9 celebrities who disappeared from Hollywood
9 celebrities who disappeared from Hollywood
Louis PeitzmanTue, June 23, 2026 at 4:43 PM UTC
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Phoebe Cates; Bridget Fonda; Taylor MomsenCredit: Everett(2); CW
Disappearing acts in Hollywood are nothing new. Greta Garbo, one of the industry's biggest stars throughout the 1920s and '30s, retired from acting in 1941 and lived largely out of the spotlight until her death in 1990.
Of course, you don't have to go back that far for examples. A-list stars like Jack Nicholson and the late Gene Hackman went from being prolific performers to living almost entirely off the radar in their later years.
While it can be hard to imagine anyone willingly stepping away from stardom, there are countless reasons celebrities might retreat from public life, from burnout and a lack of appealing roles to personal struggles that demand their full attention.
Regardless of the reason, we're still fascinated by the stars who chose to walk away. While some eventually return for the right opportunity — like Rick Moranis, who will be back on the big screen for the long-awaited Spaceballs sequel in 2027 — most continue to keep a low profile. Some haven't been seen in years.
Read on for the stories of nine notable celebrities who disappeared from Hollywood.
01 of 09
Bridget Fonda
Bridget Fonda at the 'Inglourious Basterds' premiere in Hollywood in 2009Credit: Frank Trapper/Corbis/Getty
Bridget Fonda had a prolific run in the ‘90s, appearing in films like The Godfather Part III (1990), Single White Female (1992), It Could Happen to You (1994), and A Simple Plan (1998). She abruptly retired after playing the title role in the 2002 TV movie The Snow Queen.
Over the years, there has been ample speculation over what drove Fonda, now 62, to leave her career behind. Many assume she simply opted to focus on her family. In 2003, she married composer Danny Elfman. The couple had a son, Oliver, in 2005.
It’s not only that Fonda hasn’t been making movies, though — she’s also hardly been seen in public. After appearing at the 2009 premiere of Inglourious Basterds, she wasn’t publicly photographed again until 2023, when the Daily Mail caught up with her at the airport.
In a rare interview, Fonda made it clear that she had no desire to return to acting. When asked if she’d ever come back to Hollywood, she answered, “I don’t think so. It’s too nice being a civilian.”
Since then, Fonda has been spotted in public a little more often. She and Elfman were seen out together in April 2025, and she was photographed shopping in Beverly Hills that December.
02 of 09
Phoebe Cates
Phoebe Cates at the 71st Annual Tony Awards in New York City on June 11, 2017Credit: Jim Spellman/WireImage
For anyone who grew up in the ‘80s, Phoebe Cates was an icon thanks to her performances in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) and Gremlins (1984). On the whole, though, her filmography is relatively brief. After starring in Princess Caraboo (1994), Cates retired, returning to the big screen only once for 2001’s The Anniversary Party, reportedly as a favor to her friend and former costar Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Like Bridget Fonda — with whom Cates appeared in Shag (1988) — Cates stopped acting to focus on her family. She married actor Kevin Kline in 1989 and the couple had two children: actor and director Owen Kline (born in 1991) and musician Greta Kline (born in 1994).
Although Cates, 62, never announced a formal retirement, her husband gave some insight into her decision in a 1998 interview with Playboy (via The New Zealand Herald). “We have agreed to alternate so that we’re never working at the same time,” Kline told the magazine. “[But] whenever it’s been her slot to work, Phoebe has chosen to stay with the children.”
Cates does make red-carpet appearances with Kline, but she has also found another passion to pursue. For the last 20 years, she’s been owning and operating her boutique, Blue Tree, in Manhattan.
03 of 09
Linda Fiorentino
Linda Fiorentino in New York City on Feb. 22, 2006Credit: Christian Grattan/Getty
One of Hollywood's most dramatic disappearing acts belongs to Linda Fiorentino, who broke through in the '90s with The Last Seduction (1994), Men in Black (1997), and Dogma (1999). In the 2000s, however, she stopped making movies and hasn't been seen in public for years.
Fiorentino, now 68, has never publicly discussed her retirement, leaving fans to speculate about what led her to withdraw so completely from the industry. Some observers have suggested that conflicts with Dogma director Kevin Smith and a reported behind-the-scenes feud with Men in Black star Tommy Lee Jones contributed to a reputation for being difficult, which may have hurt her career prospects.
