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“Which Celebrity Faded Away Without Many Realizing It?” (50 Answers)
Interview With Expert
No king rules forever—and practically no star stays famous forever, either. However, when someone leaves the spotlight, even if it’s dramatic, it doesn’t always end up in the headlines. It sometimes happens subtly and silently. Not with a bang, but a whimper, to paraphrase renowned poet T. S. Eliot.
Inspired by u/Weep2D2, the more celebrity-news-savvy members of AskReddit revealed which stars faded away without many folks even realizing it. Scroll down for a trip down memory lane and a reminder of who used to be very well-known in the public eye.
Bored Panda was curious about what stars can do to stay in the spotlight for longer, as well as what their options are if they want to move away from fame. So, we reached out to Mike Sington, Hollywood's Ultimate Insider, for his advice. Check out what he told us below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Rick Moranis stepped away after his wife died of cancer so he could concentrate on raising his children. He did a few small roles and voice-over work, but other than that he was a stay at home Dad. Then when his kids were older, he said he really didn't miss it much and just kept out of the limelight. Huge respect for him.
Joshua David 5 days ago
Didn't he get punched in NYC in an unprovoked attack a couple of years ago?
#2
I heard someone saying "if you wonder why an actress stopped working, the answer is probably Harvey Weinstein".
It's really sad.
Rayne OfSalt 5 days ago
yeah, a woman being labelled "difficult to work with" in hollywood usually means that she refused to f*ck the studio executives and/or director.
According to entertainment, pop culture, and lifestyle expert Sington, actors looking to switch career tracks should first identify what sparks their passion. "What are your interests, skills, and values? Perhaps you've always been drawn to technology, business, or education. Once you've pinpointed a potential new career path, research the necessary qualifications and experience," he said.
"Consider taking online courses, volunteering, or shadowing professionals in your desired field to gain insights and build a network. Remember, it's never too late to learn new skills and pursue a different career. Embrace the opportunity to reinvent yourself and find a fulfilling new path," the expert suggested.
#4
Ashley Judd. And then I found out she'd been harassed by Weinstein.
#5
Duffy the Welsh singer just dropped off the face of the earth. Years later it came out that she’d been kidnapped by a crazed fan, held captive for days and all the things that go along with that. It wasn’t reported at the time.
MrLiesegang 5 days ago
What the hell? I hope guys like that are never gonna be released from prison.
#6
Helen Hunt. She was on a bit tv show in the 90s, then started making movies, won an Oscar, made a few more movies, and then disappeared.
Robin Roper 5 days ago
Hunt was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type two in 2010, which causes tumors to grow on the nerves that control balance and hearing. Before the surgery, she was already deaf in her left ear and had tinnitus. In 2012, she became completely deaf after undergoing surgery to remove tumors and now uses an auditory brain implant to help her sense vibrations. As someone who has gone completely deaf and now has two Cochlear Implants, I can declare, no one's life isn't dramatically changed after they go deaf. It is a life altering event.
Sington explained to Bored Panda that talent isn't the only factor that determines whether someone stays in the spotlight... though it is "undoubtedly a cornerstone." There are other qualities to consider, from having a strong work ethic and being adaptable to having a keen understanding of audience preferences.
"Celebrities who consistently deliver quality work, evolve with the times, and connect with their fans on a personal level tend to have longer-lasting careers. Additionally, a positive public image, strategic career choices, and a willingness to take calculated risks can significantly contribute to sustained success," he said.
"Ultimately, a combination of talent, hard work, and savvy career management is key to maintaining a long-lasting presence in the spotlight."
#7
Gotye - now he’s just Somebody That We Used To Know.
John Ambrose-Hemmingway 6 days ago
Seems like this joke gets more airplay than the song ever did. 🙄
#8
Dido! Was massive and then poof gone.
#9
If you had told me 20 years ago the most relevant Olsen sister would be Elizabeth I’d have been very confused, but here we are. The other two are a non-entity and she is part of the biggest film Franchise of our generation.
Fame definitely isn’t for everyone. Being famous has its fair share of pros and cons. On the one hand, with lots of attention comes lots of opportunities—from career and financial ones to networking and philanthropy. If you learn how to use all of that attention to your advantage, you can lay the groundwork for a career spanning decades, build generational wealth, and use it to support the causes near and dear to you.
On the flip side, with lots of attention comes tons of scrutiny, judgment, and envy. There is no person in the history of humankind who was beloved by everyone. No matter how amazing, talented, empathetic, and charismatic you are, someone will find something to criticize.
#11
Will Smith
He had a huge hit at the Oscars, then.......
#12
Julia Stiles.
