'I had to get out': The 1970s cult stars who turned their backs on Hollywood at the peak of their fame

Earning Playboy's Miss December title in 1968 prepared Cynthia Myers well for B-movie fame throughout the early '70s. At the very beginning of the decade, she starred as rock guitarist Casey Anderson in satirical classic Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970), cementing her legacy as a cult cinema favourite.

Despite her growing fame, including an appearance in Sam Elliott western Molly and Lawless John (1972), the actress chose to walk away from Hollywood when pressures to perform nude scenes on camera mounted. Cynthia later pursued a career in print modelling. She was reportedly married to an Air Force pilot who passed away in September 2011, shortly before Cynthia's own death in November 2011 at the age of 61. 

Dolly Martin's star turn in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) cast the actress as lead singer of The Carrie Nations, Kelly MacNamara. Before she took to the screen, Dolly worked as a Playboy Bunny and appeared in the magazine's April 1968 issue as a centrefold. 

She went on to appear in small parts on Charlie's Angels and Fantasy Island, but stepped back from fame in the 1980s. Dolly was married to comedian Dick Martin from 1978 until his death in 2008 and today largely stays out of the public eye.

Melody Thomas Scott had a high-profile debut as a child star in Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie (1964). But it was the '70s that would secure her enduring star status, with cult features like Piranha (1978), The Fury (1978) and The Car (1977). 

While she's since walked away from Hollywood, Melody is still a regular on the small screen, with an ongoing role in The Young and the Restless as Nikki Reed. The actress has welcomed three children with her second husband, Edward Scott, whom she wed in 1985. 

Madeline Smith might be best known as Roger Moore's first Bond girl, but she was also an icon of spookier cinema classics, working for the likes of Hammer Horror. The actress appeared in The Vampire Lovers (1970), Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974). 

She stepped away from the world of acting in the mid '80s, focussing on raising her daughter, Emily. After an almost 30-year hiatus – aside from an episode role in 2000 – Madeline has since returned to the screen, appearing in several TV projects and most recently worked on 2026 sci-fi feature The Alice Paradox.

Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert has publicly compared the public scrutiny of Hollywood life in Los Angeles to "living at the mall when you work at the mall." She explained, “I had to get out of there [L.A.], because it felt like I was not being authentically myself." The actress found fame at an early age, playing a young girl who travels to the American West with her family in the late 1800s.

Melissa now enjoys a private life in the Catskill Mountains with her husband Timothy Busfield. She co-founded lifestyle brand Modern Prairie, providing stylish homeware and hand-painted dresses for women later in life.

Marcia McBroom's on-screen career was almost entirely confined to the '70s, including projects like Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970), Come Back Charleston Blue (1972) and Willie Dynamite (1974). She last appeared in 1983's New York Nights, an anthology focussing on Manhattan's nightlife.

Instead of continuing her star run in Hollywood, Marcia committed herself to education, becoming a history teacher and building For Our Children's Sake Foundation in the 1980s, dedicated to protecting vulnerable young people. Marcia has worked with organisations such as UNICEF and the United Nations. 

Candace Glendenning worked on several TV projects during the '70s, but several features ensured her spot as a cult cinema celebrity. She appeared in Tower of Evil (1972), X-rated slasher The Flesh and Blood Show (1972) and folk horror Satan's Slave in 1976. 

She last appeared on screen in 1982 with an episode appearance in Angels as Camilla Lomax. Since then, she's removed herself from public scrutiny, quietly making her own contented life away from prying eyes.

Danish model Jytte Stensgaard moved to the UK in 1963 to pursue a career in acting. Adopting the name Yutte, the actress became famous for her comedy and horror roles, including a lead performance in Lust for a Vampire (1971), Burke & Hare (1972) and an episode of BBC anthology horror Dead of Night in 1972.

Per her IMDb, Yutte appeared at a few horror conventions in the late '90s but has otherwise left public life behind. She has been married to Paul Walter since June 2012 and is a mother to one son, chiropractor Sten Stensgaard Kerwin, whom she welcomed with her first husband. 

Lynne Frederick's career ran throughout the '70s. She first appeared in 1970 sci-fi drama No Blade of Grass and is best known for features like Four of the Apocalypse (1975), A Long Return (1975), sci-fi horror Phase IV (1974) and 1972's Vampire Circus. 

The actress unfortunately faced a substantial career setback following the death of her estranged husband Peter Sellers, after inheriting most of his estate. When Peter passed away in 1980, the divorce wasn't yet finalised and Lynne was the primary beneficiary, inheriting most of the late actor's £4.5 million fortune. Lynne sadly passed away at home at the age of 39 in 1994.