The Most Famous Recluses of the 20th Century

Sometimes people take to fame like a fish to water, effortlessly navigating the hazards and pratfalls of life in the public eye. Other times, however, people get a taste of fame and have an allergic reaction to it. This causes them to retreat from public life entirely, leaving the public and press to wonder where they are and what they are up to. While some celebrities live a life in public, others become the most famous recluses of the 20th century.

It’s hard to say exactly what causes the famous to react negatively to their newfound success. Some of the most famous recluses build a career in full view of the press and public, before doing an about-face and disappearing off the face of the earth like J.D. Salinger. Others, like Bettie Page, make their name before regretting their previous choices and spiraling into mental illness and seclusion. Whatever the reason, some people are not cut out for fame and do anything to live a private life. In this article, we will explore the lives and secrets of the most famous recluses of the 20th century.

(For celebrities who spent time in wartime prison, discover famous people who endured life as prisoners of war. )

To compile a list of the most famous recluses of the 20th century, 24/7 Tempo consulted a range of celebrity, lifestyle, and news publications including Liveabout.com , Nicki Swift , and Stars Insider . Next, we selected people who either found fame before retreating into private life or people who maintained fame while living in seclusion. After that, we confirmed aspects of each person’s story using sites like Time Magazine and CBSNews.com .

Bettie Page

Before the world of adult entertainment, there was Bettie Page. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Page endured an unstable and traumatic childhood. Voted “Girl Most Likely to Succeed” in high school, Page attended George Peabody University, hoping to become a teacher. A year later, however, she switched her focus to acting. In 1947, she moved to New York City to look for acting work. Instead, avid photographer and NYPD officer Jerry Tibbs discovered her walking in Coney Island. He suggested she would make a good “pin-up model,” and the rest was history.

By the mid-1950s, Page gained notoriety for being the premiere pin-up model in the business. A few years later, she graced the cover of Playboy Magazine as one of the earliest Playmates of the Month. With her blue eyes, jet-black hair, and trademark bangs, Page was an early icon in fashion, pop culture, and sexuality. The business seemed to take a toll on her, however. By the late 50s, Page became a born-again Christian and moved to Florida.

During that time, she worked for various Christian organizations including a position with famed evangelist Billy Graham. Her mental health began to take a toll, however, and as Page retreated from public life she entered into more chaotic circumstances. In the late 70s, Page suffered a nervous breakdown and doctors diagnosed her with acute schizophrenia. After a fight with her landlord a few years later, Page was placed under state supervision. All the while, her legend grew. By Page’s death in the 90s, her withdrawal from public life only increased her legend in the modeling business.

Howard Hughes

During his lifetime, the public knew Howard Hughes to be one of the richest and most influential people in the world. First, he became a film tycoon, producing controversial, big-budget films like “The Racket,” “Hell’s Angels,” and “Scarface.” Once he acquired the RKO Film Studios, it grew into one of the “Big Five” studios of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Simultaneously, Hughes’ penchant for airplanes saw him form the Hughes Aircraft Company in 1932. After hiring the best engineers, designers, and defense contractors, Hughes set multiple world air-speed records with planes like the Hughes H-1 Racer and the H-4 Hercules. This led to the acquisition and expansion of Trans World Airlines, which he renamed Hughes Airwest. In his final years, Hughes expanded his operations into Las Vegas. There, he bought casinos, hotels, and media outlets. Many credit Hughes with transforming Las Vegas from a den of iniquity to a more cosmopolitan family-friendly city.

While he was always considered eccentric, his OCD and other mental disorders grew out of control by the 1950s. He quickly became one of the most famous recluses of the 20th century. Hughes stayed in his studio’s film screening room for months on end, eating only chicken and chocolate bars and passing memos to his assistants through a slit in the door. Activities like these typified his later life. His habits worsened and his seclusion became more extreme. By his death in 1976, Hughes was unrecognizable thanks to abysmal hygiene and years spent in dark hotel rooms. While an autopsy suggested liver failure as his cause of death, the report also noted malnutrition and extended drug abuse. His tragic but fascinating story was told in Martin Scorcese’s epic film “The Aviator.”

J.D. Salinger

A native of New York City, Jerome David Salinger showed an aptitude for literature from an early age. After serving in a counter-intelligence unit in World War II, Salinger pursued a writing career. At first, he found little success, with his stories being constantly rejected. He struck gold in 1947, however, when The New Yorker accepted one of his short stories for publication. During that time, Salinger told friends he had a novel in the works. Once it was released in 1951, “The Catcher in the Rye” became somewhat of a sensation. Telling the story of a disaffected youth, the novel spent 30 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List and remarkably, was reprinted eight times within two months of its first publication.

As such, J.D. Salinger became a literary sensation. While he published a collection of short stories to critical acclaim two years later, Salinger increasingly tightened his grip on publicity. By the time “The Catcher in the Rye” became a true cultural phenomenon, Salinger entirely withdrew from public life. After he moved to Cornish, New Hampshire, a local high school student persuaded Salinger to give an interview for her school paper. When a major publication reprinted the interview, however, Salinger cut off contact with the high school students and became a true recluse. He was so upset that he built a wall around his house.