You couldn’t see a romantic comedy without her in it. Then she was nowhere to be found. Has a brief role in a Bourne movie, then went right back to indie work.
iseefractals 5 days ago
W...what? That YOU haven't see her (or lack the ability to check her IMDB) doesn't mean she "disappeared" One, she was in multiple bourne films, Hustlers in 2019, A full season of dexter back in 2010. She had a role in the TV series "The lake" From 2022-2023 and Riviera from 2017-2020, did voice work for Dragons: the nine realms from 2021-2023 and Was just in "Chosen Family" this year. Her directorial debut for "wish you were here" is forthcoming.....along with 60 other acting roles over the past 25 years. She didn't fade away, she's just not a fame whore chasing the spotlight.
Furthermore, some people who long for fame can’t stand seeing others who are successful. So, they look for ways to bring them down a notch or two. Nasty comments on social media, mean looks, snide comments in public… They can really hurt if you’re not used to them and take them personally.
If you have hopes of maintaining stardom for as long as you can, you have to learn to let some things go. It also helps to learn to distinguish between positive (aka useful) criticism and plain old negativity. Often, overly critical comments are more a reflection of the commenter’s (lack of) self-esteem than any issues with you as a professional actor, singer, or artist.
But, to be fair, it’s always okay to decide to switch careers and go off to do something else that’s less stressful. Not everyone needs or wants to be a star after having had a taste of fame.
#13
Rene Russo.
She always gave off Bacall vibes to me, and I feel like at the time she was hitting her stride, she disappeared. There are far more roles now for women in their 40’s, but in the early 2000s we didn’t have streaming services / prestige TV to remind us what wonderful actors weren’t getting roles.
#15
Eric Bana! I had the biggest crush on him back in the day. He seemed to be pretty popular from 2001-2006.
Rayne OfSalt 5 days ago
Dude was a staple on Aussie sketch comedy shows for decades. He still acts in Aussie movies & tv shows.
Aside from needing to have a metric ton of emotional resilience and a zen mindset, you have to have something to offer to the public. To put it bluntly, no matter your specific niche and skill set, you have to be a good entertainer. If you don’t provide the public with something interesting and in demand, then you won’t have a career as an entertainer for long.
Obviously, it’s best if you’re authentic. Doing dumb and dramatic stuff can keep the spotlight on you, but it’s hardly sustainable. Being your genuine self, however, is something that will never go out of style. And you don’t necessarily have to be ‘loudly’ charismatic to be likable, either. Real charisma revolves around your presence, whether you’re a chatterbox or take a long while to think before speaking.
#16
Meg Ryan was everywhere in the 90’s and it seems like she took a pretty significant break, though I know she’s been in a few movies through the years. For such a cultural icon of style, you’d think she would be more “present” since her 90’s looks have made such a serious comeback. .
#18
Chris Tucker.
Dre Mosley 6 days ago
He pops up here and there. He just doesn't seem to be all that interested in acting anymore. He was in Ben Affleck's "Air" movie that came out not that long ago.
So, Pandas, what stars have you suddenly realized are no longer in the spotlight?
On the other hand, which beloved celebrities do you think have such staying power that they’ll be famous until they retire?
We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below.
#19
This is very era specific, but I feel like I saw tabloid stories about Lara Flynn Boyle, specifically about her weight, every single day for 3 years and then I never heard about her again.
#20
Leelee Sobieski.
whineygingercat 5 days ago
I always thought she looked like a young Helen Hunt.
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Julia Mckinney 5 days ago
She retired from acting in 2012 to focus on her family as well as working on her painting and sculpting.
Joshua David 5 days ago
Shes a farm mom now i think i read. Too lazy to verify. I do love Glass House btw
Gozer LeGozerian 5 days ago
I mean... You have zero proof... Spreading gossip just for funsies really is pathetic
Load More Replies... #21
Jackie Chan sorta just disappeared back to China.
According to Chris Tucker he is like a god there though lol.
#22
Rick Moranis - he's a stand up bloke.
Binky Melnik 6 days ago (edited)
His wife died, and he quit working to raise his children, so this is actually a HAPPY disappearance! (Yikes; for anyone who thinks I’m happy his wife’s dead … NOOOO! I’m happy he realized raising the kids was more important than acting!)
#23
Clive Owen.
#24
Shannyn Sossamon.
#27
Jessica Alba did for a pretty longtime.
Binky Melnik 6 days ago
She’s running a billion-dollar company now. I imagine she feels that’s more important than acting.
#28
Bridget Fonda: Gotta be over 20 years at this point.