Fiorentino's name also surfaced in connection with the 2008 wiretapping case involving private investigator Anthony Pellicano. Prosecutors alleged that FBI agent Mark Rossini improperly shared confidential information related to the case with Fiorentino, with whom he was romantically involved. Rossini later pleaded guilty to illegally accessing and disclosing confidential FBI information.
Whatever the reason for Fiorentino's absence, she hasn't appeared onscreen since starring in the direct-to-video Once More with Feeling in 2009. The Daily Mail reported that she filed for bankruptcy in 2023.
04 of 09
Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman in New Orleans in 2003Credit: Vera Anderson/WireImage
There was an outpouring of grief and tributes when Gene Hackman died at 95 in 2025. The two-time Academy Award winner starred in several cinematic classics, including The French Connection (1971), The Conversation (1974), Unforgiven (1992), and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001). But at the time of his death, Hackman hadn’t appeared in a film since Welcome to Mooseport in 2004.
While Hackman suffered from Alzheimer’s disease in his later years, he retired from acting for a different health reason. “The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York,” he told Empire in 2009. “The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.”
In another rare interview with GQ two years later, Hackman said he’d consider coming out of retirement under very specific conditions. “If I could do [a movie] in my own house, maybe, without them disturbing anything and just one or two people,” he shared.
Hackman did have a bit of a second act as an author of historical fiction novels, beginning with 1999's Wake of the Perdido Star, cowritten with Daniel Lenihan. His final book, the thriller Pursuit, came out in 2013.
Though he was no longer appearing onscreen, Hackman continued to lend his voice to documentary projects. He narrated four episodes of the documentary series America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions, and provided voiceover for The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jima (2016) and We, the Marines (2017). The latter turned out to be his final credit.
05 of 09
Matt Keeslar
Matt Keeslar at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo on March 19, 2011, in ChicagoCredit: Timothy Hiatt/Getty
Even if you don’t recognize the name Matt Keeslar, you surely know his face. The actor’s dashing looks made him stand out in a number of ‘90s and 2000s indie films, like Waiting for Guffman (1996), The Last Days of Disco (1998), and Psycho Beach Party (2000). But Keeslar also made more mainstream appearances, including in Scream 3 (2000) and the Stephen King miniseries Rose Red.
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There’s no mystery about where Keeslar went. He quit the business in 2010 and decided to pursue an education in science. While attending Portland Community College, Keeslar wrote an essay explaining his decision to leave Hollywood. “Although I happened upon success earlier in my career, I hadn’t worked in over a year," he recalled. "We had stretched our budget to its limit.”
Keeslar stepped back from the spotlight after a 2010 episode of Leverage, though he did make one final TV appearance in a 2015 episode of Grimm. The fact that the series filmed in Portland, Ore., where Keeslar is based, was likely a factor.
These days, however, you're more likely to encounter the 53-year-old former actor in a medical office than on a movie screen. He currently works as a physician assistant in Portland.
06 of 09
Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' on Sept. 18, 2024Credit: Todd Owyoung/NBC/Getty
Eva Mendes has been in a relationship with Ryan Gosling, one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, since 2011, but her own acting career stopped 12 years ago. After memorable appearances in films like Training Day (2001), Hitch (2005), and The Other Guys (2010), Mendes decided she no longer wanted to act.
“I got tired fighting for the good roles,” she told Variety in a 2022 interview. “It is exciting that things are different now, so who knows what I will do in the future. But right now, I’m keeping it in the home with my kids.”
Mendes’ last film role was in Lost River (2014), which Gosling wrote and directed. Since then, she has largely focused on her family. Mendes and Gosling have two daughters, born in 2014 and 2016. They also tend to keep things private, with Mendes rarely walking the red carpet alongside her husband.
Her only acting credit since stepping away from live-action acting is a voice performance in a 2021 episode of Bluey. And it doesn’t seem like Mendes, 52, will be stepping back onscreen any time soon.
In a candid 2024 interview with the Sunday Times, she revealed that while she’d love to work with Gosling again, she doesn’t feel the pull of her former profession. “I was never in love with acting,” Mendes confessed. “I don’t mean this in a self-deprecating way, but I wasn’t a great actress. I had my moments when I worked with really great people.”
