From Fame to Mystery: What Happened to the 25 Biggest Stars of the 70s?

Remember Robert Redford? The guy who, in the 1970s, didn’t just act—he pretty much owned the box office, raking in over $3 billion in today’s dollars with hits like All the President’s Men and The Sting. But hey, Redford’s just the tip of the iceberg! This wild decade saw a parade of Hollywood legends, TV favorites, and pop superstars lighting up our screens and airwaves. From Alan Alda making us laugh in MASH* to Olivia Newton-John singing us through Grease, the ‘70s were packed with stars who shaped entertainment history. Ever wonder where these icons ended up or what they’re up to now? Dive in as we chronicle 25 of the brightest luminaries from that unforgettable era—because some stories are too good to just fade away. LEARN MORE

The biggest box office draw of the 1970s is claimed to be legendary Hollywood star Robert Redford. Thanks to roles in the likes of All the President’s Men, The Way We Were, and The Sting (which earned him his first Oscar nomination in 1974), Redford—who died in 2025 at the age of 89—made a raft of films that, adjusted for inflation, earned more than $3 billion in the 1970s alone. 

But what about the decade’s other biggest names? From fellow Hollywood icons to TV favorites and pop superstars, 25 of the 1970’s best and brightest are explored here. 

1. ALAN ALDA 
2. RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH 
3. MEL BROOKS 
4. DAVID CASSIDY 
5. JOHN CLEESE 
6. SUSAN DEY 
7. CLINT EASTWOOD 
8. FARRAH FAWCETT 
9. MELISSA GILBERT 
10. PAUL MICHAEL GLASER 
11. LARRY HAGMAN
12. DUSTIN HOFFMAN 
13. LEE MAJORS 
14. MARY TYLER MOORE 
15. OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN 
16. BURT REYNOLDS 
17. GEORGE C. SCOTT 
18. CARLY SIMON 
19. DAVID SOUL 
20. SISSY SPACEK 
21. LORETTA SWIT 
22. RICHARD THOMAS 
23. JOHN TRAVOLTA 
24. LINDSAY WAGNER 
25. HENRY WINKLER 

ALAN ALDA 

Actor, director and writer Alan Alda began his career on Broadway before becoming a household name in the United States and beyond when Korean War sitcom M*A*S*H debuted in 1972. Running for over a decade (eight years longer than the war around which it was based), the show became one of the biggest hits in TV history, with its final episode still one of the most watched television broadcasts of all time. Alda—who also wrote and directed many of the show’s episodes—followed its success with a string of roles in film and theatre, including The Aviator, Bridge of Spies and Marriage Story in the 2000s and 2010s. He celebrated his 90th birthday in 2026. 

RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH 

Brother of naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, Richard Attenborough made his acting debut on the stage in 1937, his film debut in 1942, and his directorial debut in the 1960s. By the following decade, he was one of the biggest and most acclaimed actors in show business: knighted in 1976, his films picking up three Oscar nominations and 15 BAFTA nominations (winning five) in the 1970s alone. In front of the camera, he made a memorable performance as a real-life serial killer in the murder biopic 10 Rillington Place in 1971, while behind the camera he turned out a string of hits including A Bridge Too Far and Magic. He made Hollywood history with his epic historical biopic Gandhi in 1982, played John Hammond in Jurassic Park in 1993, and directed his final film, Closing the Ring, in 2007. He died in 2014 at the age of 90. 

MEL BROOKS 

Having worked in the entertainment industry since the 1940s, comedy legend Mel Brooks broke into Hollywood in the late 1960s, winning the Oscar for Best Screenplay for The Producers in 1967. The 1970s saw him write and direct some of the decade’s biggest comedies, including Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and High Anxiety, and his particular brand of farcical, screwball comedies has remained popular ever since. He earned an EGOT in the early 2000s when the stage adaptation of The Producers picked up a raft of Tony Awards, and has continued to work ever since. A sequel to his Star Wars spoof Space Balls—titled Space Balls: The New One—is set for release in 2027; Brooks, who appears in a dual role in the film, turned 100 in June 2026. 

DAVID CASSIDY 

David Cassidy’s breakout teen idol role on the sitcom The Partridge Family, which ran on television from 1970 to 1974, made him a household name across the United States. Around the rest of the world, and particularly in the UK, he became better known as a pop star with a string of Number 1 singles in the 1970s and 80s. His worldwide success was so great, in fact, that at the height of his fame, Cassidy was rumored to be the highest-paid entertainer in the world. After struggles with alcohol in his later years, sadly Cassidy made public a diagnosis of dementia in 2017, as he stepped back from performing. He died the same year at the age of 67. 

JOHN CLEESE