Binky Melnik 6 days ago
She was in an extremely bad car accident and hurt very badly. She’s been recovering ever since, and is unfortunately triple the size she was when she was popular. I’m afraid no one would hire her now even if she were interested in it. 😰 She’s been married to Danny Elfman forever, though, and that delights me! I usta see Oingo Boingo live constantly, so it pleased me to no end that they met and fell in love!
#31
Hilary Duff comes to mind.
She never really had any scandals or drama during her career. Started off as a child star, became quite famous for a while and then fell into obscurity. Depending on the shows and music you watched growing up she went from being (what felt like) everywhere to pretty much nowhere.
From what I understand it was intentional though. She had a good career and made lots of money + wanted to focus on her relationship and raising a family so that’s what she did.
Binky Melnik 5 days ago
I think this one’s incorrect; she was the co-lead in the TV show “Younger” which wrapped up recently (she was on the entire run of about five-six years), and I also saw her play Sharon Tate in a recent movie, too. Oh, wait! Isn’t she also on the new “How I Met Your Mother”? That’s still on, (I think; I barely got through the first two episodes. It’s execrable), and I remember checking it out and she had a major role, if not the lead. These are all recent and at least one is still on-going, and I don’t call that “falling into obscurity.” Perhaps she did briefly? She certainly isn’t what I’d call “obscure” now!
#32
Madeline Stowe.
Ann Kapoxeet 6 days ago
Revenge! She was awesome in that. She also did this creative series that involved singing and dancing. I love her!
#33
Heather Graham.
#34
Don't ask me why, but Ricki Lake was the first one to come to mind.
Dre Mosley 5 days ago
Lost a bunch of weight, returned to daytime TV briefly with a new talk show that tried to be more like Oprah as opposed to her previous show where it was trashy and full of drama; it failed to grab an audience.
#36
Mena Suvari.
She dropped out of Hollywood after enduring hellish sexual abuse and spoke of how she really wasn't acting in a lot of the roles she was placed in (typically hypersexual/bad young girl roles). Really sad, she's a survivor.
Fiona Apple as well.
ETA - I'm aware she came out with a great album in 2020, but I still rarely hear about her. Not the same as Duffy or Mena Suvari, just was saying.
#38
Amy Smart.
#39
Rupert Grint.
LonelyLittleLeafSheep 5 days ago
Apparently he invested in real estate and did very well so he's not desperate for money and can pick and choose projects.
#40
Meg White of the White Stripes. Shows up sells millions of albums wins a few Grammys then dips. The most recent picture of her was from like 10 years ago. You could pass her in a grocery store and probably not know.
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 6 days ago (edited)
I believe she has trouble with the fame, wanted the quiet life. Good on Meg if she is happy.
#41
Tia Carrera just dropped off the face of the earth, didn't she?
Rayne OfSalt 5 days ago
No, she didn't? She's done plenty of voice and acting work, as well as releasing multiple music albums for which she's won grammy awards.
#42
2000s singer Mya. She was e v e r y w h e r e and then nowhere. I wouldn't be surprised if she was being roped into Diddy business and decided she'd rather walk away than be subjected to those evils but I'm only making a guess.
#43
Fair few people retired and just chilled on their fat sacks of cash. Sean Connery said when he chose League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and passed on Gandalf he realised he didn't understand the game anymore and just retired too live a life.
#44
Some of the brat pack. Well most of them. Although Jamie Gertz popped up as the owner of the Atlanta Hawks in the draft.
LuisSD stuff 5 days ago
All of them were of their time. I think Demi Moore is still doing projects. And Molly Ringwald, is she part of the brat pack?
#45
Aaron Eckhart.
Binky Melnik 6 days ago
Eckhart is still working (thank cow!), but just not in blockbusters anymore.
#46
MySpace creator, Tom.
Dre Mosley 5 days ago
Sold it, made a boatload of money, and just indulges in his hobbies now. Read that somewhere.
#47
Larisa Oleynik. Has the biggest crush in her in the 90s. Haven't seen her in probably close to 20 years.
#48
Shia LaBeouf. Dude was everywhere until suddenly he wasn’t anymore.
notlikeyou1971 5 days ago
Remember that he was a Disney child star everyone? Yeah I am sure majority of readers on here are too young to know that. A lot of Disney kids,unless they were really strong burned out or faded away. A lot of child stars have problems in general. Shia was showing signs in his behavior. That and the fact that he abused his ex gf. People don't take kindly to men who abuse partners or erratic behavior.
#50
Tom Green.
What do you think ?
Michael P. 5 days ago
Mara Wilson, an actress who was in "Matilda" and also "Mrs. Doubtfire" who decided to leave the industry after the 90s.
