Some actors are always on our screens, while others quietly slip away, leaving us wondering, “What happened to them?” The 2000s were packed with familiar faces dominating sitcoms and blockbusters. But as the 2020s rolled in, a fresh batch of talent stormed the stage, and some of yesterday’s stars all but vanished. This isn’t about messy scandals or shocking exits. Sometimes Hollywood just forgets people. From the actors who once lived in your DVD collection to the ones you swore would be household names forever, here are 10 performers who’ve all but disappeared from TV and film.
Mischa Barton
Back in 2003, The O.C. took over teen TV and made instant stars out of its cast. Mischa Barton, just 17 when the show premiered, became the face of the series as Marissa Cooper—until her character’s infamous death in season three. While Barton kept working in film and television, from The Beautiful Life to indie horror projects, nothing matched the cultural punch of that California drama. For many fans, she’ll always be tied to the image of Marissa driving down the coast with Ryan, Seth, and Summer. Sometimes one role is so big it overshadows everything that comes after.
Patrick Fugit
Patrick Fugit isn’t chasing Hollywood lights anymore. He’s raising chickens in Texas. The Almost Famous star, now 42, was only a teen from Salt Lake City when he played William Miller opposite Kate Hudson in Cameron Crowe’s 2000 classic. While he’s kept acting with credits in Gone Girl, Babylon, and HBO’s Love & Death, he swapped Los Angeles for farm-town life in 2020. “We wanted to have chickens and goats and a big garden and a trampoline in a backyard and cool s*** that we have now for our kids,” he told People. Virtual auditions mean he can still work, minus LA’s chaos.
Eliza Dushku
Eliza Dushku just traded slaying vampires for slaying finals, officially graduating with a Master’s in clinical mental health counseling from Lesley University on June 6. The 43-year-old actress, best known as Faith in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, shared the milestone with her husband Peter Palandjian, her two sons, and classmates. “Graduating with my master’s degree (!!) feels like more than an achievement—it feels like a deep calling realized,” she wrote. After nearly a decade away from Hollywood—her last screen role was in 2017—Dushku says she’s “grounded” and ready to support others through self-discovery and healing.
Carmen Electra
Carmen Electra’s career was never just about spoof comedies like Scary Movie or Disaster Movie, though that’s where many remember her. Long before Hollywood typecast her, she was discovered by Prince while fronting a rap group in Los Angeles. He signed her to his Paisley Park label, produced her 1993 self-titled album, and even had her open for him on the Diamonds and Pearls Tour in Europe. She later performed every weekend at his Los Angeles club, Glam Slam, with the Erotic City dancers. By the late ’90s, she was lifeguard Lani McKenzie on Baywatch, a comic-book vampire in Embrace, and even hosting MTV’s Singled Out. Today, you’ll mostly see her in reality TV shows or on Instagram.
Chris Klein
Chris Klein went from American Pie heartthrob to the guy plastered across countless bedroom walls in the early 2000s. While Klein still pops up, most recently in Netflix’s Sweet Magnolias, he’s no longer the ever-present face of Hollywood comedies. Back in the day, he was shoulder to shoulder with Jason Biggs and Seann William Scott in the raunchy classic, but now he feels more like a nostalgic throwback than a headliner.
Thora Birch
Thora Birch turning up at Cannes alongside Kristen Stewart feels like a movie fan fever dream. The 43-year-old Hocus Pocus star walked the red carpet on May 16 for the premiere of The Chronology of Water, Stewart’s feature directing debut, based on Lidia Yuknavitch’s 2011 memoir. Birch stars opposite Imogen Poots, Jim Belushi, and Earl Cave in the story of trauma and survival turned into art. While she couldn’t join Hocus Pocus 2 due to scheduling conflicts, Birch has kept busy with The Midway Point (2024) and AMC’s Mayfair Witches. “It’s fun to play in all the different spaces,” she told PEOPLE.
Shannyn Sossamon
Shannyn Sossamon didn’t disappear after A Knight’s Tale. Hollywood just didn’t know what to do with her. At 20, she went from Salt Lake City DJ to starring opposite Heath Ledger, followed by 40 Days and 40 Nights and Rules of Attraction. Critics called her everything from “a hottie” to a “cheeky fair maiden,” but Sossamon never felt comfortable in the role Hollywood tried to force on her. “I didn’t feel like what they wanted me to be,” she told Refinery29. After becoming a mom at 22, she shifted into “survival mode,” acting, drumming in Warpaint, and eventually raising $66,000 for her passion project, The Maude Room.
Leelee Sobieski
Leelee Sobieski had her teen movie moment in Never Been Kissed with Drew Barrymore before showing up in thrillers like Joy Ride and a steady run of early-2000s projects. But if you’ve been wondering why you haven’t seen her on screen in years, it’s because she chose a new creative lane. Sobieski stepped away from Hollywood and reinvented herself in the art world, working under the name Leelee Kimmel. Instead of memorizing scripts, she’s been filling canvases, trading movie premieres for gallery shows. It’s a career shift that proves she didn’t disappear—she just moved to a different spotlight.
Larry Miller
Larry Miller might not be a household name, but his face is everywhere—from Seinfeld to Christopher Guest’s cult comedies. His career started in New York’s comedy clubs, where he first spotted Jerry Seinfeld on stage. “I saw you the other night, and you were terrific,” Miller recalled telling him on a crosstown bus. Seinfeld still jokes, “to this day I wish I had taken a cab.” Beyond acting, Miller’s known for encouragement. “You’re as great an actor as me or Laurence Olivier,” he tells aspiring performers. At 70, he’s still chasing laughter and unforgettable nights on set with friends.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
The Olsen Twins were once everywhere—then they vanished into the fashion world. Ashley called it quits after 2004’s New York Minute, while Mary-Kate stretched her acting career a little longer but hasn’t appeared in anything outside a documentary since 2011. And no, they didn’t show up for Fuller House, which, let’s be honest, was probably the right call. Unless you keep tabs on New York runways and luxury labels, you likely haven’t spotted them in years. Still, their shift from child stars to fashion powerhouses proves they didn’t fade—they just swapped Hollywood for haute couture.
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