‘American Pie’ star Shannon Elizabeth traded Hollywood fame for saving rhinos in South Africa

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Shannon Elizabeth looks back on her breakout role while revealing how she left the U.S. to pursue conservation work in South Africa with the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation. After Shannon Elizabeth shot to fame in "American Pie" and set pulses racing, she didn’t stick to the Hollywood script — she headed to South Africa. The actress, who played the sultry exchange student Nadia in the 1999 hit, packed her bags at the end of 2016 and never looked back. In 2018, she launched her conservation charity, the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation. "When I first went out there, and I came back, I was living in New York at the time," the 52-year-old told Fox News Digital. 'CHARLIE’S ANGELS’ STAR KATE JACKSON SAYS FAME DESTROYED HER PRIVACY AND FORCED HER OUT OF HOLLYWOOD Shannon Elizabeth, who starred in 1999's "American Pie," has moved to South Africa where she launched