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Cameron Diaz -

Cameron Diaz disappeared from the spotlight after her appearance in the 2014 movie 'Annie.' A few years later, she confirmed that she had retired from acting. However, in 2022, Diaz announced that she was returning to the big screen to star in the movie 'Back in Action' opposite Jamie Foxx.

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Cameron Diaz -

Sadly, her return to acting was shortlived. In March 2023, before filming on 'Back in Action' had even wrapped, word spread that Diaz had decided to retire once again. Sources close to the star said she didn't enjoy the long days on set away from her family and would step back again after the movie was complete. 

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Eva Mendes - It may come as a surprise to a fair few people that Eva Mendes has not acted in anything since 'Lost River' (2014). In 2020, she revealed the reason why.

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Eva Mendes - She told a fan via Hola, "As a mother now, there are many roles I won't do. There are many subject matters that I don't want to be involved with, so it limits my choices and I'm fine with that."

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Meg Ryan - Meg Ryan was everywhere in the '80s and '90s, but the last time she did anything of note was in 2015 with 'Ithaca.'

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Meg Ryan - It may be that the actress is done once and for all. In 2019, she told The New York Times that she was going to take a break because she felt burnt out.

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Jack Nicholson -

Jack Nicholson, now in his mid-eighties, had an acting career that spanned more than 50 years. No one would blame him for calling it a day.

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Jack Nicholson -

The 'Easy Rider' (1969) actor has never actually announced his retirement, so many fans aren't aware they may never see him in a movie again.

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Amanda Bynes - Former Nickelodeon star Amanda Bynes announced her retirement so young that it passed many by. She had a successful movie career before throwing in the towel.

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Amanda Bynes - It was after starring alongside Emma Stone in 'Easy A' (2010) that Bynes took to Twitter to announce her rather early retirement from the industry.

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Daniel Day-Lewis - Daniel Day-Lewis's role in 'Phantom Thread' (2017) is likely to be his last. His team issued a statement to Variety in the same year, announcing his retirement.

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Daniel Day-Lewis -

Part of the statement read: "Daniel Day-Lewis will no longer be working as an actor. He is immensely grateful to all of his collaborators and audiences over the many years."

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Bruce Willis -

In March of 2022, the seasoned actor's family announced that he had been diagnosed with aphasia and would be retiring from acting as a result. Aphasia is a rare disorder that impairs the ability to process language, speak, and understand others. It was a devastating diagnosis and a huge shock to all those who have enjoyed Willis' work for decades. 

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Bruce Willis -

On Feb. 16, 2023, his family shared a further update about the actor's health. Willis had received a new diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia.

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Portia de Rossi -

You'd be forgiven for thinking that Portia de Rossi was still in the business–after all, she did appear in the second season of Netflix's 'Arrested Development' reboot.

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Portia de Rossi - De Rossi has in fact, however, been officially retired since 2017. When she appeared on 'Ellen' in 2018, she said her decision to retire was due to wanting to try something new.

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Robert Redford - Although he has done some voice work more recently, Robert Redford has been officially retired since 2018, the same year that he starred in 'The Old Man & the Gun.'

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Robert Redford - He told Entertainment Weekly at the time, "Never say never, but I pretty well concluded that this would be it for me in terms of acting, and [I'll] move towards retirement."

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Steve Martin -

Steve Martin has had a distinguished career spanning several decades and is experiencing renewed success as one of the stars of the hit series 'Only Murders in the Building.' However, he also revealed that he's considering hanging up his hat for good after this role. "When this television show is done, I’m not going to seek others. I’m not going to seek other movies. I don’t want to do cameos," he told the Hollywood Reporter. "This is, weirdly, it." 

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Steve Martin -

This isn't the first time Martin has made moves towards retirement. “My wife keeps saying, ‘You always say you’re going to retire and then you always come up with something,’” he revealed. While he feels ready to take a step back, the entertainment industry might not allow him to slip away! New projects and ideas keep popping up to delay his departure. 

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Gene Hackman -

When Gene Hackman starred in 'Welcome to Mooseport' in 2004, fans didn’t realize that it would be his final film. However, the Academy Award-winning actor decided to spend the last 11 years of his life in quiet retirement and passed away on February 27, 2025, at the age of 95. 

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Gene Hackman -

The late actor gave an interview to Empire in 2020, explaining that he had retired for health reasons.

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David Caruso -

Best known for his role as Horatio Caine on 'CSI: Miami,' former actor David Caruso has been retired from the business since 2012, although no formal announcement was made.

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David Caruso -

It would seem that Caruso does his best to stay out of the limelight nowadays, although we do know that after retirement he opened an art gallery in California.

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Lisa Bonet -

Lisa Bonet started in the industry as a child actor and made it big thanks to her role as Denise Huxtable on 'The Cosby Show.' She hasn't acted for years now though.

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Lisa Bonet -

Bonet has not officially announced her retirement from acting, but she has not appeared in anything since a short in 2017, 'Jellywolf.'

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Jack Gleeson -

Irish actor Jack Gleeson found fame thanks to his role as perhaps the most despicable character in TV history: King Joffrey on 'Game of Thrones.'

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Jack Gleeson -

After his time on the show wrapped, Gleeson decided that acting wasn't for him, and he retired in 2014. Initially he went into academia, but then moved over to theater production, and he briefly returned to television in 2020 for two episodes of BBC's 'Out of Her Mind.'

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Selma Blair - Actress Selma Blair has an impressive resume, which includes movies such as 'Cruel Intentions' (1999) and 'Legally Blonde' (2001). But she said in a 2021 documentary that she was done with acting.

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Selma Blair -

She spoke in 'Introducing Selma Blair' about suffering with multiple sclerosis. She has since stated, however, that she would be open to acting again if the role were right.

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Matthew Fox - Best known for his roles on TV hits 'Party of Five' and 'Lost,' Matthew Fox has been retired since 'Lost' wrapped in 2010. He quickly moved out to Oregon to enjoy time flying his personal plane.

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Matthew Fox -

But he did make several movie appearances between 2012 and 2015, and in 2022 he returned to star in the miniseries 'Last Light.'

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Terrence Howard -

Admittedly, this one doesn't really count since actor Terrence Howard has already come out of retirement to work on a number of TV projects.

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Terrence Howard -

He did announce in 2019, however, that he was "done with acting." This came after he found success with the film 'Hustle & Flow' (2005) and the TV drama 'Empire.'

Sources: (Best Life) (Variety) (WhatCulture)

See also: Stars who continued their careers after being 'canceled'

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