Celebrities, they’re just like us. ? ✨
Acting isn’t all glitz and glam. Sometimes, actors — especially those who started in the business as children — decide to leave the limelight for more traditional career paths.
Here are 17 former actors who went on to have “regular” jobs.
1.
Danny Lloyd, who played Danny Torrance in The Shining, is now a biology professor at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com
The Shining was Danny’s film debut.
2.
Erik Estrada, who played officer Francis Llewellyn “Ponch” Poncherello on CHiPs, became a real-life police officer in St. Anthony, Idaho.
MGM Television / Via youtube.com
He focuses on protecting children from predators online.
3.
Kevin Jonas, who played Jason in Camp Rock, worked as a contractor before getting back into music.
Disney / Via Disney+
He also co-owns Jonas Werner Fine Custom Homes.
4.
Dylan Sprouse, who played Zack Martin on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, runs All-Wise Meadery, a mead brewery in Brooklyn.
Disney / Via Disney+
His business partners are Matt Kwan, a friend he met while studying at NYU, and fellow Disney channel alum Doug Brochu, who played Grady on Sonny With a Chance.
5.
Phoebe Cates Kline, who played Linda Barrett in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, runs a boutique called Blue Tree in Manhattan.
Universal Pictures / Via youtube.com
The boutique takes its name from a common motif in Fauvist paintings.
6.
Nikki Blonsky, who played Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray, was a makeup artist at Superstar Salon in New York.
New Line Cinema / Via youtube.com
She earned her cosmetology license before taking up the job.
7.
Rick Moranis, who played Louis Tully in Ghostbusters, became a stay-at-home dad.
Columbia Pictures / Via youtube.com
He decided to leave Hollywood to raise his children a few years after his wife’s death.
8.
Jeff Cohen, who played Chunk in The Goonies, is now a lawyer.
Warner Bros. Pictures / Via youtube.com
He founded his own firm in 2002.
9.
Jennifer Stone, who played Harper on Wizards of Waverly Place, is now a registered nurse.
Disney / Via Disney+
She’s been fighting on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
10.
Lucas Babin, who played Spider in School of Rock, became the district attorney for Tyler County, Texas.
11.
Amanda Bynes, who starred on The Amanda Show, is a fashion student at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.
Nickelodeon / Via youtube.com
She’s taking online classes to earn her bachelor’s degree through the California-based school.
12.
Peter Ostrum, who played Charlie in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, is now a dairy veterinarian.
13.
Charlie Korsmo, who played Jackie in Hook, is a law professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
TriStar Pictures / Via Netflix
Then-president Barack Obama appointed him to the Board of Trustees for the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation in 2011.
14.
Mara Wilson, who played the titular character in Matilda, is now a writer.
Sony Pictures Releasing / Via youtube.com
She still occasionally does theater.
15.
Jerry Mathers, who played Beaver Cleaver on Leave It To Beaver, became a sergeant in the Air Force Reserve.
CBS / Via youtube.com
During the Vietnam War, he was mistakenly reported as killed in action, despite never being sent outside the US.
16.
Bridgit Mendler, who played Teddy Duncan on Good Luck Charlie, is pursuing a degree at Harvard Law School.
Disney / Via Disney+
She previously undertook a social media–focused graduate program at MIT.
17.
And Reed Alexander, who played Nevel Papperman on iCarly, is a financial news reporter.
Nickelodeon / Via Netflix
He also published a cookbook.
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