Former Celebrities Who Now Work Normal Jobs

Sometimes the lives of the rich and famous are not as glamorous as they are made out to look. That is why many choose to live a life away from the public eye, such as these former stars who decided to leave the world of Hollywood in favor of different career.

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 Harvard.

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. Though he has mostly worked on Christian documentaries lately, he also appeared in 2017’s Extraordinary.

No one could have played the role better than Nikki Blonsky when she played Tracy Turnblad in the 2007 hit Hairspray. However, Blonsky failed to secure herself any roles after her success in the box office hit and retired to her home state in New York to begin a career elsewhere. During a dry spell between acting jobs in 2011, Blonsky was caught working at a hair salon in LA, however, she quickly bounced back. She’s even set to star in Ghost in the Graveyard.

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 pretty much called time on his acting days in recent years. Nowadays, he enjoys nothing more than quiet life on his 60-acre Californian ranch, where he manages his own avocado farm. Despite his farm work, Selleck has continued to be a regular on TV.

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.

Chris Owen got his big break from starring in the box-office hit, American Pie. However, while he had a great role in such a successful film, it seems his success was short-lived when it came to working in Hollywood. Having stemmed away from the acting scene and attempting to find more big roles, Owen worked as a waiter at a sushi restaurant for a time, but since 2015, Owens has been acting consistently once again.

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.

He once starred in the popular films, Taxi and Who’s the Boss, but Danza steered towards a different career path after a couple of acting stints. Danza spent a year teaching students English in Northeast High School in Philadelphia. He also released a book in 2012 but in 2017 Netflix announced that he would be returning to acting in a new series called The Good Cop.

Macaulay Culkin has been in and out of the spotlight for years, especially due to his drastic transformation from an adorable kid on “Home Alone” to a raggedy-looking adult. Although Culkin took a huge break from acting, he has since written an autobiographical book called “Junior”, published in 2006, and co-founded a pizza place in New York in 2013. Culkin has been in a high profile relationship with Mila Kunis between 2002 and 2011. His relationship with Michael Jackson is still covered in the news regularly.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. Holmes currently lives in Los Angeles and is working at Starbucks while also hoping to complete a degree in political sciences.

At just seven years old, Shirley Temple was awarded a special juvenile Oscar for her contribution to the 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.

She was the much adored Buffy the Vampire Slayer during the 90’s, but after staking the hearts of her enemies, Sarah Michelle Gellar set her sights elsewhere. The former actress turned to the startup life and, similarly to her husband who wrote a cooking book, she moved from acting to focus on food. In 2015, Sarah co-founded the baking kit company called FoodStirs. Despite her passion for the kitchen, Gellar has also managed to maintain her acting career, even while raising children and writing a cookbook.

He was the heartthrob on Melrose Place for seven years during the 90’s, 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.

She had a wardrobe we all envied and lived the glam life in a Bel Air mansion, but that was just during the 90’s when playing the pretty blonde Cher on Clueless. Since the 90’s, however, Silverstone chose to use her famous platform to do something good and make a difference. She wanted to change the world and make things better, so focused her sights on doing so. At the same time, she’s managed to maintain her acting career.

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 is now setting her sights on fashion and has since put a halt to her acting career. She is now spending her time focusing on her education and has enrolled in California’s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.

Considering the hype around the next royal wedding on the internet, there is NO chance that you haven’t heard about Meghan Markle getting engaged to the love of her life, Prince Harry! The two lovebirds embarked upon their relationship approximately a year ago, and just recently announced that they will be married in the spring of 2018. Furthermore, now that Meghan will be joining the royal family, she has officially ended her contract on hit lawyer series “Suits”, and chances are, she will not be coming back to show business due to her new status.

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.

He was known for being a child actor having starred as 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 in Law & Order in 2016.

She was a hit during the 80’s and a well-known Hollywood actress starring in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. However, Cates decided to slow things down during the 90’s 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.

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. Korsmo returned to film this year.

Frankie Muniz is a more recognizable face in Hollywood, having starred in the hit series, Malcolm in the Middle, as well as numerous films throughout his career. However, Muniz, who began his acting career from a young age, made a big change at the age of 23 and needed a break from acting. Having been nominated for an Emmy and Golden Globe Award during his career, Muniz decided to pursue his other passion – racing cars. Even so, Frankie has managed to transition into an adult acting career.

Dylan Sprouse rose to critical acclaim alongside his brother, Cole, after the duo starred in Big Daddy, Friends, and their own TV show, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody on The Disney Channel. However, the twins have gone from being child stars to adults, and Dylan has set his sights away from the entertainment world. In fact, Dylan turned to become a brewmaster and he and his partners own a meadery and bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He returned to the screen in 2017.

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. He is also still acting.

He is best known for topping the charts with his single, “Ice Ice Baby,” but a lot has changed for Vanilla Ice since 1990. The singer went on to face some personal issues, before choosing to move from a career as a singer to one as someone who flipped houses for a living. The Vanilla Ice Project aired in 2009 and the reality show filmed Vanilla Ice renovating homes. He followed this by publishing a real estate guide on how to successfully flip houses.

