10 Actors You Didn't Know Have Retired

9. Joe Pesci

Emma Watson The Bling Ring
Universal

Due to his sheer presence alone, Joe Pesci is a hugely recognisable face and name amongst film fans. And so, many have often wondered why Pesci has barely been seen on the silver screen for the past 20 years.

For those who thought that maybe the powerhouse Italian-American actor's career had taken a nosedive and he'd been forced to star in low-budget, bargain basement dross that flew under the radar - which is often the case in the movie industry - that's not why Joe Pesci has been out of the public eye.

Instead, Pesci actually announced his retirement back in 1999 following Lethal Weapon 4.

With two studio albums under his belt by that point in time, the Goodfellas, Casino, Raging Bull and Home Alone favourite decided to quit acting in order to focus on a music career.

In the years since then, the Academy Award winner has been coaxed out of retirement on a sparse few occasions - namely for a cameo in Robert De Niro's The Good Shepherd, starring alongside Helen Mirren in Love Ranch, and then for Martin Scorsese's The Irishman in 2019 - but for the most part, Joe Pesci is very much no longer interested in the movie business.

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