13 Actresses Who Chose to Leave Hollywood at the Height of Their Careers

13 Actresses Who Chose to Leave Hollywood at the Height of Their Careers

Sometimes the brightest stars choose to step away from the spotlight. Hollywood fame brings fortune, adoration, and opportunities, but it also comes with tremendous pressure and personal sacrifice. These remarkable actresses walked away from successful careers while still in demand, trading red carpets for quieter, more fulfilling lives on their own terms.

1. Greta Garbo

Swedish-born Greta Garbo captivated audiences with her enigmatic presence and remarkable talent, becoming one of MGM’s highest-grossing stars during the 1920s and 1930s. Her famous line “I want to be alone” from the film Grand Hotel eerily foreshadowed her future.

After her film Two-Faced Woman flopped in 1941, 35-year-old Garbo walked away from Hollywood, though she had intended the break to be temporary. What began as a hiatus evolved into permanent retirement as she settled into a private life in New York City.

For nearly five decades until her death in 1990, Garbo remained one of cinema’s greatest mysteries, refusing interviews and avoiding public appearances while occasionally being spotted on solitary walks through Manhattan.

2. Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly’s meteoric rise in Hollywood produced an impressive legacy of just 11 films before she traded stardom for a crown. The Academy Award-winning actress captured hearts with her cool elegance and depth in classics like Rear Window and To Catch a Thief.

Her fairy-tale romance with Prince Rainier III of Monaco culminated in a 1956 wedding watched by an estimated 30 million television viewers. At just 26, Kelly abandoned her flourishing career to embrace royal duties and motherhood in her new Mediterranean kingdom.

Despite occasional offers to return to acting, including from Alfred Hitchcock himself, Princess Grace remained committed to her royal responsibilities until her tragic death in a car accident in 1982 at age 52.

3. Audrey Hepburn

The gamine beauty with the infectious smile didn’t disappear completely—she simply redirected her star power. After enchanting audiences in Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and My Fair Lady, Hepburn gradually stepped back from regular film work in the late 1960s.

Family became her priority as she focused on raising her sons in Switzerland, occasionally accepting select film roles. Her most meaningful second act began in 1988 when she became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, traveling to impoverished communities across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Drawing from her own childhood experiences during World War II, Hepburn advocated tirelessly for children in need until her death in 1993. “I can testify to what UNICEF means to children,” she once said, “because I was among those who received food and medical relief right after World War II.”

4. Shirley Temple

America’s curly-topped sweetheart saved 20th Century Fox from bankruptcy during the Great Depression. Those dimples, bouncy ringlets, and precocious talent made little Shirley Temple the biggest box office draw from 1935-1938, outperforming adult stars while singing and tap-dancing her way into hearts worldwide.

As she matured, audience interest waned—the transition from child star to adult roles proved challenging. By age 22, after appearing in 43 films, Temple made the remarkable decision to retire from the industry that had exploited her childhood.

Her second act proved equally impressive: she became active in politics, served as a UN delegate, and was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and later Czechoslovakia. The former child star reinvented herself as Shirley Temple Black, a respected diplomat who lived until 2014.

5. Brigitte Bardot

The French sex symbol who popularized the bikini and embodied carefree sensuality in the 1950s and 60s walked away from fame while still at her peak. Bardot’s pouting lips and tousled blonde hair made her an international icon after starring in provocative films like And God Created Woman.

Tired of being objectified and increasingly uncomfortable with celebrity, she shocked the world by retiring in 1973 at just 39. “I gave my beauty and youth to men,” she later explained, “and now I’m giving my wisdom and experience to animals.”

Bardot sold her possessions and created the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for animal welfare. Now in her 80s, the former actress lives quietly in Saint-Tropez, having dedicated the majority of her life to fighting for animal rights with the same passion that once made her a cinema icon.

6. Doris Day

The sunny blonde with the velvet voice dominated Hollywood for two decades as both a top recording artist and box office star. Day’s wholesome image and comedic timing made her America’s sweetheart in films like Pillow Talk and Calamity Jane, while her recording of “Que Sera, Sera” became her signature song.

Personal tragedy and financial betrayal marked the end of her entertainment career. After her third husband Martin Melcher died in 1968, Day discovered he and their lawyer had squandered her fortune, forcing her into a television series she never wanted.

When The Doris Day Show ended in 1973, she retreated to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, devoting herself to animal welfare through the Doris Day Animal Foundation. Until her death in 2019 at age 97, she rarely appeared in public, preferring the company of her beloved dogs.

7. Gene Tierney

With her striking cheekbones and luminous presence, Gene Tierney bewitched audiences in classics like Laura and Leave Her to Heaven, earning an Oscar nomination for the latter. Behind the glamour, however, lurked tremendous personal struggles that would eventually lead her away from Hollywood.

