A lot of work during this era is still watched religiously by cinemaphiles. Beginning at the start of the 80s, this era has a lot of mega-production, that resulted in excellent, mind-blowing special effects in movies at the time.
In fact, they are so popular that some franchises of the era still have revivals, reboots, and sequels today. Take a look at Indiana Jones, Terminator, or Halloween franchises. See what I mean?
The era also sees the meteoric rise of many Hollywood legends. Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, and Julie Andrew to name a few.
Want to see how long their career span is? Take a look at what these 12 iconic leading men and ladies of the contemporary Hollywood era look like today.
#1 Harrison Ford & Karen Allen (Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark)
Source: © Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark / Lucasfilm
Source: © Grosby Group/East News, © Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection / East News
#2 Meryl Streep (Sophie’s Choice)
Source: © Sophie's Choice / Universal Pictures, © ANGELA WEISS/AFP/East News
#3 Jean Reno & Natalie Portman (Léon: The Professional)
Source: © Léon: The Professional / Les Films du Dauphin
Source: © Rob Rich / WENN.com/agefotostock/East News, © Elizabeth Goodenough/Everett Collection/East News
#4 Julie Andrews & Christopher Plummer (The Sound of Music)
Source: © The Sound of Music / 20th Century Fox, © Invision/Invision/East News
#5 Jack Nicholson (The Shining)
Source: © The Shinning / Warner Bros, © WENN.com/agefotostock/East News
#6 Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, & Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters)
Source: © Image supplied by Capital Pictures/EAST NEWS, © Image supplied by Capital Pictures/EAST NEWS
Source: © Josh Gad / YouTube / Ghostbusters reunion livestream
#7 Arnold Schwarzenegger & Linda Hamilton (The Terminator)
Source: © The Terminator / MGM, © The Terminator / MGM
Source: © AKASHA RABUT/The New York Times Agency/East News, © schwarzenegger / Instagram
#8 Michael J. Fox & Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future)
Source: © Back to the Future / Universal Pictures, © realmikejfox / Instagram
#9 Mel Gibson (Braveheart)
Source: © Braveheart / Paramount Pictures, © Boss Level / Highland Film Group
#10 Billy Crystal & Meg Ryan (When Harry Met Sally)
Source: © When Harry Met Sally / Sony Pictures, © Hahn Lionel/ABACA/Abaca/East News
#11 Robert Redford & Jane Fonda (Barefoot in the Park)
Source: © Barefoot in the Park / Paramount Pictures, © Marechal Aurore/ABACA/EAST NEWS
#12 Dominic Monaghan & Billy Boyd (The Lord of the Rings)
Source: © The Lord of the Rings / New Line Cinema, © boydbilly / Instagram