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From Grace Kelly to Cameron Diaz
The Gist
- A number of stars who once held A-list status have pivoted to more private lives.
- Some took decades-long breaks from acting only to return to the screen, like Cameron Diaz. While others, like Grace Kelly, left Hollywood altogether.
- Their reasonings are just as varied, from wanting to spend more time with their families to becoming working members of the royal family.
After landing their breakout role, most actors continue to collect opportunities, accepting accolades and growing their fanbase along the way. Rarely do these stars choose to retreat from the acting sphere all together. Hollywood as a category includes tons of A-list stars, but among the most interesting are the ones who’ve chosen to step out of the spotlight and trade in their stardom for privacy.
There are a notable number of superstars on that list, from legendary Hollywood actors who graced the screen decades ago, like Pretty Woman’s Richard Gere, to more modern A-listers, like Eva Mendes. Some left tinseltown to marry into royalty, a la Grace Kelly and Meghan Markle. While others simply took leave from acting to spend more time with their family.
Ahead, find 11 stars who left Hollywood, their reasons why, and where they are now keeping a low profile.
01 of 11
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz’s acting resume includes some of the biggest films from the late ‘90s and early 2000s, including The Mask (1994) where she starred alongside Jim Carey, and the 2000s edition of Charlie’s Angels. Around 2014, Diaz stopped appearing in films, seemingly shifting her priorities to taking care of her three children, whom she shares with husband guitarist Benji Madden.
Come 2025, the actress reprised her acting career to star alongside Jamie Foxx in the Netflix film Back in Action. “I didn’t think I was going to make another movie,” Diaz said to Netflix in 2025, adding, “I was perfectly happy, you know, just living my life, doing other things…day in and day out.” Along with her acting roles, Diaz has also forayed into the alcohol business, co-founding Avaline, an organic wine company, in 2020.
02 of 11
Ian Somerhalder
Ian Somerhalder has starred in some of the most popular television series of the early aughts, including Lost (2004) and the CW’s The Vampire Diaries (2009), both shows which maintain a strong cult following. Somerhaler’s last acting role was in the sci-fi series V Wars (2019), which Netflix cancelled after one season. Since then, Somerhalder has taken a huge step away from acting, devoting his time to environmental activism (alongside his wife Nikki Reed) through his namesake foundation, which provides resources for green energy development.
03 of 11
Meghan Markle
Before Meghan Markle was named the Duchess of Sussex, she was best known for her role as Rachel Zane in the legal-drama Suits (2011), which she starred in for seven seasons. Following the news of her whirlwind engagement to Prince Harry in 2017, USA Network announced Markle’s official departure from the series. Although Markle revealed in 2020 she was stepping down from her royal duties, the socialite has continued to devote her time to philanthropic efforts. At the same time, Markle had also been expanding her entrepreneurial ventures: her cooking and lifestyle Netflix series With Love, Meghan, was recently nominated for an Emmy.
04 of 11
Richard Gere
At the height of his career Richard Gere was dubbed by many as Hollywoods leading hearthrob. Gere’s acting repertoire includes the movies American Gigolo (1980), Pretty Woman (1990), and Chicago (2002). He is also the recipient of a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
After the blockbuster success of several of the aforementioned movies, Gere gravitated toward lower profile projects. “I said, ‘Enough. I don’t really like all this attention. ... I don’t wanna be looked at,’” Gere said on a 2024 episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s podcast, per People.
In 2024, the actor moved to Madrid, Spain with his wife Alejandra Silva and their three children. Although the actor hasn’t appeared in a new project in years, Gere was recently spotted filming for a movie adaptation of Lisa Halliday’s novel Asymmetry.
05 of 11
Phoebe Cates
Phoebe Cates’s list of blockbuster films includes Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) Paradise (1982) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). Although Cates never directly announced her retirement from acting, the star hasn’t appeared in any new projects in decades. It seems as though the former actress has quietly exited the spotlight, raising her two children, Greta and Owen (whom she shares with her husband Kevin Kline), and running her clothing NYC-based boutique Blue Tree, which she opened in 2005.
06 of 11
Eva Mendes
After starring in a slew of films, including Hitch (2005), Training Day (2001), and 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), Eva Mendes has divested from the typical Hollywood life. The former actress hasn’t appeared onscreen since 2014, when she starred in the movie Lost River, which was written and directed by her longtime partner Ryan Gosling. Instead, she’s dedicated her time to raising her two kids, whom she shares with Gosling, and promoting her cleaning tool business Skura Style, which she joined as a co-owner and brand ambassador in 2022. “It was like a no-brainer,” Mendes told Today in 2024 about her career transition. “I’m so lucky… I can have this time with my children. I still worked. I just didn’t act. Acting takes you on location; it takes you away.”
07 of 11
Rick Moranis
Rick Moranis is best known for ‘80s and ‘90s era favorites like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), and Ghostbusters (1984). Moranis never officially confirmed he was done with Hollywood, but he has kept a relatively low profile since 1997.
In 1991, the star’s wife, costume designer Ann Belsky, passed away from cancer, leaving Moranis to prioritize raising his two children as a single father. “I went from that to being at home with a couple of little kids, which is a very different lifestyle,” Moranis told The Hollywood Reporter regarding stepping away from acting. “But it was important to me. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. My life is wonderful.”
08 of 11
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres left Hollywood in 2024, following allegations from former employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003) about a toxic work environment. Following her talk show’s abrupt end after 19 seasons in 2022, DeGeneres announced that she and her wife, Portia de Rossi, essentially settled in the United Kingdom at Cotswolds, a region in the English countryside. DeGeneres’s last time appearing on the screen was in her 2024 Netflix comedy special For Your Approval, during which she mentioned, “This is the last time you’re going to see me,” according to SFGate.
09 of 11
Bridget Fonda
As the niece of Jane Fonda and daughter of Peter Fonda, Bridget Fonda has starred in some of the most nostalgic films in the Hollywood canon, including The Godfather III (1990) and Point of No Return (1993). Fonda’s acting career only lasted a little over a decade before she retired in 2002. A year later, she was involved in a car crash that left her with a fractured vertebra, which understandably affected her ability to take on more acting roles until she recovered. Now Fonda enjoys a more private life as a full-time mom with her son Oliver and husband Danny Elfman. When asked in 2023 if she’d make a return to Hollywood, Fonda reportedly told The Daily Mail, “I don’t think so, it’s too nice being a civilian.”
10 of 11
Grace Kelly
Compared to other nostalgic actresses in Hollywood, Grace Kelly had a short, yet impactful career. Kelly, who passed away in 1982, was most known for her movie roles done in collaboration with director Alfred Hitchcock, including Dial M for Murder (1954) and To Catch A Thief (1955). However in 1956, Kelly traded the Hollywood life for a more regal one, becoming the Princess of Monaco by way of marrying Rainer III (the former Prince of Monaco). The couple’s wedding was viewed by millions of people, and Kelly’s dress was designed by over 20 costume designers at MGM.
11 of 11
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple was one of Hollywoods top-earning box office stars in the 1930s. Throughout her acting career, which began when she was as young as three years old, Temple starred in over 20 films, including Curly Top (1935), Bright Eyes (1934) and Little Miss Marker (1934). Following her iconic acting career, Temple officially retired in her 20s and joined international politics, acting as a U.S. ambassador for Ghana and Czechoslovakia before her death in 2014.
Read the original article on InStyle
