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This Is Why You Never Hear From Kim Basinger Anymore

The L.A. Confidential star isn't in the spotlight as often as she used to be.

In the 1980s and '90s, Kim Basinger was everywhere, whether the conversation was about her acting career or the headlines her personal life was making. She was a Bond girl. She won an Oscar. She had a high-profile marriage—and split—with a fellow actor. But, in recent years, you may have noticed that Basinger is not in the spotlight as much. But, that is not because she has retired from show business. Basinger is still active as an actor, she just doesn't take on quite as many roles as she once did. And she lives a quieter life on the celebrity front, too. Read on to find out about Basinger's life and career today.

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She's had a lengthy, very successful career.

Kim Basinger holding her Oscar at the 1998 Academy Awards
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

After coming to fame in the late '70s with her role in the miniseries From Here to Eternity, Basinger continued acting regularly, usually putting out at least one movie per year. These include Never Say Never Again, in which she played Bond girl Domino Petachi, 9 1/2 Weeks, Ready to Wear, Batman, L.A. Confidential, and 8 Mile. For L.A. Confidential, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1998.

She's still acting, just less often than she used to.

Kim Basinger at the premiere of "Fifty Shades Darker" in 2017
Tinseltown / Shutterstock

Compared to the rate that she was releasing projects in the '80s and '90s, Basinger's career has slowed down, but she's definitely not retired. The 68-year-old actor's two most recent onscreen roles were in the two Fifty Shades of Grey sequels, 2017's Fifty Shades Darker and 2018's Fifty Shades Freed. She also voiced a role in the series Comrade Detective in 2017 and in the short film Back Home Again in 2021. Some of her other relatively recent movies include 2010's Charlie St. Cloud, 2013's Grudge Match, and 2016's The Nice Guys.

She plans to make a comeback with another project soon.

Kim Basinger at the premiere of "The Nice Guys" in 2016
Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock

In a September 2021 interview with Vulture, Basinger mentioned that she was planning to act in a new movie or show soon, though she didn't elaborate on what that project might be.

"You get a lot of offers, being in this business," she said. "It's a very privileged position to be in. You get offers your whole life. They've never stopped, and I'm happy to say that I'm going back on the screen pretty soon myself."

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She's living a peaceful life away from Hollywood.

Kim Basinger at the Eastwood Ranch Foundation's Wags, Whiskers, and Wine Event in 2018
JB Lacroix/ Getty Images

In an interview published by Georgian Journal in 2017, Basinger said that she was enjoying living by the beach in California where she could do water sports, hang out with her dogs, and be near her daughter, Ireland Baldwin, who she welcomed with ex-husband Alec Baldwin. She also mentioned her boyfriend, hairstylist Mitch Stone. They were friends first, but started dating around 2014, which she called a "beautiful surprise."

"My boyfriend and I spend a lot of time in Hawaii, our favorite place on Earth," Basinger shared. "I have always loved writing and I'm getting more into it these days, especially children's books. The most important thing I do is work with four wonderful animal protection groups to help stop the cruelty that goes on in every country on this planet."

She added of her life philosophy, "I truly have no regrets, I try to live everyday in the present not having one foot in the future or one foot in the past."

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Lia Beck
Lia Beck is a writer living in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to Best Life, she has written for Refinery29, Bustle, Hello Giggles, InStyle, and more. Read more
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