# Who were the most famous people when you were growing up who have completely disappeared? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 22, 2016, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761 "2016-11-22T19:33:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Hocus\_Pocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/41988e/32.png) [@Hocus\_Pocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hocus_Pocus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/241 "2016-12-17T01:25:09Z")
Regarding Donnie Wahlberg… His music career hasn’t really gone anywhere, but his acting has. He’s been in _Blue Bloods_ for 6 years now. And while it was 15 years ago, he had a major role in one of the greatest works of tv/film ever - _Band of Brothers_ (he played Carwood Lipton). He & his brothers are now also enjoying success in the restaurant industry, operating Wahlburgers. ---
**Author:** ![Hocus\_Pocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/41988e/32.png) [@Hocus\_Pocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hocus_Pocus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/242 "2016-12-17T01:31:31Z")
> [@"nearwildheaven](#): > > Several years later, she played a battered wife who killed her husband in “The Burning Bed”, which was an instant classic TV movie. > > > [@bump](#): > > > > Sure, but that was 1984, and she only passed away seven years ago. What did she do in the intervening quarter century? In 1989 she portrayed murderer Diane Downs in Ann Rule’s _Small Sacrifices_. IIRC she received widespread acclaim for her acting in that movie. ---
**Author:** ![Hocus\_Pocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/41988e/32.png) [@Hocus\_Pocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hocus_Pocus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/243 "2016-12-17T01:43:17Z")
Steve Martin is an accomplished banjoist who sometimes collaborates with the band Steep Canyon Rangers. In 2011 they won a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album. Here he is sitting in with Earl, Gary, & Robert Scruggs, Marty Stuart, Leon Russell, Paul Schaffer, Albert Lee, Jerry Douglass, Glen Worf & Harry Stinson: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/yQIJuu3N5EY/hqdefault.jpg "Earl Scruggs And Friends - Foggy Mountain Breakdown") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQIJuu3N5EY) ---
**Author:** ![Hocus\_Pocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/41988e/32.png) [@Hocus\_Pocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hocus_Pocus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/244 "2016-12-17T01:47:04Z")
[QUOTE=Crafter\_Man] I had a crush on Kate Jackson > [@terentii](#): > > Every straight male in the Free World had a crush on Kate Jackson! :o [/quote] I certainly did, but it wasn’t because of _Charlie’s Angels_. She hooked me in _The Rookies_. ---
**Author:** ![Hocus\_Pocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/41988e/32.png) [@Hocus\_Pocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hocus_Pocus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/245 "2016-12-17T01:58:28Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Judge Reinhold He was on TMZ last week, getting arrested for causing a disturbance at an airport TSA checkpoint (I guess he thought he could kick 100% of their asses). > [@](#): > > Phoebe Cates She married Kevin Kline & has been mostly a stay-at-home mother. ---
**Author:** ![Hocus\_Pocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/41988e/32.png) [@Hocus\_Pocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hocus_Pocus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/246 "2016-12-17T02:14:22Z")
I don’t think Doritos would be around today if it weren’t for Avery Schrieber. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/247 "2016-12-17T03:25:37Z")
[quote=“Hocus\_Pocus, post:243, topic:772761”] Steve Martin is an accomplished banjoist who sometimes collaborates with the band Steep Canyon Rangers. In 2011 they won a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album. Here he is sitting in with Earl, Gary, & Robert Scruggs, Marty Stuart, Leon Russell, Paul Schaffer, Albert Lee, Jerry Douglass, Glen Worf & Harry Stinson: [/QUOTE] Steve’s on PHC tomorrow, IIRC. Otherwise, that’s a supergroup. I mean, Albert Frickin’ Lee? ---
**Author:** ![Hocus\_Pocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/41988e/32.png) [@Hocus\_Pocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hocus_Pocus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/248 "2016-12-17T04:14:25Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Steve’s on PHC tomorrow, IIRC. Otherwise, that’s a supergroup. I mean, Albert Frickin’ Lee? Most definitely is. And I left off Vince Gill. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/249 "2016-12-17T05:16:02Z")
Michael Dudikoff looked like he was following the Chuck Norris martial arts movie star trajectory in the mid to late 1980s. Then, nothing. Shannon Elizabeth looked like she was going to be a breakout star after American Pie, but all that happened were some underachieving roles, a spot on Dancing With The Stars, then…not much. Similarly, Mya was looking like she’d be an R&B star with staying power, then not much until a Dancing With the Stars appearance, then…also not much. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/250 "2016-12-17T05:23:56Z")
Oops, almost forgot to post the big gun! It’s hard to overstate just how big [Werner Erhard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Erhard) and his est ([Erhard Seminars Training](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erhard_Seminars_Training)) program was in the mid-70s. And yet, I’d be surprised if more than a handful of people under 45 have ever heard of him or it. (It looks like the current TV show _The Americans_ had a plotline about it, so at least some might know. If not for that reference, forget it!) ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/251 "2016-12-17T08:42:40Z")
