I got thinking about this while coming up with bad movie commandments in another thread. A fine tradition in bad moviemaking is giving star status to anyone within your budget who ever appeared in something a lot of people would have seen. Surprisingly, I actually found myself at a bit of a loss for specific examples. But I'm sure we can come up with quite a few.
I'll start the list with possibly my favourite bad actress, and a textbook example of a flash in the pan. Early success, one lucky break, big-time hype and rapid slide into obscurity, save for roles in such classics as Megaforce and Warrior of the Lost World. Yes, I'm talking about...
1. Persis Khambatta, whose name probably never appeared prominently in a movie ad without the title Star Trek: The Motion Picture somewhere near it.
Well does Megaforce count? Also she passed away in 1998, but her acting was long over by then. Maybe a comback would have been possible, but who knows?