The 1980s gave rise to some of the most beloved cultural touchstones of the modern era. From launching fan-favorite franchises like Indiana Jones and Back to the Future to seeing the release of all-time classics like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and When Harry Met Sally…, it’s easy to see the influence that the tubular ’80s had on the film industry.
But one of the decade’s biggest contributions to the zeitgeist was its stars. During the ’80s, actors like Bruce Willis and Meryl Streep were receiving widespread recognition for the first time, while established talent like Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro turned in some of the best performances of their careers and cemented their place as cinematic icons. These are the ten biggest stars of the ’80s, ranked based on how prominent they were during the decade.
11
Meryl Streep
Best ’80s Movie: ‘Sophie’s Choice’ (1982)
Meryl Streep first gained critical acclaim in the late ’70s. Within the first three years of her on-screen career, she had already been nominated for two Oscars, winning one for her performance in Kramer vs. Kramer and setting the stage for where her career would be headed in the 1980s. In ’81, she earned her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role when she starred in The French Lieutenant’s Woman, once again proving the wide range of her talents to audiences and critics alike.
From there, Streep continued to garner critical acclaim. She won her first Oscar for a leading role for her performance as Sophie in Sophie’s Choice, a Polish survivor of Auschwitz struggling with her memories of the concentration camp. Throughout the rest of the decade, Streep earned a number of additional Oscar nominations for movies like Silkwood, Ironweed, and Out of Africa, which also proved to be her biggest box office hit at the time. In the years since, Streep’s fame has continued to grow with notable appearances in movies like Mamma Mia! and The Devil Wears Prada, but she was one of the most prominent rising stars of the ’80s.
- Release Date
-
March 4, 1983
- Runtime
-
150 Minutes
- Writers
-
William Styron
, Alan J. Pakula
10
Glenn Close
Best ’80s Movie: ‘Fatal Attraction’ (1987)
After initially making a name for herself on the Broadway stage, earning her first Tony nomination in 1980 for her performance in Barnum, Glenn Close made a strong impression in her silver-screen debut, 1982’s The World According to Garp, earning her her first Oscar nomination and launching one of the decade’s most critically successful acting careers. Throughout the rest of the ’80s, Close would earn more Oscar nominations for her roles in The Big Chill, The Natural and Dangerous Liaisons, all of which illustrated her impressive range.
However, while those films were box office successes that gained Close critical acclaim, none was as big as 1987’s Fatal Attraction, a career-defining hit that made her a household name. In it, Close played Alex Forrest, an obsessive woman who, after engaging in a brief affair, begins to threaten lawyer Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) and his family. The film topped the box office for eight consecutive weeks while also earning her yet another Oscar nomination, solidifying her as one of the most notable actresses of the ’80s.
- Release Date
-
September 18, 1987
- Runtime
-
119 Minutes
- Writers
-
James Dearden
9
Jack Nicholson
Best ’80s Movie: ‘The Shining’ (1980)
Prior to the 1980s, Jack Nicholson was already a well-established talent, making his first film appearance as far back as 1958. From that point on, the actor appeared in a number of films, gaining widespread critical acclaim with the release of Easy Rider and earning his first Oscar nomination for his performance. Nicholson continued to be a critical darling, but he reached his high point in the 1980s.
Throughout the ’80s, Nicholson starred in a wide variety of films. He started the decade strong, delivering one of the most memorable horror performances of all time as Jack Torrance in Stanley Kubrick‘s The Shining, and ended it by starring in his biggest box office hit, 1989’s Batman, in which he gave an extremely effective portrayal of the Joker. Between those two performances, Nicholson featured in many other films, earning himself four Oscar nominations and winning for Terms of Endearment. A big box office draw and one of the most well-respected talents of the period, Jack Nicholson is easily one of the biggest ’80s movie stars.
- Release Date
-
May 23, 1980
- Cast
-
Jack Nicholson
, Shelley Duvall
, Danny Lloyd
, Scatman Crothers
, Barry Nelson
, Philip Stone - Runtime
-
146 minutes
8
Michelle Pfeiffer
Best ’80s Movie: ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ (1988)
Michelle Pfeiffer‘s first notable role was as Stephanie Zinone in 1982’s Grease 2. While the film was a financial flop that failed to impress critics, Pfeiffer was viewed as its one redeeming quality, providing a charismatic lead for audiences to latch onto despite the film’s lackluster writing. The following year, she appeared in Brian De Palma‘s Scarface as the titular character’s love interest, Elvira Hancock. The film served as a far better indicator of her talents as an actress while establishing her as a household name.
