[3] Atkins and co-star Brooke Shields played teenaged cousins who find love while living in an isolated tropical paradise after being marooned as children.

[5][10][11][4] While Blue Lagoon was controversial due to its nude scenes and sexual content,[12] it nevertheless became a "pop culture phenomenon".

[13] Although Atkins was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture – Male for The Blue Lagoon,[14] critical responses to his performance were negative.

For his performance in the film A Night in Heaven (1983), Atkins won the 1983 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor.

"[3] In 2023, Atkins appeared in Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas, where he reunited onscreen with his Dallas costar, Linda Gray.

[24] In a 2009 interview, Atkins acknowledged his past struggle with alcoholism and stated that he had been sober for 22 years.