70s Star Overcame Rare Cancer & Chose a Life Away from Hollywood – See Her Now
This ’70s Star Survived a Rare Form of Cancer & Left the Glamour of Hollywood — What Her Life Looks Like Now
As a model and actress, she was once much sought after, and she was able to attract attention both on and off the screen. However, she decided to leave the acting field after experiencing a significant change in her personal life, a severe health fight, and harsh criticism from the industry. Currently, she is located far away from Hollywood, and her life does not resemble what it was in the 1970s.
Her face was once plastered all over the place, including on the covers of magazines, billboards, and cinema screens, which made her one of the most immediately recognizable celebrities of the 1970s. She appeared to be bound for enduring stardom, as evidenced by her career, which included a Golden Globe Award and a series of high-profile performances.
On the other hand, she was going through both personal and professional difficulties behind the scenes. After years of experiencing both exhilarating highs and excruciating lows, she was finally forced to face a reality that she had never anticipated.
She was once at the center of some of the most significant productions in Hollywood, but she ultimately decided to leave it all behind.
An Up-and-Coming Hollywood Star Who Was Born in a Small Town
Due to the fact that she was born on February 18, 1950 in Memphis, Tennessee, she was raised in a humble environment with her mother, who was a homemaker, and her father, who had a small business. She stood out from the crowd from a young age, not only due to her outstanding beauty but also due to the self-assurance that distinguished her from others.
She began her career in the modeling industry when she was a teenager, and she went on to win the Miss Teenage Memphis competition in 1966 and the Model of the Year award in 1968. She was featured on the covers of magazines and in high-profile advertising campaigns, including one for L’Oréal, as a result of her success, which led to her gaining national reputation in a short amount of time.
After a short period of time, Hollywood began to take notice. She was featured on the cover of Glamour magazine in 1971, and famed director Peter Bogdanovich noticed that she had more than simply a gorgeous face. He was so intrigued by her that he extended an invitation to her to try out for his future film, “The Last Picture Show.”
In spite of the fact that she had no prior acting experience, she was cast in the part, and the film went on to become a commercial and critical hit.
The film, which was praised for its unfiltered storytelling, was awarded two Academy Awards and brought her to the forefront of the entertainment industry as one of the most promising new actors in Hollywood.
A Scandal and a Setback in One’s Career
A number of controversies surrounded her as she rose to fame. During the time that she was working on “The Last Picture Show,” she developed a love relationship with director Bogdanovich, who was already married at the opportunity.
As a result of their widely publicized connection, she was referred to as a home wrecker by the media. Their romance rapidly made headlines.
Only after Bogdanovich cast her in two follow-up films, “Daisy Miller” (1974) and “At Long Last Love” (1975), did the scrutiny become even more intense. Both films were a financial failure at the box office, and the reviews that were written about her performances were very nasty.
In one review, she was referred to as having “all the charm of a hamster,” and another film critic displayed a sign that simply said “Bomb.” “Cybill Shepherd can’t walk or talk, much less sing,” stated one critic, she later recalled, referring to the scathing treatment she experienced from some individuals working in the profession.
In spite of the fact that they had been together for eight years, they eventually parted ways due to divergent aspirations in their lives. He was already a father to two children with Polly Platt, and he had no desire to have any more. In a subsequent explanation, she stated, “I had a strong desire to have children.” Immediately after the separation, she moved on with her life, getting married and beginning a family of her own.
Due to the fact that her reputation was deteriorating, Hollywood mostly failed to support her. As leading roles became scarce, she was compelled to accept whatever job that she could get in order to maintain her career.
After taking a break from acting in order to give birth to her first kid, she made an attempt to return to the industry at one time, but she was received with suspicion.
“You might as well be dead,” she was informed plainly when she called her former agency. “You might as well be dead.” She was so intent on demonstrating her worth that she accepted guest appearances, one of which was on the show “Fantasy Island,” but she knew that the path back to success would not be an easy one.
The Return of ‘Moonlighting’ and ‘Cybill’ to the Hollywood Movie Scene
Exactly when it appeared that her career in Hollywood was beginning to wane, she staged a comeback that was completely unexpected. In 1985, she was cast as Maddie Hayes in the critically acclaimed television series “Moonlighting,” working alongside Bruce Willis, who was relatively unknown at the time.
The television program, which featured elements of humor, romance, and detective drama, became a cultural phenomenon, and viewers adored the electrifying chemistry that existed between the show’s two main characters.
As a result of her performance in the role, she was awarded two Golden Globes and reestablished as a significant star.
The conflicts that were present behind the scenes were, nevertheless, equally as strong as those that were seen on screen. According to reports, she and Willis had a disagreement, and then, as the show progressed, production problems and drama that occurred off-screen led to the project’s termination in 1989.
She took on another prominent role in the sitcom “Cybill” (1995), which was loosely based on her own life as an actor navigating Hollywood.
She was determined to keep her momentum going, so she took on the role. As a result of the show’s enormous success, she was awarded a third Golden Globe and received praise from critics for the biting humor and feminist issues that it featured.
Nevertheless, her time at the top did not continue for very long. Although she continued to work in television and movies after the unanticipated cancellation of “Cybill” in 1998, she was never able to recapture the same degree of success that she had previously had.
“One of the things that really changed for me in my life is that I’ve learned how to be a guest star,” she reflected on her developing career at a later point in time. As a result of the evolution of the industry, she discovered that she was taking on more supporting roles and guest appearances rather than leading roles.
A Health Struggle That Will Alter Your Life
As she was getting used to life outside of main roles, she was confronted with an even more difficult obstacle, which had nothing to do with the entertainment industry in Hollywood.
Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, a rare kind of skin cancer, was the diagnosis that was given to her. She had been living with this form of cancer since birth without even realizing it.