His last story reached publication in 1965. After that, Salinger effectively ended his public life and became one of the most famous recluses of the 20th century. He never gave any other interviews, appearing only to shoot down mentions of him in other books via court proceedings. So extreme was his reclusion that Salinger reportedly ate in restaurant kitchens when dining out and drove a jeep with curtains on its windows.

Stanley Kubrick

Some legendary recluses eschew publicity while retaining a rich social life, like famed director Stanley Kubrick. Born in New York City, Kubrick embarked on a photography career for Look Magazine in the 1940s and 1950s. From there, he began directing short films which led to a fruitful career in the film industry. He made his first full-length film, “The Killing” in 1956. After following up with classic films “Paths of Glory” and “Spartacus,” Kubrick left the United States for good.

Setting up shop in England, Kubrick made Childwickbury Manor his base of operations for the remainder of his life. During that time, he grew into one of the most lauded directors in history. Some of his best-known films include “A Clockwork Orange,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and “Full Metal Jacket.” A noted workaholic, Kubrick rarely left his home for the last 40 years of his life. Due to his fear of flying and his insistence on staying near his home, Kubrick developed a reputation as a recluse.

Those who knew him well, however, suggest his status as one of the most famous recluses of the 20th century was largely a myth. Though he hardly left his home and rarely gave interviews or did press, many reported Kubrick to be gregarious and convivial on his own terms. Nevertheless, his reclusion finds footing in his lifetime refusal to talk about his work or speak in the press at all.

Syd Barrett

Born Roger Keith Barrett, Syd Barrett grew up in a middle-class family in Cambridge, England. While attending high school, he met future collaborator Roger Waters. Though primarily interested in painting, Barrett’s mother encouraged him to play in a band to get his mind off of his father’s untimely death. Upon entering university, Barrett reunited with Waters and joined an early iteration of Pink Floyd. Credited with coming up with the band’s name, Barrett played guitar for the group as they saw a slow but steady rise into the mainstream.

Once Pink Floyd’s first album “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” saw release, it became a hugely successful album and kickstarted Pink Floyd’s long and illustrious career. For his part, Barrett acted as the band’s principal visionary, penning the album’s first three singles and a majority of songs on the record. Simultaneously, however, Barrett’s use of psychedelics like LSD caused his behavior to become increasingly erratic and unstable. He withdrew into his home, suffering from severe depression and delusions. He would also go missing for days at a time. As such, his connection to the band worsened.

During Pink Floyd’s 1967 UK Tour, Barrett’s behavior became hard to ignore. Tired of his antics, the band increasingly elected to not include him on its musical outings. Though they felt guilty about cutting him off, Pink Floyd officially fired Barrett from the band in 1968. By the mid-1970s, Barrett had given up on music and entered into seclusion, which he maintained till his death in 2006. A tragic tale, many consider Barrett to be one of the first notable “acid casualties.” Forlorn about the loss of a cherished bandmate, Pink Floyd’s classic song “Wish You Were Here” eulogized the loss of Barrett’s contributions and mind.

(For other famous people that broke on thr0ugh to the other side, discover celebrities who were total hippies in the 1960s. )

Bill Watterson

From an early age, Bill Watterson showed an instinctual, if isolated, ability for drawing. He spent much of his childhood alone, drawing comics and cartoon strips. Upon entering Kenyon College in late adolescence, Watterson contributed comic strips to the college newspaper. Upon graduation, he worked for an advertising agency while pursuing comics on his own time. His legendary comic strip, “Calvin and Hobbes” was first published in the fall of 1985.

Slowly but surely, “Calvin and Hobbes” grew into one of the most beloved comic strips of all time. Centering on a mischievous, precocious boy and his stuffed tiger friend, the comic strip incorporated wide-ranging topics and beliefs from Watterson’s personal life. As the years passed, “Calvin and Hobbes” funny, philosophical, and empathetic themes gained a worldwide audience. Only a decade after its first publication, Watterson discontinued the cartoon, citing a “shifting of interests.”

Though he gave one notable interview during the comic’s run, since its final publication, Watterson has eschewed practically all interview requests and publicity. Furthermore, Watterson rejected all attempts to widely market or merchandise “Calvin and Hobbes.” Since 1995, all communication from Watterson has gone dark. While he would occasionally sneak signed copies of “Calvin and Hobbes” books into his local bookstore, he discontinued the practice after discovering copies being sold online for high prices. These days, Watterson passes the time painting landscapes. While he occasionally pops up in the press, Watterson effectively maintains his status as one of the most famous recluses of the 20th century.

Glenn Gould

From an early age, Canadian musician Glenn Gould played the piano prodigiously. By age 10, he began attending the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Less than two years later, he passed his final Conservatory examination with the highest marks in the school’s history. During that time, Gould suffered a back injury which caused him to use a specially-designed piano chair that sat lower than normal. He famously held onto this chair and used it for the rest of his life, taking it everywhere he went.

