Most of us see fame as something desirable, an ideal form of living we all secretly wish we could attain, when in fact, the reality isn’t always as glamorous as the dream. For proof, you need only ask some of the child actors that quit in their youth, or the actors noted below who turned away from the spotlight at or near the peak of their star-power.
They may be gone from our screens, but we still remember the impact, large or small, each made on film history.
1. Rick Moranis:
Canadian actor Rick Moranis is best known for his roles in veritable comedy classics like Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Moranis cut his career short not long before the new millennium started, and despite a few voice acting roles, he hasn’t appeared in a live-action film since 1997, explaining that, “I’m a single parent and I just found that it was too difficult to manage raising my kids and doing the traveling involved in making movies. So I took a little bit of a break. And the little bit of a break turned into a longer break, and then I found that I really didn’t miss it.”
He refused a well-paying offer to appear in the new Ghostbusters reboot, but says that he isn’t officially retired from acting — just selective about his roles.
2. Dave Chappelle.
Dave Chappelle began his film career in Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men in Tights before enjoying a string of well-earning supporting roles, but his true fame more or less began and ended with his Comedy Central sketch series Chappelle’s Show.
The show was such a success that fans took to shouting catch phrases at the comedian during stand-up shows and in public, leading to his assertion that the show was “ruining my life” and disrupting his stand-up. Chappelle’s bitterness about the series and the entertainment industry as a whole, led to a truncated third season, dubbed the “lost episodes,” as Chappelle left behind his collaborators and a $50 million contract.
Recently, Chappelle has made a comeback with his 2017 Netflix comedy series.
3. Jack Gleeson.
Game of Thrones fans know how great of an actor Jack Gleeson is because they constantly want to punch his face in due to his infuriating turn as the villainous young monarch, Joffrey Lannister. The Irish actor appeared in small film roles before landing the job playing one of the chief antagonists for the wildly successful HBO fantasy series.
Since leaving the show, however, Gleeson declared that he was retiring from acting for good, rather than turning the high-profile role into a career. Maybe he was just sick of people becoming physically sick with rage upon seeing his smirk.
4. Elizabeth Hurley.
British actress Elizabeth Hurley is best known for her starring roles in Austin Powers: International Man of Mysteryand Bedazzled, using her ravishing good looks and likable on-screen persona to become a successful model, actress, and spokeswoman.
There isn’t a clear reason why her film career came to a sudden halt around 2002, save for the birth of her son. Hurley has continued to appear in advertisements, becoming an outspoken supporter of Estee Lauder’s breast cancer awareness program, but hasn’t enjoyed a major film role since.
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