8. Call Me Now
Jamaican Psychic Miss Cleo, real name Youree Dell Harris, was, unfortunately, neither Jamaican nor a psychic. Yes, we know it’s shocking. The infomercial psychic gave readings over the phone and the first three minutes were “free.”
No, of course, it wasn’t free. Miss Cleo quickly became a lawsuit magnet and the owners of the Psychic Readers Network were indicted for deceptive advertising, billing and collection practices. Internet users have described her fake accent as an odd “Irish-Jamaican.” Sadly she passed away in 2016 after a long struggle with cancer.
9. Just Do It
As one of the most famous basketball players of all time, Michael Jordan certainly needed no help from TV commercials. But his appearances and contracts with Nike for his Air Jordan shoes, introduced in 1985, still have him raking in the cash well into his retirement and the foreseeable future.
According to Forbes, Nike’s Jordan revenues were at $2.8 billion at the end of the 2016 fiscal year. You can be sure that he is seeing an enormous amount of money from those deals. Jordan’s line of shoes became so popular they caused a wave of crime and “shoe-jackings.”
10. The Pepsi Girl
Anyone who lived through the ’90s remembers the iconic and adorable Pepsi Girl. Her actual name is Hallie Kate Eisenberg. The classic commercials featured the Pepsi Girl at various locations ordering a Pepsi, only to be told they only had Coca-Cola.
Presented with the option of only coke, the sweet little girl turned into a threatening Godfather character. In the end, she always got her Pepsi. Eisenberg continued acting in films, including Paulie and Bicentennial Man until 2010 when she took a hiatus to pursue a college degree. Still today, her face is recognizable by most in the US. Her brother, Jesse Eisenberg, is also an actor.
11. Paul Marcarelli
Anytime the phrase “can you hear me now” is mentioned, this guy comes to mind. Paul Marcarelli, the popular Verizon spokesperson, is an American actor and screenwriter from Connecticut. He was named one of the “most intriguing people of 2002” by Entertainment Weekly.
In what seemed like a bizarre turn of events, Marcarelli became a spokesperson for rival provider Sprint in 2016. In one of the commercials for Sprint, he even appears alongside his husband, Ryan. Who else had an intriguing career thanks to commercials?
12. Flo the Salesperson
Stephanie Courtney has starred in over 100 commercials for the insurance company Progressive, appearing as the fictional salesperson Flo. The character is a delightfully upbeat and perky salesperson with a retro hairdo and heavy makeup. Flo turned into a cult icon and even inspired Halloween costumes in her likeness.
In real life, Courtney grew up in Stony Point, New York and earned a degree in English from Binghamton University. She moved to New York City right after graduation to pursue a career in acting. She performed mainly in the theatre and eventually moved to Los Angeles where she was discovered in a comedy club performing stand-up.
13. How’s Your Credit?
Remember that nerdy guy who seemed to be eternally plagued by bad credit? His name is Eric Violette and was the spokesperson for freecreditreport.com. The Washington Post described his character in the ads as “the kind of guy who always has bad luck.”
The commercials became iconic hits for their campy genre-specific jiggles and bad luck situations. Unfortunately, though, the man you hear singing in the commercials is actually jiggle-writer Dave Muhlenfeld. The producers felt that Violette sounded “too foreign” with his heavy French-Canadian accent.
14. Mayhem
Dean Winters played the role of Dennis Duffy on 30 Rock prior to becoming the memorable Allstate spokesperson in their “Mayhem” campaign. Or maybe you remember him from his full frontal scene in Oz. Winters initially turned down the offer from Allstate because he didn’t want to “put on a suit and sell insurance.”
His agent eventually convinced him to take the gig and the commercials became wildly successful. In 2009, Winters went into cardiac arrest and was technically dead for two full minutes before being revived by paramedics.