Tierney’s battle with severe depression and bipolar disorder forced her to step back from acting in the 1950s when she sought treatment at several institutions. Her courage in discussing her mental health issues publicly was revolutionary for the era when such matters remained taboo.

After receiving electroshock therapy and eventually finding stability, she returned for a few roles before retiring completely in 1964. Her openness about mental illness helped reduce stigma, making her departure from Hollywood not just a personal choice but an important cultural moment in understanding mental health.

8. Debra Winger

Raw, uncompromising talent defined Debra Winger’s explosive presence in 1980s cinema. Her three Oscar nominations for An Officer and a Gentleman, Terms of Endearment, and Shadowlands cemented her reputation as one of her generation’s most compelling actresses.

Famous for her fierce independence and refusal to play Hollywood games, Winger shocked the industry by walking away at the height of her fame. “I wanted out for years,” she later admitted. “I got tired of telling stories, telling lies.” Her disappearance from screens spawned the 2002 documentary Searching for Debra Winger, examining how the industry treats women.

After a six-year hiatus, Winger returned occasionally for select projects on her own terms. Her decision to prioritize authentic living over celebrity marked her as a true maverick who valued integrity over stardom.

9. Cameron Diaz

From her breakout role in The Mask to blockbusters like There’s Something About Mary and Charlie’s Angels, Cameron Diaz’s effervescent charm and comedic timing made her Hollywood’s highest-paid actress by the 2000s. Her career grossed over $7 billion worldwide.

Fans were stunned when, after releasing Annie in 2014, Diaz simply disappeared from screens. “I just decided that I wanted different things out of my life,” she explained years later. “I had gone so hard for so long, working, making films… I just didn’t leave any space for my personal life.”

Diaz married musician Benji Madden in 2015, welcomed daughter Raddix in 2019, and launched a clean wine brand called Avaline. After eight years away, she announced a return to acting in 2022, proving retirement doesn’t always have to be permanent.

10. Meg Ryan

The tousled blonde with the crinkly smile who faked cinema’s most famous orgasm in When Harry Met Sally defined the romantic comedy genre throughout the 1990s. Meg Ryan’s collaborations with Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail cemented her status as America’s rom-com queen.

Her retreat from Hollywood came gradually after the early 2000s, following harsh criticism of her changing appearance and the tabloid frenzy surrounding her divorce from Dennis Quaid. “I was burned out. I didn’t feel like I knew enough anymore about myself or the world to reflect it as an actor,” Ryan later told The New York Times.

She moved to New York to raise her daughter and son away from Hollywood’s glare, occasionally directing projects but largely embracing a quieter life focused on family and personal growth rather than fame.

11. Phoebe Cates

Her unforgettable pool scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) instantly made Phoebe Cates a teen idol and sex symbol. Throughout the 1980s, she charmed audiences with her natural beauty and talent in films like Gremlins and Drop Dead Fred.

At the peak of her popularity, Cates made a decision that baffled Hollywood but reflected her values. After marrying actor Kevin Kline in 1989 and welcoming their first child in 1991, she appeared in just a handful more films before stepping away completely to focus on raising their two children.

“I’ve turned down a lot of stuff that would take me away from home for too long,” she once explained simply. In 2005, she opened a boutique in New York called Blue Tree, channeling her creativity into business while maintaining the private family life she prioritized over continued fame.

12. Mara Wilson

The precocious little girl with the ribbon headband who captured hearts in Mrs. Doubtfire, Miracle on 34th Street, and most memorably as the telekinetic bookworm in Matilda, made a deliberate choice to leave Hollywood behind as she entered her teens.

Puberty proved challenging for Wilson in an industry obsessed with appearance. “I wasn’t a cute little kid anymore,” she later wrote, describing painful audition experiences where she was rejected for not being “pretty enough.” Rather than continue in a system that damaged her self-esteem, she chose education and writing.

Wilson graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and became an author, penning the memoir Where Am I Now? about her experiences as a child actor. Today, she works as a writer and storyteller, occasionally appearing in voice roles but firmly established in a creative life beyond the camera.

13. Renée O’Connor

For six seasons, Renée O’Connor battled alongside Lucy Lawless as Gabrielle in the cult hit series Xena: Warrior Princess, building a devoted international fanbase. When the show ended in 2001, O’Connor could have leveraged her fame into mainstream Hollywood roles.

Instead, she chose a path of creative independence far from the spotlight. Founding her own production company, ROC Pictures, she began directing and producing independent films while raising her two children. Her passion for Shakespeare led her to stage productions where she could explore classical theater away from the constraints of commercial entertainment.

“I’m happy creating my own work,” O’Connor has said about her career transition. While still acting occasionally in indie projects, she prioritized artistic fulfillment and family life over fame, demonstrating that success can be defined on one’s own terms rather than by Hollywood standards.