# What happened to Thora Birch?--and other actors that seemed to disappear for no reason... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 9, 2012, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596 "2012-06-09T07:25:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/21 "2012-06-09T18:31:16Z")
> [@Ashley\_Pomeroy](#): > > Heath Ledger. Massive hit as the Joker in _The Dark Knight_, critical respect with _Brokeback Mountain_, but apart from a short part in some Terry Gilliam movie, nothing. And yet the producers of _The Dark Knight_ didn’t make the same mistake Tim Burton made when he killed off Jack Nicholson’s Joker in _his_ version of _Batman_. Um … … nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/22 "2012-06-09T18:33:11Z")
> [@Ashley\_Pomeroy](#): > > Heath Ledger. Massive hit as the Joker in _The Dark Knight_, critical respect with _Brokeback Mountain_, but apart from a short part in some Terry Gilliam movie, nothing. And yet the producers of _The Dark Knight_ didn’t make the same mistake Tim Burton made when he killed off Jack Nicholson’s Joker in _his_ version of _Batman_. I can’t tell if you’re joking here or if you actually somehow missed hearing the news, but Heath Ledger hasn’t been working recently on account of being dead. He died not long after making _The Dark Knight_ and while the Terry Gilliam movie (_The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus_) was still in production. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/23 "2012-06-09T18:35:05Z")
Am I being wooshed here? Heath Ledger and Patrick Swayze are dead. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/24 "2012-06-09T18:42:25Z")
Speaking of Batman, there’s Michael Keaton. He was great in Toy Story 3, but other than that hasn’t really done much of note over the past 20 years. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/25 "2012-06-09T18:54:06Z")
Alicia Witt has an IQ around 200, so I figure she saw through all the Hollywood bullshit. Hollywood is not kind to those who see through the bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Chum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Chum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chum)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/26 "2012-06-09T19:26:25Z")
> [@jovan](#): > > Somewhat less famous, but Elizabeth Shue also suddenly vanished. Sean Young looked like she was going to be really big in the early 80s, and then there was a whole lot of nothing. Elizabeth Shue plays herself in _Hamlet 2_, where Steve Coogan’s ridiculous drama teacher laments her decision to leave the acting world and go into nursing. That movie’s way better than it should be, by the way. I’m guessing the Heath Ledger thing _has_ to be a whoosh. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/27 "2012-06-09T19:42:35Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Here’s a [discussion](http://www.avclub.com/articles/thora-birchs-creepy-exporn-star-dad-gets-her-fired,49037/), with a picture of her looking horrifying as a blonde. I guess we must have different definitions of “horrible,” because i think she looks like a pretty normal person. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/28 "2012-06-09T20:32:21Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Alicia Witt has an IQ around 200, so I figure she saw through all the Hollywood bullshit. Hollywood is not kind to those who see through the bullshit. Alicia Witt’s alleged IQ seems to climb higher every time her name comes up. First it was “genius,” then “160,” then “180,” and now it’s almost supernatural. 200 is, obviously, beyond the reasonable limit of any test Ms. Witt has ever taken in her entire life. In fact, she’s been acting steadily for twenty years, but just isn’t a big star. She never really WAS a big star, so I don’t know why that constitutes a failure on her part. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/29 "2012-06-09T21:01:09Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Here’s a [discussion](http://www.avclub.com/articles/thora-birchs-creepy-exporn-star-dad-gets-her-fired,49037/), with a picture of her looking horrifying as a blonde. Yow, that’s all insane. She does look horrible there. I thought she was the cutest thing in the world as Enid. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/30 "2012-06-09T21:04:22Z")
Speaking of Heath, just saw _Knight’s Tale_ again. Sucks that he’s gone. He was charm all over the place. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/31 "2012-06-09T22:02:13Z")
What about the other kid from **American Beauty**? I only remember seeing him in **Ghost Rider** , nothing between or since. (Although I see he was in **Hunger Games** which I haven’t seen yet) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/32 "2012-06-09T23:33:00Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > In fact, she’s been acting steadily for twenty years, but just isn’t a big star. She’s great as Amy Pond in _Doctor Who_. Ha. Actually she has a small recurring role in _The Mentalist_ as a blind woman who knows the real Red John. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/33 "2012-06-09T23:41:00Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > What about the other kid from **American Beauty**? I only remember seeing him in **Ghost Rider** , nothing between or since. (Although I see he was in **Hunger Games** which I haven’t seen yet) According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wes_Bentley#Substance_abuse_and_legal_issues), Wes Bentley had major substance abuse problems starting soon after _American Beauty_, so that presumably hurt his career. It looks like he was actually in quite a few movies between _American Beauty_ and _Hunger Games_, but they’re mostly things I’ve never even heard of. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/34 "2012-06-09T23:41:33Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Aye, she is. And her career continued until the mid-90s, with a string of hit movies: _No Way Out_ (1987), _Wall Street_ (1987), _A Kiss Before Dying_ (1991), _Ace Ventura: Pet Detective_ (1994). It was only post-1995 that she (mercifully) faded. Seems to have [worked quite regularly](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000707/) since then. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/35 "2012-06-09T23:53:29Z")
I always like to bring up Rick Moranis in threads like this. He quit acting at the height of his popularity, because his wife died of breast cancer. He felt that his career was less important than his kids having a parent at home, so that’s what he did. ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/36 "2012-06-09T23:58:32Z")
Patrick Swayze wasn’t exactly an amazing actor, and there’s only so many hearthrob roles in Hollywood that, say, Johnny Depp (gorgeous AND can act) couldn’t fill. And then Swayze died, of course. In a lot of cases, drug addictions, dropping out to raise a family, or having a very difficult personality (as in Sean Young’s case) usually explain what happened to someone’s career if they were sufficiently talented. Michael Keaton is a much more bizarre case – good actor, fits into a lot of ‘everyman’ roles, but seemingly dropped off the Hollywood radar. It seems he and Cuba Gooding, Jr. must share the same agent, since Keaton made a couple of dire movies – he was a snowman in one – and that seems to have killed any momentum he had. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/37 "2012-06-10T00:42:37Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > Patrick Swayze wasn’t exactly an amazing actor. C’mon, man! _Roadhouse, Steel Dawn._ You know, classics. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/38 "2012-06-10T01:07:53Z")
Peter Lazer. Not a star but had a respectable TV acting career going then landed a great role in Hombre with Paul Newman and then stopped acting altogether. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/39 "2012-06-10T01:19:12Z")
Helen Slater? ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596/40 "2012-06-10T01:40:25Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > C’mon, man! _Roadhouse, Steel Dawn._ You know, classics. I actually like Roadhouse but this line is awful: [“Pain don’t hurt.”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygiLUrJJjnM) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-thora-birch-and-other-actors-that-seemed-to-disappear-for-no-reason/624596.md?page=3)