Which actors chose to retire too early in career?

[toddly6666]

Bridget Fonda
Demi Moore (just Charlie Angles 2 and a bit part in Mr. Brooks?)
Michelle Phieffer (Stardust/Hairspray - any more?)
Sean Connery
Tom Hulce (he was good, but he got fat and got picky)

[Brent L]

Dana Plato?

[Brack]

Sean Connery was the first name that popped in my head, and last, as I can't think of any others.

[Brent L]

How about Joe Pesci? Other than The Good Shepherd he hasn't done anything since Lethal Weapon 4 in 1998.

[Drexl]

Well, if Sean Connery counts for retiring at the spry age of 72 (he's now 77), you might as well put Gene Hackman on there. He's the same age.

[Cellar Door]

I saw the thread title and came in here to say Bridget Fonda, the first name in the OP. It Could Happen To You was on tv the other night and I was reminded how much I like her and how long it's been since I've seen her in anything new.

[MoviePage]

Glenda Jackson. A two-time Best Actress Oscar winner who basically retired from acting in the 80s and went on to serve in British Parliament.

[Brent L]

I bet I'm way in the minority here, but I've always wished that Madolyn Smith Osborne hadn't retired from acting. I know it's nothing spectacular, but I liked her in Funny Farm with Chevy Chase (love the flick also).

[toddly6666]

Arnold Schwarzenneger (he's really that busy as the governer?)

Mia Sara (I don't think it's up to her...she might be in the washed up category, but I always liked her. I wish Birds of Prey lasted longer)

Clint Eastwood (he hasn't been in a movie since 2004, is he still acting?)

Chris Tucker (he needs to do more, i love his shtick...the best scenes in the sucky Rush Hour 3 was during the non-action scenes and just the dialogue)

Michael J. Fox (sure he has a disability, but I always feel bad that he didn't do enough. The last starring film he was in was The Frightners after a long span. His big popular run was surprisingly pretty short from 1985 till 1991, just 7 years...)

[Doc MacGyver]

Phoebe Cates. Good God did I love her as a kid. And I saw a recent pic of her with hubby Kline and even post-rugrats she looks fantastic.



-Doc

[Brack]

California is a mess, Arnold should be busy. Clint has been busy directing.

[devilshalo]

Clint Eastwood (he hasn't been in a movie since 2004, is he still acting?)
Maybe it's cuz he's busy directing?

[Giles]

I saw the thread title and came in here to say Bridget Fonda, the first name in the OP. It Could Happen To You was on tv the other night and I was reminded how much I like her and how long it's been since I've seen her in anything new.

she was my first thought as well, since I caught a little of 'Lake Placid' over the weekend.

[Legolas]

Warren Beatty hasn't made a movie since 2001's Town and Country. In fact, some actors these days make more movies in five years than Beatty has his entire career.

[TallGuyMe]

Did Bridget Fonda retire or is she just not getting roles??

[Yakuza Bengoshi]

Maria Falconetti.

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Mptv/1267/th-19911_0002.jpg

[obscurelabel]

Well, Greta Garbo is a famous example of someone who retired at a relatively young age (36), but whether she should have or not is another question. She may have felt that she was going to be dumped by MGM and opted to retire while near the top (as I understand it).

Grace Kelly.

Helen Gahagen?

Also Luise Rainer (10 roles in 70 or so years doesn't count as breaking a retirement IMHO).

[MartinBlank]

Did Bridget Fonda retire or is she just not getting roles??

That's the question I'd be asking, especially about Demi Moore. And as far as Fonda's concerned, the last thing I remember seeing her in was 'Jackie Brown'. Connery's a poor example considering he's been acting for 40+ years.

[RichC2]

Demi is still around though:

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EdIfKNw8a3I&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EdIfKNw8a3I&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

Just not as successfully.

[Drexl]

Clint Eastwood has essentially just been directing for about 15 years, but in some cases he's acted in those movies. The last movie he acted in that he didn't direct was In the Line of Fire in 1993.

