Former Celebrities Who Now Work Normal Jobs

Gene Hackman broke onto the scene in 1967 with Bonnie and Clyde and went on to star in many films, but his final role was in 2004. That year, Hackman appeared on Larry King and announced that he had no acting projects coming up. He went on to write three successful novels.

Sean Connery is known to be the first actor to play James Bond in a movie and starring in 7 Bond films between 1962 and 1983. In the late 80s, Connery was voted the most attractive man alive by People magazine, and in 2000, Elizabeth II knighted the actor for his services to Film Drama. In 2007, Connery confirmed his retirement when asked whether he would appear in the fourth “Indiana Jones” film. He answered, “retirement is just too much damned fun.”

Moran got her breakthrough acting role when she was cast in the hit series Happy Days. Moran was 13-years-old at the time and she starred on the show for eight years. She went on to star on the spin-off series, Joanie Loves Chachi, but after only one year on the air, she returned to Happy Days for its final season. She was hardly seen after the ’80s, and Moran admitted she suffered from depression and failed to secure acting gigs. She sadly died in April 2017.

He was famous for playing Mike Seaver in Growing Pains, but over time Kirk Cameron lost his focus for acting. Rather, he turned his attention to becoming a full-time author, as well as a religious activist. It was during his time on Growing Pains that he became a born-again Christian and insisted some of the scripts be changed if he did not see them as appropriate. He has mostly worked on Christian documentaries lately.

He was known for being a child actor having starred as the bespectacled Paul Joshua Pfeiffer in The Wonder Years during the 80’s. However, this was one of Josh’s very few roles in film and television, and he was not to stay in the acting world much longer following the end of The Wonder Years. His last television appearance was in 1989, and he went on to major in political science at Yale University. He ended up being a corporate lawyer, though he appeared as a guest in Law & Order in 2016.

Although he never won an Academy Award for his time as an actor, Cary Grant is one of the biggest stars from ‘Classic Hollywood.’Born in England, Grant became a star as the leading man in romantic and screwball comedies in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. At age 62, Grant decided to step away from the cameras and focus on raising his daughter Jennifer. In addition, he took on a board seat at Fabergé, regularly attending meetings and supporting international efforts.

As one of the founding members of rock band Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett performed with the band for barely four years before leaving in 1968. After a battle with mental illness, Barrett continued to perform as a solo artist. However, by 1978, he was out of money and decided to return home to Cambridge to live with his mother. While living in Cambridge, he began focusing on painting abstract canvases – a skill he studied at Camberwell College of Arts in 1964 – as well as gardening. Sadly, he passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2006.

He may have been the young boy from The Shining, but you could have been a student being taught biology by that same person. Having grown much into his adult years, Danny Lloyd is now a biology professor in Kentucky rather than a celebrity walking down the red carpet. He retired from acting two years after The Shining release, at which time he was only eight-years-old. Apparently when he was filming for The Shining he had no idea he was starring in a horror film.

Most people will still be familiar with MC Hammer, although he was at the height of his career during the 80s and 90s. With all the success during his musical career, MC Hammer struggled to manage his finances properly and ended up filing for bankruptcy. Fortunately, he was able to work it all out, as he now officiates weddings, lectures at Ivy League Schools, and is working on developing iPad Apps. This year he’s also embarking on a 90s nostalgia tour.

Jeff Cohen was one of the child stars in the film The Goonies, but the child actor did not choose to pursue acting in his adult life. Rather, Cohen moved to pursue a professional career elsewhere and left Hollywood to become a lawyer in his older years. He had attended the University of California, Berkeley, and later went onto becoming an entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles. He also founded his own law firm, Cohen & Gardner, in 2002 and writes for The Huffington Post.

Gary Coleman was a household name during the 70s and 80s after starring in the hit show Diff’rent Strokes. He was the funny child actor that won the hearts of millions, but it seems his fortune was not to last as the years went on. Although he was seen as one of the most promising stars of the time, Coleman struggled financially. Before Coleman sadly passed away in 2010, he was not working as an actor in Hollywood but took on a career as a security guard.

Another former Hollywood star who went on to teach rather than continue a career in Hollywood is Carrie Henn. Henn starred alongside Sigourney Weaver in Alien when she was 10-years-old, but said she would not return to acting after. She only ended up having a short-lived acting career and lived a Hollywood-free existence. Although she stood out in the role as the young girl in the film, her career turned to teaching in her adult life, and she now works in a school in Atwater, California.

