Rick Springfield

Rick Springfield's career began promisingly enough, with the handsome, young Australian singer-songwriter scoring kind reviews and early buzz with his 1972 debut, <i>Beginnings</i>, but a nasty payola scandal quickly tarnished Springfield's brand before he'd even established it, and the singer-songwriter spent the rest of the decade trying to reignite his career, with little success. He was so desperate that he began picking up side acting gigs to pay his bills, joining the cast of “General Hospital” in 1981as fate would have it, just months before his album <i>Working Class Dog</i> blew up thanks to its hit single “Jessie's Girl.” The combined exposure from his music videos and the soap opera established Springfield as one of the most prominent teen idols of the early '80s. (Also May 19.)