Over the next few years, Pfeiffer would show her range in Ladyhawke and Sweet Liberty before appearing in her biggest box office hit of the ’80s, The Witches of Eastwick. 1988’s Married to the Mob was a critical breakthrough for her. Towards the end of the decade, she would earn Oscar nominations for her performances in Dangerous Liaisons and The Fabulous Baker Boys, the latter of which also earned her a Golden Globe and the National Board of Review award for Best Actress, among numerous other nominations. By the time the 1990s came along, Pfeiffer was both a critical darling and one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
7
Molly Ringwald
Best ’80s Movie: ‘The Breakfast Club’ (1985)
John Hughes was one of the biggest names in ’80s cinema. He was responsible for a number of comedy classics released during the decade, writing films like National Lampoon’s Vacation while doing a combination of writing and directing for others like Ferris Bueller‘s Day Off. The writer-director was uniquely talented at crafting scripts that high school-aged audiences could relate to, establishing many trends of the era while introducing audiences to a number of major Hollywood names.
At the center of three of Hughes’ most notable ’80s projects was Molly Ringwald. Ringwald starred in Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink, quickly making her a massive icon among teenagers of the time. Just as Hughes’ dialogue was able to connect with its target audience, so too were Ringwald’s performances, with the young actress bringing full sincerity to every role she played. As the ’80s came to a close, she became a less prominent star, but this shouldn’t diminish the fact that, at one point, Molly Ringwald was a generation-defining star.
- Release Date
-
February 15, 1985
- Runtime
-
97 minutes
- Writers
-
John Hughes
6
Tom Cruise
Best ’80s Movie: ‘Rain Man’ (1988)
Within the past decade, Tom Cruise has been most known for starring as Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible franchise, becoming an audience favorite through his commitment to performing bold, creative and dangerous stunts. Thus, it can be easy to forget that Cruise has, in fact, been a major star for decades, beginning in the early ’80s when he first gained attention in Taps, followed by notable starring roles in All the Right Moves and Risky Business.
Then, in 1986, he starred in his biggest hit-up to that point, Top Gun, an action movie with an emphasis on aerial dogfights that played a central role in establishing him as a star within the genre. 1988’s Rain Man was an even bigger hit that allowed Cruise to display more of his range through his character’s relationship with his brother, Dustin Hoffman‘s Raymond Babbitt. Cruise rounded out the decade well by starring as Ron Kovic in Born on the Fourth of July, a role which earned him his first Oscar nomination, hinting at where his career would be headed in the ’90s. In the decades since he has become an even bigger box office draw, but Cruise’s influence in 1980s culture as a certified icon is undeniable.
Rain Man
- Release Date
-
December 16, 1988
- Runtime
-
134 Minutes
5
Bill Murray
Best ’80s Movie: ‘Ghostbusters’ (1984)
Bill Murray was introduced to most audiences when he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live midway through the second season, replacing a departing Chevy Chase. Luckily, Murray proved to be a powerful comedic force, performing in classic sketches, like “Bill Murray’s Apology” and “Nick the Lounge Singer,” before starring in 1979’s Meatballs, a box office hit that put Murray’s comedic talents on full display.
Murray left SNL in 1980 at the conclusion of the show’s fifth season, featuring in Caddyshack the same year, where he shared a famous scene with Chevy Chase. The following year, he starred in Stripes alongside Harold Ramis before appearing as Peter Venkman in 1984’s Ghostbusters, one of the biggest hits of the year and the film that truly solidified him as a comedy icon. As the ’80s wore on, Murray took on fewer roles, only appearing in a memorable cameo in Little Shop of Horrors between the end of 1984 and the start of 1988, but he returned strong with Scrooged and later Ghostbusters II, cementing him as one of the most iconic comedic talents of the era.