Doris Day was in her prime during the 60’s and 70’s, becoming one of the biggest stars of that time. With such an iconic presence in Hollywood, her name could never be forgotten. However, she removed herself from Hollywood and further acting gigs after facing personal issues of her own. While she stepped out of the limelight to focus mostly on her family life, she also focused her sights on helping injured animals back to good health.

Saved by the Bell was a 90′ hit, and the cast members were definitely household names with their audience during this time. However, following their success during the 90’s, some were not to be seen again and pursued a career elsewhere. While Lark enjoyed her time in Hollywood, she chose to leave her original passion for acting and set her sights on a different career. Since choosing to leave Hollywood, Lark has become an accomplished author and has stayed away from acting.

He stole our hearts as a child actor when he starred in The Never Ending Story, but Barret Oliver did not continue his career in Hollywood during his adult years. After his last role in 1989, he decided that acting was not for him and that he preferred being on the other side of the camera. He now works in print and photography, and he has proven successful in this field. His work has been displayed in museums and gallery exhibitions.

The Canadian actor is well-known for appearing in Hollywood films such as Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. In 1991, Rick’s wife sadly passed away, and Moranis decided to retire from acting completely in 1997 so he could focus on raising his two children. While working as an actor, Rick had to do a lot of traveling, which he admits made movies was too difficult to commit to while raising children. However, he’s returned to voice acting in the past decade.

At just seven years old, Shirley Temple was awarded a special juvenile Oscar for her contribution to film in the year of 1935. However, even being regarded as one of the most famous child actors, it seems that acting was not enough for Temple, and the appeal was lost by the time she was 22. In the late 60’s she was back in the spotlight, but for different reasons. She became a politician and diplomat, as well as the US ambassador to Czechoslovakia in 1989.

He was the heartthrob on Melrose Place for seven years during the ’90s, but following his success on the series, he became one of the world’s most famous mommy bloggers. The former actor exchanged scripts for content, and Shue co-founded CaféMom alongside his childhood best friend, Michael Sanchez. CaféMom is a social networking site that focuses on the interests of women and the site delivers parenting content and is a platform for help, advice, and recommendations.

Amanda Bynes was the successful child star that has a huge repertoire of films and television series to add to her resume. However, after a few legal battles and personal struggles, Bynes disappeared from the limelight. The former She’s The Man actress has set her sights on fashion and has put a halt to her acting career while focusing on her education and mental health. She graduated from California’s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising earlier this year, and plans to kickstart her acting career to use it to branch out into fashion.

He starred as the funny kid on Two and a Half Men and even continued his starring role in the show into his teen years. However, as he grew into his older years and starred on the show for a total of ten years, it seems that Jones had a change of heart for acting and for the show he was so well-known for. Rather, Jones decided to become a member of the Seventh-day Adventists Church, and has since joined the management team for an event production called Tonite.

He was on one of the biggest shows of the moment, but after he played King Joffrey on Game of Thrones for three years, Jack Gleeson decided to quit acting. As one of the most hated characters on TV, fans rejoiced when Gleeson was killed off from the series. At the same time, Gleeson decided to kill his acting career after saying he no longer enjoyed it like he used to. Rather, Gleeson chose to go and study philosophy and theology at college.

It seems that Sullivan followed suit with his former co-star Frankie Muniz and chose to leave Hollywood after his stint in Malcolm in the Middle. Having decided that Hollywood wasn’t his thing, Sullivan went to study at the University of Southern California. After finishing his time on Malcolm in the Middle at age 14, his last role on screen was in 2006, and he has not made any television appearances since he decided to focus his attention on his studies.

She starred alongside Will Smith on the hit series, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, playing cousin Hilary. Having starred on such a successful show during the 90’s, and had a few more acting stints for the years that followed, Parsons chose to turn her back on acting and focus on another passion of hers. Rather than starring in front of the camera, Parsons founded her own company. The company, called Sweet Blackberry, funds animated films about unsung black heroes.

Charlie Korsmo will probably be best remembered for his role as Jack in Steven Spielberg’s take on Peter Pan – Hook. Getting the chance to star alongside Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman must have been a dream come true. However, he ultimately decided that acting wasn’t for him and enrolled at MIT before moving on to Yale Law School. Korsmo is now a qualified lawyer and a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Probably best known for starring alongside Molly Ringwald in the classic ’80s movie Sixteen Candles, Michael Schoeffling was the man who played the hunkish Jake Ryan. After a few years in the game, he quit acting altogether in 1991 due to the lack of opportunities. Moreover, Schoeffling was growing a family and had many mouths to feed. He needed money quickly, otherwise, things could’ve proved to have been very difficult. Since then, he has been the owner of a woodworking shop, creating his own furniture.

