Former actors and actresses who decided to get a 9-5

As the late, great Marilyn Monroe said, “Hollywood’s a place where they’ll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss, and fifty cents for your soul.”

So needless to say a lifetime in the limelight isn’t for everyone.

Considering how many actors there are in the business, it’s safe to say that most of them end up in typical jobs eventually.

But in these 40 cases, bona fide celebrities decided to give it all up in favor of a regular job (which is probably a lot easier once you’ve made a couple of million dollars).

Do you remember all 40 of these famous people who left fame behind in favor of some normalcy?

1. Ali McGraw

After multiple film roles, a turn in the Academy Award-nominated “Love Story,” and some serious addiction issues McGraw said goodbye to Hollywood.

Now she lives in New Mexico where she occasionally does some narration work but is also a yoga instructor.

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2. Tiffany

Anyone over the age of 40 can probably still sing Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now” from memory.

While she still records music from time to time, she opened up a vintage clothing boutique in Nashville.

While it closed in 2015, she now runs an online shop.

@tiffany_tunes/Instagram Source: @tiffany_tunes/Instagram

3. Phoebe Cates

80s screen queen Phoebe Cates might still be married to an actor (Kevin Kline) but the Gremlins and Fast Times at Ridgemont High star made her money and got out.

She now owns her own store called Blue Tree on Madison Avenue in New York City.

@bluetreeny/Instagram Source: @bluetreeny/Instagram

4. Jeff Cohen

Cohen acted throughout the 80s and 90s and is probably best known for his role as Chunk in The Goonies.

He retired from acting in 1991, got his JD from the UCLA School of Law in 2000, and is now an entertainment lawyer in LA.

In 2002 he co-founded the firm Cohen & Gardner.

Wikimedia Commons & Instagram Source: Wikimedia Commons & Instagram

5. Peter Ostrum

Ostrum’s only film role was his iconic turn as Charlie in the movie Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory in 1971.

Taking the role at age 12, it appears he already had a good head on his shoulders and opted not to sign a longer contract.

Instead, he pursued his passion for helping animals and attended veterinary school at Cornell before becoming a large animal vet in Lowville, NY.

Twitter & Wikimedia Commons Source: Twitter & Wikimedia Commons

6. Josh Saviano

From 1988 to 1993, Saviano played Paul in the sitcom The Wonder Years.

While he did play a lawyer in a few episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, he now spends his time actually running his own law firm.

Wikimedia Commons Source: Wikimedia Commons

7. Angus T. Jones

The kid from Two and a Half Men started acting when he was just 5! While he also appeared in some films, he retired early after claiming he had been baptized as a Christian and now found acting unpalatable.

Now he works for Tonite, a multimedia company he started with Sean “P Diddy” Combs’ son Justin.

Wikimedia Commons & Instagram Source: Wikimedia Commons & Instagram

8. Geoffrey Owens

The Daily Mail really blew it in 2018 after they published a photo of The Cosby Show actor working at a Trader Joe’s.

The job-shaming was met with enormous backlash – especially since Owens was still acting, auditioning, teaching, and working as the artistic director of the Brooklyn Shakespeare Company (which he also founded).

He simply liked the flexible hours and the opportunity to earn extra cash between gigs – nothing wrong with that!

Pinterest Source: Pinterest

9. Erik Estrada

Estrada is best known for his role as Officer Frank Poncherello (AKA “Ponch”) in CHiPs. He went on to act in less visible roles after that (at least in America) but in 2009 he quit Hollywood altogether.

He became a deputy sheriff in Virginia and since 2016 has been a reserve motorcycle police officer (just like Ponch!) in Idaho.

Wikimedia Commons Source: Wikimedia Commons

10. Charlie Korsmo

The child star from What About Bob? and Can’t Hardly Wait decided to leave Hollywood for academia.

After earning his undergraduate degree in physics from MIT in 2000, he got his J.D. from Yale Law School and worked for the Environmental Protection agency.

Today, he’s a law professor at Case Western Reserve.

Charlie Korsmo from r/1998TeenMovie

11. Rick Moranis

After taking over two decades off from Hollywoood, it appears that Rick Moranis might be ready to return when filming starts again.

But after he starred in Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Parenthood and more, he retired and became a stay-at-home dad.

Rick Moranis is back and thriving. He is slated to appear in a new sequel to Honey, I Shrunk The Kids after a 23 year hiatus. from r/BeAmazed

12. Adrian Dantley

Ex-NBA star Adrian Dantley still has his millions, but when he left the NBA after both playing and coaching, he realized he could do whatever he wanted with his time – and it turns out that was keeping kids safe.

The last time the news caught up with him he was working as a crossing guard in Silver Spring, Maryland.

He liked the fact that he still got his summers off.

