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These Celebrities Up And Disappeared Out Of Nowhere

Darren November 7, 2022

Haley Joel Osment

The 1999 hit The Sixth Sense was one of the most disturbing and spine-chilling movies ever. Osment became an immediate child star and won multiple awards for his mature performance. He had a few bigger roles but less success as he aged and became a fully-grown adult. This is a tough cross for many former child stars to endure and understand.

Osment lent his voice to the Final Fantasy video game saga and appeared in random movies throughout the following decade. But it felt as though he disappeared out of nowhere because his youthful stardom didn’t translate into success as an adult. Now he regularly pops up on big TV shows with one-off appearances (via Distractify).

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Meg Ryan

Ryan was a massive star in the ’80s and ’90s as she appeared in many big movies. Starring opposite Tom Cruise in Top Gun is a great way for anybody to kickstart their career. Then she stepped into the world of rom-com with great success but suddenly she disappeared out of nowhere.

There were two main reasons why this happened. First, as she matured into a middle-aged woman she struggled to find decent roles. This is a problem that many female actresses endure and deal with. Meanwhile, she also developed an interest in directing and the other side of the camera (via Looper).

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Jack Gleeson

Gleeson made a name for himself in Game of Thrones after he starred as Prince Joffrey. He convinced so many people of his evil nature and intentions that he even received hate mail. It appeared as though he would become a future superstar but Gleeson shocked the world with his next decision.

He decided to retire from acting and spend his life pursuing his other interests. Gleeson studied at Trinity College Dublin because he had a major interest in academia. In the end, after six years, he gave up on that plan and went back to acting. The fans win because he is a brilliant performer (via The Things).

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Randy Quaid

It may feel like Quaid disappeared out of nowhere but that’s not the full story. However, it is accurate that he no longer receives the same roles that he enjoyed in the eighties or nineties. That’s when he was at the height of his career and received multiple Emmy nominations.

In recent years, Quaid had a bizarre Canadian immigration case that created severe legal issues for him. On the more positive side, he dipped his toes into the world of theater with success. Quaid’s younger brother, Dennis, is also an excellent actor and potentially more recognizable these days (via Freshers Live).

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Mark Hamill

Everybody knows Hamill because he played Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy. This instantly made him a superstar even if he lacked the on-screen charisma of Harrison Ford. But the young Jedi knight had plenty of admirers in Hollywood. Surprisingly, Hamill disappeared out of nowhere and never made it as a leading man.

Directors typecast him and this felt frustrating so he preferred to pursue voice acting. It says a lot that his second-most famous role was The Joker in the animated Batman series. However, Hamill agreed to return and play an older version of Skywalker in the new Star Wars trilogy (via Screenrant).

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Hayden Christensen

Christensen landed the role of a lifetime when George Lucas selected him to play Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels. However, critics panned him for his performances and described him as wooden. But Lucas’s horrible dialogue didn’t help matters and earned him a pass.

Then Christensen disappeared out of nowhere and failed to maximize his sudden rise to fame. The series had massive stars like Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman who had brilliant careers. But Christensen took a step back before reappearing in the Star Wars universe in 2019 after focusing on his farm (via SCMP).

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Emile Hirsch

Many people don’t follow celebrity gossip or scandals and miss the reasons why some of them fall off the radar. Hirsch disappeared out of nowhere after his career-defining performance in Into The Wild. This was a big surprise because everything was going very well for him (via Indiewire).

But he assaulted a female executive after he went out with her one night. This made him a social pariah and kept him off of casting lists for a couple of years. Then he went to rehab because he wanted to straighten himself out. However, these days Hirsch is back in business with supporting roles.

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Matthew Broderick

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was one of the most defining movies of the ’80s. It also made an instant star of Broderick who played the titular role with charismatic aplomb. He enjoyed a few good years in the spotlight before he fell out of favor. The main reason is that he drunkenly killed a woman in a car crash.

These days, Broderick prefers to focus on stage work and is a regular fixture on Broadway. But he also pops up on TV and in movies without starring as the lead. If Broderick made better decisions in his youth he might still be a Hollywood darling. Nonetheless, he’s enjoying a different type of success in the theater (via Looper).

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Tara Reid

Reid is another major It girl who fell out of favor. She became a teen idol and a sex symbol thanks to her appearances in the American Pie franchise. It appeared as though she’d enjoy a spectacular Hollywood career after a minor role in The Big Lebowski. But then it went downhill for the New Jersey native because of some bad choices.

Fans wondered why she disappeared out of nowhere after her sudden rise to fame. The reason is unfortunate because she put her trust in a plastic surgeon. But the procedure went wrong and left her with deformities that affected her ability to claim decent roles. It’s a shame because she had so much more to give (via Your Tango).

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Adrien Brody

Sometimes a film role takes its toll on an actor and that’s exactly what happened to Brody. He won an Oscar and global critical acclaim after his performance in The Pianist. But this movie affected him physically because he lost a lot of weight for the role. It also had a profound mental effect on the Hollywood star.

That’s why he abandoned Hollywood for almost a decade as he tried to find himself again. He popped up in some Wes Anderson movies but didn’t do anything too strenuous throughout this period. It was as though he disappeared out of nowhere because people expected him to be a major box-office star (via Goal Cast).

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Freddie Prinze Jr.

