Chris Sarandon is best known as Jerry Dandrige in the 1985 film Fright Night, or perhaps as Prince Humperdinck in The Princess Bride (1987).
The 1980s saw the actor at the height of his fame and success, appearing in 16 films and television projects within the decade. But despite his success on-screen, towards the end of the decade, the actor fell victim to a scam that left him penniless and forced him to start again.
Rise to fame
The actor rose to fame after a breakthrough role as Leon Shermer on Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon that earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1976.
Chris appeared in Protocol (1984) as Michael Ransome, where he starred alongside Goldie Hawn and Richard Romanus. Later on, in 1988, he appeared as Detective Mike Norris in Child’s Play.
The scam that left him penniless
But despite his acting upturn in the 1980s, in a 2025 interview with The Guardian, the now-retired actor revealed that he lost his life savings to an investment scam late that same decade.
He said: "I bought into a number of brownstone buildings in Manhattan when I was doing well, and the guy ended up being a fraud."
Chris explained that because he had signed o...