10 Reclusive Hollywood Actors Who Escaped From Fame: From Shelley Duvall to Jack Nicholson and More

Brian Backer

Brian Backer , who notably played the role of Mark "Rat" Ratner in Fast Times at Ridgemont High , has stayed mainly out of the spotlight while still working on a few flicks . He appeared in Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol , as well, but he did not get a big break again after the 1982 film.

Brian Wilson

Over the decades, The Beach Boys ' Brian Wilson has experienced an on-again, off-again music career. His declining health also affected his capacity to make music and tour.

Unfortunately, his condition worsened until he was officially diagnosed with dementia following the death of his wife, Melinda .

"[Wilson] does not have the capacity to give informed consent to the administration of medications appropriate to the care and treatment of major neurocognitive disorders (including dementia)," a statement on his website read, announcing his representatives LeeAnn Hard and Jean Sievers as his co-conservators .

Daniel Day-Lewis

In 2017, Daniel Day-Lewis surprised his fans when he announced his retirement from acting before the release of his last film, Phantom Thread , which earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination.

"He is immensely grateful to all of his collaborators and audiences over the many years," his representative Leslee Dart said. "This is a private decision and neither he nor his representatives will make any further comment on this subject."

Day-Lewis' longtime director, Jim Sheridan, told ScreenDaily in March that the In the Name of the Father actor said he was done acting when the filmmaker expressed his desire to collaborate with him again.

David Letterman

David Letterman left the spotlight in 2015 after his fruitful 22-year The Late Show hosting career. The famed TV producer and comedian, 77, returned to the program in 2023 as Stephen Colbert 's guest.

“I miss everything. I mean mostly, it’s fun,” he said. “Very few things in life provide one the opportunity. And I can’t speak for you or to you on this topic, but for me, if you muck one up 24 hours later you get to try again.”

Frances McDormand

Despite her successful decades-old career, Frances McDormand has remained private about her personal life. In fact, she previously expressed her desire to stay out of the spotlight more by living in an RV like her Nomadland character, Fern.

"I come from a working class background and those are the people who held and raised me. Also, in my forties, I told my husband that when I turned 65, I was going to change my name to Fern, smoke Lucky Strikes, drink Wild Turkey and hit the road in an RV. So, I got to realise a bit of my fantasy – except that I rolled my own and drank tequila!" said McDormand.

Jack Nicholson

Jack Nicholson never officially announced his retirement but still stepped out of the spotlight years ago.

Rumors suggested that dementia forced him to quit the industry, with sources telling RadarOnline.com , "There is a simple reason behind his decision – it's memory loss, quite frankly, Jack has memory issues and can no longer remember the lines being asked of him."

His reclusive life, however, left his friends worried as he might die alone .

Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill became successful as soon as she launched her illustrious career in the industry, but her tumultuous life led her to become more of a private person.

“Over-commercialization and its resulting restrictions and limitations can be very damaging and distorting to the inherent nature of the individual,” Hill wrote on Tumblr . “I did not deliberately abandon my fans, nor did I deliberately abandon any responsibilities, but I did however put my safety, health and freedom and the freedom, safety and health of my family first over all other material concerns! I also embraced my right to resist a system intentionally opposing my right to whole and integral survival.”

She, however, returned to the public eye to mark the 25th anniversary of her album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill , and a reunion tour with The Fugees in 2023.

Michael Richards

Seinfeld star Michael Richards saw his career crumble after a 2006 video caught him going on a racist rant. Although he had small roles after issuing an apology, his career was effectively ended by the blowblack.

"My anger was all over the place and it came through hard and fast. Anger is quite a force. But it happened. Rather than run from it, I dove into the deep end and tried to learn from it. It hasn’t been easy," he told People . "Crisis managers wanted me to do damage control. But as far as I was concerned, the damage was inside of me."

Richard Simmons

On July 13, Richard Simmons died at the age of 76. Though reports initially stated he passed away of natural causes, the medical examiner's office deferred it amid a probe.

They, however, clarified that no foul play was involved.

Following his death, Simmons' friend Marc Summers described the TV personality's reclusive final years in an interview with ET .

"I hadn't seen Richard in over 10 years, and sadly tried to get in touch with him but [he] was not talking to anybody," said Summers. "We had mutual friends who actually knew him even better than I did. And he just chose not to go back out into the public. And I'm not sure what he was doing with his life other than chilling and relaxing."

While he did not know why Simmons decided to step out of the spotlight, Summers assumed his friend made the decision after giving so much of himself during the height of his career .

Shelley Duvall

Days after turning 75, The Shining reclusive actress Shelley Duvall passed away in her sleep at her Blanco, Texas, home. Her publicist, Gary Springer , said the late actress suffered from complications from diabetes.

“My dear, sweet, wonderful life, partner, and friend left us last night,” her partner Dan Gilroy said in a statement. “Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away beautiful Shelley.”

Duvall stayed out of the public eye for decades until she had her hourlong interview on Dr. Phil , in which she spoke about her mental health issues .