It appeared as though Prinze had the world at his feet in 2002 after he starred as Fred in Scooby-Doo. The heartthrob had legions of female fans and most people expected him to be a box-office star. But nobody can take anything for granted in this world because that’s not what happened.

Prinze’s career fizzled to a standstill and he disappeared out of nowhere. It’s strange but his career lost momentum and he began taking voice roles. One of the most important of these roles was Kanan Jarrus in Star Wars: Rebels. This opened new doors for the former sitcom star (via 411 Mania).

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Clive Owen

2006 was an incredible year for Owen because he had two brilliant performances. He starred in Inside Man opposite Denzel Washington in an excellent heist movie. Then he had the lead role in the magnificent dystopian thriller, Children of Men. Many people penned him as a future James Bond (via These Things).

However, Owen disappeared out of nowhere after making some poor career choices. The problem is that he’s an excellent actor but his films don’t make any money. Several movies failed to recoup their budgets and this affected his prospects. Sadly, he pops up in forgettable Netflix fare these days.

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Sarah Michelle Gellar

Gellar was a major start in the ’90s thanks to her iconic role as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She also featured in Cruel Intentions and the Scooby Doo movies during her heyday. Meanwhile, teenage boys fantasized about her while girls wanted to be her. But suddenly she disappeared out of nowhere (via The Print).

She says that Robin Williams’ death had a profound effect on her. This tragedy made her realize how important it is to spend time with one’s family. Occasionally, Gellar appears on TV but she refuses to commit to major TV projects or films. It’s not surprising that she avoids the media after a decade on the front pages.

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Mira Sorvino

Many people think that it’s bizarre that Sorvino is in the wilderness after an award-winning career. After all, she has an Oscar to her name after her stellar performance in Mighty Aphrodite. But she found herself on the wrong side of Harvey Weinstein after she rejected his unwanted and disgusting advances.

The notorious producer blacklisted her and put the word out to other major studios. This left Sorvino scrambling for work and it’s also why her later filmography is so bleak. Sorvino is open about the misery she endured and is an inspiration to many women in Hollywood (via Stack).

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Macaulay Culkin

Nobody should expose a child to the levels of fame that Culkin received in the 1990s. It’s no wonder that he struggled with mental health problems as a young adult. He rose to superstardom thanks to his performances in the Home Alone movies as well as Richie Rich (via We Got This Covered).

But Culkin took a lengthy hiatus from acting in 1994 that lasted for almost 10 years. He had a well-publicized feud with his father over the custody of his earnings. These days, Culkin does whatever he wants and enjoys working with avant-garde filmmakers. Now he’s a big part of the American Horror Story franchise.

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Kim Basinger

It’s easy to forget that actors are human beings too. Basinger was one of the biggest sex symbols of her day and was even a Bond girl. But she quit acting because of her agoraphobia and anxiety. These conditions affected her intensely and she decided that she had enough of being in the public eye.

Yes, she made a lot of money but it didn’t improve her quality of life or mental health. Now the Academy Award winner lives by the beach in California with her family. She loves nature and animals so this is the perfect setting for her. It appears as though she’s living the dream (via Suggest).

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Stuart Townsend

Sometimes a director’s decision can shift the momentum of an actor’s career. Adrien Brody discovered this after Terence Mallick cut him as the main character in The Thin Red Line. But luckily he bounced back and won an Academy Award for The Pianist. But Townsend didn’t enjoy this good fortune after Peter Jackson cut him from The Lord of the Rings.

Townsend was one of the most exciting young actors in the world when Jackson hired him to play Aragorn. But then the director realized Townsend’s youth was an issue. He recast Viggo Mortensen in the role and the rest is history. Meanwhile, Townsend spent most of his career in indie movies (via The Movie Database).

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Daniel Day-Lewis

There probably isn’t anybody on this list with a more celebrated career than Day-Lewis. The brilliant thespian won four Academy Awards for Best Actor after appearing in some of the best movies of the past 50 years. However, he disappeared out of nowhere after he claimed his final Oscar for Phantom Thread.

Then Day-Lewis announced his sudden retirement with immediate effect and appears to be sticking by it. This was a shame because he is one of the most talented actors of his generation alongside Gary Oldman. Nonetheless, Day-Lewis has achieved everything possible in the world of acting (via Variety).

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Seann William Scott

Steve Stifler remains one of the most iconic and notorious teen movie characters. Scott played the loudmouthed, party-loving bully and immortalized him forever. He made millions from the American Pie franchise and won acclaim for his charisma. But Scott enjoyed a more subdued subsequent success (via Best Life Online).

He lent his voice to the Ice Age saga and appeared in random low-budget movies or TV shows. Nobody can say that Scott’s career is unsuccessful. However, it’s safe to say that he didn’t reach the levels of fame that people may have expected. Scott may prefer this because too much celebrity is a nightmare to live with.

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Jessica Alba

Alba became a megastar in the 2000s after she broke through with Dark Angel. She appeared in everything from Sin City to The Love Guru and amassed a huge following. Meanwhile, most people regarded her as one of the world’s most beautiful women but suddenly she disappeared out of nowhere.

This was a significant surprise because she could have done whatever she wanted. But Alba became tired of the constant paparazzi attention and refused to play the game. These days she’s raising her family and focusing on her painting. She still has a massive Instagram fanbase and her artwork is available for sale (via Looper).

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