one and done

                                                    ONE AND DONE
Sometimes an actor’s star flares up dramatically and as quickly is gone. Why is that? I have no idea. But here are some interesting cases in point.
To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) is as fine a film about American courage and decency as we have. Gregory Peck won the Oscar as Atticus Finch, a Mississippi lawyer defending a black man on a trumped-up rape charge. Mary Badham plays Scout, his daughter and sounding board. She is convincing, level and altogether gives a remarkable performance. Ms. Badham appeared in one other film four years later, then vanished from the screen.
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946) is William Wyler’s splendid account of three GIs returning home after World War II and the problems they face resuming life in peacetime. Harold Russell, a genuine paraplegic who lost his hands, won not one but two Oscars for his unsentimental, convincing performance. (He won for Best Supporting Actor and a special Oscar for bringing hope to veterans!) Mr. Russell never made another movie.
Breaking Away (1979) is a jewel of a film that sneaked up on everyone when it came out and is still quite popular on TV and on DVD. Dennis Christopher shines as a teenager in love with bicycle racing, whose antics include speaking Italian and training beyond exhaustion. Paul Dooley and Barbara Barrie are quite good as his bewildered parents. From this promising height, Mr. Christopher went on to smaller and smaller parts in worse and worse movies, never approaching his achievement of 36 years ago.
On The Town (1949) is a charming musical about three sailors with a one-day shore leave in New York, their adventures and the girls they meet. (And of course the songs they break into and the dances they dance!)  Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Vera Ellen, Ann Miller and Betty Garrett all went on to many more big parts. The third sailor, Jules Munshin, appeared in three other films in the late 40's and was never seen on the screen again. 
Tex (1982) is an underrated small film about two teenage boys left parentless and trying to cope without much guidance or money. It provided Matt Dillon with his break-out role as the younger brother. Not so Jim Melzer, who as the older brother outshines Dillon. Mr. Mezler has appeared in a dozen other nothing films in forgettable parts.
Similar career downslopes for Alexander Knox (Wilson 1944) and both Ian Charleston and Ben Cross (Chariots of Fire 1981).
All of the films in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. All are suitable for mature 8-year-olds and up.