Jonathan Taylor Thomas was one of the most iconic teenage stars of the 90s. Since his contributions to the voice of Simba in “The Lion King” and as Randy Taylor on “Home Improvement,” JTT has just about vanished from the acting world. While most people only dream of achieving the type of success he had as a child star, the actor decided to walk away from it all in 2000.
He told People Magazine that he’d been working nonstop since he was eight years old and he wanted a chance to travel and study. While he has been missed, we are very impressed to see that he graduated from Harvard University. He has made minor appearances here and there but nothing comes close to the roles he held back in the day.
Not Fetch
To anyone who's seen "Mean Girls" as much as I have, you would recognize that attractive face anywhere. Jonathan Bennett played the hunky Aaron Samuels as Lindsay Lohan's love interest. Following the role, he virtually disappeared from the acting world for several years.
At one point, he was even reported to be working as a spin instructor in Los Angeles. Nowadays, his career is on a steady incline. He currently is serving as the host of Food Network's "Halloween Wars," having hosted the previous "Cake Wars." Other recent noteworthy roles include “The Christmas House” in 2020, and he starred in 8 episodes of the comedy series “Awkward” in 2016.
A Second Career
Sometimes, when you have a good enough reason, you're ready to say goodbye to your career as an actor. Gene Hackman's time was up after 2004's "Welcome to Mooseport." With two Oscar wins under his belt, the veteran actor is sitting back and enjoying life with his wife of 26 years, Betsy Arakawa. He got an Oscar in 1972 for his role in “The French Connection” and again in 1993 for his work in “Unforgiven.”
Retiring from acting allowed some free time for his writing career. In the last two decades, he has finished five novels, including three works of historical fiction, a Western, and a police thriller. The guy is living proof that it’s never too late to make a big career change!
All By Himself
For some time, it seemed like Adrian Grenier was popping up everywhere. He played Anne Hathaway's gorgeous boyfriend in "The Devil Wears Prada" and, of course, his most recognized role as Vincent Chase in the HBO series "Entourage." The series was such a hit that it won six Emmy awards and a bunch of other awards and nominations, too.
His latest performance on screen was in 2015's reprisal of his role as Vincent in the Entourage film adaptation. But, it seems like people grew tired of entitled bros and Adrian hasn't had an acting gig since. Women must also be over the whole bro thing because this hunk is still single at age 42. Yikes!
Out of the Picture
Sally Field is one of those actors who has been around for what feels like, eternity. In the second half of her career, she was nominated for an Oscar for Lincoln and for her role in the Spider-Man franchise. Let's give her some well-deserved credit for a moment as she's starred in iconic films like "Steel Magnolias," "Mrs. Doubtfire," and "Forrest Gump." That is quite an accomplished resume.
However, she's been out of the picture for some time now. She last appeared in the critically acclaimed indie "Hello, My Name Is Doris." In 2014, she was rightfully presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.