up headlines from the media, like Will Smith, Leonardo DiCaprio and Justin Timberlake, others have become talked about far less. While some of these stars have faded from the spotlight and left behind the entertainment business others have not. This means that while some of our favorite 90s icons are still actively working in the industry, they aren't talked about quite as frequently. Despite that, these celebrities from actors, actresses, and singers, helped shaped the 90s entertainment industry. That being said, they probably do deserve more recognition than they've been getting these past years.

Showcasing their most notable contributions to the 90s world of celebrity entertainment to where they are now, here's the list of rarely talked about celebrities from the 90s!

20 Sarah Michelle Gellar Is Still Slaying

Born April 14 1977, Sarah Michelle Gellar grew up in New York. She attended Professional Children's School in New York City and also was ranked third in New York State's regional competition for figure skating. In 1983 Sarah made her first TV film appearance in An Invasion Of Privacy. From there she began working in television including having a role in All My Children - which she received the Emmy for Younger Leading Actress. However, Sarah is most notably known for playing the lead in the TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Sarah has continued to work in film and in television since the 90s. In 2002, she married her Scooby-Doo co-star Freddie Prinze Jr. Together they have two children. Recently, Sarah can be found providing voice acting for a few episodes of Robot Chicken. Aside from acting, Sarah has also co-founded the company Foodstirs, which produces baking kits that have organic, non-GMO ingredients, and is "kid-friendly" to prepare.

19 Drew Barrymore, The 90's Bad-Girl And Executive Producer

Drew Barrymore first captivated audiences when she was seven years old with her part in E.T: The Extraterrestrial. However, by the 90s, Drew no longer was a sweet seven-year-old girl. She gained a bad-girl image in the early 90s, through a series of films including Poison Ivy, and Guncrazy. By 1995, Drew's image changed with the opening of her own production company, Flower Films. By 1998, she became known as a strong romantic leading lady in her roles of The Wedding Singer, and Ever After. Drew's recognition as a producer grew when she executive produced Never Been Kissed, as well as produced and starred in Charlie's Angels.

Drew 's actively involved in the series Santa Clarita Diet, which she both stars in as well as serves as an executive producer. She is also announced to be an executive producer for the upcoming series The Black Rose Anthology. Drew is also set to star in The Stand-In, which is still in the pre-production stage.

18 Jonathan Taylor Thomas From Home Improvement To Harvard

Jonathan Taylor Thomas landed his first major role in the 1990 television series The Bradys, which was a spin-off series of The Brady Bunch. While this series lasted one season, Jonathan would go on to star as Tim Allen's son, in Home Improvement. The casting directors noted that although Jonathan's audition went well, they felt that he looked a lot like his on-screen-dad. Jonathan also went on to star in multiple films, including providing the voice of young Simba in The Lion King, Man of The House, Tom and Huck, The Adventures of Pinocchio, Wild America, and I'll Be Home For Christmas.

Despite his fame, Jonathan never lets it get to his head, and decided to take a step back from his acting career. He chose to attend Harvard University, where he studied philosophy and history, before going off to graduate from Columbia University. Jonathan also returned to acting to guest star on a few episodes of Tim Allen's comedy Last Man Standing.

17 Melissa Joan Hart Explains It All

Melissa Joan Hart's life forever changed after being cast as the lead in the Nickelodeon television series Clarissa Explains It All. When the show concluded after five seasons and sixty-five episodes in 1994, Melissa returned to her roots in New York where she attended New York University. Two years later she was cast as the lead in another television series, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, which spanned seven seasons and hundred-sixty episodes.

After her success during the 90's television series, Melissa did score another lead in the show Melissa And Joey. She also served as the executive producer on the show. Melissa also starred in and produced the film A Very Merry Toy. Aside from acting and producing, Melissa has tried her hand at directing, having directed two episodes of The Goldbergs this year. While raising her three children, Melissa also found the time to write a memoir titled Melissa Explains It All: Tales From My Abnormally Normal Life.

16 Scott Weinger A Disney Prince

Scott Weinger starred as Steve Taylor in the 90's television series The Family Man, before moving onto the role of Steve Hale on the show Full House. Aside from his on-screen acting, Scott also did voice acting, starring as Aladdin in Disney's Aladdin. He continued to provide the voice for Aladdin in the following two films, the Aladdin television series, as well as the video games.

