'70s Teen Idols Who Disappeared From Hollywood

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The 1970s were a hangover decade. The global economy floundered, the Vietnam War and tensions between the communist East and the capitalist West lingered, and the optimism of the late 1960s gave way to cynicism and disillusionment. However, it also represented a new high-water mark for the coverage of a whole new generation of film, television, and recording stars. Thanks to the growing reach of television, the emergence of home media, and the proliferation of youth-centric magazines like Tiger Beat, 16, and Flip, a new brand of celebrity emerged — namely, the teen idol.

These crossover stars, some of whom were still in grade school when they ascended into the public consciousness, were emblazoned upon lunch boxes, made into action figures, pinned onto bedroom walls, and broadcast to the world via TV and radio sets. For a younger demographic, fledgling performers like The Osmonds, Leif Garrett, Susan Dey, and David Cassidy became A-listers on a par with Robert Redford, Robert DeNiro, and Reggie Jackson. However, as some of these teen idols transitioned into adulthood, they took a step back from the rat race and the fan frenzy that followed them and opted for quieter, simpler lives. Here are the '70s teen idols who eventually disappeared from Hollywood altogether.

Susan Dey found stardom in 1970 when she appeared on television screens around the United States as Laurie Partridge, a singer and multi-instrumentalist in the titular band of the ABC sitcom, "The Partridge Family." Dey landed the role at the age of 17, and had little professional acting experience before joining the series; nonetheless, she emerged as one of its breakout stars and a '70s sitcom teen idol. Dey went on to appear as passenger Elly Brewster in the 1972 Charlton Heston-led disaster pic, "Skyjacked," and other feature and made-for-TV films. Dey saw renewed success during the 1980s and '90s, starring as Grace Van Owen on "L.A. Law" and also starring in the series "Emerald Point N.A.S." and "Love & War." She briefly had a fling with her "Partridge Family" co-star, David Cassidy, too. 

However, Dey has been AWOL from Hollywood since the early 2000s. Rather than remain on the show business hamster wheel, she opted for a private life with husband/producer Bernard Sofronski and her daughter from a previous marriage. Dey was fed up with tabloids covering her struggles with alcoholism and chasing the limelight, and has largely remained out of the public eye for the last two decades. At one point, she served on the board of UCLA's Rape Treatment Center. In 2013, she told WSKG that it would take something special to inspire a return to acting. "If something like that came along, absolutely, absolutely. But my life is really good."

Willie Aames was practically a veteran by the time he took on the role of Felix Unger's son, Leonard, in ABC's "The Odd Couple" in 1971, and later appeared in the 1975 ABC adaptation of "The Swiss Family Robinson." However, his teen heartthrob status didn't come until he booked the role of Tommy Bradford in "Eight Is Enough" as a high-schooler in 1977. Shortly thereafter, Aames also scored a record deal with CBS (he described his music as "a cross between that of Peter Frampton, Styx, and the Doobie Brothers" at the time, via The Evening Independent). During the 1980s, he lent his voice to the animated "Dungeons & Dragons" series, played Buddy in 126 episodes of "Charles in Charge." He later appeared in several Hallmark movies and was on two seasons of "Celebrity Fit Club."

Although Aames has continued to work as an actor, he has kept a much lower profile since the early 2000s and even turned to alternative employment for a time. For a while, he was just scraping by, much like the rest of us. In 2010, he embarked on a new voyage as a cruise director, telling the Oprah Winfrey Network (via the Huffington Post), "This job is about a chance for me to learn about myself, it's about a chance to help other people, and gain some self-confidence and self-esteem back." Aames eventually married a fan/longtime pen pal from his teen idol days and has at least one child from a previous marriage.

Here's the story of a girl named Brady — Cindy Brady, to be exact; or rather, the actress who played her during the 1970s and beyond, Susan Olsen. Susan Olsen was not yet eight years old when she was cast as the youngest daughter in the titular mixed family in ABC's "The Brady Bunch," but she grew up in front of a nationwide viewing audience across the show's five seasons, from 1969 to 1974. Olsen subsequently reprised the role in "The Brady Bunch Variety Hour," the TV movie "The Brady Girls Get Married," "The Bradys," and other projects throughout the 1970s, '80s, and '90s. However, looking beyond the Brady universe, Olsen's list of credits is noticeably sparse. Instead of chasing the limelight, she has lived a relatively private life outside of a rumored adult film appearance (in truth, she was paid $50 to create an electronic sound effect for one such movie) and some tabloid coverage.

