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During the actor Anthony Edwards' career, he never became one of the biggest movie stars in the world. For that reason, some people may underestimate how much Edwards accomplished during his truly incredible career.
The star of several films over the years, two of Edwards' most notable movies spawned sequels. First off, there were two sequels to Revenge of the Nerds and there recently was a planned remake that was scrapped while filming. More recently, Miles Teller got a huge payday for starring as the son of Edwards' character in Top Gun: Maverick.
On top of Edwards' film credits, the talented actor also starred in one of the most acclaimed TV shows of all time, the medical drama ER. After Edwards decided to leave that show, he mostly disappeared from Hollywood for several years.
Once Edwards started focusing on acting once more after his initial sabbatical, he took a step back from the spotlight once again. In recent years, Edwards' reasons for giving up acting both times have been revealed, and they are inspiring and heartbreaking.
Why Did Anthony Edwards Quit ER?
Over the decades, Hollywood has seen a long list of actors come and go. As a result, it isn't overly surprising that when actors disappear from Hollywood seemingly out of nowhere, the entertainment industry doesn't miss a beat.
Before Anthony Edwards took a step back from acting for the first time, however, a lot of people noticed since he'd just starred in eight seasons of the most acclaimed medical drama of all time, ER.
By the time Edwards decided to leave ER, several of the show's other stars had already departed including George Clooney and Julianna Margulies. Still, when Edwards' character, Dr. Marke Greene, left the show, viewers truly were heartbroken.
Revealed to have been suffering from an aggressive form of brain cancer, Edwards' character took his final breath in a beautifully written episode of television.
Given that ER's producers did such a marvelous job writing out Edwards' character, it was hard for fans to be mad that the actor left the show. That said, they were still left with a simple question, why did Edwards decide to leave the show he starred in for so long?
Before Edwards' character made his final ER appearance, he spoke to the Associated Press about why he chose to leave the show. While Edwards commented about how long he'd already been starring in ER up until that point, it seemed clear that wasn't the real reason he was leaving the show. Instead, Edwards opted to quit ER for the best reason possible.
"I think [the 2001-02 season] will be it. It's been eight years of my family working around my schedule. It's been a long time playing Dr. Greene."
From 1994 until 2015, Edwards was married to a woman named Jeanine Lobell. During their more than twenty years together, Edwards and Lobell welcomed four children into the world, one son and three daughters.
While Edwards' kids almost certainly were very proud of their dad during his tenure starring in ER, there is nothing quite like getting to spend time with someone you love.
After Edwards and Lobell's divorce, he went on to elope with Mare Winningham, the actor who was closely associated with the Brat Pack.
Why Did Anthony Edwards Give Up Acting The Second Time?
When most fans think about Anthony Edwards' career, they remember the movies and shows he starred in as an adult. What a lot of people don't realize, however, is that Edwards actually began acting when he was a child.
In 1973, Edwards appeared in a little-known film titled Big Zapper. The same year that Big Zapper was released, Edwards turned eleven years old.
Since Edwards didn't become famous until later in life, it would be a stretch to call him a former child star. Still, the fact remains that Edwards became an actor before he was in his teens.
In 2017, Edwards penned a piece for medium.com where he gave readers a window into what he went through when he was still a child actor.
In that article, Edwards started by referring to film producer Gary Goddard as his "mentor, teacher and friend". Throughout the rest of the article, Edwards wrote about how he and his best friend were abused by Goddard for many years after they met when Anthony was 12.
Furthermore, Edwards wrote about how Goddard used the young actor's vulnerabilities to manipulate him.
In response to what Edwards wrote, a rep for Goddard put out a statement denying all of Anthony's claims. “As to the allegations that Mr. Edwards made in his post today, I can unequivocally deny them on Gary’s behalf.”
When considering the denial issued on Goddard's behalf, it is worth noting that two other people publicly accused him of similar abuses.
After Medium published Edwards' piece in 2017, he stopped acting until 2022 aside from playing a recurring role in ten episodes of Designated Survivor that aired in 2019.
In 2022, Esquire published an article about how Edwards was returning to acting. In that piece, it was revealed that after Edwards revealed his story to the public, he mostly gave up acting, so he could spend the next several years trying to heal from the trauma of his past.
"And he has been gone for a while, indeed; he stepped back in the early aughts to raise his kids, and then again a few years ago to heal from a trauma he’d endured in his youth, a situation he revealed publicly in 2017."
Of course, it is tragic to know that Edwards had to step away from the career he spent years pursuing and was so passionate about because of what he went through as a child. However, something else the Esquire article revealed is inspiring.
"Processing his own trauma has also made him an activist; through his non-profit organization 1 in 6, he can use his familiarity and charm to connect with and help heal fellow survivors of s**ual abuse."
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