In the early 1960s, Gould began appearing on television and in large concert halls, performing expert classical pieces on the piano. He gained a reputation for his transcendental interpretations of composers like Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. Though audiences loved his playing, Gould’s eccentricities came first. Believing that the public performance was a “force of evil,” Gould retired from playing live early. Instead, he retreated into the music studio for the rest of his life.

Though countless recordings of his music were released over the years, Gould remained a notoriously private person and an eccentric one. He hummed through all his recordings, angering audio engineers, and reportedly suffered from severe hypochondria.  He never married, and only periodically emerged from seclusion to talk to the press. While he became one of the most accomplished and renowned pianists of the 20th century, his eccentricities came to define his life as much as his musical output.

Enya

Born Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin, award-winning musician Enya grew up playing music in her family’s Irish folk band. In 1982, she left the family band to pursue a solo music career. Though her early output showed an adherence to Irish folk music, over time Enya began incorporating multilayering vocal recording techniques in a made-up language and elements of various genres into her music.

After the success of her 1988 album “Watermark,” Enya saw increasing success and acclaim. Her subsequent albums, including “Shepherd Moons,” “The Memory of Trees,” and “A Day Without Rain,” sold millions of albums and cemented her status in world music. Throughout her career, Enya has sold over 80 million albums worldwide, with her songs being featured in various commercials, television programs, and films. While she occasionally performs live, Enya spends most of her time in total seclusion.

She lives in an Irish castle, eschewing a love life or friends, preferring the company of her dozen cats and the confines of her recording studio instead. Furthermore, neighbors have only seen Enya leave her estate twice in the past decade. Even her family sees little of the best-selling musician. Her Uncle Noel Duggan told PageSix, “We don’t see much of her. She lives like a queen. She is a recluse.”

Greta Garbo

Born in the slums of Stockholm in 1905, Greta Lovisa Gustafson found her way into the acting world after a director discovered her in a local department store. Only a few years later, Garbo grew into one of the premier stars of the silver screen. Known as the “Swedish Sphinx,” Garbo gained fame through roles in classic movies like “Torrent,” “Flesh and the Devil,” and “A Woman of Affairs.” After acting in 28 films, Garbo embarked on a “temporary retirement” at the age of 35.

Garbo took retirement to heart, however, rarely emerging from seclusion for the next 40 years. She shunned public life completely, declining every interview request, refusing to sign autographs for fans, and leaving fan mail unanswered. Though she was invited to the 1955 Academy Awards to receive an Honorary Oscar, she refused to attend. Ironically, her reclusive nature made her all the more appealing to the press, which found increasing fascination with her mysterious nature.

In a rare statement and plea for privacy to reporters, Garbo said, “I feel able to express myself only through my roles, not in words, and that is why I try to avoid talking to the press.” Nevertheless, Garbo seemed to eschew private life as well. She never married or had children. Instead, she spent the remainder of her years in her East 52nd Street apartment in Manhattan. Reportedly, Garbo spent her time collecting rare and expensive artwork and furniture before she died in 1990.

Sly Stone

Born in Texas and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sly Stone mastered multiple instruments at an early age and performed gospel music with his siblings. After a stint at a Bay Area radio station, Stone joined forces with his brother Freddie to create the seminal band Sly and the Family Stone. Racially integrated and gender-mixed, Sly and the Family Stone scored numerous hits throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s including “Dance to the Music,” “I Want to Take You Higher,” and “Family Affair.”

Though critically acclaimed and undeniably famous, Sly Stone and his bandmembers fell into increasingly harder drug use as the 1970s wore on. By the 1980s, the band had practically disintegrated and Stone was rarely seen off-stage or on. While he occasionally collaborated with other musicians, he kept an extremely low profile. By 2011, Stone was living in a camper van and eschewing most interview requests. Though he later emerged for some standout reunion shows, he continues to live anonymously.

Thomas Pynchon

It wouldn’t be a list of the most famous recluses of the 20th century without mentioning novelist Thomas Pynchon. Throughout the post-war period, Pynchon revolutionized literature with novels like “The Crying of Lot 49,” “V.,” and “Mason & Dixon.” For his seminal novel “Gravity’s Rainbow,” Pynchon won the 1973 U.S. National Book Award for Fiction. All the while, however, Pynchon remained notoriously reclusive and quite successful at it.

Though he regularly published novels, Pynchon cultivates an extreme air of mystique. For over fifty years, Pynchon avoided any contact with the press, giving no interviews at all. Furthermore, he’s avoided being photographed his entire career–only a few verified pictures of him exist. His reclusion and rejection of celebrity, however, have come to define his career. He occasionally pops up, however, for unexpected appearances. Most famously, Pynchon made two cameo appearances on the classic animated show “The Simpsons” in the early 2000s.

(For a different type of fame, explore the most famous prison breaks in history. )

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