"Susan lives in a quiet suburb of L.A. and pretty much shuns the spotlight these days," a source told Closer in 2025. "She still speaks fondly of her time on "The Brady Bunch," but it's not something she really brings up. It's very much in her rear-view mirror." That said, she's still involved in entertainment on the periphery, helping to train the next generation of performers. Olsen is currently listed as an acting and voiceover instructor at the Santa Clarita, California chapter of the Vibe Performing Arts Center.

A 12-year-old Kristy McNichol first gained notoriety in 1974 when she appeared on the short-lived CBS drama "Apple's Way," but she became a bona fide teen idol when she was cast as "Buddy" on ABC's "Family" two years later. The show ultimately aired until 1980, and it offered the young McNichol a platform to show she was more than just a pretty face. McNichol was an Emmy Award nominee for four straight years, and twice captured the statuette honoring the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Dramatic Series. Like some other teen stars of her day, she also recorded music, performing alongside her brother, actor-singer Jimmy McNichol, and even sang with The Carpenters on a Christmas special. During the 1980s, she starred with Tatum O'Neal in the film "Little Darlings" and portrayed Barbara Weston on the long-running NBC sitcom "Empty Nest."

Despite her early success and obvious acting chops, McNichol more or less ditched show business during the 1990s, opting for a simpler life away from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood. "I left show business for a variety of reasons, but a big one was my interest in learning what else there is in life," she told People in 2014. That reportedly included a burgeoning love for yoga and traveling, spirituality, and the comforts of home life with her partner, Martie Allen.

After making his acting debut with an uncredited appearance in the 1969 comedy-drama "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice," singer-actor Leif Garrett became a teen star during the 1970s while playing Zack Russell on the ABC hit "Family." He also appeared in multiple "Walking Tall" films and starred as Endy Karras in the 1975 CBS drama "Three for the Road," among other notable television and film projects. In the meantime, Garrett made major waves as a singer, landing a recording contract at 15 and hitting the top 20 of the charts with the singles "Runaround Sue," "I Was Made for Dancin'," and his cover of the Beach Boys' "Surfin' USA" in 1977 and '78. As the '70s barreled toward the '80s, though, his popularity waned and he battled addiction and legal issues. He also had a tumultuous romance with Nicollette Sheridan.

While he has made sporadic appearances in film and TV over the ensuing years, his most recent credit was in 2009. In 2019, he played it coy when asked by Smashing Interviews what he was doing now. "Right now, I'm promoting the book. I'm remodeling my house. I'm looking for love in all the wrong places," he said, adding, "I'm at the point where I am happy with who I am."

Robby Benson made his film debut as an 11-year-old with an uncredited appearance in the Terence Young-directed, Audrey Hepburn-starring psychological thriller "Wait Until Dark" in 1967. He also appeared on Broadway as a young teen in the early 1970s. By the time the latter half of the decade rolled around, though, Benson had achieved idol status with his performance in films like 1976's "Ode to Billy Joe," and earlier films, including the western "Jory" and coming-of-age drama "Jeremy." He continued to pile up high-profile acting credits throughout the 1980s, and famously became the voice of Beast in the Disney animated classic "Beauty and the Beast" in 1991; a role he went on to reprise on several occasions on the screen and in video games.

And while he has continued to act, including in the AppleTV+ hit series "Severance," he also detoured from the Hollywood grind at one point (save for his work as Beast) and went into a second career as an educator. Over the years, he taught at UCLA, Appalachian State University, and New York University. More recently, he joined the faculty at Indiana University as a professor of practice in what was then the university's telecommunications department. Benson has also written books and served as an advocate for heart research, himself having undergone multiple heart surgeries.

From an incredibly early age, Lance Kerwin had an innate ability to relay his characters' pain and struggles to viewers with tear-jerking performances in the 1976 made-for-television movie "The Loneliest Runner" and the 1977 TV movie (and later series) "James At 15," both of which aired on NBC. He also starred alongside Scott Baio in CBS's take on teenage alcoholism, "The Boy Who Drank Too Much," and appeared in many other notable TV projects, including the 1979 adaptation of the Stephen King novel, "Salem's Lot." He continued to rack up film and TV credits (mostly the latter) during the 1980s and '90s; however, after appearing in the Wolfgang Petersen-directed disaster pic "Outbreak" in 1995, he vanished from Hollywood.

Having struggled with addiction himself and encountered legal troubles as a result, Kerwin dedicated himself to helping others in their own recovery. As a youth pastor, he helped run rehabilitation programs in California and Hawaii via the U-Turn for Christ ministry following his exit from the entertainment industry. He was also active in real estate and even sold timeshares to some of his fans. Kerwin died tragically in January 2023 at the age of 62. He was survived by a wife and five children.