07 of 09
Taylor Momsen
Taylor Momsen performing with The Pretty Reckless on June 14, 2026, in EnglandCredit: Katja Ogrin/Getty
As Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) and Jenny Humphrey on Gossip Girl, Taylor Momsen had one of the most recognizable faces of the 2000s. But during the fourth season of the hit CW series, Momsen became an increasingly infrequent presence. She effectively departed the show in 2010, and aside from a brief appearance in the 2012 series finale, Jenny Humphrey would prove to be her final acting role.
“I kind of just Irish-dipped,” Momsen, now 32, said in a 2025 appearance on the podcast Call Her Daddy. “I just wasn’t on the script the next week.”
The reasons for her departure soon became clear, however. In 2011, she explained to Elle (via Today) that she gave up acting so that she could focus on her music career. “I quit Gossip Girl and now tour and am in a band,” she shared. “That’s pretty much all I want to do. Hopefully, I’ll be able to only do that for the rest of my life.”
Momsen has stayed true to her word and put all her energy into her band, The Pretty Reckless. The group formed in 2009 and released their first album, Light Me Up, in 2010. Momsen has served as the band's frontwoman ever since.
But even if she’s no longer acting, Momsen does reference her Hollywood past. She even donned her Cindy Lou Who outfit in December 2025, shortly after releasing a Pretty Reckless cover of the Grinch classic “Where Are You Christmas?”
08 of 09
Rick Moranis
Rick Moranis promoting 'Spaceballs: The New One' at CinemaCon on April 15, 2026, in Las VegasCredit: Ethan Miller/Getty
Canadian actor and comedian Rick Moranis got his start on the sketch series SCTV before transitioning to the big screen in Ghostbusters (1984), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989). But he gradually stepped away from live-action acting in the late '90s. His final film credits were voice roles in Disney's Brother Bear (2003) and its direct-to-video sequel, Brother Bear 2 (2006).
Moranis' retirement followed the death of his wife, costume designer Ann Belsky, in 1991. Though he tried to keep working, he ultimately decided to focus his attention on raising his two young children instead.
"I took a little bit of a break," he explained to USA Today in 2005. "And the little bit of a break turned into a longer break, and then I found that I really didn't miss it."
In a 2015 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Moranis elaborated on the transition from stardom to being a stay-at-home dad. He also made it clear that he stands by his choice. "I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever," he told the outlet. "My life is wonderful."
Though largely retired, Moranis has occasionally lent his voice to television projects, including the animated Canadian comedy Bob & Doug and a 2018 episode of The Goldbergs. But the 73-year-old actor is set to return to live-action acting in the forthcoming Spaceballs: The New One, his first onscreen performance since the direct-to-video sequel Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997).
09 of 09
Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson with his son, actor Ray Nicholson, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on May 12, 2023Credit: Juan Ocampo/NBAE/Getty
A prolific actor with roles dating back to the late '50s, Jack Nicholson hasn’t been seen onscreen since How Do You Know in 2010. And while he was once a prominent fixture at the Academy Awards — consider the bevy of memorable reaction shots he gifted us over the years — he hasn’t made many public appearances either.
Nicholson never officially retired, though it’s not clear if the now-89-year-old actor will ever return to films. James L. Brooks, Nicholson’s friend and the last director he worked with, said in a 2025 interview with PEOPLE that he believes Nicholson is still considering projects.
“Oh, I don't think he stopped,” Brooks shared. “I mean, he’s gotten scripts, he’s reading them, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing them.”
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There hasn’t been a clear answer as to why Nicholson all but disappeared from Hollywood. In a 2025 PEOPLE interview, his friend Danny DeVito refuted long-standing rumors of health problems. “I just saw Jack a couple weeks ago — it was his birthday a month ago, and he’s great,” DeVito said.
And Nicholson hasn’t been completely absent in recent years. Aside from occasional appearances courtside at Lakers games, he popped up at SNL50: The Anniversary Special in 2025 to introduce his Anger Management (2003) costar Adam Sandler, and he appeared in a photo posted by his daughter Lorraine in April 2026.
on Entertainment Weekly
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