Top 20 Celebs Who Left Fame Behind

These famous twins have been working since they were nine months old. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen began their career as infants, sharing the role of Michelle Tanner on the ABC sitcom “Full House.” Even while the show aired, they appeared in other films and TV shows, eventually founding their own production company, Dualstar, in 1993. However, as the 2000s rolled around, they set their sights on a much different path: fashion. In 2006, they launched their luxury fashion brand, The Row, and soon left Hollywood entirely to fully concentrate on it. Although they still occasionally make the news, Mary-Kate and Ashley no longer command the kind of media attention they once did, which suits them just fine.

For a brief period in the 1980s, Michael Schoeffling seemed poised to become a Hollywood superstar. Schoeffling’s debut as Jake Ryan in 1984’s “Sixteen Candles” made him an instant teen heartthrob. It was the perfect springboard for a flourishing career, but things just never really lined up perfectly for Schoeffling afterwards. Although he went on to star in a number of films, including “Vision Quest” and “Mermaids,” Schoeffling never quite attained the level of fame many believed he would. In between acting jobs, he took up carpentry and began making furniture. This eventually became his full-time career as he gave up acting completely following 1991’s “Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken.”

Many struggling actors in Hollywood dream of the kind of opportunity Nikki Blonsky had. As a high school student, Blonsky auditioned for “Hairspray,” beating out over a thousand aspirants for the role of Tracy Turnblad. She couldn’t have asked for a better screen debut, as it earned her two Critics’ Choice Awards and a Golden Globe nomination. However, maintaining that momentum proved challenging. Despite playing the lead on ABC Family’s “Huge,” the show only lasted one season and the roles dried up soon after. The New York native later obtained a cosmetology license and began working as a hairstylist and make-up artist in her hometown. While she still appears sporadically in films, Blonsky hasn’t reclaimed the level of fame she once enjoyed.

Angus T. Jones became a household name in the 2000s, thanks to his role in the popular CBS sitcom “Two and a Half Men.” During this period, he was the highest-paid child actor on TV, reportedly earning $300,000 per episode. In late 2012, at the peak of his fame, Jones suddenly announced that he was done appearing on the show. This was because he had been baptized and was turned off by the sitcom’s mature content, which he later described as “filth.” Jones ultimately left “Two and a Half Men” after 10 seasons and largely retreated from the spotlight. He has since worked as an executive in a multimedia company, but now expresses a desire to return to acting someday.

This former child star first rose to prominence on the Nickelodeon sketch series “All That,” before landing her own program, “The Amanda Show.” Bynes then progressed to teen idol with roles in successful comedies like “Big Fat Liar” and “What a Girl Wants.” In 2010, after a prominent part in “Easy A,” Bynes announced she was taking an indefinite break from acting. Subsequently, she faced a slew of legal troubles and grappled with substance use disorder, which led to her being placed under a conservatorship. Despite overcoming these challenges and ending the conservatorship, Bynes doesn’t seem ready to return to the screen. Instead, in 2023, she decided to pursue a new career as a manicurist.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas soared to immense fame in the ‘90s, gracing the covers of countless magazines and adorning the bedroom walls of many teenage girls. Thomas gained popularity thanks to his role as Randy Taylor on the ABC sitcom “Home Improvement.” He earned further recognition for voicing young Simba in “The Lion King” and the titular character in the 1996 film “The Adventures of Pinocchio.” In 1998, Thomas decided to exit “Home Improvement,” directing his attention towards getting a degree from Harvard. While his presence in the limelight has significantly waned since then, Thomas stands by his decision wholeheartedly. These days, he’s more focused on working behind the camera, taking on directing and screenwriting roles.