Beak Hookage 5 days ago
She's a writer now, though she did play a recurring character in BoJack Horseman.
Load More Replies...
Gregory W 5 days ago (edited)
I guess I don't don't watch enough movies/TV or listen to popular music because I don't know who most of these are.
Robert Beveridge 4 days ago
Mira Sorvino was in one of the highest-grossing movies of 2023, pretty sure she's still working...
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Amelia Jade 5 days ago
I really dislike these posts because almost everyone listed is still actively working. It is complete arrogance to think that just because YOU'RE not aware of what someone is up to that they must have faded away. Look up everyone listed above, and in the comments here--still working as of this year.
Huddo's sister 4 days ago
I never heard of most of these people and the few I had never went antwhere.
Melissa Harris 4 days ago (edited)
Lot of this list is actors who are still regularly working. The fragmentation of the media landscape means if you don't have whatever streaming service with the show they were on for like 5 years you wouldn't known it. Others are child stars that simply didn't make the transition to adult acting and was only ever 'big' due to intense marketing of thier shows to a very specific demographic: e.g. tweens. Then there's those that made bank, or started more reliably profitable business, and retired.
Lyone Fein 5 days ago
Honestly, I don't know who put this list together but most of the people on it are still working on projects of their own choosing. In other words, they made their money doing Hollywood garbage, and now they can choose to do projects with more artistic integrity. That doesn't sound like falling off the face of the earth to me. That sounds like trying to change the face of the earth.
John Harrison 5 days ago
Dear BP Commenters That Want To Remind Us That [insert actor's name] Is Still Working: "Fade Away" means fade away from the limelight. It means we dont hear about them on the reg like we used to. It doesnt mean they fell into a volcano.
Cj Churchall-McKenzie 5 days ago
so many of these people are still working but just not in the same genres as before. a simple imdb look would show that
LuisSD stuff 5 days ago
Many, many of them were and are still talented. But Hollywood is a business first. If you don't make money, they'll look for someone else. Stand still and you get passed by really quick. Your reputation is super important. If you act like a jerk long enough, no scripts will be sent to your agent. Weinstein literally destroyed dozens of people's livelihoods. Hollywood is a tough SOB. It's simply the luck of the draw most of the time anyway.
Michael P. 5 days ago
Mara Wilson, an actress who was in "Matilda" and also "Mrs. Doubtfire" who decided to leave the industry after the 90s.
Beak Hookage 5 days ago
She's a writer now, though she did play a recurring character in BoJack Horseman.
Load More Replies... Gregory W 5 days ago (edited)
I guess I don't don't watch enough movies/TV or listen to popular music because I don't know who most of these are.
Robert Beveridge 4 days ago
Mira Sorvino was in one of the highest-grossing movies of 2023, pretty sure she's still working...
Load More Replies... Amelia Jade 5 days ago
I really dislike these posts because almost everyone listed is still actively working. It is complete arrogance to think that just because YOU'RE not aware of what someone is up to that they must have faded away. Look up everyone listed above, and in the comments here--still working as of this year.
Huddo's sister 4 days ago
I never heard of most of these people and the few I had never went antwhere.
Melissa Harris 4 days ago (edited)
Lot of this list is actors who are still regularly working. The fragmentation of the media landscape means if you don't have whatever streaming service with the show they were on for like 5 years you wouldn't known it. Others are child stars that simply didn't make the transition to adult acting and was only ever 'big' due to intense marketing of thier shows to a very specific demographic: e.g. tweens. Then there's those that made bank, or started more reliably profitable business, and retired.
Lyone Fein 5 days ago
Honestly, I don't know who put this list together but most of the people on it are still working on projects of their own choosing. In other words, they made their money doing Hollywood garbage, and now they can choose to do projects with more artistic integrity. That doesn't sound like falling off the face of the earth to me. That sounds like trying to change the face of the earth.
John Harrison 5 days ago
Dear BP Commenters That Want To Remind Us That [insert actor's name] Is Still Working: "Fade Away" means fade away from the limelight. It means we dont hear about them on the reg like we used to. It doesnt mean they fell into a volcano.
Cj Churchall-McKenzie 5 days ago
so many of these people are still working but just not in the same genres as before. a simple imdb look would show that
LuisSD stuff 5 days ago
Many, many of them were and are still talented. But Hollywood is a business first. If you don't make money, they'll look for someone else. Stand still and you get passed by really quick. Your reputation is super important. If you act like a jerk long enough, no scripts will be sent to your agent. Weinstein literally destroyed dozens of people's livelihoods. Hollywood is a tough SOB. It's simply the luck of the draw most of the time anyway.
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