25 Forgotten Sexy Actresses

Megan Fox, Mila Kunis, Sofia Vergara and Scarlett Johansson may be frequent visitors to the top of every “Sexiest Woman Alive” list today. But that doesn’t mean that their names will still be boldfaced a decade from now. Or even remembered.

Don’t believe us? Just ask Tracy Camilla Johns, Tanya Roberts, or Heather Thomas. If your response to that lineup of lovely ladies is, “Who?,” well, that just proves the point that Hollywood is a highly fickle place. One where today’s hot young things are tomorrow’s where-are-they-now sidebars, as evidenced by these 25 Forgotten Sexy Actresses.

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Most famous role: Monique Junot in Better Off Dead (1985)

New York native Diane Franklin was just 20 years old when she made her feature debut as a virginal transfer student in 1982's sadly under-appreciated The Last American Virgin. But it was her turn as French exchange student Monique Junot in the John Cusack-led comedy Better Off Dead that captured the attention of teenage boys everywhere.

Most famous roles: Denise Huxtable in The Cosby Show (1984-1991) & A Different World (1987-1988)

OK, so no one has really forgotten about Lisa Bonet. But the fact that she has chosen to accrue just 10 acting credits since her final appearance on The Cosby Show in 1991 is lamentable. Fortunately, Zoe Kravitz, Bonet's daughter with rocker Lenny Kravitz, seems to be making up for her mother's sidestep from the spotlight with upcoming roles in After Earth and Mad Max: Fury Road.

Most famous role: Buffy Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

Forget Sarah Michelle Gellar: Kristy Swanson was the original vampire-hunting Valley Girl in the big-screen version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The two decades since have been less hectic for Swanson; her most prominent role may be the one she played in breaking up the marriage of Lloyd Eisler, her partner on the 2006 reality series Skating With Celebrities. Swanson began a relationship with Eisler, whose wife at the time was pregnant. (Swanson and Eisler had their own son in 2007, a month after his divorce was finalized; and they married in 2009).

Most famous role: Audrey Horne in Twin Peaks (1990-1991)

After bit parts in teen B-movies like Thrashin' (with Josh Brolin) and The Wraith (with Charlie Sheen), Sherilyn Fenn found her femme fatale calling in David Lynch's short-lived—but much loved—television series, Twin Peaks.

Fenn's Old Hollywood looks have served her well throughout her career; in 1995, she took what she described as "probably the hardest job I've ever done" when she starred in Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story. Next month she'll return to the small screen in yet another period piece, Starz's Magic City.

Most famous role: Caroline Mulford in Sixteen Candles (1984)

As Caroline Mulford, Haviland Morris had the perfect hair, the perfect clothes, the perfect friends and—of course—the perfect boyfriend: Jake Ryan. But it wasn't quite enough for her. Though she has continued to pop up in small film and television roles and commercials over the years, including a recent spot on The Good Wife, Morris makes her living as a real estate agent in Manhattan.

Most famous role: Mallory Keaton on Family Ties (1982-1989)

Justine Bateman made her mark playing the dim-witted Mallory Keaton, but that is certainly not a case of Method acting. While she has kept active in front of the camera since Family Ties ended its run—including a hilarious stint on Arrested Development as a prostitute who just may be Michael Bluth's sister (played by her real-life brother, Jason)—she has also completed several projects behind the scenes.

She has become an authority on digital production, and heads up a production company. She also recently began attending Computer Science classes at UCLA.

Most famous role: Sloane Peterson in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

In 1986, every guy wanted to be Ferris Bueller...and wanted Sloane Peterson as his girlfriend. It's understandable. Whereas many teen movies (even today) prefer to equate "girlfriend" with "drag," Mia Sara proved she could hang with the guys. And did it again in 1994, when she starred opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in Timecop.

Most famous role: Robin Stokes in Waiting to Exhale (1995)

Though she got her start in the mid-1980s (first as an extra in Breakin' then as a dancer in Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo; she was married to Adolfo Quiñones, aka Shabba Doo, aka Ozone at the time), Lela Rochon's big breakthrough came in 1995's Waiting to Exhale, as an unlucky-in-love executive. The role earned her an MTV Movie Award nomination for Breakthrough Performance and landed her on People's "50 Most Beautiful People" list.

Since marrying director Antoine Fuqua in 1999 and having two children, Rochon has limited her screen time (though she did have a bit role in her hubby's 2009 cop drama, Brooklyn's Finest).

Most famous role: Gwen Saunders in Weekend at Bernie's (1989)

If "Girl Power" had been a thing back in the 1980s, Catherine Mary Stewart would have defined it. After getting her start on Days of Our Lives, she showed she could kick alien (The Last Starfighter) and zombie (Night of the Comet) ass alike. She's also the sort of girl who could convince you to prop up and party with a dead guy all weekend.

Most famous role: Daisy Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985)

It's not just any hayseed hottie who can turn a barely-there pair of jean shorts into a fashion statement for the ages. What's more, Catherine Bach made many of the costumes for her character on The Dukes of Hazzard.

Since hanging up the jorts, Bach has worked on small films and, more recently, a multi-episode run on The Young and the Restless.

Most famous role: Christine Sullivan in Night Court (1984-1992)

Everything about Markie Post—from the frosted mullet down to the high-waisted bikini bottoms—screams "the '80s." And maybe that's not such a bad thing. Post proved she's still got the goods—both physically and comedically-speaking—as Cameron Diaz's mom, who tries to help Ben Stiller with his stuck zipper, in There's Something About Mary.

Most famous role: Mrs. Mike Tyson (1988-1989)

Like most of the actresses on this list, Robin Givens certainly hasn't disappeared. In fact, she just had a three-episode stint on the final season of 90210. But her career, which started off so promisingly with roles as sexy smarty-pants Darlene Merriman in Head of the Class and Knicks-loving corporate executive Jacqueline Broyer in Boomerang, seemed to stall following her split from Mike Tyson.

