Where are they now? And why? 5 actors who seem to have disappeared completely

Fame and celebrity often don't last forever. There are actors and actresses that seem to never leave the spotlight – like Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Meryl Streep or Jodie Foster – but just as many who seem to be the apple of the public's eye for several years before gradually fading away into obscurity, almost as if they never existed. One year they’ll be plastered across the bedroom walls of fans around the globe, and the next nothing but a fuzzy memory.

3rd August 2018
/ By Sahalie Donaldson

where are they now actors eddie murphy mike myers brendan fraser GETTY

Some famous actors lose their careers on the public stage by making bad – sometimes criminal – decisions but what of those that simply disappear with no fanfare?


Here Mandy News tracks down five actors that were once the talk of tinseltown and reveals what they are doing now. Read on to find out what happened to Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, Brendan Fraser and other massive stars-that-were.


Eddie Murphy

There was a time where Eddie Murphy seemed he'd be a star forever. At the age of 19, he signed a contract with Saturday Night Live where he effortlessly performed on equal footing with comedians, actors and actresses twice his age. Murphy scored his first film role at 21 and went on to make a string of critical and commercial successes. He was one of the highest paid actors in the '80s but, similar to his Shrek costar Mike Myers, a series of poor casting choices hurt his popularity in the 2000s. 


Around the same time, Murphy was subject to brutal tabloid gossip and legal troubles, which only made the actor’s reputation worse. Murphy is twice divorced and now has nine children. His last major film was 2011’s action comedy Tower Heist, which was met with mixed reviews. Murphy is now 57 and has three films in the works, Beverly Hills Cop 4, Triplets and Dolemite Is My Name. Could the Coming to America star be making a spectacular comeback?


***** Read our list of 10 actors who made it later in life, including Bryan Cranston and Samuel L. Jackson *****


Mike Myers

In his early career, Mike Myers leapt from Saturday Night Live to play pop culture icon, Wayne Campbell in two different movie instalments of Wayne’s World.  He also played goofy British spy Austin Powers in the three-part blockbuster franchise of the same name and voiced animated ogre Shrek across four films. But those major successes didn’t stop the actor's fame from fading soon after. 


A series of million dollar lawsuits and poorly received films like The Cat in the Hat and The Love Guru make Myers unlikely to return to his former acclaim as an actor anytime soon, but the comedy legend is involved in other projects. In 2014, Myers tried working behind the camera and directed the film Supermensch. In 2016, Myers published a book called Canada, which was a poignant and moving look into his lifelong relationship with the country. Today, Myers, 55, spends most of his time caring for his children.


where are they now actors mike myers GETTY
Mike Myers

Brendan Fraser

Former heartthrob Brendan Fraser starred in a number of films throughout the 1990s and early 2000s including The Mummy trilogy, George of the Jungle, and Crash. After a few box office flops, Fraser no longer seemed to bag acclaimed roles. His personal life also took a turn for the worse when he divorced Afton Smith in 2008. Around the same time, Fraser experienced a string of adverse events; almost seven years worth of surgeries including a laminectomy, several lumbar surgeries, a partial knee replacement and vocal cord repairs, an alleged sexual assault by Philip Berk (former Hollywood Foreign Press Association President) in 2003 and the death of his mother. 


After a long break from acting, the 49-year-old still regularly appears in smaller roles on television series such as The Simpsons, The Affair and Condor. He owns a farm just outside of Manhattan, New York.


brendan fraser where is he now GETTY
Brendan Fraser

Rick Moranis

Comedy actor Rick Moranis collected accolade after accolade in the '80s, winning an Emmy for his work on SCTV 90 and an American Comedy Award for Supporting Actor in Parenthood. From Ghostbusters, to Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Rick Moranis’ warm bespectacled face was recognised everywhere he went. The actor was enjoying a career high when his wife tragically passed away from breast cancer in 1991. Upon her death, Moranis quietly left Hollywood to become a stay-at-home dad for his two kids. 


During his acting hiatus, Moranis still used his creative talents, just on a smaller stage. In 2006 he was honoured with a Grammy award for a comedy album called The Agoraphobic Cowboy. In March 2018, Moranis returned to acting in an episode of The Goldbergs for a brief cameo as his iconic Spaceballs character Dark Helmet at age 65.


Chris Tucker

Enjoying a wave of success with partner in kick-ass crime, Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker was once one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. Tucker skyrocketed to fame in the 1990s and early 2000s as an actor and comedian. Starring opposite Jackie Chan in the Rush Hour franchise and playing Smokey in Friday made him one of the most well-known actors in Hollywood, but today he has all but disappeared. This may be because Tucker is very selective about his movie roles, especially after he became a born-again Christian in the late '90s. 


In 2014, Tucker told The Georgia Straight that his faith turns him away from a lot of projects because he doesn't want to do raunchy comedy. The actor stole scenes in David O. Russell's Oscar-winning 2012 film Silver Linings Playbook but isn’t in any rush to take any role he's offered. He recently confirmed he will reprise his original role in the upcoming Rush Hour film. Today the 46-year-old tours and performs stand-up around the United States.


Sign up to Mandy.com for free to see acting jobs.

Comments