Remember all of your favorite actors and actresses from a couple of years back? At the time, you probably thought they would stay in the spotlight forever, but many Holywood A-listers have taken a step back from all of the fame. In case you were wondering where they went and what they have been up to, we’ve rounded up a list just for you. Read on to discover where these actors and actresses disappeared to.
#1 Cameron Diaz
Age: 47
Hometown: Long Beach, California
Known for: Charlie’s Angels, The Mask
Who could ever forget this charismatic Charlie’s Angel? Cameron Diaz first propelled to stardom in 1994 when she starred opposite Jim Carey in “The Mask”. The actress also worked on box office hits like “My Best Friend’s Wedding”, “There’s Something About Mary”, and “Knight and Day”. If you were wondering why she’s not basking in the limelight now, it’s because she’s happily living a lowkey life with her husband, Benji Madden, and their firstborn daughter.
#2 Sarah Michelle Gellar
Age: 43
Hometown: Long Island, New York
Known for: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scooby-Doo
Sarah Michelle Gellar was the slayer queen of the ‘90s and early 2000s thanks to starring in an outrageously popular TV series and several movies under her belt. We all came to love this beautiful star for her performances in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Cruel Intentions”, “I Know What You Did Last Summer”, and “Scooby Doo”. She truly was one of the most iconic It girls to grace Hollywood. Since then, she may have slowed it down with her showbiz career, but this stunner married her co-star, Freddie Prinze Jr., and is a mother of two adorable children. To top it off, Sarah supports charities like Good Plus Foundation and even established her own company called Food Stirs. She’s still a superwoman in every sense of the word.
#3 Katherine Heigl
Age: 41
Hometown: Washington D
Known for: Grey’s Anatomy, 27 Dresses, The Ugly Truth
Everyone knows Katherine as the strong female lead from the hit medical series, Grey’s Anatomy. Katherine Heigl has also appeared in blockbuster films, such as “27 Dresses” and “New Year’s Eve”. Being an Emmy award winning actress, she was expected to win a second time for her performance in Grey’s Anatomy. But controversy ensued when she pulled her name out of the Emmy’s, since she believed that she was not given the material to warrant a nomination. Despite this setback, she was able to star in a few more big budget movies, such as “The Ugly Truth” and “Life As We Know It”. The actress has since been married for 10 years and counting, and is a proud mother of three.
#4 Mara Wilson
Age: 32
Hometown: Burbank, California
Known for: Matilda, Miracle On 34th Street
This lovely person originally captured people’s hearts with her endearing and stellar performance in movies like “Matilda” and “Miracle On 34th Street”. But as the former child actress grew up, she took a liking to storytelling. She attended New York University, and soon began writing and participating in podcasts. In 2016, Mara took her writing skills to new heights and penned an autobiographical book “Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame.”
#5 Catherine Zeta-Jones
One of Hollywood’s most gorgeous faces is famous for her roles in hit movies like “The Legend Of Zorro”, “Traffic”, and “Chicago”. This award-winning actress had been in living in the Hollywood spotlight for years, but took a break once she found out that her husband, Michael Douglas, was diagnosed with cancer in 2010. She decided to focus on being by his side during his treatment and recovery. On a different note, we would like to know what Catherine’s skin regimen is, because she doesn’t seem to age…ever.
#6 Amanda Bynes
Age: 34
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, California
Known for: She’s the Man, Big Fat Liar
Amanda Bynes was once the most popular Nickelodeon child actress. As she matured, the actress starred in comedy films like “She’s The Man” and “Big Fat Liar”. In 2011, she announced that she would be taking a hiatus from acting. A few years later, the actress shared that she has started to focus on her fashion career.
#7 Megan Fox
Age: 33
Hometown: Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Known for: Transformers
Megan Fox dominated Hollywood due to her attention-grabbing appearances in “Transformers”, “Jennifer’s Body”, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, and “New Girl”. Her face seemed to be everywhere at one point, especially in the year 2009. After taking a step back from the “Transformers” spotlight and marrying Brian Austin Green, the actress took some time off to take care of her three children. But in May of 2020, Megan and Biran announced that they are getting divorced.
#8 Meg Ryan
Age: 58
Hometown: Fairfield, Connecticut
Known for: Sleepless In Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally, Ithaca
Meg Ryan is the absolute epitome of charming and enchanting. If you’ve watched “City Of Angels”, “Sleepless In Seattle”, “You’ve Got Mail”, and “Kate and Leopold”, then you’ve already got a pretty good idea of how captivating this superstar is. Meg Ryan returned to the silver screen in 2015 with the movie, “Ithaca”, starring alongside Tom Hanks. We definitely wouldn’t mind seeing more appearances from this iconic actress!
