They ditched everything! Actors who abandoned Hollywood

You may not have noticed, but Cameron Diaz has not been in a new film since 2014. Her last movie, 'Annie,' was from that year and she did an excellent job.

In an interview with Vanity Fair magazine, Diaz spoke about her decision saying, “It’s fun to do, I love it. I love acting.” However, she told the magazine that acting had taken over too much of her life, “For me, I just really wanted to make my life manageable by me. My routine in a day is literally what I can manage to do by myself.”

At 26, with an Oscar in her pocket, Hollywood and the whole world at her feet, Grace Kelly still considered herself inferior to her little sister Peggy.

However, all that changed when she met Prince Rainier III of Monaco a year later, for whom she agreed to leave Hollywood and become a princess.

Daniel Day-Lewis is not very clear on the date of his retirement. According to him, “Phantom Thread” (2017) would be his last role. But the actor has said that before, claiming he had quit acting in 1999.

However, when Martin Scorsese called him three years later to play Bill the Butcher in 'Gangs of New York.' He received important accolades in the industry, including three Oscars, which no main actor has achieved. So the chances are good he may make a return.

Unfortunately for the best James Bond in history (with the exception of Daniel Craig), his last film, 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,' in 2003 did not make an impression.

Since he didn't want to play an old man in the movies, Sean Connery limited himself to being an old man in real life. He devoted himself to tennis and golf until he passed away in October 2020.

Phoebe Cates was the girl next door in the movies. An 80s icon, the daughter of a film producer, with a director uncle and an actor husband (Kevin Kline).

Maybe that's why, when her second daughter Greta was born in 1994, she decided to retire from the sets and devote herself to family life. Since then, she's made a few occasional films, but her main focus is on fashion today, with a boutique right in Madison Square.

Rick Moranis was a benchmark in 1980s comedy cinema. But, in 1991, his wife Anne Moranis died of cancer and left him widowed with two children.
Rick was aware that Hollywood life was incompatible with being a single parent if he wanted to really be there for his kids.

Even though he initially wanted to take a break only until 1997, Moranis has yet to make a proper return to Hollywood. However, in 2020 it was announced he would be taking part in a sequel to 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids,' entitled 'Shrunk.'

The most elegant actor in the world left Hollywood for love. But not just any kind of love - the love that motivated him is fatherly.

Cary Grant was wholly devoted to Jennifer (pictured), his only daughter born when he was 62. The actor wanted to spend as much time as possible with his daughter, so he gave up acting. A legendary actor and a legendary father.

Gene Hackman won two Academy Awards for Best Actor in 'The French Connection' (1971) and 'Mississippi Burning' (1988).

However, the actor came to the conclusion that Hollywood was too stressful for him. He ended his career in 2004. Since then, he has become the author of five novels.

She is one of Hollywood's first international actresses. She chose to give up her career in 1941, at the age of 36, on the pretext that she had had enough of this profession.

However, some say that in reality, it's because of the criticisms The Two Faced Woman' received. Apparently, the reviews were so harsh that she never came to terms with them.

Jack Gleeson was, perhaps, the most talented youngster of his decade in Hollywood. His portrayal of Joffrey Baratheon, the authentic sadist in 'Game of Thrones,' won the recognition of critics and the public alike.

However, he suffered insults from people confusing facts with fiction and criticizing him for his character on the show. Overwhelmed by his notoriety, he announced in 2012 that he was abandoning the profession. He took advantage of his character's death on 'GOT' and decided to devote himself to his university studies.

She was one of the most promising Disney actresses and fans were shocked when she announced on Twitter that she was leaving the profession in 2010.

Since then, she has made headlines for her problems, addictions, arrests, and cosmetic surgeries. She has been trying to reinvent herself and has begun to retrain in fashion studies.

Audrey Hepburn was a Hollywood icon. The most desired and admired woman of the 20th century decided to retire in 1989 to devote herself to humanitarian works.

Unfortunately, she was only able to dedicate four years of her life to this work. In 1993 Hepburn died at the age of 63 from colon cancer.

This '90s teen actor was the healthy alternative to Macaulay Culkin. He lent his voice to young Simba in the original version of 'The Lion King.'

However, as he grew older, JTT outgrew his heartthrob status and decided that he preferred film studies. So he went and studied at prestigious Harvard and Columbia universities.

The eternal Hillary Banks from 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' did not choose to leave show business. Hollywood made this decision for her. The actress has struggled to find steady work in the industry, with just a sprinkling of television appearances and a few unimportant film roles.

However, Parsons created 'Sweet Blackberry,' a series of animated films about unsung black heroes. She is also the author of two children's books: 'How High the Moon' (2019) and 'Flying Free' (2020).

The problem with changing your face is that Hollywood doesn't recognize you anymore. Although she hasn't officially left Hollywood, lately, we very rarely see or hear about Meg Ryan.

Perhaps she went a little too far with her plastic surgeries? Has she gone from being America's sweetheart to being a retouched old lady that no one wants in her movies anymore?

Portia De Rossi broke the news on her wife Ellen DeGeneres' talk show program in 2018: she wanted to quit acting at the age of 45.

She made this choice so she could devote herself to her own business restoring works of art through 3D technology. A risky bet but one you can take when you and your wife are mega-rich!

'The Old Man & The Gun' (2018) was the last film that Redford participated in. After a long career as an actor, he was ready for a change.

He retired from acting at 81 years young and now wishes to devote himself only to directing. Fair enough, at 81, one should do what they please!

In 2011, when she was only 18 years old and had one heck of a filmography under her belt, Taylor Momsen declared that she was quitting acting.

Taylor wanted to dedicate herself fully to her true passion - rock 'n' roll. The former actress devoted herself to her music group The Pretty Reckless, and the decision seems to have worked out for her.