Stars That Vanished From Hollywood

By Michael Avery in Entertainment On 5th February 2017

With all the fame, access, and money in Hollywood, it's hard to imagine any actor ever wanting to quit the business. But over the years, many of the most acclaimed actors in movies and television have decided to hang up their acting shoes, for reasons that range from wanting to pursue other things to simply not liking the scripts they read. We've pulled together some of the most notable actors to disappear from Hollywood, many of whom you've probably been missing for years. Check them out.

Phoebe Cates

Phoebe Cates in a red bikini in Fast Times at Ridgemont High is one of the enduring images of 1980s Hollywood. However, Cates abruptly gave up acting to focus on her family in 1994 – only returning to the big screen for her 2001 appearance in Fast Times co-star Jennifer Jason Leigh’s The Anniversary Party. Since then, Cates also opened a little boutique store called Blue Tree on Madison Avenue in New York in 2005.

Tara Reid

Tara Reid is no longer the up-and-coming star she was after 1999 mega-hit American Pie or even 2002’s Van Wilder. The intervening years saw her mostly in the press for her partying ways, while her most memorable recent roles have been in the Sharknado films. Aside from her film career, Reid was the second housemate to enter the British reality television series Celebrity Big Brother 8 in 2011. However, she was the third celebrity to be evicted from the house.

Freddie Prinze Jr.

Teen heartthrob Freddy Prize Jr. was the king of teen flicks in the 90’s, starring in films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer and She’s All That. Despite Prinze’s financial success in teen rom-com’s, Freddie left the industry after several animated film ventures flopped. Now Prinze enjoys time at home with his wife and Scooby-Doo c0-star Sarah Michelle Gellar along with their two children, and is releasing his first cookbook in 2015.

Alicia Silverstone

Alicia Silverstone’s resume is extensive without being particularly noteworthy. Indeed, everyone still remembers her primarily as stylish Cher Horowitz from 1995’s Clueless – but her career originally started at just 6-years-old when she first began modeling and acting in commercials. Silverstone actually won a Razzie Award for the title of Worst Supporting Actress after starring as Batgirl in Batman & Robin. She has three movies set for release in 2017, though, so this may just be her year.

Neve Campbell

Neve Campbell hasn’t strictly disappeared; you can still find the Canadian-actress popping up in bit-parts on TV or in indie films. But it’s fair to say that she hasn’t been front-and-center since the Scream films in her role as Sidney Prescott, and the last one, Scream 4, was out in 2011. However, she has made guest appearances on several television shows – including Grey’s Anatomy, Medium and Mad Men.

Macaulay Culkin

Child stars don’t come much bigger than Macaulay Culkin was in his time. But after 1994 flop Richie Rich, the Home Alone star disappeared completely for nine years – during which time he was briefly married. Since then, Culkin has been hauled in for drug possession, acted in several small movies and started a novelty band called The Pizza Underground.

Sean Connery

Screen legend Sean Connery officially announced his Hollywood departure in 2006, meaning that 2003’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was his last live-action crusade – and even a fourth Indiana Jones outing couldn’t pique his interest. The Scottish actor was the first to ever portray the character of James Bond on the big screen. In 2012 Connery did, however, briefly return to voice the titular character in low-key British animated movie Sir Billi.

Amanda Bynes

Former child star Amanda Bynes was a star of the small and silver screens in the early 2000s, making her movie debut with 2002 comedy Big Fat Liar. Sadly, Bynes’ recent battles with mental illness have been well documented, which is perhaps why in 2012 she claimed to be “retired” from Hollywood. Her last movie role was in 2010’s Easy A.

Hayden Christensen

In December 2015 erstwhile Anakin Skywalker Hayden Christensen told the Los Angeles Times that he took a break from Hollywood because he felt his fame was “too handed” to him. Aside from his role in Star Wars, Christensen starred in a handful of films – including Awake, Jumper and Virgin Territory. He was a casual farmer for a time, and he’s had a handful of under-seen screen credits too. Christensen now has a daughter with long-time girlfriend, Rachel Bilson.

Jennifer Grey

Jennifer Grey blames her “nose job from hell” for ruining her career after Dirty Dancing. In 2012 she told the Mirror, “I went into the operating room a celebrity and came out anonymous.” While she has guest starred in a handful of television shows, her last major gig was ABC’s Dancing with the Stars in 2010 – which she did actually end up winning. However, it looks like the American actress won’t be starring in any more memorable roles anytime soon.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas

In the ’90s Jonathan Taylor Thomas was a star of sitcom Home Improvement and Disney’s The Lion King, but he seemingly stopped movie and TV work altogether in 2006. Thomas had kept himself busy, though, having enrolled at Harvard in 2000 and eventually graduating from Columbia in 2010. He finally returned to the small screen in 2013 with a guest spot in Tim Allen’s sitcom Last Man Standing.

Renée Zellweger

Renée Zellweger’s starred in her first major film role in the horror sequel Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. In 2014 Zellweger turned heads at the annual Elle Magazine Women in Hollywood Awards – leading to speculation that she’d had extensive plastic surgery during the self-imposed hiatus she’d been on since 2010’s My Own Love Song. Still, with The Whole Truth and a new Bridget Jones movie, Zellweger is now well and truly on the comeback trail.

Mike Myers

Mike Myers is best well-known for his starring role in the Austin Powers comedy film series. Aside from the Shrek films, the last time anybody saw anything of the Canadian-born actor on the silver screen was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it role in Inglorious Basterds. He did, though, direct a documentary, and you can sometimes catch cameos from him on NBC’s Saturday Night Live – and there are always rumors of another Wayne’s World movie.

Val Kilmer

The early ’90s was Val Kilmer’s time, with the actor praised for his performances in the likes of Tombstone and The Doors. He’s since perhaps become more famous for his off-camera antics, though, and is reported to be on a “hiatus” from Hollywood. He did, however, release a CD in 2007 and donated his proceeds to charity interests. But since his glory days of acting, he has only made rather lackluster guest appearances in films and television shows.

Meg Ryan

Formerly “America’s Sweetheart,” rom-com queen Meg Ryan took a six-year break from movies between 2009 and 2015. In fact, she moved away from Hollywood completely, relocating to New York in order to focus on family. During her hiatus, Ryan also divorced her husband – actor Dennis Quaid in 2001. However, you can find her in occasional guest appearances on television and acting in low-budget films.

Jack Gleeson

Jack Gleeson is best known for his portrayal of Joffrey Baratheon in the hit HBO series Game of Thrones. But despite the show’s success and his new, budding career, Gleeson has chosen to retire from the spotlight for good because, as he says, “it’s just not fun anymore.” Gleeson is now focusing on his studies and getting his graduate degree.

Categories

More