With some of these older actors/actresses, I think the problem is (unless they're huge like Jack Nicholson) that there aren't many good parts for them unless they're willing to take smaller roles. This is particularly a problem for women. Some of them choose to stay home and raise kids or whatever rather than do non-marquee roles.

[Cellar Door]

Did Bridget Fonda retire or is she just not getting roles??

Well, she got married (to Danny Elfman!) and from what I understand she chose to stay home and raise their kid.

[rw2516]

Jack Lord
James Gagney
Cary Grant

[PopcornTreeCt]

Paul Newman

[Bluelitespecial]

I don't Know if Mel Gibson is completely retired from acting and now just directing, but I would love to see him in more movies no matter how crazy he might be.

[clemente]

Actors retire? I thought they just stopped getting roles or moved on to something better (directing/producing).

A few maybe...

[Yakuza Bengoshi]

Paul Newman

He's working more than most guys in their 80s.

[TallGuyMe]

Brad Renfro

...too soon

[PopcornTreeCt]

He's working more than most guys in their 80s.

Yeah, but he announced he retired.

[Lipid]

Garbo

[Numanoid]

Danny Lloyd



Then:http://stephenking.ru/movies/images/thumbnails/shining/danny.jpgNow:http://members.tripod.com/~former_child_star/lloyd_danny.jpg

[mikelowry]

Haley Joel Osment - great actor for his age.

[yojimbo44]

Danny Lloyd



Then:http://stephenking.ru/movies/images/thumbnails/shining/danny.jpgNow:http://members.tripod.com/~former_child_star/lloyd_danny.jpg

i got the brand new dvd of the shining for christmas and my wife and i were wondering whatever happened to him - apparently he's a biology professor now - in the docs on the dvd, it's funny to hear him, as a seven year old, so excited for the six or seven hundred he would be making from the movie.

[Vipper II]

I bet I'm way in the minority here, but I've always wished that Madolyn Smith Osborne hadn't retired from acting. I know it's nothing spectacular, but I liked her in Funny Farm with Chevy Chase (love the flick also).

Count me as part of that minority.

Bridget Fonda
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Danny Lloyd
Carrie Henn
Michael J. Fox

[redcon1]

Jake Lloyd.

[Rob V]

Marissa Tomei -- geez, has she done one thing in the last 5-6 years?

[Drexl]

Marissa Tomei -- geez, has she done one thing in the last 5-6 years?

Before the Devil Knows You're Retired (er, Dead) - one of the best films from 2007.

BTW, I don't think Schwarzenegger is actually retired. He's just busy doing something else.

[Ginwen]

Another vote for Bridget Fonda. Every time I watch Jackie Brown I look her up to see if she's acting again and am disappointed to see she's not.

Marissa Tomei -- geez, has she done one thing in the last 5-6 years?
Maybe this is a joke I am missing, but she has 21 credits and an Oscar nomination since 2001, including 3 movies in 2007

[tasha99]

I guess Daniel Day Lewis isn't really retired (having a movie out now and all), but it seems like he's semi retired. I'd like to see him in a lot more movies.

[Shazam]

David Caruso.

[Finisher]

Yeah, Daniel Day-Lewis retired and then unretired about five years later. Only eight films in almost two decades. I wonder how many hundreds of scripts he has rejected in his life and how much money he could've made had he cashed in. You have to respect his artistic integrity.

[zekeburger1979]

James Dean

1 ticket please, first class. :D

[Goat3001]

I guess Daniel Day Lewis isn't really retired (having a movie out now and all), but it seems like he's semi retired. I'd like to see him in a lot more movies.

Apparently Lewis just doesn't like making movies. He lives his life as a cobbler and he only makes movies when the desire hits. To each his own. At least he's not a scientologsit.

[EEz28]

Bjork

[Giles]

those annoying kids from Jurassic Park - oh wait, they did just seem to fall of the face of the planet after the first and brief cameo in the second film.

[Drexl]

those annoying kids from Jurassic Park - oh wait, they did just seem to fall of the face of the planet after the first and brief cameo in the second film.

