1980’s Teen Idols
Hello! Welcome to my fourth installment of Teen Idols of the Decades. I previously covered teen idols from the 1950’s, the 1960’s, and the 1970’s. Click here if you want to check any of those out. Today is all about the 1980’s Teen Idols. The 80’s make me think of hair higher than the moon and Rubik’s Cubes.
Scott Baio
Scott Baio became a teen idol in the late 1970’s with his portrayal of Chachi on Happy Days. He continued being a hot idol into the 80’s. He starred in Charles in Charge once Happy Days ended and was a hunky dude until about 1984. He’s currently married to wife Renee and fighting with former costar Nicole Eggert about whether or not he assaulted her. I don’t think he did.
John Schneider
John Schneider showed up around the same time as Scott Baio in 1979 when he became Bo Duke on The Dukes of Hazzard. I liked that show and I liked John Schneider. John recently went to jail for a few hours because his ex-wife is a bitch. I think he’s a very talented guy and hope he continues with his career. He still has many good years ahead of him.
Rex Smith
Rex Smith also hit the teen magazines in 1979 in the made for TV movie, Sooner or Later. He seems like a nice guy and talented but I was never into him. Rex Smith took over hosting Solid Gold in 1982 when Andy Gibb was dealing with his drug problem. He has done a lot of acting and singing, and he looks good with his shirt off.
Matt Dillon
Matt Dillon also showed up in 1979. Maybe this blog should be about 1979. Matt was found cutting class in school and ended up in the cult classic Over the Edge. He went on to star in a bunch of teen movies in the 80’s. I liked him. I thought he was a good little actor (except for a few cheesy scenes in The Outsiders) and got even better as he became older. I’m a fan. Click here to read my blog about Matt.
Erik Estrada
Erik Estrada also showed up in the late 70’s as motorcycle cop Ponch in the TV show CHiPs. I only watched that show when Leif Garrett was a guest star. My sister Karla loved Erik Estrada. He had too many teeth for me and his clothes were too tight. Estrada was a pretty big 80’s Teen Idol for the first half of the decade.
Rick Springfield
I think Rick Springfield has always been around. I remember seeing him in the early 70’s in my teen magazines but I think he became a big, big star in 1981 with Jessie’s Girl. He was also a hunk on General Hospital at the time. I guess he and Rex Smith were similar in that they had a lot of hits but were also decent actors. Rick Springfield is still around doing his thing. I think he’s 146 now.
Ralph Macchio
Ralph Macchio showed up in 1980 as a member of the groovy show Eight is Enough. I loved that show. I don’t ever see that in syndication or on Netflix or anything. Anyway, he was popular in the teen magazines because of that show but really hit it big when he became the Karate Kid. I was never a fan, especially of his role in that movie. He did not seem coordinated to me so that karate stuff must just be pure magic. Click here to read my childish blog about Ralph.
Kirk Cameron
Kirk Cameron played Mike Seaver on the show Growing Pains and was a huge teen idol. He didn’t do much for me. I thought he was kind of a jerk, but I loved his sister Candace. She played DJ Tanner on Full House.
John Stamos
Speaking of Full House, John Stamos was a pretty big idol in the 80’s. He started out on General Hospital before getting the Full House gig. He’s another idol who has never really gone away. He’s a very talented guy.
Michael J. Fox
My favorite movie of all time is Back to the Future. I did enjoy the TV series Family Ties, but I was never a huge Michael J. Fox fan. Sister Lori liked him but I’m pretty sure it was only because of the purple underwear scene in the movie.
Corey Haim
Corey Haim was a big teen idol at the end of the 80’s. I remember him in the 1985 movie Secret Admirer but he wasn’t an idol at that point. I think he first began to be noticed in Lucas in 1986. He then went on to start in the cult classic The Lost Boys, License to Drive, Dream a Little Dream, and more. Most of these were made with Corey Feldman. They were known as the two Corey’s. I think they did a lot of drugs. Feldman seems a bit odd. Haim died in 2010 from pneumonia (I think it was drug related). Click here to read my Corey Haim blog.
Other idols from that decade are Duran Duran, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Ricky Schroder, Chris Atkins, Menudo, George Michael, Tommy Howell, Johnny Depp, and Fred Savage. Who were your favorites? What big idol did I leave out? This is all coming off the top of my head, so I’m sure there are some I forgot. Leave a message and let me know. Take my survey below!
Check back in two days when I continue my blog series on Teen Idols of the Decades. The 90’s are next! Get ready for some Jonathan Taylor Thomas, New Kids on the Block, and Jonathan Brandis!