"In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes," it's claimed Andy Warhol once said. Some stars shine much brighter than others, though, and in the case of Hollywood we often see actors hit big early before disappearing without trace.

Brandon Routh, who delivered a sensitive and assured turn as the Man of Steel in 2006's Superman Returns, is one such example. Routh never quite got the breaks he deserved after landing that life-changing role, so it's nice to see him back in the superhero game with an upcoming role as Atom in Arrow.

Digital Spy takes a look back at a handful of stars who couldn't escape their one big role.

Brandon Routh

Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic



Plucked from relative obscurity to lead Bryan Singer's lavish Superman sequel, Routh impressively channelled Christopher Reeve on his big screen debut but found leading man roles difficult to come by in the aftermath.

Parts in Zack and Miri Make a Porno and Scott Pilgrim vs the World followed, but Warner Bros cooled on the idea of bringing him back for a Superman sequel (which surely would've given him a career boost) and the part eventually passed over to Henry Cavill.

Linda Blair

Albert L. Ortega



Linda Blair was just a teenager when she won an Oscar nomination for The Exorcist's possessed Regan in the early '70s. Navigating the treacherous world of child stardom can be difficult, however, and despite a starring role in Exorcist II: The Heretic (a movie that, in truth, was awful), Blair found herself type cast in horror roles of diminishing returns.

Perhaps the most eyebrow-raising role in her more recent career is playing S Club 7's landlord in the group's BBC series LA 7. She's introduced in memorable fashion, running over Bradley while on rollerblades!

George Lazenby

Amanda Edwards/WireImage



Following Sean Connery's definitive turn as James Bond proved to be the impossible job for George Lazenby, who played 007 just once in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service. The movie itself was excellent and a definite high point for the Bond series, but Lazenby felt that the character wouldn't last into the '70s and left the role before Diamonds Are Forever.

After his brush with 007 he took on roles in The Return of the Man from UNCLE (spoofing his spy image), Superboy and the racy Emmanuelle film series.

Nia Vardalos

Frederick M. Brown



Nia Vardalos wrote and starred in 2002's My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a worldwide hit that earned an astonishing $368 million at the box office. An original screenplay Oscar nomination quickly followed, but Vardalos couldn't repeat the trick with follow-up Connie and Carla or her directorial debut I Hate Valentine's Day.

More recently she reunited with Greek Wedding producer Tom Hanks to co-write Larry Crowne and had a guest stint on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Jaye Davidson

Moviestore Collection



Jaye Davidson's astonishing performance in The Crying Game gained him worldwide recognition in the early '90s and Hollywood soon came calling with a role in Stargate. That was pretty much it for the American-British star, who retired from acting saying that he "genuinely hated the fame".

After Hollywood he went into modelling and fashion, doing shoots with Annie Leibowitz and hanging out with the likes of Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington.

Paul Hogan



"That's not a knife... that's a knife." These immortal words from Paul Hogan were the highlight of Crocodile Dundee, a fish out of water comedy about an Australian poacher who winds up in New York.

Post-Dundee roles followed with Almost an Angel, Lightning Jack and Flipper, but none hit the highs of his '80s comedy hit. Two Dundee sequels also came, and he had a movie role in 2009's Charlie & Boots.

Samantha Mumba

Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic



Whatever happened to Samantha Mumba's movie career? After her cracking pop tunes 'Gotta Tell You' and 'Body II Body' soared to the top of the UK charts she starred opposite Guy Pearce in Hollywood blockbuster The Time Machine.

She's continued to act, appearing in horror films Boy Eats Girl and Nailed, before featuring as a contestant on Dancing on Ice in 2008.

Elizabeth Berkley

Walter McBride Getty Images



There was palpable star quality among the original cast from Save by the Bell, and Elizabeth Berkley looked primed to be the breakout after she landed the lead in Showgirls.

Director Paul Verhoeven and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, the team who powered Sharon Stone onto the A-list with Basic Instinct, were behind the camera but the film flopped hard and left Berkley with little to do except strip off and thrash around wildly in a swimming pool with Kyle MacLachlan. Post-Showgirls, Berkley impressed in Any Given Sunday and Roger Dodger, but struggled to recover from her ill-fated 1996 drama.

Sam J Jones

Emma Coles/EMPICS Entertainment



If you thought Taylor Kitsch had it bad with John Carter, spare a thought for Flash Gordon's Sam J Jones. A former US Marine, he moved into acting with Blake Edwards's 10 before landing the lead in the sci-fi spectacular.

After Flash he took on a string of TV and film roles, but was never able to escape his breakthrough action hero part. Jones ended a five-year break from acting to play himself in Seth MacFarlane's comedy Ted in 2012, and as the years have rolled by the film has gradually ascended to cult status.

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