Scott took a break from acting to attend Harvard University where he graduated magna cum laude with a major in English and a minor in French Literature. Scott considers himself a writer first, and an actor second. He went on to write several television episodes including, What I Like About You, 90210, and Galavant. He also produced several television series' episodes, as well. That being said, Scott hasn't given up on acting completely as he has returned to the role of Steven Hale on Fuller House, which is the continuation of Full House.

15 Tatyana Ali: Hollywood Actress Or Billboard Star?

Born on January 24, 1979, Tatyana Alilanded her breakthrough role as playing the cousin to Will Smith on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. While on the show Tatyana's music career also began to take off as her singing was featured on several episodes of the show, including her Aretha Franklin's rendition of "RESPECT." This lead to her 1998 album "Kiss The Sky," which reached being 106 on the Billboard 200, and number 47 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Her single "Boy You Knock Me Out," reached the number 3 spot for singles. BY 1999, her album had been certified gold.

Tatyana received her Bachelor's degree from Harvard University in African-American Studies and Government. She married Stanford assistant professor in English Vaughn Rasberry in July 2016 and together they have a son. To this day Tatyana can be seen on the television show "Fly" as well as several other projects coming out in 2018.

14 Jason David Frank The Mighty Power Ranger

Born September 4, 1973, Jason David Frank is best known for his role as Tommy Oliver in the television show Power Rangers. During his Power Rangers career, Jason appeared in a total of 225 episodes; which is more than any other Ranger throughout the show's twenty-four-year history. Not only did Jason perform a series of martial arts on the show, but in 1994 he began his own style of martial arts called "Toso Kune Do" - which means "Way of the Fighting Fist."

Recently, Jason can be found returning to the Power Rangers as Dr. Tommy Oliver in Power Rangers Hyperforce, as well as having a cameo role in the 2017 Power Rangers movie. Jason also voices Emissary in Transformers: Titans Return. Outside of acting, Jason was also a professional MMA fighter. In 2017 received the title as an 8th-degree black belt - the same level black belt as Chuck Norris.

13 Kirsten Dunst A Star On Both The Big Screen And The Little Screen

Kirsten Dunst was only eleven years old when she landed her breakthrough roles in the 1994 film Interview With The Vampire. Kirsten even won an MTV Movie Award for breakthrough performance based upon that role. From there Kirsten then went on to star in many other popular movies during the 90's including; Little Women, Jumanji, and Wag The Dog. Her success from the 90's continued into the early 2000's with her roles in The Virgin Suicides and Spider-Man. 

To this day Kirsten remains active in the acting community. However, her career took a shift in 2015, as she went from movie actress to the small screen television star, as she joined the cast of the show Fargo; in which she was nominated for a Golden Globe. As of 2018 Kirsten has played Agatha Christie on the show Drunk History and has been announced to be a character in the television movie On Becoming A God In Central Florida. 

12 Ryan Phillippe The 90's Heartthrob

Ryan Phillippe got his claim to fame at seventeen years old through his role on the soap opera One Life To Live. He then made several other television appearances from then on before moving onto the big screen. These films include; White Squall, I Know What You Did Last Summer and Cruel Intentions. Ryan soon became a 90's heartthrob, however, in 1998 he married Reese Witherspoon, having their daughter a year later.

Ryan has continued to act in movies and television shows since the 90's. Winning numerous awards as part of the cast in the 2005 film Crash. In 2015, Ryan's career took a turn to television after scoring the lead role in the first season of Secrets And Lies. Throughout 2017, Ryan was on the television show Shooter, and in 2018 starred in the short The Circle. While his marriage to Reese ended in divorce, Ryan is a father of three.

11 Claire Danes The 90's Juliet

Claire Danes career began to take off in 1992 when she landed a role in the television show My So-Called Life. While Claire won a Golden Globe for best actress in this role, the network pulled the plug on the show just after nineteen episodes. This wasn't the end of Claire's career, though. In 1994, Claire began a film career with the film Little Women, and a year later in How To Make An American Quilt. By the latter 90's Claire became a well-known actress, even starring as Juliet in the 1996 film Romeo and Juliet and Cosette in the 1998 version of Les Miserables.

