Dennis Christopher

This once boyishly handsome, stage-trained character player enjoyed a brief stint as a Hollywood leading man in the late 1970s and early 80s after the surprising success of "Breaking Away" (1979). Christopher proved extremely likable as a young Italophile cyclist in middle America coming to grips with growing up. Though he was already 24 at the time, Christopher was so convincing at conveying the anxieties of youth that he won a Youth in Film Award. This could have been a career transforming role but he faltered with his next two projects, "Fade to Black" (1980) and "Don't Cry, It's Only Thunder" (1982). The former was a gory thriller in which he went over-the-top as a movie-obsessed serial killer. Christopher shifted gears with the latter, playing a sensitive American GI paired with a dedicated doctor (Susan Saint James) during the Vietnam War. While his notices were respectable, the film failed to register at the box office. After a five year hiatus from the big screen, Christopher returned as a supporting player in genre movies beginning with the action comedy misfire "Jake Speed" (1986). This was followed by dubious (almost) direct-to-video titles and obscure international co-productions.