Five Stars Who Quit Hollywood

Five Stars Who Quit Hollywood

From Baywatch's Yasmine Bleeth to Hollywood superstar Cameron Diaz... discover the sexiest stars who ditched fame.

5. Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot became the defining sex symbol of the 1950s and ’60s following her breakthrough role in And God Created Woman (1956).

At the height of her international fame, she stunned the world by retiring from acting in 1973 at the age of 39, instead choosing to devote her life to animal rights advocacy.

Bardot’s exit from the silver screen only enhanced her enigmatic aura, and her legacy as a cultural and fashion icon endures decades after she left the spotlight.

She died at age 91 in December 2025, leaving behind a life that was as intriguing offscreen as onscreen.

4. Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly was Hollywood royalty long before she became actual royalty, earning acclaim and an Academy Award before retiring from acting aged 26 to marry Prince Rainier III of Monaco.

Her departure from Hollywood at the peak of her career transformed her into a global symbol of elegant beauty and refined glamour —

a real-life princess whose withdrawal from cinema only magnified her allure.

3. Jessica Alba

At the height of her acting career, Alba began stepping back from the spotlight to focus on building The Honest Company, a wellness and consumer brand she co-founded in 2011.

By choosing entrepreneurship and family life over constant screen roles, Alba redefined success on her own terms —

proving that leaving Hollywood doesn’t mean losing influence, just changing lanes.

2. Cameron Diaz

After stepping away from acting in 2014 to focus on her personal life, family, and business ventures like her wine brand Avaline, Diaz spent over a decade away from Hollywood

before choosing a selective return, not out of necessity but out of passion, proving that walking away can turn fame into fulfilment.

1. Audrey Hepburn

After gradually stepping back from acting, Hepburn devoted much of her later life to humanitarian work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, focusing on helping children in need around the world.

She died in January 1993 at the age of 63, leaving behind a legacy that extended far beyond film - one rooted in compassion, grace, and timeless style.