Joey Lawrence
As a child, Joey Lawrence had guest roles on “Diff’rent Strokes” and “Silver Spoons,” amongst other shows. But it was his role as Joey Donavan in “Gimme a Break!” that really put him on the map and helped garner him more attention from Hollywood. After this, he turned into a full-on, teen idol when he became one of the lead stars on the show, “Blossom.”
Lawrence also dabbled in music and, although he had some hit songs, it was not a lasting career choice for him. He has continued his acting career and starred in the sitcom “Melissa & Joey.”
Zac Efron
Zac Efron stole teenage hearts as the golden-haired, blue-eyed basketball star in the 2006 Disney movie, “Highschool Musical.” After two sequels, Efron took a step away from Disney with his role in the film “Me and Orson Welles.” Once proven a solid actor, Efron went on to star in “The Lucky One” and “The Greatest Showman.”
His grittiest role to date was playing serial killer Ted Bundy in “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.” He also famously starred alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in the reboot movie "Baywatch." Efron’s career has diversified over the years to include Netflix documentarian with his series, “Down To Earth.”
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus was born to famous country singer Billy Ray Cyrus and while many know her from the Disney series “Hannah Montana" Cyrus’s music career really took off after she released “The Climb” in 2009. Her catchy song, “Party in the U.S.A.” was also a hit.
But it was the release of her album “Can’t Be Tamed” and her new, controversial image that followed that kept fans along for the ride. Today, Cyrus is still a household name having appeared in a smattering of tv shows and films and with the continuous release of her music. Her songs "Wrecking Ball" and "Flowers" have also taken her career to dizzy new heights.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga, born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, caught the ear of the public when she released her singles “Just Dance” and “Poker Face” in 2008. Though she was first known for her popular dance anthems, Lady Gaga has demonstrated tremendous versatility and talent across music and acting genres.
She performed a handful of songs with jazz artist, Tony Bennett, and, in 2018, she wowed fans again with her acting and singing performance in the film “A Star Is Born.” Since then, Gaga has also starred in movies such as "House of Gucci" and "Joker: Folie à Deux," starring alongside Joaquin Phoenix.
Rudolph Valentino
Silent film actor Rudolph Valentino may be one of the earliest, documented teen idols, if we are going to be completely honest. An Italian immigrant who was dark and exotic to American audiences, he was originally typecast as the villain in his earlier films like “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”
Later, he was known as the “Great Lover” in Hollywood and became the heart-throb of the 1920s after he was cast as every girl’s dream in films like “The Son of the Sheik.” Sadly, at just thirty-one with a lot of potential in his career, Valentino died from complications following an appendectomy.