I wonder how Joseph Mazzello's career would have turned out had Stanley Kubrick decided to go ahead and make The Aryan Papers.

[PopcornTreeCt]

Apparently Lewis just doesn't like making movies. He lives his life as a cobbler and he only makes movies when the desire hits. To each his own. At least he's not a scientologsit.

If he made movies all the time he would lose that mystique of being such a fantastic actor.

[dhmac]

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

Has been in nothing for the past few years. And before that was semi-retired since the mid-90s, only appearing in a handful of films.

[toddly6666]

I know she is still working, but I always liked Penelope Ann Miller. She was "the girl" in all those late 80s, early 90s films. Did she ever get to headline a movie on her own? She's like an Eva Mendes of today (not getting to star in a movie all by herself and always playing the leading man's girl).

I'll also second Mel Gibson. I really hope he comes back to acting. I do like him as a director, but there really was no need to stop starring in films. His last one was Signs. He had some funny cameos in Paparazzi and The Singing Detective after though, but that doesn't count...

[Boba Fett]

Chris Tucker (he needs to do more, i love his shtick...the best scenes in the sucky Rush Hour 3 was during the non-action scenes and just the dialogue)


I think his 'retirement' or extended breaks are due to his absurd demands.

He refused to do Rush Hour 2 until he was paid at least $20million, and be the highest paid star.

Last I heard they had to give him $40million to do Rush Hour 3 and one future film.

To top it off, he demanded top billing on the sequels as well as any DVD re-releases.

It goes to show that Jackie Chan is a nice guy, because I never heard any stories of him being angry about it, despite the fact that Tucker in all reality was the replaceable part of that duo.

[SkipKassidy]

those annoying kids from Jurassic Park - oh wait, they did just seem to fall of the face of the planet after the first and brief cameo in the second film.

Looks like Joseph Mazzello will be one of the stars of the new HBO mini-series "The Pacific."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374463/

[Ms. M]

Most of the women mentioned haven't retired so much as they stopped getting offers as their looks started to fade. Sad, but that's Hollywood for you. But one actress who did retire too soon, though for understandable reasons, was Grace Kelly.

And I do wish Sean Connery could have done a cameo on the new Indiana Jones film so his career could end on a higher note than The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

[zaroff1]

Rick Moranis, he has done voice work but hasnt appeared in anything since 97

[Jericho]

Maybe this is a joke I am missing, but she has 21 credits and an Oscar nomination since 2001, including 3 movies in 2007

Yeah, I don't get the comment either. I don't think it's a joke. But Tomei's been working pretty steadily, and in all sorts of mediums, including Rescue Me on TV and major Hollywood hits like Wild Hogs.

[Goat3001]

If he made movies all the time he would lose that mystique of being such a fantastic actor.

I guess when I see a movie starring Daniel Day Lewis I expect it to be great because I know he wouldn't make something unless he thinks it will be amazing. But I don't think he would lose that mystique if he made movies on a regular basis unless he started phoning in some performances. Johnny Depp makes movies all the time and IMO he hasn't lost that mystique.

But staying on topic, my point is that Daniel Day Lewis isn't really retired. He only makes movies when he wants and that is how his whole career has been.

Then again I don't think any actor really retires. I'm sure Sean Connery still gets a ton of movie offers. If something awesome comes to his plate he would do it.

[Boba Fett]

Then again I don't think any actor really retires. I'm sure Sean Connery still gets a ton of movie offers. If something awesome comes to his plate he would do it.

Nope. Spielberg pleaded with him to do a brief scene as Indy's father for Indy 4, but Connery said he'd like to do it, but he's retired and that's that.

[dhmac]

Nope. Spielberg pleaded with him to do a brief scene as Indy's father for Indy 4, but Connery said he'd like to do it, but he's retired and that's that.
He should've done it, even if the only reason is that the craptastic The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen won't be his final film.