#9 Carrie Anne Moss
Age: 52
Hometown: Burnaby, British Columbia
Known for: The Matrix
This enigmatic and beautiful actress came in like a wrecking ball with her explosive performance in “The Matrix” series where we all know her best as Trinity. After the success of “The Matrix”, Carrie Anne ventured into films such as “Memento” and “Disturbia”. When she suddenly disappeared from the mainstream scene, people were left wondering why.
Well, while she may not be actively portraying roles in big screen movies these days, she’s definitely working it by starring on TV series like “Jessica Jones” and “Humans”. Moreover, the actress is busy with her family life and lifestyle company, Annapurna Living. Her company aims to empower women through yoga.
#10 Jessica Biel
Age: 38
Hometown: Ely, Minnesota
Known for: Blade: Trinity, Stealth, Total Recall, New Year’s Eve
This gorgeous actress stole people’s hearts while starring in movies like “Blade: Trinity” and “Stealth”, “Total Recall”, “New Year’s Eve”, and “Valentine’s Day”. Around 2010, she started making less movie appearances, much to her fans’ dismay. She did, however, find her happy ever after with Justin Timberlake when they got married in 2012. Now she’s a proud momma to Silas Randall Timberlake.
#11 Jessica Alba
Age: 39
Hometown: Pomona, California
Known for: Honey, Sin City, Fantastic Four
Jessica Alba is undoubtedly one of the prettiest faces in Hollywood. She initially gained her superstar status when she portrayed the lead role in the blockbuster movie, “Honey”. A few years later, she starred in more hit films, such as “Good Luck Chuck”, “Sin City”, and “Fantastic Four”. She has recently founded a line of beautiful skincare and make up products called “Honest Beauty”, and is a mom of three kids, Honor, Hayes, and Haven. Currently, the actress is part of the TV series, L.A.’s Finest.
#12 Jennifer Love Hewitt
Age: 41
Hometown: Waco, Texas
Known for: I Know What You Did Last Summer, Ghost Whisperer, The Tuxedo
Jennifer Love Hewitt first blazed into the spotlight as a child actress on the Disney Channel, and then made a successful transition into adult roles as she grew older. She’s most famous for her appearances in the TV series “Ghost Whisperer”, and the films “Heartbreakers”, “I Know What You Did Last Summer”, and “The Tuxedo”. More recently, the charming actress starred in the TV series, “Criminal Minds” and “911”. With regard to her personal life, Jennifer is married to Brian Hallisay and is a mother of two beautiful children, Autumn and Atticus. She’s got a successful career, a wonderful marriage, and two kids. Looks like you can have it all!
#13 Mischa Barton
Age: 34
Hometown: Hammersmith, London
Known for: The OC
You most probably know this lovely actress as Marissa Cooper from the hit TV series “The OC”. After the conclusion of “The OC”, Mischa reverted to a career in theater acting, and appeared in plays like “Steel Magnolias”. Additionally, she has launched her own line of luxury bags and beauty products called “Mischa Barton Boutique”.
#14 Macaulay Culkin
Age: 39
Hometown: New York City, New York
Known for: Home Alone, Richie Rich, The Nutcracker
The child-friendly movie genre of the ‘90s belonged to Macaulay Culkin. He captivated audiences everywhere as Kevin McCallister in the iconic Christmas movie series, “Home Alone.” The actor proceeded to star in equally lovable films, like “Richie Rich”, “My Girl”, and “The Nutcracker”. It’s been a while since we heard much from this Hollywood movie magnate, but he’s back and quite active on Instagram. He even launched his own comedy brand, titled “Bunny Ears”.
#15 Demi Moore
Age: 57
Hometown: Roswell, New Mexico
Known for: Ghost, G.I. Jane
This gorgeous and seemingly ageless actress is undeniably one of the most iconic people in the entertainment world. After solidifying her status as a pillar of the movie industry by starring in hits like “Ghost”, “G.I. Jane”, and “If These Walls Could Talk”, she started to make fewer appearances on screen. She is currently a very dedicated supporter of several charity foundations that fight diseases and help save animals. Additionally, she has recently released her autobiography, “Inside Out”, which swiftly became a New York Times bestseller.
#16 Taylor Lautner
Age: 28
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Known for: The Twilight Saga
We know you’ve all been missing Jacob Black! Taylor Lautner was catapulted into superstardom as one of the coolest wolves to ever hit the silver screen. The massively unforgettable era of the “Twilight Saga” is definitely one for the books. Taylor went on to star in other hit projects, such as “Valentine’s Day”, “Abduction”, and “Cuckoo”.
