# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/141 "2016-11-24T07:35:41Z")
> [@Smitty](#): > > As much weight as he’s gained, recognizing him is a challenge for everybody! He’s lost all of that weight recently and he looks thirty years older than his age (Throat cancer. Don’t smoke, kids) I wasn’t exactly a kid when she appeared, more like mid-to-late teens, but- what happened to Alanis Morissette? She was the biggest star in the world of music once. She played God in a Kevin Smith movie. And then, poof! ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/142 "2016-11-24T08:37:55Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > The one I’ve wondered about is Bridget Fonda. She seemed to be doing very well as an actress and just disappeared. Her career took a bad hit after she did **Lake Placid**. Good roles suddenly became scarce so she dropped out of the movie world after getting married and having kids. ---
**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 24, 2016, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/143 "2016-11-24T10:21:47Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > They just don’t make stars any more. I can’t tell one Ryan from a Chris from a Tater Channing - they’re all so generic. The women, pretty much the same. Little brown hamsters, all of them, running running running on the Hollywood wheel, all in movies about men in tights. I’m not criticizing really, that’s the way of the world. Did you see the episode of \*\*\*CSI \*\*\*where some douchebag claims to be a movie star and Grissom just shakes his head? \*" **Cary Grant** was a movie star. **Clark Gable** was a movie star. \*\*Gary Cooper **was a movie star. You’re no movie star."** It was a real Lloyd Bentson/Dan Quayle moment! 🆒 \*To the best of my recollection. ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/144 "2016-11-24T11:03:33Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > John Denver? He actually fell _onto_ the face of the earth. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/145 "2016-11-24T11:13:43Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Her career took a bad hit after she did **Lake Placid**. Because of the movie or because of some other reason? I thought that was a great movie! ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/146 "2016-11-24T12:53:21Z")
As a preteen I remember shows on evening TV that were just _huge_: Captain & Tennille, The Six Million Dollar Man, Charlie’s Angels (I had a crush on Kate Jackson), The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Donny & Marie, Mission Impossible. Yea, a lot of them were stupid shows. But they’re burned in my memory for some reason. And then I recall some hugely popular band and musicians you don’t hear about anymore: Bay City Rollers, Bee Gees, Abba, The Carpenters. And I remember Evel Knievel-mania. ---
**Author:** ![f.coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@f.coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/f.coli)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/147 "2016-11-24T13:18:22Z")
This reminds me of a judge who had been assigned to a prominent case. A newspaper article described him as looking like a cross between William Holden and Robert Mitchum (look them up on IMDB if you need to). When he arrived at his office the next day, everyone who worked for him wanted to know one thing - who are William Holden and Robert Mitchum? ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/148 "2016-11-24T13:36:01Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > As a preteen I remember shows on evening TV that were just _huge_: Captain & Tennille, The Six Million Dollar Man, Charlie’s Angels (I had a crush on Kate Jackson), The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Donny & Marie, Mission Impossible. Yea, a lot of them were stupid shows. But they’re burned in my memory for some reason. > > And then I recall some hugely popular band and musicians you don’t hear about anymore: Bay City Rollers, Bee Gees, **Abba** , The Carpenters. > > And I remember Evel Knievel-mania. Abba? Momma Mia! spent over a decade on Broadway, longer in London, countless touring shows and a movie. Hardly out of sight in the 21st century. ---
**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 24, 2016, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/149 "2016-11-24T14:10:40Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I had a crush on Kate Jackson Every straight male in the Free World had a crush on Kate Jackson! :o ---
**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 24, 2016, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/150 "2016-11-24T14:16:54Z")
> [@f.coli](#): > > This reminds me of a judge who had been assigned to a prominent case. A newspaper article described him as looking like a cross between William Holden and Robert Mitchum (look them up on IMDB if you need to). When he arrived at his office the next day, everyone who worked for him wanted to know one thing - who are William Holden and Robert Mitchum? Just out of curiosity, around what year was this? William Holden was the star of _ **Network** _ (1976; sadly, he died just a few years later when he fell and hit his head while drinking), and Bob Mitchum was in _ **The Winds of War** _ miniseries in the early '80s. Come to think of it, Ali McGraw and Jan-Michael Vincent were in _ **WoW** _ too. When was the last time anyone heard of **them**? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/151 "2016-11-24T14:28:09Z")
Saw this on ESPN the other night! [https://vimeo.com/107186315](https://vimeo.com/107186315) ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/152 "2016-11-24T17:43:27Z")
I didn’t mean to imply that the movies those guys starred in rivaled the quality of the books that those other guys wrote. I meant to say that those guys are among the top 20th century movie stars, and those other guys are among the top 20th century novelists. ---
**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 24, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/153 "2016-11-24T17:58:36Z")
Christine Keeler (of the “Profumo Affair”) Christine Jorgensen, who was the first widely-known trans. Died in 1989. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/154 "2016-11-24T18:04:40Z")
In general weekday kids television programing…Romper room, Bozo, The new zoo revue, but most specifically the Good Captain Kangaroo, his trusty side kick Mr Green Jeans, Dancing Bear, Grandfather Clock, Mr Moose and the ever pesky Mr. Bunny Rabbit. Kids these days have no idea what they are missing. ---
**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 24, 2016, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/155 "2016-11-24T18:28:37Z")
> [@ThisSpaceForRent](#): > > In general weekday kids television programing…Romper room, Bozo, The new zoo revue, but most specifically the Good Captain Kangaroo, his trusty side kick Mr Green Jeans, Dancing Bear, Grandfather Clock, Mr Moose and the ever pesky Mr. Bunny Rabbit. > > Kids these days have no idea what they are missing. Yeah, this. And Saturday morning cartoons. Although PBS Kids has lots of good shows. But it’s just one channel. ---
**Author:** ![mikeargo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/858c86/32.png) [@mikeargo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikeargo)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/156 "2016-11-24T20:41:02Z")
Tracy Ullman Ally Sheedy Pia Zadora ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/157 "2016-11-25T00:04:34Z")
> [@mikeargo](#): > > Tracy Ullman > Ally Sheedy > Pia Zadora She’s back with a new show. [Tracy Ullman Returns to HBO](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/23/arts/television/tracey-ullman-returns-to-hbo.html?_r=0) I was surprised to learn that Ullman is only 56 years old. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/158 "2016-11-25T01:33:09Z")
[Morgan Fairchild](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000392/). In the 1980s, she was considered the prototype of the glamorous, unattainable woman, although her acting skills were never that impressive. She hasn’t “completely disappeared”—she’s still working, but I had to scroll pretty far down in her IMDB credits list before I saw anything vaguely recognizable. One of her recent films is _Wiener Dog Internationals_ (which is, of course, the sequel to _Wiener Dog Nationals_). ---
**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 25, 2016, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/159 "2016-11-25T04:45:34Z")
> [@mikeargo](#): > > Tracy Ullman > Ally Sheedy > Pia Zadora Ally Sheedy was in a Grissom episode of _ **CSI** _. Pia Zadora was in _ **Naked Gun 3** _. ---
**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 25, 2016, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/160 "2016-11-25T04:47:46Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > Saw this on ESPN the other night! > > [https://vimeo.com/107186315](https://vimeo.com/107186315) I still have the pics from when she posed for _ **Playboy** _. \*\*Hubba-hubba! \*\*🆒 :o [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=7) [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=9)