# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/81 "2016-11-23T04:06:18Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > A lot of 90s bands that I thought were part of the pantheon of, if not Rock Gods, at least really durable tour bands. The Lemonheads sank fast right after Evan Dando got a short haircut. I’m personally surprised Julianna Hatfield disappeared so utterly; Natalie Merchant, too. Wonder if she bumped into her old band on the way back down? The Lemonheads were one of those bands that the industry really, really tried to make famous (same thing with Urge Overkill), and it didn’t happen because they weren’t that good. Juliana Hatfield, and her band The Blake Babies, were best known because she dated him for a while (see footnote). As for Natalie Merchant, I’m pretty sure she still does some songwriting and recording, but she’s had at least one child so that no doubt keeps her busy. Footnote: The comic strip “Frazz” used to have a peripheral off-panel celebrity character named Juliana Evandando. 😛 p.s. Before the Lemonheads got a major-label contract, my brother interviewed them when he was a college DJ. He described them as “wet noodles”. Another one that comes to mind is Bruce Hornsby. I saw him when he was at his commercial peak, in the late 1980s, and it was a great show. I do know that he later toured with the Grateful Dead, and also put out an album of atonal “music” at one point, which was definitely a contrast with what he’d done in the past. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/82 "2016-11-23T04:07:50Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Alan Alda and Mary Tyler Moore. 😕 Alda was nominated for a Tony for his starring role in a Broadway play as recently as 2005, and won an Emmy for his _West Wing_ role in 2006; that’s not exactly “complete disappearance”. He’s done more stage than film acting in recent years, but he’s still definitely active. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/83 "2016-11-23T04:09:41Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Art Linkletter died a few years ago, aged about 100. Several years before that, he was the keynote speaking at a fundraising dinner for the domestic violence agency in the city where I was living at the time. I purchased a ticket, and ended up not going because I was sick. ☹ > > Whatever happened to Mr. T? Last I heard, he was doing bit parts in some of those awful low-budget Christian movies. SpeakER, not speaking. :smack: > **[Art Linkletter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Linkletter)** > > Arthur Gordon Linkletter (born Gordon Arthur Kelly or Arthur Gordon Kelly; sources differ; July 17, 1912 – May 26, 2010) was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality. He was the host of House Party, which ran on CBS radio and television for 25 years, and People Are Funny, which aired on NBC radio and television for 19 years. He became a naturalized United States citizen in 1942. > Old clips from Linkletter's House Party program were later featured as segments on the first incarn... ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/84 "2016-11-23T04:10:27Z")
Arte Johnson, Ruth Buzzi, Judy Carne (who was pretty hot at the time). Joey Heatherton and Ann Margaret. Barbara Feldon, David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser, David McCallum (the original Illya Kuryakin). ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/85 "2016-11-23T04:13:59Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > Rufus Wainwright > > Duncan Sheik Rufus Wainwright still performs; he’s always been better known for being gay than he has for any of this music IMNSHO. :rolleyes: Duncan Sheik had that huge hit “Barely Breathing” and a lesser hit called “She Runs Away”. I purchased his album, and those were the only two listenable songs; the rest was filler. Mary Tyler Moore has been a Type 1 diabetic for more than 40 years and has experienced other health problems; however, she has had acting jobs in recent years. > **[Mary Tyler Moore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Tyler_Moore#Filmography)** > > Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966) and especially The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977), which "helped define a new vision of American womanhood" and "appealed to an audience facing the new trials of modern-day existence". Moore won seven Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. She was nominated for the Academy Award f Moore was born in ... ---