#17 Elizabeth Hurley
Age: 54
Hometown: Basingstoke, Hampshire
Known for: Gossip Girl, The Royals
Elizabeth Hurley is famous for her roles in “Austin Powers” and the TV series “Gossip Girl”. She recently made a comeback with her role as Queen Helena in the hit series, “The Royals”. Fans can look forward to her upcoming romcom, “Then Came You”.
#18 Jonathan Bennett
Age: 38
Hometown: Ohio
Known for: Mean Girls, Veronica Mars, All My Children
Who wouldn’t remember this heartthrob from “Mean Girls”? After starring alongside Lindsay Lohan in the record-breaking teen movie, Jonathan Bennett became one of the most popular movie boyfriends. Soon after, he made waves with his roles in “Veronica Mars” and “All my Children”. He may not have been very active on the silver screen lately, but there’s good news for his fans, because it looks like Jonathan has a set of TV series and movies in the works.
#19 Jesse Eisenberg
Age: 36
Hometown: East Brunswick Township, New Jersey
Known for: The Social Network, Now You See Me, Justice League
Jesse Eisenberg rose to fame thanks to his brilliant portrayal of Facebook’s CEO in the film, “The Social Network”. Some of his other noteworthy hit movies include “Zombieland”, “Now You See Me”, “Now You See Me 2”, “Adventureland”, and “30 Minutes Or Less”. The Academy Award nominee is ready to make a comeback with his upcoming reprisal of the role of Lex Luthor in “Justice League Part 2”.
#20 Stacey Dash
Age: 53
Hometown: The Bronx, New York
Known for: Clueless
Stacey Dash made her mark in the entertainment scene in 1995 as the most stylish BFF ever on the hit series, “Clueless”. It’s been a while since she returned to the limelight, but she’s back with the recent rom-com called “First Lady”. In addition, the stunning actress will be lending her spunky voice to a character named Athena in an upcoming animated drama, titled “Dawgtown”.
#21 Sean Connery
Age: 89
Hometown: Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Known for: James Bond movies
This movie magnate barely needs an introduction. Everyone knows that this Hollywood legend was the first actor to portray the iconic role of 007. To name a few of the actor’s accolades in his illustrious career, he has earned one Academy Award, two BAFTAs, and three Golden Globe Awards. But after filming “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” back in 2003, Sean Connery announced his retirement from the spotlight. However, in 2012, we got a glimpse of him again as he voiced the lead character in the animated film, “Sir Billi”. If you ask us, actors with this magnitude of talent should be making movies forever.
#22 Jack Gleeson
Age: 27
Hometown: Ranelagh, Dublin
Known for: Game Of Thrones
After the monumental success of “Game Of Thrones”, many people expected to see Jack Gleeson star in many more TV series and movies. But instead of taking the opportunity to make his acting career blossom, this talented young actor opted to move in a different direction. The actor shared in an interview with an Irish publication that he would rather be a philosophy lecturer. Looks like he isn’t just a skilled actor, but a man of literary wits as well.
#23 Tobey Maguire
Age: 44
Hometown: Santa Monica, California
Known for: Spiderman
Tobey Magure is arguably the best actor to ever portray the iconic role of Spiderman. His boyish charm made him the perfect Peter Parker. But after portraying Spiderman for a few films, instead of venturing into more movie roles, the talented actor switched it up and launched his own production company, Material Pictures. Moreover, he’s been happily married for 10 years (and counting!) and is a proud father of two adorable children. We suppose that being behind the camera does give people more time to spend with their families.
#24 Mike Myers
Age: 56
Hometown: Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Known for: Austin Powers
This renowned and talented actor solidified his comedian status by starring as the iconic Austin Powers. If you watch the cosmically popular “Bohemian Rhapsody” movie from 2018 and pay close attention, you would’ve caught Mike’s cameo as Ray Foster, a fictional EMI Records executive. (Doesn’t he look like a slighter older version of Austin Powers?)
#25 Jack Nicholson
Age: 83
Hometown: Manasquan, New Jersey
Known for: The Shining, Something’s Gotta Give, Batman, Anger Management
Jack Nicholson has got to be one of the most multifaceted actors in Hollywood. Whether he’s portraying the protagonist or the iconic bad guy, he manages to be 100% compelling and believable. To top it off, he has received a total of 12 Academy Award nominations, making him the most nominated male actor in the history of the award show. However, over the past several years, the prolific artist has taken a few steps back from starring in films and seems to be living a more relaxed lifestyle.