Melissa Sue Anderson parlayed commercial roles and bit parts in series like "The Brady Bunch" and "Shaft" into her breakthrough role as Mary Ingalls in "Little House on the Prairie" as an 11-year-old. It's a role she would play for a decade, from 1974 to 1983, during which she was nominated for an Emmy award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1978. Anderson later won an Emmy for her efforts in the ABC "Afterschool Special," "Which Mother Is Mine?" in 1979, and appeared in the 1981 slasher film "Happy Birthday to Me." Throughout her career, she made numerous appearances on popular television series, including "The Love Boat" and "Murder, She Wrote." Over the last two decades, though, she's only worked on a handful of projects, most of which were uncredited.

In the meantime, Anderson has lived a quiet family life, marrying screenwriter and "The Equalizer" co-creator Michael Sloan in 1990 and having two kids together. The family reportedly moved to Montreal in 2002 and became naturalized citizens of Canada five years later. Sloan died in August 2025 at the age of 78. Anderson also penned a memoir, "The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House," in 2010.

For four seasons during the early 1970s, "The Partridge Family" chronicled the exploits of a fictional family pop band. While that was just a television show — on which stars David Cassidy and Shirley Jones were the only cast members who were allowed to do their own singing — the Canadian group, The DeFranco Family featuring Tony DeFranco, was actually living the sort of life depicted on the classic sitcom. Originating from Port Colborne, Ontario, the DeFrancos scored a No. 3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973 with "Heartbeat — It's A Lovebeat," and returned to the top 15 the following year with their cover of "Save The Last Dance For Me." All the while, the group's young lead singer, Tony DeFranco, was a Tiger Beat regular.

By the late '70s, though, disco had taken hold, the group's recording contract was canceled, and the DeFranco family settled in California, performing only occasionally thereafter. DeFranco hovered around the recording industry for a time, but eventually went down a different career path, becoming a real estate broker for Sotheby's International. "Now I'm just proud of it," he recently told Do You Remember? of his '70s stardom. "I'm a member of a pretty small club in some respects. How many people can say they have had a hit record? Then the second club is how many people can say they were a teen idol, which, I think, is even smaller? I don't have any negative feelings about it anymore."

Scott Baio's first taste of fame came in 1976 when, at just 16 years old, he starred with Jodie Foster in the musical comedy "Bugsy Malone." But his big break came the following year when he made his first appearance as the Fonz's cousin, Chachi Arcola, on the ABC sitcom "Happy Days." He later led the "Happy Days" spin-off "Joanie Loves Chachi" alongside Erin Moran, starred with fellow teen idol Willie Aames in the 1982 comedy film "Zapped!," and continued his sitcom success in the mid-to-late 1980s with "Charles in Charge." Despite his incredible early success and the veritable bonanza of screen credits he has logged in the years since, Baio has essentially disappeared from show business in recent years. 

Fox News contributor Tyrus went so far as to claim he didn't know whether Baio was alive or dead on a 2025 episode of "Gutfeld!" Baio responded via his social media channels, including YouTube, claiming he was canceled due to his conservative political views and support of Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. "After that, I had death threats, and my daughter had death threats. So, that's kind of where I've been for the last nine years. Done some work in between that, stuff for friends, but I've had the privilege and been blessed that I don't have to do a damn thing." The two later cleared the air on the "Brian Kilmeade Show." However, Baio was also hit with allegations of abuse from multiple co-stars.

Like others on this list, Erin Moran grew up in front of a nationwide television audience thanks to her performance as Joanie Cunningham on "Happy Days," a role she landed at the age of 13 in 1974 after appearing uncredited in the 1967 Howard Morris-directed comedy "Who's Minding the Mint?" Her "Happy Days" role ultimately led to the spin-off "Joanie Loves Chachi" in the 1980s, and she continued to work in television and film into the '90s and beyond, including playing herself in the David Spade comedy "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star" in 2003. That said, as Moran's "Happy Days" heyday settled into the rearview, her acting roles were fewer and further between. She eventually found herself in a financial quagmire and also battled addiction throughout her life.

Moran died in April 2017 at just 56 years old, and the initial chatter surrounding her untimely passing included theories related to substances. However, an autopsy later revealed what really happened to Moran — she likely died of complications from late-stage cancer, identified by her husband as squamous cell carcinoma. Meanwhile, no illegal narcotics were found at her residence.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).