YouTube screenshot Source: YouTube screenshot

13. Taran Noah Smith

Smith just didn’t want to act any more after his years of playing the youngest child, Mark, on the sitcom Home Improvement.

So he retired from the limelight and founded his own company, Playfood, which made non-dairy cheese. He also opened a vegan restaurant of the same name.

Later, he took a job as a tech manager for Community Submersibles, a company that makes vehicles for deep-sea exploration.

Instagram Source: Instagram

14. Mara Wilson

At just 6 years old, Wilson got her first big break as Natalie in Mrs. Doubtfire. Then she went on to appear in Miracle on 34th Street, Matilda, and Thomas and the Magic Railroad before retiring in 2000.

Now, she’s a writer and podcaster, and her memoir Where Am I Now? was published in 2016.

Actress Mara wilson in 2020.The woman who played Matilda from u/099Santyx345

15. Shirley Temple

Ok, so that’s a bit of a blast from the past, but some people think the adorable, ringlet-laden, tap-dancing star of Curly Top, Heidi, and 41(!) other films never grew up.

But in fact she retired at age 22 and became a diplomat!

She was a delegate to the 24th UN General Assembly in 1969, the U.S, Ambassador to Ghana in 1974, the first female Chief of Protocol of the United States in 1976, as well as the ambassador to Czechoslovakia.

Instagram & Reddit Source: Instagram & Reddit

16. Kevin Jonas

Well, it might be fairer to say he dabbles in celebrity these days rather than that he’s left it all behind, but Kevin Jonas became a home builder and contractor after his band of brothers broke up in 2013.

The Jonas Brothers have recorded music since then however, and you can follow what he’s up to on his Instagram account here.

Instagram Source: Instagram

17. Dylan Sprouse

Dylan Sprouse and his brother Cole starred in the Disney Channel’s popular teen show The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.

Now he’s a hit in New York’s East Village where he owns and operates the brewery All-Wise Meadery (which is currently closed for the COVID-19 shut-down).

Instagram Source: Instagram

18. Jennie Garth

Most young girls who watched the original Beverly Hills 90210 know what it’s like to want to be Jennie Garth.

Well, despite the fact that she left acting, she’s still just as glam!

Now she’s an entrepreneuer and the owner of TheGiftBox subscription service and its offshoots (such as TheMomGiftBox).

She also worked with Dune Jewelry to create their Traveling Heart Collection in 2018.

Reddit Source: Reddit

19. MC Hammer

MC Hammer’s fall from fame and fortune was a hard one.

Even after making millions as one of the founders of pop-rap, he managed to spend through all of his money and declare bankruptcy back in the 90s.

While he still pops up on television or releases a tune from time to time, he is now a preacher.

Reddit & Instagram Source: Reddit & Instagram

20. Mike Vitar

Vitar played Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez in the 1993 film The Sandlot.

And while he had a few small acting roles after that, he left the stage and screen but stayed in LA to become a firefighter.

He was also arrested on a battery charge a few years back for attacking a man who was being accused of handing out drug-laced candy to children on Halloween. He didn’t contest the charge but served no jail time.

Reddit Source: Reddit

21. Danny Lloyd

After playing Danny Torrance in the 1980 Stanley Kubrick movie The Shining, Lloyd tested out a few different careers.

He tried his hand at pig farming and then became a biology professor at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.

Pinterest Source: Pinterest

22. Willa Ford

In 2001, Willa Ford’s hit song “I Wanna Be Bad” peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard charts, but her second single failed to make a splash.

While she dabbles in small roles, these days her full-time job is running WFord Interiors, an LA-based interior design firm.

Instagram Source: Instagram

23. Chris Owen

Once you play “the Sherminator” in American Pie you’re sort of typecast from there on out.

And while Owen has been spotted by fans working at restaurants, he did keep going to auditions and appeared in a 2016 film called All That Jam.

But it seems he’s now taken up photography professionally.

Instagram Source: Instagram

24. Freddie Prinze, Jr.

Neither Freddie Prinze Jr. – perhaps most famous for the movie I Know What You Did Last Summer, where he met his future wife – nor Sarah Michelle Gellar are acting anymore.

Prinze Jr. is now behind the camera as a producer for World Wrestling Entertainment (aka the WWE).

He’s also into gaming and cooking.

Instagram Source: Instagram

25. Andrew Shue

After he played Billy Campbell on the nighttime soap opera Melrose Place from 1992 to 1999, Shue attended Dartmouth College and got his BA in history.

Currently, Shue owns and operates the social networking site CafeMom.

Instagram Source: Instagram

26. Mark Feehily

Mark Feehily of the Irish pop sensation Westlife helped sell over 40 million records worldwide.