Despite the fact that it was not the most severe form of the disease, the malignant tumor that was located on the back of her neck required emergency surgery in order to prevent any additional difficulties from occurring.
An important turning point was the diagnosis. According to her, “It completely transforms your life.”
“When Cybill was first told that she had melanoma, she was hysterical,” a specific source disclosed. “All she could think of was that she was going to suffer a horrible, painful death and her children would lose their mother.”
After undergoing surgery to remove the growth, which resulted in the formation of a visible scar, she was compelled to reevaluate both her health and her way of life as a result of the event. It was confirmed by her mother that skin cancer ran in their family, and she disclosed that her daughter’s years of sun exposure had only served to raise the likelihood of developing the disease.
She went on to become incredibly cautious after that, always covering herself when she went outside and taking more efforts to protect her skin every time she went outside.
Despite the fact that she would eventually be proclaimed cancer-free, the fight left an indelible mark on her, causing her to change her interests away from Hollywood and toward a life that was more intimate and private.
However, her troubles with her health did not end there. A second life-threatening medical incident occurred to her in 2004, and it was one that came dangerously close to taking her life. “Three years ago, I came dangerously close to passing away. It was a circumstance known as 911. In an interview that took place in 2007, she disclosed that she had to have a colon resection.
In order to get down the steps before the paramedics arrived, she had to crawl down the stairs because the pain was so great that she was unable to stand. Even in the face of these obstacles, she maintained her resilience.
She responded, “Actually, I never went away,” when she was asked how she was able to successfully continue going forward. When I first started working in this industry, there were some people who believed they would never see me again, but I’ve been around for quite some time.
The Process of Leaving Hollywood Behind and Discovering Faith Once More
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Cybill Shepherd was no longer the Hollywood A-lister that she had been in the past. She eventually moved away from the high-profile spotlight, despite the fact that she continued to take on acting parts, including appearances as a guest on television.
She had already made the decision to bring up her three children in the San Fernando Valley, as she favored a more stable atmosphere that was free from the constraints that were associated with the industry and the industry.
Over the course of time, she decided to downsize from her expansive estate in order to pursue a lifestyle that was more practical and tranquil.
Taking a look back, she acknowledged that she had evolved. She once declared, “I stopped saying so much what I think,” and she meant it. “Early on, I was a real—can I say [it]?—smartass.” Ever since she was a child, her defiant nature had been one of her defining characteristics.
“I had to repeat gym because I was so—I was rebellious,” she said in her memory. “I was a girl who defied authority. For a certain amount of time, I was a bad girl. Nevertheless, I’ve become a good girl now! It was in 2015 when Shepherd was cast in the role of “Do You Believe?” in the Christian film. The public revelation of her return to faith was a key turning moment in her personal life, and this role represented the beginning of that turning point.
During a panel discussion for the film, one of the cast members, Shepherd, shared her personal spiritual journey and explained how Christianity had been a significant influence on her throughout her life. As a child, I was raised as a Christian and participated in the choir. “At that point, I became estranged from my savior, Jesus Christ,” she shared with the audience.
Shepherd noted that she had stopped praying and talking to Jesus, but that she began to feel “really good” after she began to reconnect with Him. she had stopped praying and talking to Jesus. The offer to join the cast of the film was then extended to the actress.
Shepherd made a veiled reference to the fact that her rekindled relationship with faith and the opportunity to star in the film were more than ordinary coincidences, implying that a heavenly influence was likely responsible for her revitalized spiritual journey.
Shepherd’s return to faith occurred at the same time as a period of personal introspection and transformation at the same time.
Shepherd went so far as to indicate that the opportunity to star in the film was not an accident, and that she saw it as a vital component of her spiritual journey.
Her Current Life: Taking on the Role of Grandmother and Taking Pleasure in Family Life
Another life-altering event offered her even more fulfillment, and it occurred during the time that she was transitioning away from Hollywood. She became a grandmother. Her daughter, Clementine Ford, became a grandmother for the first time in 2014 when she gave birth to a baby boy named Elijah. She was 64 years old at the present time.
Shepherd has enthusiastically embraced her role as a grandmother over the course of her life, devoting her time to her expanding family and appreciating the more peaceful moments that she enjoys away from the limelight. Photographs that are uploaded on social media platforms provide peeks into her happy family life. These photographs depict her with her grandchildren in regular settings that are comforting.
The love and connection that Shepherd has with those who are closest to her is the source of the greatest joy that she currently experiences.
In the past, she was a Hollywood actress who lived for the cameras. Despite the fact that she is no longer actively recruiting for major Hollywood roles, she has not fully abandoned her career in the performing arts.
Over the course of the past few years, she has frequently participated in acting productions, with her most recent appearance on film being in the television movie “How to Murder Your Husband” in the year 2023. Shepherd has continued to cultivate her longtime passion for music, despite the fact that she is no longer interested in being in the spotlight.
It is not for the sake of garnering critical praise that she periodically gives performances in small places; rather, she does it in order to connect with her lifelong admirers and to show Shepherd’s love for singing, which is a passion that precedes her work as an actress.
To this day, she leads a life that is significantly less hectic, a world that is very different from the hectic world of Hollywood.
Clementine, her children, and the twins Ariel and Zach are now adults, and she has a new generation in her family. She places a more value on achieving personal fulfillment than she does on achieving popularity.
Shepherd has acknowledged both the highs and the challenges that she has experienced over the course of her decades in the profession; yet, she is no longer in need of the validation that Hollywood affords her.
She has instead chosen to live a life that is characterized by simplicity, faith, and family, demonstrating that reinvention is not something that is limited to the screen; rather, it is something that she has perfected in real life as well.