Allegations were hurled on both sides of what became a legendarily bitter divorce; she claimed he beat her, he (just recently) claimed he caught her in bed with Brad Pitt. A 1990 article in Ebony called her "the most hated woman in America" and noted that "Her very name is emblematic of the glamorous glacial gold-digger." Ouch!

Most famous role: Diana Prince/Wonder Woman in Wonder Woman (1975-1979)

There's a reason why all recent attempts to revive Wonder Woman as a movie or television series have failed: Lynda Carter. Filling those red boots would be a tall order for any actress.

Most famous role: Susanna in Rain Man (1988)

The world has Pee-Wee Herman to thank for Valeria Golino. It was her pairing with the bow-tied one in Big Top Pee-Wee that first thrust her into the spotlight.

Most famous role: Colonel Wilma Deering in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-1981)

Television's first female colonel—she was the right-hand woman to Buck Rogers—knew how to wield a weapon and rock a tight white jumpsuit. It was so tight, in fact, that Erin Gray claims she needed to be sewn into it on the set. Gray's discomfort didn't seem to bother audiences.

Most famous role: Linda Lee/Supergirl in Supergirl (1984)

Helen Slater made her feature debut in heroic fashion as Supergirl; a year later, DC Comics honored her work on the film by including her in its Fifty Who Made DC Great publication. She cemented her place as a female role model the following year in The Legend of Billie Jean, in which Slater becomes a youth anti-hero, modeling herself after Joan of Arc.

Most famous role: Julie Richman in Valley Girl (1983)

After making her, like, totally bitchin' film debut opposite Nicolas Cage in the classic Valley Girl, Deborah Foreman suffered the fate of so many attractive young blondes before her: She got sucked into the world of horror films, from which she was never really able to escape. (For the record, her role in April Fool's Day is, like, totally bitchin', too.)

Most famous role: Judy/Girl 6 in Girl 6 (1996)

After a string of standard supporting roles in King of New York, Jungle Fever, Malcolm X, and Bad Boys, Spike Lee gave Theresa Randle her moment in the spotlight as an actress making a living as a phone sex operator in Girl 6. The film gives her the chance to really show off her chops, as much of it's set in the fictional world of her clients' fantasies. Yet she hasn't had any other major roles since (and hasn't appeared in anything since 2010). Damn shame.

Most famous role: Andy Carmichael in The Goonies (1985)

"Adorable" may be a better descriptor for Kerri Green, the red-headed teenager who landed five major roles by the time she was 20, including the object of Josh Brolin's desire in The Goonies and the girl stuck between Corey Haim and Charlie Sheen in Lucas. She took a break from acting to attend Vassar College and has only popped up here and there on television since.

Most famous role: Julie Rogers on Charlie's Angels (1980-1981)

Charlie had many Angels over the years; Tanya Roberts had the distinction of being his final hire (she was chosen from among more than 2,000 actresses to replace Shelley Hack, yet another Forgotten Sexy Actress). Post-Angels, Roberts' role choices were a bit less iconic. She racked up two back-to-back Razzie Award nominations in 1984 and 1985, for the title role in Sheena: Queen of the Jungle and as Bond Girl Stacey Sutton in A View to a Kill. At least she looked good ruling the jungle!

Most famous role: Caroline Holden in Baywatch (1993-1997)

In 1993, Yasmine Bleeth followed in the footsteps of Pamela Anderson, Nicole Eggert, and her other well-endowed predecessors to don the famous red Baywatch bathing suit, which she wore for four years. But things went downhill for the actress in real life when she left the lifeguard station; she voluntarily entered rehab in 2000 for cocaine addiction, but was arrested the following year for drug possession. In 2003, she penned an article for Glamour about her addiction and struggles to remain sober; that's the same year as her last credited role, in Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding.

Most famous role: Host of USA Up All Night (1991-1998)

Rhonda Shear knows a thing or two about flaunting her assets. After landing a plum gig as host of USA Up All Night, a late-night B-movie marathon that ran on Friday and Saturday nights, in 2001 Shear launched her own line of figure-flattering bras and shapewear.

Most famous role: Jody Banks in The Fall Guy (1981-1986)

It would be easy to assume that Heather Thomas, the stuntwoman sidekick to Lee Majors in The Fall Guy, was all beauty and no brains. But the buxom blonde—who graced many a teenager's wall in the 1980s—quit acting in 1998 in order to focus on behind-the-camera pursuits. She sold a screenplay to Touchstone Pictures and had her first novel, Trophies, published in 2008.

Most famous role: Nola Darling in She's Gotta Have It (1986)

In the late 1980s, a new wave of up-and-comers stormed the American independent film scene, with Spike Lee leading the charge. His debut feature was She's Gotta Have It, in which the free-spirited—and sexually empowered—Nola Darling happily juggles three men. The film should have made Tracy Camilla Johns as big a star as her director, but since her breakthrough performance she has appeared in exactly three films: Mo' Better Blues and Red Hook Summer for Lee, and as seductress Uniqua in New Jack City.

Most famous role: Linda Barrett in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Utter the title Fast Times at Ridgemont High and one image springs to mind: Phoebe Cates' red bikini! Though her role as wise-beyond-her-years high schooler Linda Barrett quickly made her one of Hollywood's most sought-after actresses, Cates gave it all up after 1994's Princess Caraboo in order to raise her two sons with actor Kevin Kline (to whom she has been married since 1989).

Cates has appeared in one role in the near-20 years since her retirement: in 2001's The Anniversary Party, co-directed by her close friend (and Fast Times co-star) Jennifer Jason Leigh.