The 1980s were a significant era for teen comedy movies, many of which became classics and launched their young actors into stardom. One of such rising stars was Phoebe Cates. Born to a family of Hollywood insiders, Cates began her career as a dancer and model, before venturing into acting. Her breakthrough came with 1982’s “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” followed by another success with “Gremlins” two years later. In 1989, Cates got married to fellow actor Kevin Kline, with whom she welcomed two children. By the mid-90s, Cates decided to scale back on acting and prioritize raising her family. She eventually opened a boutique in New York City called Blue Tree, which she continues to oversee.

Love him or hate him, but you can’t deny the fact that Steven Seagal had Hollywood in a chokehold during the ‘90s. At the outset of the decade, Seagal was largely unknown, but by its end, he had become one of Hollywood’s most prominent action stars, even though he essentially played the same character in every film. However, as the 21st century progressed, Seagal’s star diminished significantly, relegated to a string of laughably bad direct-to-video releases. Concurrently, his association with Russia grew stronger, and he was granted citizenship to the country in 2016. He has not appeared in a film since 2019, the year following his appointment as Russia’s special envoy to the U.S.

Born into the renowned Fonda acting dynasty, Bridget Fonda began her career at the tender age of five. Throughout the late ‘80s and ‘90s, she worked tirelessly, starring in notable films like “The Godfather Part III” and “Jackie Brown.” Fonda continued to act until 2002 when she abruptly decided to retire from the spotlight for a much quieter life. The following year, she suffered a serious car accident that fractured her back, and later got married to film composer Danny Elfman. Since her retirement, Fonda has maintained a very low profile, only resurfacing in 2009 for the premiere of Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds.” When asked if she would consider returning to the silver screen, Fonda dismissed the notion completely.

During the Great Depression, Shirley Temple became a beacon of hope and joy for many Americans. Temple rose to fame as a child actress in the 1930s, captivating audiences worldwide with her talent, charm and signature curly hair. At the height of her career, she was one of Hollywood’s biggest sensations and the leading box-office draw. However, as Temple grew older, her box-office success declined, leading her to retire from the big screen at the age of 22. Subsequently, Temple pursued a career in politics and was appointed as a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly by President Richard Nixon. She would go on to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia.

Day-Lewis has always remained very private and introverted. Far from the bright lights of Hollywood or London, the actor has lived in the quiet Irish village of Annamoe for the last twenty-plus years. He is also known for taking extended breaks between films, like the five-year gap between “Lincoln” and “Phantom Thread.” However, the latter will supposedly be Day-Lewis’s last, as he announced his retirement in June of 2017, offering no reason, aside from the fact that “the impulse to quit took root in [him]” and that he “wanted to explore the world in a different way.” That said, some people believe it was attributed to depression, as he was stated to have “great sadness.”

One half of the Sprouse twins – the child actors famous for their roles in “Big Daddy” and “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” – Dylan and his brother Cole have enjoyed steady acting work nearly their entire lives. But while Cole landed the role of Jughead on “Riverdale” and starred in the 2019 film “Five Feet Apart”, Dylan has taken a radically different path in life. In 2011, Dylan began studying video game design at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, graduating in 2015. Three years later, he opened the All-Wise Meadery in Brooklyn. He has also dabbled in acting throughout the years, albeit in smaller, intimate projects; nothing like the big, mainstream work he used to do.

In the late '90s and early 2000s, you couldn’t walk into a movie theater without seeing this guy’s face plastered on a poster or six. That changed some time around 2004, right after the release of “Scooby-Doo 2.” It was around then that he transitioned to voice work, an industry he has remained in ever since. You may have heard his voice in “Mass Effect 3” or “Star Wars Rebels.” It’s still acting work – just not the kind that attracts the paparazzi. However, Prinze Jr has focused his attention in other fields, as well. He co-wrote a cookbook with Rachel Wharton and served as a producer and director for the WWE. Yes, really.

