Will Smith got his start as a rapper and actor simultaneously with his hit TV show "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," which ran from 1990 to 1996. He rapped the theme song and went on to record other huge hit songs. In 1995, he starred in the movie "Bad Boys" and became an action hero who has gone on to have mega-hits such as "Men In Black" and "Independence Day."
Johnny Depp began on television in the late '80s on "21 Jump Street," but he became a star with his memorable performance in 1990's "Edward Scissorhands." He went on the establish himself as one of the most eclectic and versatile actors of the '90s with movies such as "Ed Wood" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Since then, he has continued to create some of the most fascinating characters in films.
George Clooney appeared in a few television shows in the late 1980s and early '90s, but it was his role on the hit show "ER" that made him a star in 1994. After leaving, he went on to establish himself as a Hollywood heartthrob with a role as the caped crusader in 1997's "Batman and Robin." He has remained a beloved leading man with hit films like "Ocean's Eleven."
Another heartthrob that came to fame in the '90s is Brad Pitt. Following small roles, Pitt got noticed when he appeared in 1991's "Thelma and Louise." The following year, he cemented his hunk status in "A River Runs Through It." He has followed up those early roles by becoming a mega-star in blockbusters such as "Fight Club" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."
Mike Myers joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in 1989 as an unknown featured player. By the time he left the show in the mid-90s, he was poised for stardom. He spun off his SNL character in to the film "Wayne's World" in 1992. He became one of the biggest '90s comedic actors with films such as "Austin Powers" in 1997. He has gone on to have more hits, such as the "Shrek" films.
Another comedian who became a film star in the '90s was Jim Carrey. At the beginning of the decade, he was a cast member on the television show "In Living Color." He left the show and made many hit comedies in the '90s such as "Dumb and Dumber" and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." He went on to have even bigger hits such as "Bruce Almighty" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."