Known for: Missing
Net worth: $10 million
Dancer and actor, Janice Rule began dancing at the Chez Paree nightclub at the tender age of 15. She studied dancing and acting and made the cover of Life as an up-and-coming star.
Rule became a psychotherapist by trade but hit it big in the 1960s getting her break in Hollywood with Joan Crawford’s 1951 movie Goodbye, My Fancy. While she was successful on Broadway with such shows as Picnic, The Flowering Peach and The Happiest Girl in the World, she preferred film. In the 1950s she began appearing in many movies including A Woman’s Devotion. She also appeared on a Twilight Zone episode. Rule starred in The Swimmer, 3 Women, and American Flyers. In Missing, a true story, political thriller, she portrayed journalist, Kate Newman. Rule died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 2003.
Ronee Blakley
Known for: Nashville
Net worth: $1 million
Ronee Blakley rose to Hollywood’s attention playing a fictional country music superstar in the 1975 movie Nashville . The truth is, Blakley’s a Juilliard-trained musician who won the affections of the one and only Bob Dylan. He cast her in his movie Renaldo and Clara as “Mrs. Dylan,” and they recorded songs together. She sings background vocals in songs like Hurricane .
For the role of Barbara Jean, Blakley won Best Supporting Actress nominations across the board—an Academy, a BAFTA and a Golden Globe. Blakley starred in the legendary slasher horror flick A Nightmare on Elm Street. Most recently, we can find her in Scorsese’s Netflix film Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese.
Lance Kerwin
Known for: James at 15
Net worth: $1 million
Popular 1970s child actor, Lance Kerwin grew up the youngest of five brothers in sunny Newport Beach, California. The ’70s heartthrob came in number 82 on VH1’s 2005, The Greatest: 100 Greatest Kid Stars.
James at 15 was once a wildly popular teen TV drama series. The made-for-TV pilot movie starred with well-liked child actress, Melissa Sue Anderson from Little House on the Prairie. The series was renamed James at 16, accordingly. He also starred in the TV movies The Loneliest Runner and Salem’s Lot. Currently sober, he’s a Christian pastor living on the Hawaii rehab ranch called U-Turn For Christ. He’s also a timeshare salesman for Wyndham Resorts on Kauai.
Dustin Hoffman
Known for: The Graduate and Tootsie
Net worth: $50 million
The Graduate propelled Dustin Hoffman into superstardom. Fame was an unexpected surprise. He found himself longing to go back to the stage after the notice barraged him with a slew of “crappy” parts. The film itself was an unexpected hit. Hoffman’s exceptional performance and a soundtrack featuring Simon and Garfunkel helped make it an enduring smash hit.
And he has so many more amazing films! The seminal drama Kramer vs. Kramer and the unparalleled Rain Man earned him a Best Actor Award at the 1980 and 1989 Academy Awards ceremonies. Tootsie , his cross-dressing role, plays Dorothy Michaels who is actually Michael Dorsey looking for work as a starving actor and trying his luck as a woman. It was uber-popular. But Midnight Cowboy , All the President’s Men and Lenny didn’t do too bad either. We’re not going to mention the sexual harassment allegations and subsequent scandal. I mean, who wants to talk about sex scandals?
Maggie Smith
Known for: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Professor McGonagall
Net worth: $18 million
British actress, Maggie Smith, achieved an outstanding success on the London Stage. Her illustrious career has spanned six decades. She’s appeared in more than 50 films. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie , and she won a Best Supporting Actress Award for California Suite .
Smith was born in Essex and now resides in London. Her mom was a secretary, and her dad taught at Oxford University. Maggie Smith’s extensive work has made her the quintessential British film and television actor. Just think of her as the Countess in Downton Abbey. Professor McGonagall, her role in the Harry Potter film series, is also indicative of her acting milieu. As a ’90s flashback, her pretentious but bending role as Reverend Mother in the classic comedy Sister Act with Whoopi Goldberg had us rolling in the aisles.