The biggest movie stars of 1990s America

The 1990s were the last decade when a single name on a poster could sell a movie to the entire country. Blockbusters got bigger, romances got glossier, and a handful of stars became household names on every continent. Here are four who defined the decade, with photos from the time and the trailers that introduced them to the world.

Tom Hanks: America’s everyman

Tom Hanks entered the decade as a comedy actor and left it as the most trusted face in Hollywood. He won back-to-back Best Actor Oscars, for Philadelphia (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994), then kept going with Apollo 13, Toy Story and Saving Private Ryan. Forrest Gump went on to win Best Picture and became one of the decade’s biggest hits.

Tom Hanks in a U.S. Army uniform on the set of Forrest Gump in 1994 — Tom Hanks on the set of Forrest Gump, 1994. Photo: lakesbutta, CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Forrest Gump trailer. Courtesy of Paramount.

Julia Roberts: the smile of the decade

Pretty Woman (1990) turned Julia Roberts into a global star almost overnight, and she stayed on top with Steel Magnolias, The Pelican Brief, My Best Friend’s Wedding and Notting Hill. For most of the decade she was the highest-paid actress in the business, and she would win her Oscar in 2001 for Erin Brockovich.

Black-and-white photo of Julia Roberts at a press conference in a denim jacket — Julia Roberts at the Deauville American Film Festival, September 1990. Photo: Roland Godefroy, CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Pretty Woman trailer. Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers.

Will Smith: from TV to Fourth of July

Will Smith came to the 1990s as a rapper and the star of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. By 1996 he was a movie star, and Independence Day made him the face of the summer blockbuster. Men in Black followed in 1997, and he turned the Fourth of July weekend into his own personal franchise.

Will Smith being interviewed on the red carpet at the Emmy Awards — Will Smith at the Emmy Awards, 1993. Photo: Alan Light, CC BY 2.0.

The Independence Day trailer. Courtesy of 20th Century Studios.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: the action machine

No one defined 1990s action like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) set a new standard for special effects, and True Lies, Kindergarten Cop and Total Recall showed he could carry comedy and sci-fi just as well. He was also a public advocate for fitness, and in 1991 he appeared in Washington for an event tied to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

Black-and-white portrait of Arnold Schwarzenegger smiling near the U.S. Capitol in 1991 — Arnold Schwarzenegger on Capitol Hill, May 1991. Photo: Maureen Keating, public domain.

The Terminator 2 trailer. Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers.

Why they worked

Each of them offered something different: Hanks an easy decency, Roberts a luminous warmth, Smith an effortless charm and Schwarzenegger sheer scale. Together they defined a decade when going to the movies was a national event, and the trailers above still show why.