**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:** [November 23, 2016, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/86 "2016-11-23T04:15:30Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Arte Johnson, Ruth Buzzi, Judy Carne (who was pretty hot at the time). Joey Heatherton and Ann Margaret. Barbara Feldon, David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser, David McCallum (the original Illya Kuryakin). David McCallum? He’s played Dr. Mallard on NCIS for the past 14 years. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/87 "2016-11-23T04:18:00Z")
> [@MorrisCody](#): > > Who were the most famous people when you were growing up who have completely disappeared? Australia Prime Minister [Harold Holt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Holt) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/88 "2016-11-23T04:19:41Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser Ah, yes, Starsky and Hutch! David Soul tanked his career because of drug addiction. PMG has concentrated more on AIDS activism, after losing his oldest child and first wife to the disease. ☹ > **[Paul Michael Glaser](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Michael_Glaser#Personal_life)** > > Paul Michael Glaser (born Paul Manfred Glaser; March 25, 1943) is an American actor, director, and writer whose career has spanned five decades. He made his acting debut in the television series Love Is a Many Splendored Thing and went onto have many acting roles, appearing in The Waltons, The Streets of San Francisco, and Kojak. Glaser rose to prominence for his portrayal as "Detective Dave Starsky" in the 1970s television series, Starsky & Hutch and went on to write and direct five episodes for... I remember some of my friends seeing a picture of Elizabeth Glaser and saying, “Ewww, his wife’s UGLY!” First of all, she wasn’t, and I believe she was truly a beautiful person on the inside, where it really matters. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/89 "2016-11-23T04:36:28Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > And Ruth Buzzi got a small role on _ **That Girl** _. Can we think of anyone else here? 😕 Henry Gibson was in great Robert Altman movies. Please no one say 'Who’s that?" ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/90 "2016-11-23T04:41:59Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > The Lemonheads were one of those bands that the industry really, really tried to make famous (same thing with Urge Overkill), and it didn’t happen because they weren’t that good. Juliana Hatfield, and her band The Blake Babies, were best known because she dated him for a while (see footnote). As for Natalie Merchant, I’m pretty sure she still does some songwriting and recording, but she’s had at least one child so that no doubt keeps her busy. > > Footnote: The comic strip “Frazz” used to have a peripheral off-panel celebrity character named Juliana Evandando. 😛 > > p.s. Before the Lemonheads got a major-label contract, my brother interviewed them when he was a college DJ. He described them as “wet noodles”. > > Another one that comes to mind is Bruce Hornsby. I saw him when he was at his commercial peak, in the late 1980s, and it was a great show. I do know that he later toured with the Grateful Dead, and also put out an album of atonal “music” at one point, which was definitely a contrast with what he’d done in the past. 😕 Sorry but I must interject; Blake Babies were a great band. I saw them half a dozen times. Julianna Hatfield is or at least was a great rock songwriter. Natalie Merchant can go in the circular file. ---
**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:** [November 23, 2016, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/91 "2016-11-23T04:47:47Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Henry Gibson was in great Robert Altman movies. Please no one say 'Who’s that?" I’ve seen him in a lot of movies and shows. And of course I remember him from _Laugh-In_. He was quite recognizable. One of his memorable roles was as Private “Wrongo” Starr in _F Troop_. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/92 "2016-11-23T04:49:08Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Henry Gibson was in great Robert Altman movies. Please no one say 'Who’s that?" Altman directed most of the first season of _ **Combat!** _, if I’m not mistaken. 🆒 Sgt Saunders and the men of King Co. were my heroes growing up! ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/93 "2016-11-23T04:50:34Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Sorry, but I fail to see the connection (or not) between gay men and Grace Jones… 😕 Which only goes to show how far her star has fallen. In her heyday, Grace Jones was a HUGE [gay icon](https://www.queerty.com/10-reasons-grace-joness-memoir-will-be-the-gayest-and-greatest-thing-ever-20130919) (She was a disco diva after all), right up there with Barbra, Cher, Liza, and Donna Summer. More people I thought of: Irene Cara, the Pointer Sisters, comedian Stephen Wright, Brett Butler. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/94 "2016-11-23T05:02:10Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > In her heyday, Grace Jones was a HUGE [gay icon](https://www.queerty.com/10-reasons-grace-joness-memoir-will-be-the-gayest-and-greatest-thing-ever-20130919) (She was a disco diva after all), right up there with Barbra, Cher, Liza, and Donna Summer. I was never into disco, either. I do recognize the last three names on this list, though. One of the funniest things I’ve ever seen was Steve Allen doing a formal _a capella_ reading (tuxedo, lectern, candelabras, the whole shmear) of the “Hot Stuff” lyrics on _ **The Tonight Show** _. How he managed to keep a straight face while the audience was in hysterics, I don’t know. Seems to me Grace was in one of Roger Moore’s Bond movies, but I honestly don’t remember her from anything else, other than some commercials she did with Adam Ant (don’t even remember what the product was, either). ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/95 "2016-11-23T05:06:40Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Your parents wouldn’t let you watch movies when you were a kid?!? :dubious: :eek: 😕 It’s true that my parents were not especially enthusiastic moviegoers, but then it wasn’t something I was all that big on myself either. I was much more interested in sports, and reading, and other things, and the same was true of most of my friends. Going to see a movie was something we did if it was supposed to be really good, or if we didn’t have anything better to do, or (when we were younger) if there was a kids’ film showing at the local auditorium and our parents wanted to get us out of the house. Certainly I didn’t see lots of movies, and the ones I was most interested in seeing were new ones, not ones left over from the forties or the fifties or other Dark Ages 🙂 Cary Grant movies would not have come under the heading of “supposed to be really good,” at least not in the circles in which my younger self traveled. Today, if you showed me pictures of Stewart, Peck, and Grant, along with a handful of other celebrities of the era, I might be able to pick out Stewart, when you come right down to it. I’ve seen several of his movies. (Rear Window, Harvey, Wonderful Life–those are all Stewart, right?) I’d certainly be able to identify his voice, which is very distinctive, if you played me a clip. But I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anything with Peck (never seen To Kill a Mockingbird, which is the only one I KNOW he’s been in) and while I’m sure I’ve seen Grant in at least a couple of things I don’t have any mental picture of him. So no, I don’t think I’d be able to ID either Grant or Peck even if I knew they were among those pictured. If I weren’t told they were in the mix, I’m sure there’s no possible way. It’s also fair to say that I’m not good at faces, and indeed that’s one of the reasons I don’t see many movies to this day. Too confusing to keep the characters straight. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/96 "2016-11-23T05:07:22Z")
> [@](#): > > Barbra, Cher, Liza, and Donna Summer By “Barbra,” do you mean “Streisand”? :dubious: 😕 Didn’t know she was into disco either. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/97 "2016-11-23T05:18:19Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > Going to see a movie was something we did if it was supposed to be really good, or if we didn’t have anything better to do, or (when we were younger) if there was a kids’ film showing at the local auditorium and our parents wanted to get us out of the house. Wow! :eek: I grew up watching movies of the '30s, '40s, and '50s (and some from the '20s) on TV. I would go to the cinema (or thea-AY-tur, as some call it in Minnesota) only to see new movies like _ **The Time Machine** _, _ **The Great Escape** _, or _ **The Great Race** _. It was always a real treat to see things in full color on the big screen. I was a true movie buff by the time I was in high school. My idea of a great weekend was watching Errol Flynn movies on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. (Did no sports, but I did read a lot too.) ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/98 "2016-11-23T05:30:02Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > He was Atticus Finch. Doesn’t everyone watch _To Kill a Mockingbird_ in Freshman English when they read the book? I know that, but I’ve never seen the movie. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/99 "2016-11-23T06:57:26Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Howard Hesseman (Johnny Fever) is the one I’m surprised seemed to disappear. My memory may be faulty, but he was the big breakout star of _WKRP_. He had one more series that I recall, but after that, I don’t remember hearing about him at all. You’re probably remembering “Head of the Class”, in which he played a teacher. He’s another who’s worked consistently, but hasn’t had a lead role in a long while (and he, too, is now 76). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2016, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/100 "2016-11-23T07:00:31Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > By “Barbra,” do you mean “Streisand”? :dubious: 😕 > > Didn’t know she was into disco either. ☹ I suspect that Don Draper was listing her among the women who’ve been icons for gays. (And she, too, had at least one disco-ish song, a duet with Donna Summer.) [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=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761.md?page=6)