At one point, he used that money to open a coffee and crepe van, which served customers at festivals – and he was spotted behind the counter.

But apparently the crepe life was not all it was cracked up to be, because did make a comeback – first as a solo artist and then reuniting with Westlife.

27. Sarah Michelle Gellar

While she doesn’t look all that different 20 years later, the former vampire slayer and star of Cruel Intentions has apparently decided to give up acting.

In 2015, she co-founded the baking kit company FoodStirs and has even released her own cookbook.

Instagram Source: Instagram

28. Amanda Bynes

After a rough couple of years following her stint as a child star on All That and her very own series The Amanda Show, Bynes’ Hollywood career seemed to come to an end due to some mental health issues, including drug addiction.

Not content to be tabloid fodder, she got the help she needed and the last we heard she had just graduated from Los Angeles’ Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in the hopes of becoming a designer.

Instagram Source: Instagram

29. Jack Gleeson

If you play one iconic role it’s hard for people to see you in anything else.

Gleeson decided not to take the chance after playing the truly evil Joffrey in Game of Thrones from 2011 until 2014. He retired right after his character was killed off and attended Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.

Now he owns his own theater company called Collapsing Horse, which is based in Dublin – but the rumor is he is going to star in a sitcom sometime soon.

Instagram Source: Instagram

30. Al Green

Al Green has had a side job for over 40 years.

The “Let’s Stay Together” singer is the pastor at the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church in Memphis, Tennesee – and as you might imagine people visiting the area make a special stop to hear him on Sundays.

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31. Lisa Whelchel

Lisa Whelchel starred as Blair Warner on The Facts of Life from 1979 to 1988.

After that, she got married and became a stay-at-home mom.

Since then, however, she’s written over 10 books and become a speaker and life coach.

She still takes a few acting roles (and has gone the reality TV route), but it appears she now spends much of her time running her organization, MomTime Ministries.

Instagram Source: Instagram

32. Macaulay Culkin

As one of the most successful child actors, Macaulay Culkin got tons of scrutiny.

He starred in the Home Alone series, My Girl, then played the “bad guy” in The Good Son.

He continued to act and has never really been out of the spotlight, but he’s no longer acting as a full-time job.

Instead, owns and operates the satirical website Bunny Ears.

Instagram Source: Instagram

33. Vanilla Ice

The man behind the ’90s hit “Ice Ice Baby” failed to keep up the success with any of his subsequent songs or albums.

While he’s languishing in reality TV limbo on a number of different shows, the majority of his success these days seems to come from his DIY house-flipping investments.

Instagram Source: Instagram

34. Barret Oliver

Remember Bastian from The NeverEnding Story?

We always wondered where he ended up.

It turns out you can find him behind the camera these days teaching photography. He also authored a book called A History of the Woodburytype.

35. Jeffrey Allen “Skunk” Baxter

Maybe his name doesn’t sound familiar but you’ve no doubt heard the music of the guitarist who played in both Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers.

Imagine our surprise to learn in a 2005 Wall Street Journal article that he’s now a defense consultant for the US Department of Defense and other entities.

Wikimedia Commons Source: Wikimedia Commons

36. Lisa and Louise Burns

Lisa and Louise Burns are the Grady twins from the movie The Shining.

Despite being pop culture icons, they said they were “shunned” from Hollywood and never acted again.

Lisa is now a lawyer while Louise is a research scientists.

They do still attend horror conventions, however.

Twitter Source: Twitter

37. Danielle Fishel

Topanga from Boy Meets World and the Disney reboot Girl Meets World is no longer acting full-time.

Now Fishel works as a reporter for the PopSugar website as well as its YouTube channel.

Instagram Source: Instagram

38. Crystal McKellar

Danica wasn’t the only McKellar sister on the television series The Wonder Years.

Both sisters auditioned for the role of Winnie, but Crystal ended up playing Becky Slater instead.

Just like her sister, Becky prioritized her education. She went on to study at Yale and Oxford, and then earned a JD at Harvard, after which she became a lawyer.

Instagram & Yale.edu Source: Instagram & Yale.edu

39. Gene Hackman

After a long acting career, Gene Hackman is now a successful author.

We don’t know how many more books he plans to write now that he’s in his 90s, but he managed to accumulate quite an oeuvre since his first book was published in 1999.

Instagram Source: Instagram

40. Jon Gosselin

Calling Gosselin a celebrity is kind of pushing it, but once he got a taste of the limelight, he was loathe to leave it behind.

After the Jon & Kate Plus 8 star divorced, he tried his hand at being a celebrity outside of reality TV, but appears to be making ends meet doing some more conventional work.

He’s done everything from work in the kitchen at TGI Fridays to becoming a disc jockey.

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Source: The Whisp, Investing.com

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