Academy Awards and four Golden Globes throughout his vast, decades-long career. But in the early 2000s, after spending more than 40 years in the spotlight, the Hollywood legend, now 93, shocked the world when he said goodbye to his highly publicized and glamorous life to instead enjoy a much quieter life in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
At what was arguably the height of Gene's success, he completely fell off the grid, disappearing from the public eye almost entirely and leaving many to wonder: What really led to his sudden departure?The actor was first propelled into the spotlight when he starred in Bonnie and Clyde in 1967, and he went on to star in a slew of beloved movies and TV shows like Superman, The French Connection and Get Shorty, to name a few.
But in 2004, he announced that he was done being an actor. He packed up his things, left the razzle-dazzle of Los Angeles for the quiet of New Mexico - and he never looked back.
Some initially thought that the shocking decision had to do with his marriage. The movie star - who once admitted to having a hard time with balancing his immense fame and family life - fell for a woman who worked at his gym (she was 31 years his junior) in the late '80s, and the two went on to become husband and wife in 1991.
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