Claire's career in acting had been nothing short of successful. She starred in movies throughout the early 2000's and since 2011 she has been the lead on the hit series Homeland. Both were nominated and as well as earning Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for her work on the show throughout the years.

10 Jaleel White The Boy Next Door

Jaleel White was a 90's icon from his role of the nerdy boy next door in Family Matters. In fact, Jaleel was only supposed to be in one episode, but his popularity for his portrayal of the character Steve Urkel, made producers give him a more substantial part of the show. While on Family Matters, Jaleel also made guest appearances on other popular 90's shows like Full House, and The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. He also voiced Sonic in the animated series Sonic The Hedgehog. By 1999, Jaleel went on to play more mature roles starting with the sitcom Grown Ups.

Jaleel has continued his acting career since the 90's. In 2017, he could be found on several episodes of the television series Me, Myself And I. From 2014-2018, Jaleel also played a few roles on Drunk History. Most recently, Jaleel can be found on The 15:17 To Paris as Garret Walden.

9 Tiffani Thiessen Saved By The 90210

Tiffani Thiessen was a popular teen icon throughout the 90's. Tiffani became very notable, when she earned the role of Kelly Kapowski in Saved By The Bell at the age of fifteen. The popularity of the sitcom lead to other opportunities where Tiffani could reprise her role in Saved By The Bell: The College Years, and Saved By The Bell: Wedding In Las Vegas. However, the year after the sitcom ended, Tiffani was starring lead as Jennie Garth in a new television series Beverly Hills, 90210.

Tiffani married her husband in 2005, and together they have two children. AS for her acting career, Tiffani has landed some roles since her days on Saved By The Bell and Beverly Hills, 90210. Tiffani's most recent work includes her role of Lori Mendoza, in the 2018 series Alexa and Katie. Tiffani has also published a cookbook this year titled, Pull Up A Chair: Recipes From My Family To Yours.

8 James Van Der Beek: What Would Dawson Do?

James Van Der Beek got his first taste of acting when he was thirteen years old, after scoring the role of Danny Zuko in his school production of Grease while having to take a year off from football due to a concussion. From there he went on to begin a career in acting and had some success, even scoring a supporting role in I Love You, I Love You Not which starred Claire Danes. However, James's popularity really began to take off in 1998 when he became the lead in the television show Dawson's Creek.

James is a father of four but still finds continues with his acting career. In 2011, James was featured as Kesha's enemy  in her music video for "Blow." He has since starred as Diplo in the television series What Would Diplo Do? and voices the character Boris Huntley in Vampirina. Currently, James can be found in the Pilot episode of Pose, set to air in 2018.

7 Brandy Norwood The R&B Star

Brandy Norwood became a hit 90's R&B singer by the time she was only fifteen years old. At this stage in her career Brandy's mom managed the songs she would and would not sing, ensuring they were age appropriate for her. In 1994, Brandy's debut self-titled album released, featuring the song "I Wanna Be Down," which climbed to the top of Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Two years later, Brandy would go on to star in the sitcom Moesha, for six full seasons. In 1998, Brandy released her second album, titled Never Say Never, featuring her hit song "The Boy Is Mine." In the same year, Brandy starred in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.

Brandy has continued acting, in the sitcom Zoe Ever After, which she also co-created and executive produced. Brandy also starred on Broadway's Chicago. In 2017 she went head to head with her brother Ray J, competing on the cooking series My Kitchen Rules.

6 Amy Jo Johnson The Gymnast Turned Power Ranger

Growing up in Cape Cod Massachusetts, Amy Jo Johnson competed as a gymnast. However, when she was seventeen years old she gave up competing in order to focus on her acting career. Amy's years of gymnast would come to pay off, however, helping her land the part of the Pink Ranger, Kimberly Hart, in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Amy would become best known for her role as the Pink Ranger, but she's also known for her role in the television series Felicity, in which she showed off her musical talents as well.

