Where Have All The Big 90's Comedy Actors Gone?
They filled homes with laughter and were some of the biggest celebrities of the 90s, but you might be forgiven for having lost track of some of the most famous comic actors of our generation. From hit TV shows to starring roles, every name on this list has at some point been considered one of the pre-eminent comedians of our generation. But where are they now and where have they been?
Eddie Murphy
The Beverly Hills Cop and the Nutty Professor himself, Eddie has a long list of top grossing films under his belt, not to mention near-legendary status on the comedy circuit, but today he’s probably best remembered for Donkey from Shrek of all things. In a tale as old as time, Eddie has suffered flop after flop, beginning after Norbitt tanked his already floundering pull as a comedy star. Subsequent attempts at a dramatic turn failed just as hard with near-universally bad reviews for Mr. Church in 2016. He hasn’t been seen since but his upcoming Dolemite Is My Name could see another well-deserved comeback.
Mike Myers
With The Love Guru, Eddie’s co-star also ended up fading from our screens entirely. Reports suggest Mike doesn’t get many scripts these days, allegedly thanks in part to a backstage diva reputation that includes having a personal assistant solely to feed him chocolates on set. There are a lot more reports of troubling relationships with co-creators, but we can’t find it in our heart yet to hate the man behind both Austin Powers and Wayne’s World.
Jim Carrey
One of the very few actors to successfully make the turn from legendary comedies like Ace Ventura to dramas like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Jim’s recent departure from the screens has been broken lately thanks to the excellent Jim & Andy. But the actor has other things on his mind. Partly, a wrongful death case that has recently been thrown out involving a supposed ex (who may not have been his ex). Otherwise, Jim spends a lot of his time painting, including a few controversial jabs at President Donald Trump.
Roseanne Barr
Speaking of current political climates, the star of megahit TV show Roseanne has won and lost a lot of fans for her outspoken political views as of late. She reprised her role with no small amount of success. But recent social media posts that saw her accused of racism had the plug on the hole show being pulled, with news of a spin-off featuring much of the original cast without her.
Dave Chappelle
Ending on some lighter news, the comedy world was shocked when Dave Chappelle, hit creator of the Chappelle show and star of films like Con Air suddenly disappeared from our airwaves. In a move that is rare in the world of celebrity, he turned away from it all. When he came back, he knocked it out of the park with four excellent Netflix specials. His last show as of writing, The Bird Revelation, dropped some cryptic hints about his disappearance that fans are still picking apart with a fine-toothed comb but we’re just happy to have him back.
From Hollywood to our own homes, celebrity can be a fickle thing and real life often comes in to make it all the harder. Do you know where the actors in your favorite 90s comedies are?