After rising to fame as an actor in films such as Bonnie and Clyde, The French Connection, and Unforgiven, Academy Award-winner, Gene Hackman, decided life in front of the camera was no longer for him. After an extremely successful career, Hackman announced that he was retiring in 2004, but he did not stop working altogether. Rather, he went on to become a writer and Gene has excelled in this new field. He has written three historical novels alongside Daniel Lenihan.

Geena Davis may be known as being an actress in the entertainment world, but she turned her focus to working on the presence of female characters in the media. The Thelma & Louise actress took a back seat from acting and founded the Geena Davis Institute of Gender in Media. Social activism, therefore, became her primary focus, but she did not retire from acting altogether. After all, she is a female in the media and appeared on Grey’s Anatomy in 2014 and The Exorcist in 2016.

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 Jonas Brothers used to sell out tours around the world and were a truly talented group of brothers. While they endured hit singles during their pop career, the brothers decided to part ways and ended the band. The other Jonas brothers may still be making music, but Kevin decided to start a career elsewhere. Jonas launched the app called Yoop following the break-up from the group, which is an app that gives restaurant recommendations based on your area.

Jonah Hill rose to fame after landing his first leading role in Judd Apatow’s Superbad. Since then, Hill has been widely known for starring in many comedic films, and even co-produced several movies. He received Oscar nominations for his supporting work in Moneyball and The Wolf of Wall Street. However, since then, we have not seen or heard much from the comedy star. In recent years, Hill has played very trivial roles and voice roles. But that is expected to change (and we hope it will) with his upcoming Netflix series Maniac.

Ethan Hawke was once one of the most famous stars in Hollywood. The actor rose to fame as a teenager in the late ’80s for his unforgettable role in the film drama Dead Poets Society. He later starred in the iconic movie Reality Bites in 1994, and went on to star in the sci-fi thriller Gattaca with Uma Thurman in 1996. Since retiring from acting in the mid-2000s, Ethan Hawke has been focused on writing 3 novels and 4 screenplays, instead of being in the spotlight.

Alfonso Ribeiro, better known to everyone around the world as the dancing Carlton from “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”, used to be an actor. After the series ended in 1996, Ribeiro went on to star numerous reality shows, including Celebrity Duets in 200. Later on, Ribeiro hosted “Catch 21” and took part in the 19th season of “Dancing with the Stars”.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen quickly became fan favorites when they rose to fame for their role as Michelle Tanner on the sitcom Full House. Since starring on the show, they established their brand and climbed up the ranks as one of Hollywood’s most famous duos, becoming millionaires at the mere age of 10. The Olsens even have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. However, the stunning twins retired from acting to focus on their fashion labels, Elizabeth & James and The Row.

Freddie Prinze Jr. was a true heartthrob during the 90’s, and girls were falling in love with the star after his roles in She’s All That and I Know What You Did Last Summer. After marrying fellow actress Sarah Michelle Geller, and keeping quite a private life, Freddie Prince Jr. began doing more voice acting, which has led to roles in Star Wars Rebels.  He even released his own cookbook called, “Back To The Kitchen.”

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.

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.

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.

Grace Kelly really did have the fairytale story. Having once been a shining star in Hollywood, she later became a shining princess, donning all the royal accessories after marrying the Prince of Monaco. Since she married into the royal family and becoming the Princess of Monaco, it meant her Hollywood days were over. But this isn’t such a bad compromise, since most actresses only get to play a princess on the big screen, but do not actually end up becoming one in real life.

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 80’s, and Moran admitted she suffered from depression and failed to secure acting gigs. She sadly died in April 2017.

Jennifer Love Hewitt started off her acting career as part a child actress on Disney’s “Kids Incorporated”, which aired between 1989 and 1991. Hewitt received her breakthrough role on “Party of Five” in 1995, where she played Sarah Reeves Merrin for four years. Between 2005 and 2010, Hewitt starred as Melinda Gordon on CBS’s “Ghost Whisperer”, however, since then, she has decided to step away from the spotlight and focus on her new family and daughter, Autumn, born in 2013.

As you probably know, Lisa Kudrow is best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay on one of the most notable sitcoms of all time, “Friends”, which ran for a decade. Kudrow has received numerous nominations for that role, including six Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Since “Friends”, Kudrow mostly took on minor roles in films like “Easy A” and “Happy Endings”. However, Kudrow has mostly focused on raising her son, Julian. She married her husband, advertising executive Michael Stern, in 1995.

Seagal made his face known on the big screen with his roles in hits such as Under Siege and, while he may also be a martial arts specialist, he has set his sights elsewhere. It was reported that Seagal was sworn in as a Dona Ana County deputy in New Mexico and is considered a reserve officer. However, this title means Seagal can only carry out police work if a commissioned peace officer accompanies him. He has recently written an action novel and still appears in the productions from time to time.

Jim Carrey is known to be everyone’s favorite “funny guy” on television, but more recently, Carrey has really shifted his career. In the last few years, Jim Carrey has opened up on battling depression, finding his “zen” and understanding the difference between mind, body and soul. Aside from his personal life, Carrey is now more focused on directing documentaries and less focused on your typical family comedies. Despite that, he’s been starring in Kidding this past year.