> [@Hocus\_Pocus](#): > > He & his brothers are now also enjoying success in the restaurant industry, operating Wahlburgers. I’ve been to a Wahlburgers. Meh. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/252 "2016-12-17T13:11:17Z")
> [@Hocus\_Pocus](#): > > I don’t think Doritos would be around today if it weren’t for Avery Schrieber. Surprisingly, he was only on 12 episodes of “My Mother the Car” as Captain Manczini, who was constantly trying to buy the 1928 Porter and mispronouncing Dave Crabtree’s name ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/253 "2016-12-17T13:16:57Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Surprisingly, he was only on 12 episodes of “My Mother the Car” as Captain Manczini, who was constantly trying to buy the 1928 Porter and mispronouncing Dave Crabtree’s name So he was in 40% of the episodes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![smokey78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@smokey78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smokey78)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/254 "2016-12-19T02:02:21Z")
Patricia Hearst -She ended up marrying a bodyguard and quietly raised two daughters. One being a haute couture model Lydia Hearst who is now married to Chris Hardwick who now hosts Talking Dead on AMC amongst founding [Nerdist.com](http://Nerdist.com) and hosting game shows. If anyone didn’t know, Rick Moranis went into near retirement after the death of his wife as he was raising their young children on his own. One random kid star well the one who played Cousin Oliver on Brady Bunch I mentioned about looking up a cartoon I watched as a little frond, Kidd Video and didn’t connect that the Whizkid there was the same actor ten years later. Robbie Rist ended up doing lotsa voiceover work and doing music for projects such as, Sharknado. I watched the end of As the World Turns in 2010, and noticed most of the cast is largely unemployed sadly. One of their biggest stars was Jennifer Landon, (daughter of Michael) who won 3 Emmys for her role there. She somehow had not landed any big tv/film roles, but not a total loss as she did inherit 10 million dollars from late father’s will. She was ten when he passed. ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/255 "2016-12-19T02:04:15Z")
Cybill Shepherd ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/256 "2016-12-19T02:11:00Z")
Daryl Hannah I wonder if this thread wouldn’t be better the other way around; would it be easier to list celebrities from 30 years ago who haven’t disappeared from the public eye? Somebody get a 1986 TV Guide, the one with the preview of all the new fall shows, and see how many actors and actresses from it are still recognizable names. And if we’re allowed to nominated things that used to be famous: TV Guide New fall shows ---
**Author:** ![smokey78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@smokey78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smokey78)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/257 "2016-12-19T02:38:43Z")
Mike Tyson—actually also does voiceover work for Adult Swim 's Mike Tyson Mysteries, a sendup of Scooby Doo. So watching Sunday Night Football, randomly aired INXS’s New Sensation music. Whoa. I know Michael Hutchence died, but their appeal had been waning with the rise of Alternative rock. Then I thought about his Ex Helena Christensen, and the short careers of supermodels, with most of them retiring or semi-retiring once they start having children, or when they reached their thirties. I see Gigi Hadid all over the covers/online, and once upon a time a starlet named Bridget Hall had that many deals and covers and press. After modeling and dating celebs, she quietly retired to the Hamptons. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/258 "2016-12-19T07:29:37Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Daryl Hannah She had special billing in Netflix’s **Sens8** a couple of years ago in a limited but recurring role. When I saw her name on the credits I was like, wow, hadn’t thought of her in ages… ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/259 "2016-12-19T18:05:18Z")
A twenty-something local TV news reporter completely mangled the pronunciation of Zsa Zsa Gabor’s name yesterday evening. She must not have heard of her. ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/260 "2016-12-19T18:24:42Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Young uns let me tell ya when I was a kid: > > There was a whole world of celebs that appeared on talk shows who were from a whole previous generation but which we were all familiar with. > > Ethel Merman, Arthur Treacher, Jimmy Durante. Show biz used to have a recognizable evolution. > > I’m not sure how that kind of knowledge gets transmitted now or if it will just end and we will all live in the eternal present. That’s what I see as the big difference between now and when I was young. It used to be that people were famous for 50-70 years. I grew up watching people on TV that started out in vaudeville, moved to movies, went to radio then finally television, including those you mention, Berle, Bing, Hope, Benny, Burns and Allen, etc. There were literally a hundred or more names that pretty much anyone in the country would recognize in an instant and who had been around since your parents were kids. That would be like somebody who started in the 50s still being at the top of their fame today. There really isn’t that kind of “old guard” any more. Some people maintain fame for 10, maybe 20 years. But I have a hard time thinking of more than a few who have pushed past that and stayed relevant who came to prominence in the last 40 years. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761.md?page=12)