You may not know Jack Gleeson by name, but you certainly know his face, his oh so once punchable face. That’s right – Joffrey Baratheon! Gleeson earned renown and acclaim for playing the slimy Baratheon... Lannister?... child, but it seems like acting wasn’t for him. Gleeson announced his retirement after wrapping up “Game of Thrones”, telling Entertainment Weekly that he had stopped enjoying it and didn’t want to turn it into a lifelong career. He subsequently studied theology and philosophy at Dublin’s Trinity College, where he graduated in 2015. Five years later, Gleeson returned to the screen, albeit in much more muted roles than the one he gained popularity for.

'90s kids will undoubtedly remember Mara Wilson as that adorable little actress from movies like “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Matilda.” Unfortunately, Wilson quickly grew disillusioned with the prospect of acting and the fame that came with it. In a 2012 blog post, Wilson addressed the various reasons for her early retirement, including the lack of creative freedom, the “ridiculous” celebrity aspect, and the “dehumanizing” audition process. And while she has left acting behind, she is still in the creative fields. She has lent her voice to “BoJack Horseman” and the famous podcast “Welcome to Night Vale,” and she has written both a book and a play. The latter was performed at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2013.

A legend long before he played Little Bill Daggett in “Unforgiven” – a role that earned him a BAFTA, Oscar, and a Golden Globe – Gene Hackman is notoriously private and rarely gives interviews. Perhaps he sees no need, or maybe he just doesn't want to. Regardless, during one such rare interview with Larry King in 2004, Hackman announced he would be retiring. This left 2004's “Welcome to Mooseport” – a political satire in which he co-starred with Ray Romano – as his final film, save a piece of narration for a Smithsonian documentary. Since then he has focused on writing and has published two novels as a solo writer – “Payback at Morning Peak” and “Pursuit.”

After first finding fame with the Canadian sketch comedy series “Second City Television,” Rick Moranis successfully transitioned to major Hollywood productions. With prominent roles in franchises like “Ghostbusters” and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” Moranis quickly became a household name. Sadly, in 1991, his wife, Ann Belsky, passed away, leaving him to raise their two young children alone. The actor then made the difficult decision to step away from his thriving Hollywood career to focus on his kids. Although Moranis has been absent from live-action films, he has lent his voice to animated projects and appeared alongside Ryan Reynolds in an ad for Mint Mobile. He is set to reprise his role as the eccentric inventor Wayne Szalinski in the upcoming sequel “Shrunk.”

Muniz earned incredible popularity throughout the 2000s for his titular role on “Malcolm in the Middle”, while also venturing into film with movies like “Big Fat Liar” and “Agent Cody Banks.” Shortly after “Malcolm” wrapped in 2006, Muniz announced his retirement from acting and subsequently ventured into race car driving, performing music, and managing a band called Astro Lasso. And aside from a recent stint on “Dancing with the Stars,” Muniz is taking it easy with his partner Paige Prince. They currently co-manage a specialty olive oil shop in Arizona called “Outrageous Olive Oils & Vinegars.”

Grant was one of the finest leading men in Hollywood history. He could do it all, from suave romantic leads to screwball goofs to the dark and introspective characters of Alfred Hitchcock. Grant eventually retired in 1966 in order to raise his newborn daughter, Jennifer, in peace. By then he had also grown disillusioned with the direction of Hollywood, believing that the Golden Age, for which he was a major part, was ending. He soon transitioned over to business work, becoming a director for both MGM and Fabergé. He also spent a lot of time traveling to Monaco, where his good friend Grace Kelly – herself retired from film – was literal royalty.

Among the most esteemed of leading ladies during the Golden Age of Hollywood, Audrey Hepburn was the first actress in history to win the BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Oscar for the same film, doing so for her role in “Roman Holiday”. Later she would star in acclaimed films like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “My Fair Lady.” But Hepburn decided to leave the spotlight behind in the late '60s to focus on family, and she gave birth to her second child in 1970. While she never quit acting altogether, she devoted much of her time to UNICEF and visiting countries like Ethiopia, Turkey, and Vietnam, eventually earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her efforts.


Which of these celebrities would you like to see make a comeback? Let us know in the comments below.