10 Awesome Actors Who Just Dropped Off The Face Of The Earth

5. Gene Hackman

It would take awhile to list all the classic films and memorably great performances of Gene Hackman. He's wowed audiences in everything from Unforgiven to The French Connection to The Royal Tenenbaums. The actor said in an interview in 2004 with Larry King that he was retiring from acting. Since then he's remained pretty press shy. He gave an interview to GQ in 2011 and an interview on Fox Sports Radio the same year. In his later years in the acting business, Hackman was turning in the same top notch work he began his career with in films like The Conversation. He starred in hits like Enemy of the State and Absolute Power in the late 90s as well as David Mamet's Heist in the early 2000s. Unfortunately, his last credited role was in the awful Welcome to Mooseport. Since his retirement, Hackman has been given plenty of offers to return to acting by people like friend Clint Eastwood. He's turned them all down in favor of the quiet life. With that quiet life, Hackman has chosen to express himself in a different way: he writes western novels. The actor writes western fiction with titles like Pursuit and Justice for None. The last novel came out at the end of 2013 so he keeps busy with his writing. Though we'll likely never see the 83 year old act again, perhaps his writing offers some of the same pleasures the Hoosiers actor once graced the big screen with.