The life of an actor is full of long hours, strenuous stunts and the public’s looking glass zoomed into their every move. For some, this is enough to steer them away from the Hollywood lights indefinitely for the sake of their own mental and physical wellbeing. Here are 5 famous actors you didn’t know were retiring in 2024.
George Lazenby
At the age of 84, Australian-born 007 acclaimed icon George Lazenby announced that he would be officially retiring from acting this year following a brain injury in December 2023.
Lazenby is most notable for his blowout role as James Bond in the 1969 film, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. Announcing his departure from the spotlight on X, formerly Twitter Lazenby stated “It’s been a fun ride but getting older is no fun”.
Nicholas Cage
Having over 100 films under his belt, it’s no surprise Academy Award winning Nicholas Cage is setting his sights on a transition off of the big screen.
In a late 2023 interview with Uproxx , 60 year old Cage shared “I’ve pretty much said what I’ve had to say with cinema,” and teased his possible projection into theatre or television acting. We can be certain that Cage’s final film appearances will not be the last we see of him.
Judi Dench
After 60 years in the Hollywood limelight, beloved Dame Judi Dench has supposedly decided to hang up the acting towel at age 89 due to the unfortunate deterioration of her eyesight.
Dench has been open about her age-related macular degeneration (AMD) diagnosis, recently revealing that she “can’t see on a film set any more” and exclaiming “No, no, I can’t even see!” when asked about any up and coming projects. The Oscar-winning household name will long be remembered for her knock-out roles in “Philomena” (2013), “Shakespeare in Love” (1998), “Pride & Prejudice” (2005) and many more.
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz
From her breakout lead role as Tina Carlyle in “The Mask” (1994) to her comedic debut as Mary Jensen in “There’s Something About Mary” (1998) and starring role as one of the three 2000s “Charlie’s Angels”, Cameron Diaz’s numerous award-winning roles cemented her as a memorable name in the film industry.
Diaz first announced her retirement in 2018, so it came as a surprise to fans when it was confirmed she would be returning to the acting world for a starring role in the Seth Gordon directed film “Back in Action”, set to release in November 2024. However, we can’t expect Diaz to be fully ‘back in action’ following her first acting gig since 2014. Sources from news website Marca allege that Diaz is set to “quit Hollywood again” after she wraps up filming.
Evangeline Lilly
In early June, Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly, 44, shared on Instagram that she would be taking an indefinite hiatus from her acting career, stating “I might return to Hollywood one day, but, for now, this is where I belong”.
Lilly can be recognized from her greatly popular role as Kate Austen in the long-running series “Lost” and starring role as Marvel’s ‘the Wasp’.