The now mother would continue to act in television throughout the 2000's. However, in some of her most recent work, Amy has gone on to starring in more movies as well. She recently showed up as a cameo in the 2017 Power Rangers movie, as well as starred in Between Waves, Space and Time, and The Space Between. The latter of which she also wrote and directed.

5 Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Originally A Disney Star

Mark-Paul Gosselaar had his breakthrough role as Zack Morris in Disney's Good Morning, Miss Bliss. The show featured Zack Morris as a mischievous middle school, however, it only lasted thirteen episodes until NBC saw potential in the show. With some changes, they created Saved By The Bell, focusing on Mark as Zack Morris in high school. The series was so successful, that it continued into the spin-off Saved By The Bell: The College Years. Mark became a popular figure in the 90s because of this series, however, in 1998 he went on to prove himself as a more serious actor in the film Dead Man On Campus.

For the most part, Mark has continued acting in television, with one of his most recent parts, being the lead in Fox's 2016 series Pitch. The show may have only lasted one season, but Mark is currently set to be in the Pilot of the 2018 series The Passage.

4 Kirsten Storms: Girl of the 21st Century

Kirsten Storms began her career in the 90s. At first, she began appearing on television series such as Second Noah, You Wish, Any Day Now, and 7th Heaven. However, Kirsten's fame would really begin to take off with her role of Zenon Kar in Disney's television movie Zenon: Girl of The 21st Century - which would lead to two sequel movies; Zenon: The Zequel, and Zenon: Z3.Kirsten would then, in the same year, star in another Disney television movie, Johnny Tsunami. 

Kirsten continued working for Disney after her success in their television movies, by voicing Bonnie Rockwaller in Kim Possible. Throughout the early 2000's Kirsten became more popular in television, such as Clubhouse and most notably in Days Of Our Lives. After that, Kirsten would go on to star from 2005-to present day 2018, as Maxie Jones in General Hospital.

3 Nick Lachey, The 90's Boyband

Born November 9, 1973, Nick Lachey shared a passion for singing and for sports. Nick attended School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati; however, when it came to college Nick opted for sports over music, choosing to study sports medicine at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. That changed in 1995 when Nick was convinced to join a boy band called 98 Degrees. Throughout the 90's the band released five albums selling ten million copies.

Nick's popularity grew in the 2000's after he married Jessica Simpson and the couple appeared on MTV's Nick and Jessica: Newlyweds. After three years the couple divorced, which lead to the emotional album What's Left Of Me. Vanessa Minnillo starred in the music video, and Nick soon fell in love. After marrying Vanessa the couple had three children. In 2017 the happily married couple appeared together on Dancing With The Stars competing against one another.

2 Alicia Silverstone The Woman Of The 90's

Alicia Silverstone might not have wowed critics in her 1993 film The Crush, but she did wow the audience. In fact, the role won her an MTV Movie Award for "Best Villain" and "Breakthrough Performance." Her performance in the film also caught the attention of Aerosmith, and they hired her to appear in a set of their music videos. Becoming even more popular through the music videos, Alicia then landed the role of Cher in the 1995 movie Clueless. The success leads to other roles including True Crime, Batman and Robin, and Excess Baggage.

Alicia has still continued acting, although she may not be as talked about as she once was in the 90's. Within the past year, Alicia was in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, The Killing Of A Sacred Deer, and The Tribes Of Palos Verdes. In 2018, Alicia is set to star in the television series American Woman and the movie Book Club.

1 Rider Strong Meets World

On December 11, 1979, Rider King Strong was born in San Francisco, California. Rider appeared on television shows, throughout the 90's, as well as doing some voice acting. However, the best became known for his role of Shawn Hunter on the television series Boy Meets World. Along with his co-star Ben Savage, Rider was one of two actors to appear in all 158 episodes of the series.

In 2013, Rider married Alexandra Barreto and together the couple has one son. To this day Rider is still good friends with this Boy Meets World co-stars Ben Savage, Will Friedle, and Jason Marsden. Currently, Rider can be seen returning to the screen with Ben Savage on episodes of the spin-off series Girl Meets World; which he also directed a few episodes of as well. He is also the current voice actor for Tom Lucitor in the television series Star vs. The Forces Of Evil.