While being in media, music or just on TV means that someone will be in the limelight by default, it doesn’t mean it will always stay like that. Fame can wax and wane, but there are also celebrities who really just don’t want to be celebrities. Indeed, a decent amount of folks just take their fortune and retire young.
People online share examples of celebrities that were household names at one point and suddenly just disappeared from the public eye. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to add your own thoughts in the comments below.
#1
Rick Morranis…. His wife got cancer at the hieght of his career and he stopped working to beat full time dad till his kids graduated. ❤️.
Image source: WarriorNurse222, Walt Disney Pictures
#2
Geena Davis.
Jetztinberlin: She’s been running a non-profit org advocating for better representation for women in Hollywood on & off-camera since 2004.
Image source: eRockMD, Bloomberg Talk
#3
Bridget Mendler…now she is a Ph.D. candidate at MIT!
Image source: reillydean28, Disney Channel
#4
Greta Garbo completely abandonned acting and led quite a reclusive life.
Image source: foxybingo111, Loew’s, Inc.
#5
David Caruso. Good riddance. He can’t act. He always looks like he’s trying to hold in a fart. His voice is fingernails on a blackboard.
Image source: LusciousLennyStone, CBS
#6
The guy who sang Somebody That I Used To Know.
Now he IS somebody that we used to know.
#7
Danny Lloyd who played Danny Torrance in the Shining only acted in one other small role. He’s a professor in Kentucky now.
Image source: Intelligent-End7797, Warner Bros.
#8
Charlie Korsmo
Kid from Dick Tracy, Peter Pan’s son in Hook, dude was everywhere in the 90s.
Last I know of him he did the smart thing and cashed out for a normal life.
Image source: TheDood715, TriStar Pictures
#9
Jon Heder
I thought he was going to be a huge star.
But I heard he sticks to smaller roles.
Image source: anon, 20th Century Fox
#10
Bridget Fonda.
Sownd_Rum: A good chance Harvey Weinstein ruined her career.
Image source: WranglerOriginal, Conan O’Brien
#11
Bobbie Gentry.
She’s still alive, but she stepped out of the spotlight at the height of her career and after a couple of huge hit songs.
She sang Ode to Billy Joe and Fancy.
But she won’t interview. She won’t talk about her career.
Image source: Swifty-Dog, The Ed Sullivan Show
#12
Steve Guttenberg.
Boraxo: This one bothers me. Police Academy 6 left me hanging and I might not ever see a 7
Image source: freaknjoe4677, CBS Sunday Morning
#13
Besides Bryan Cranston, like all the cast of Malcom in the Middle.
Image source: slickheadoflettuce, Fox
#14
One who literally disappeared was Joe Pichler. He was in one of the Beethoven movies. Back in 2006 when he was 18, he disappeared after spending time at his friends house and his car was found the car park of a local restaurant. There was a note in the car, presumably written by him which stated how he wished he was a better brother. Police believe it to be a s*****e note. Despite this, they’ve never found a body nor any other trace of him. Most likely he’s dead by now.
Image source: TheFantasticXman1, Universal Studios Home Video
#15
Leelee Sobieski. She was a bit of a celebrity crush for me back in the day. From the look of her IMDb she’s barely been in anything for the last decade or so. Her last credited movie was a Turkish made for TV movie in 2018.
Image source: Jeffistopheles, 20th Century Fox
#16
Phoebe Cates
I always thought she was so beautiful.
Image source: sir_percy_percy, Letterman
#17
For me its Martin Lawrence. I feel like I used to see him everywhere but I don’t know what he’s up to nowadays.
Image source: DramaticYam241, Jimmy Kimmel Live
#18
Meg Ryan.
alexmo210: Sad that I think of her I remember When Harry Met Sally/breakup with Dennis Quaid/bad plastic surgery. She was It for a while.
#19
Bonnie Hunt.
Anonymous: She’s totally dropped off the map. Had a huge crush on her in the ‘90’s.
Image source: CanineRezQ, Phil Rosenthal World
#20
Dolores Hart, she was on a movie with Elvis and in her way to the A list in Hollywood when she decided to join a monastic community an become a nun. There’s an HBO documentary about it named “God is the bigger Elvis”.
Image source: Notabumblebee27, EWTN
#21
Sabrina Lloyd. I last saw her on Numbers and I know she was in a few things after that but, nothing in 10 years.
Image source: NeverCadburys, Fox
#22
Action star Michael Dudikoff. Starred in the American Ninja movies in the 80’s. Was on track to be as big as the other heros like Arnold, Van Damme and Stallone but faded away.
Image source: TheBklynGuy, Cannon Film Distributors
#23
The guy who played Mitch Kramer in Dazed in Confused.
Also the girl from Matilda and the Miracle on 34th Street remake.
Image source: PhilipLiptonSchrute, Gramercy Pictures
#24
Joe Torres, the guy who played Danny on the old show “Hey Dude!” on Nickelodeon.
Literally no one can find him.
Image source: johnnydakota, Nickelodeon
#25
Josh Hartnett. I think he decided to outright quit acting?
Image source: ravenqueen7, Vanity Fair
#26
After that singer for black eyed peas sung the national anthem she went dark.
#27
Jenna Elfman. Disappeared after Looney Tunes: Back in Action.
Image source: benderlax, Team Coco
#28
Brandy. I know she’s made music and she’s still alive, but I haven’t heard anything from her even remotely news worthy since the 1997 Cinderella.
Image source: bunny117, Walt Disney Television
#29
There was a movie called Amazing Grace & Chuck. The young man who starred in it as Chuck, a Little League whiz-kid pitcher who decides to stop playing baseball until there are no more nuclear weapons — and then his quest goes “viral” and all the kids stop playing their sports, across the world, until no more nukes — and then when that doesn’t work, the kids all stop speaking. Just refuse to talk.
The kid that played Chuck has exactly one movie IMDB credit, that movie.
Image source: dramboxf, Tri-Star Pictures
#30
Christian Hayden.. the one playing Anakin in star wars prequels… now hes gonna be in Kenobi show but after 2005 movie he just went to live off the money he made in his ranch or farm or whatever and just kinda tapped out of acting and public eye.
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