- Release Date
-
June 8, 1984
- Runtime
-
105 Minutes
4
Eddie Murphy
Best ’80s Movie: ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ (1984)
Eddie Murphy is another ’80s star who got his start on Saturday Night Live. Murphy joined the show halfway through the sixth season, where he almost instantly gained recognition as the funniest cast member in an entirely new cast. Murphy was quickly given opportunities to lead in films, first starring with Nick Nolte in 48 Hrs. before sharing the big screen with Dan Aykroyd in 1983’s Trading Places. The following year, Murphy would secure his Hollywood stardom with the release of Beverly Hills Cop, an iconic ’80s action comedy that made a splash at the box office.
After Beverly Hills Cop, Murphy continued to be a box office draw. Before the end of the decade, he starred in both Beverly Hills Cop II and Coming to America while also performing in Eddie Murphy Raw, a massively successful theatrical release documenting one of his stand-up shows. In the following decades, Murphy’s talents have kept him in the zeitgeist, perhaps most notably as the voice of Donkey in the Shrek franchise, but he will always be inextricably tied to the ’80s as one of its biggest stars.
- Release Date
-
November 30, 1984
- Cast
-
Eddie Murphy
, Judge Reinhold
, John Ashton
, Lisa Eilbacher
, Ronny Cox
, Steven Berkoff - Runtime
-
105 minutes
- Writers
-
Danilo Bach
, Daniel Petrie Jr.
3
Sylvester Stallone
Best ’80s Movie: ‘First Blood’ (1982)
Sylvester Stallone began the ’80s with a fair amount of attention already on him. In the ’70s, he wrote and starred in Rocky, earning himself an Oscar nomination for each of his duties. He then turned Rocky into a franchise, beginning with the release of Rocky II in 1979, which he also directed. In the ’80s, Stallone found even more fame with additional Rocky movies and another franchise that would become a box office giant.
In 1982, mere months after the release of Rocky III, the world was introduced to John Rambo, a traumatized Vietnam War veteran who would become one of the most iconic action heroes of the era. The first Rambo movie, First Blood, is a great film that explores its central character in genuinely interesting ways, but its next two sequels, Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III, perfectly encapsulate the over-the-top, USA-centric nature of many of the action films of the time. Both the Rocky and Rambo franchises were some of the biggest box office hits of the ’80s, making Stallone one of the decade’s biggest stars simply by extension.
2
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Best ’80s Movie: ‘The Terminator’ (1984)
Arnold Schwarzenegger was another action icon of the ’80s, but he starred in a wider variety of films than Stallone, whose successes were mostly limited to the Rocky and Rambo franchises. Schwarzenegger first gained attention in the bodybuilding scene in the ’70s, establishing the distinct physique that would make him a standout on-screen. In 1977, he was featured in the documentary film Pumping Iron, where his impressive body and charisma first took center stage, setting his ’80s stardom into motion.
In 1982, Schwarzenegger made a bigger splash than ever before with the release of Conan the Barbarian, in which he played the title role. Two years later, he starred in a Conan sequel, but much more notably, he featured as the villainous T-800 in James Cameron’s The Terminator, one of his most well-known roles, largely due to the quotability of his one-liners, and his intimidating presence as a villain. Later in the ’80s, Schwarzenegger would also star in Commando and Predator before showing off his comedic side in Twins, in which he played the twin brother of Danny DeVito. His career would continue to grow in the ’90s, notably with the release of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, but Schwarzenegger’s successes in the ’80s solidified him as the quintessential action star of the era.
- Release Date
-
October 26, 1984
- Runtime
-
107 Minutes
- Writers
-
James Cameron
, Gale Anne Hurd
, William Wisher
1
Harrison Ford
Best ’80s Movie: ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)
Much like Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford had likely cemented his legacy forever simply by starring as Han Solo in 1977’s Star Wars. However, in the following decade, his star would continue to rise, first with the release of the 1980 Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, and then with 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, in which Ford donned Indiana Jones’ famous fedora for the first time. He would play Solo again in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, while he would reprise his role as Jones twice more during the decade.
Ford’s successes weren’t limited to his franchise fare. In 1982, he starred in the cult classic Blade Runner before leading in Witness, a financial success that earned Ford his first, and so far only, Oscar nomination. His next two films, The Mosquito Coast and Frantic, failed to make an impression at the box office, but Working Girl and The Last Crusade ensured that he ended the decade strong. The fact that Ford played prominent roles in two of the decade’s biggest franchises while also leading in notable one-offs with incredibly memorable performances makes him the biggest star of the 1980s.