[Boba Fett]

He should've done it, even if the only reason is that the craptastic The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen won't be his final film.
That's the way I felt about Gene Hackman appearing to have called it quits with Welcome to Mooseport

[leacha]

Linda Fiorentino
http://crazy4cinema.com/Actress/imgs/fiorentino.jpg

[DJariya]

As far as more recent actors/actresses, Phoebe Cates is a no-brainer. Her last big studio film Princess Caraboo from 1994 was a crappy way to end her career at age 31.

I guess being a Mother and wife to Kevin Kline is more important to her.

[creekdipper]

Apparently Lewis just doesn't like making movies. He lives his life as a cobbler and he only makes movies when the desire hits. To each his own. At least he's not a scientologsit.

I dunno. A talented actor who sits around pounding tacks in shoes for years sounds pretty quirky to me.

[creekdipper]

Tom Hulce (he was good, but he got fat and got picky)

There just might be a correlation between the latter two events.

Pinto, we hardly knew ye!

[Ronnie Dobbs]

James Dean

[Rob V]

Yeah, I don't get the comment either. I don't think it's a joke. But Tomei's been working pretty steadily, and in all sorts of mediums, including Rescue Me on TV and major Hollywood hits like Wild Hogs.

Jesus Christ, relax guys. I didn't realize the Marissa Tomei fanclub was here. I just haven't seen her name in a movie trailer or in any credits for a long time. I don't watch Rescue Me and sorry I missed the "Hollywood Hit" Wild Hogs.

[Arpeggi]

Heath Ledger (maybe)

[PopcornTreeCt]

Heath Ledger (maybe)

His last performance could be his best.

[rkndkn]

Really missed Jane Fonda during her 15-year break after marrying Ted Turner. Of course, her 2 projects upon return haven't been the best choices. I actually enjoyed her over-the-topness in "Monster-in-Law", though.

[TallGuyMe]

Jennifer Rubin http://www.funenclave.com/images/smilies/drool2.gif

http://www.myamalgam.com/images/graphics/clients/JRubin/JRubinhs.jpg
http://www.myamalgam.com/images/graphics/clients/JRubin/JRubinNOES3art.jpg
http://www.rarelicenseddvds.com/images/j/jenniferrubin.jpg

[Brack]

^^^ Good call, I loved her in "Dream Warriors."

[darqleo]

maybe Richard Dreyfuss? Someone beat me to Rick Moranis.

[Michael Ballack]

Surprised no one brought up Rick Moranis. According to wikipedia, he quit acting to take care of his kids when his wife died and does Canadian country music or something.

Edit: I guess I need to read more carefully.

[toddly6666]

http://www.wallpaperbase.com/wallpapers/celebs/shannonelizabeth/shannon_elizabeth_6.jpg

yes, she's been working, but she hasn't been in any spotlight. If Jessica Alba gets to be in the spotlight, why not Shannon Elizabeth? I feel like I haven't seen her star in a movie since that 13 ghosts movie she was in...

[dx23]

http://www.wallpaperbase.com/wallpapers/celebs/shannonelizabeth/shannon_elizabeth_6.jpg

yes, she's been working, but she hasn't been in any spotlight. If Jessica Alba gets to be in the spotlight, why not Shannon Elizabeth? I feel like I haven't seen her star in a movie since that 13 ghosts movie she was in...

She said that she wouldn't take any acting job that required nudity again, so all the chances of her appearing in big film went down the drain.

[NIMH Rat]

^^^ The OP wanted actors. Don't get me wrong, Shannon is lovely, and you can watch her play poker here and there, but if this were a list of "hot actresses who don't get enough roles due to aging and no-nudity clauses," it would go on and on and on....you can list every porn actress who ever lived.

[dom56]

Jenny Wright

Loved her in Near Dark. Her last work was in 1998 according to IMDB.

[TallGuyMe]

^^^ Good call, I loved her in "Dream Warriors."

Grab "Bad Dreams"... she's the lead in that... and its a good little horror flick to boot.

[TallGuyMe]

Leah Ayres

http://www.artandeth.com/Gallery2/ActorsA/19266-2068.gif

hotter today...

http://www.ttinet.com/mmfc/info/Leah.jpg

[Dr Mabuse]

Tatsuya Nakadai...