Mike Vitar had a handful of notable roles during the 90s, appearing in movies such as The Sandlot, as well as the two sequels to the hit movie The Mighty Ducks.At the turn of century, Vitar tried his luck as a firefighter and has been a member of the Los Angeles Fire Department since 2002. The former actor ran into legal trouble in 2015, when he and a bunch of firefighters were charged with misdemeanor battery after assaulting someone. He didn’t contest the charges.

Canadian actor, Hayden Christensen, became a household name after he starred in Life as a House in 2001, and won international fame after appearing as Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise. While Star Wars certainly gave Christensen the platform to pave his way in the entertainment world, the actor chose to buy a farm with some of his earnings. He worked on his own farm before starting his own clothing company and launching a production company.

Mara Wilson will be best recognized for her roles in the ’90s hits Mrs. Doubtfire and Matilda, but the child star is now all grown up. Mara found it difficult to win acting roles as she grew out of her “cute” phrase following the box-office hits, and decided to pursue other interests of hers. These days, Mara has been finding sporadic work as an actress, while spending most of her focus on her new profession as a writer.

The man behind one of the most iconic one hit wonders of all time is undoubtedly Vanilla Ice. Winning numerous awards for his hit single “Ice Ice Baby,” the man born as Robert Van Winkle has traded in his rap skills for real estate endeavors. In 2009, Ice started a reality show called The Vanilla Ice Project, which focuses on home renovation. Every single episode deals with a different house. He even had a book published that teaches how to be successful in real estate. Finally, it seems his time in the spotlight has ended.

Richard Corey Harrison, mostly known as “Big Hoss”, is an American television personality you’ll probably recognize from Pawn Stars. Hoss underwent a massive weight transformation between 2010 and 2011, where his weight went from 365lb to 250 lb. Most recently, Harrison divorced his wife in 2015 and announced his second marriage to Kiki Harrison in July 2017. Since 2016, Harrison has remained out of the spotlight, which may be because after asking his father and grandfather for a 10% partnership in their store he was only given 5%.

In the 70s and 80s, Swedish pop group ABBA was one of the biggest bands in the world. After the band’s breakup and her subsequent solo career, singer Agnetha Falskog stepped away from the music industry for a while — until 2004! In her time off, she bought an isolated country house in Sweden to focus on the things that meant most to her. Falskog spent her time in Ekero studying astrology, doing yoga, and riding horses. She claims that she did not sing at all for a 13-year stretch, after which, she returned to music.

He played the young Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but this was to be Ostrum’s first and last role in Hollywood. While his younger face may be recognized by millions who have watched the film and envied the character which he played, Hollywood was not the path Ostrum continued to follow. His focus turned to animals, and he now resides in New York state, where he works as a vet specializing in large animals.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas voiced the role of Simba in The Lion King and played Randy Taylor on ABC’s sitcom, Home Improvement during the 90’s. After a successful seven years on the show, starring alongside Tim Allen, he decided to leave the show in 1998. Thomas decided to leave the show, as well as Hollywood altogether at this time so he could focus on his studies. With all his work and efforts, Jonathan went on to earn himself a degree at Columbia, after another stint at Harvard.

It is not easy to step away from Hollywood in your prime, but that’s exactly what Greta Garbo did. The thrice Academy Award-nominated actress started her career in silent films before making her speaking debut in Anna Christie in 1930. After a spell as “box office poison,” she revived her career only to retire at age 35. Garbo enjoyed a life of leisure in retirement, and became a frequent vacationer. In addition to jet-setting, Garbo started a massive art collection worth millions by her death.

She was the cute little girl in The Little Rascals, and while that cast made an iconic movie, it seems that there was not much more in the acting world for Brittany following the end of production. Having retired from acting in 1996, just two years after playing Darla in The Little Rascals, Holmes’ acting career was short-lived. As of 2016, Holmes was living in Los Angeles, working at Starbucks, and studying in the hopes of completing a degree in political sciences.

She was a hit during the ’80s and a well-known Hollywood actress starring in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. However, Cates decided to slow things down during the ’90s and took a break from Hollywood altogether. During this time, she focused her time on her family and also decided to pursue other work too. Cates turned her focus to charity and does a lot of charity work, as well as raise awareness for Juvenile Diabetes.

Arguably the most iconic custodian of a mustache in the history of pop culture, Tom Selleck is undoubtedly a TV superstar. Winning numerous awards and making an absolute fortune from his time on the hit show Magnum P.I., Selleck has taken it easy and spends much more time keeping busy at home, with rare exceptions, like acting in Blue Bloods. Nowadays, he enjoys nothing more than quiet life on his 60-acre Californian ranch, where he manages his own avocado farm.