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“Works As A Nurse Now”: 38 Stars Who Left Hollywood And Entered More Traditional Fields
The grass is always greener on the other side. If you grew up idolizing the stars that played your favorite characters on TV, you might have assumed that their real lives were absolutely perfect. They’re rich, famous, and everyone loves them; it sounds like an absolute dream!
But in reality, being in the spotlight can be exhausting, and it certainly isn’t for everyone. That’s why some celebrities decide that they’d rather pursue traditional careers than be on the covers of magazines. Redditors have been discussing actors that either lost their careers in Hollywood or intentionally gave them up to follow their passions, so we’ve gathered their most fascinating replies below. Enjoy reading through this list, and be sure to upvote the answers that make you appreciate your own job a bit more!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Rick Moranis didn't 'lose' his career per se but when his wife died he stepped away from acting and focused on raising his children.
MalayDragon 5 months ago
He is Reprising his role as Dark Helmet in the upcoming Spaceballs 2, https://screenrant.com/spaceballs-2-sequel-explained/
RELATED:
#2
Mara Wilson (star of Matilda) retired from acting and became an online writer.
bomboclawt75:
She is also the cousin of Ben Shapiro- who she hates for his views.
Good for her!
#3
Linda Blair (The exorcist) runs animal rescue foundations in California.
#4
Chunk from The Goonies is the attorney for Key Huey Quan and was the first person to call him after he won the Academy Award.
AerHolder:
Chunk was student body president when I was at UC Berkeley. He ran on the slogan "Vote For Chunk!" and won in a landslide.
#5
Winnie from the 'Wonder Years' went in to become a successful mathematician. I think she’s a professor.
Giraffe Sitter 5 months ago
She’s awesome - she writes books to help girls get interested in math and science.
#6
Robert Maschio, the guy who played The Todd in Scrubs, is a realtor in Santa Monica.
He also does cameo and I got him to make a video for my brother's 30th as the Todd.
Just a great dude.
#7
That guy from *Hercules in New York* went into politics for a while. I heard he's back and trying to make a go of it in acting again.
Tiny Dancer 5 months ago
I never thought I'd say this, hated all his "pump you up" macho nonsense back in the day, but I dig Arnold. Proof that your politics don't have to form who you are as a person. If you want a great morning read with a bit of a kick-in-the-pants motivation (IF you need it, no pressure, that's why I like it so much), check out his free daily newsletter.
#8
Peter Ostrum is a veterinarian now, he was Charlie Bucket opposite Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka.
Not sure if it counts as "lost his acting career", but isn't acting anymore.
#9
Amanda Bynes is a nail tech.
mr_panzer:
She comes into my restaurant every once in a while. Reserved, but surrounded by the most flamboyant gaggle of gays I've ever seen.
#10
Mike Vitar from The Sandlot and The Mighty Ducks is a Firefighter now in LA.
#11
I don't know if he was famous, per se, but Omri Katz (Hocus Pocus) became a hair stylist.
jfreebs:
He's a legend in my house. Hocus Pocus is my wife and daughters favorite movie. We even went by his house from the movie in Salem this summer.
#12
Not a "star", but the boy, Tom T. Tran, that played opposite Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam is a Manager at my company. Based on his IMDB page he's had a few acting gigs in the last 10 years.
#13
This one can be technically be mentioned here. Leslie Hamilton, Linda Hamilton's identical twin sister, starred with her in all the scenes in Terminator 2 where they needed a double. She was a professional nurse before passing away in 2020.
#14
Ashley Judd went to Harvard and was one of the leaders of the #MeToo movement.
#15
Bridget Fonda married Danny Elfman in 2003 and has since retired from acting.
PeepPeep the duck 5 months ago
I didn’t know 😂 what a cool couple. And lucky lady bagging him, he’s a genius
#16
Eliza Dushku is a therapist.
Several child/teen actors from the 80s are attorneys: the daughter in my 2 dads, Chunk from the Goonies, the best friend from the Wonder Years, the little boy from Hook.
#17
Bridgit Mendler got a degree at MIT, a JD at Harvard and is now CEO of a space telecommunications startup.
taywil8:
Charlie Korsmo is right up there with her. Physics degree from MIT and a JD from Yale. Worked for Sullivan and Cromwell who is a huge NYC law firm. Also worked for the GOP in the House of Reps and the was a lawyer for the EPA. Got nominated by Obama to the board of trustees for a major scholarship program.
Funny thing is in Can’t Hardly Wait he played the nerdy guy in the movie and his “where are they now” at the end talked about how he went to MIT after high school and became majorly successful and wealthy. He was attending MIT when he shot that movie.
#18
Gary Coleman was working as a security guard before he died.
Jrog 5 months ago
When he grew up he failed to adapt, made an infinite string of bad casting and investments choices and had severe health issues from the same illness that gave him his unique physique. But most of all, he was surrounded by a*****e pricks -including his wife- that exploited him for financial gains leading him to bankruptcy; she was physically a*****e, violent and manipulative for their whole relationship; despite having been divorced for years, she was the one that authorized -in dubious circumstances- the disconnection of life support against medical advice. She went as far as canceling the funeral wake over a dispute for the estate partition.
#20
Peter Weller (robocop, buckaroo bonzai) became a professor. I remember he taught a cool class on how the zero was such a radical invention for the Greeks it twisted their minds and made them navel gaze so much it made them weaker for conquest.
#21
Charlie Korsmo, the little kid from Hook and the nerdy guy from Can't Hardly Wait became a lawyer and professor.
#22
Jennifer Stone (Harper/ Selena Gomez's best friend from wizards of Waverly place) works as a nurse in a emergency room now. It is kind of a stretch because she didn't really lose her career. She just decided that she didn't want to act for the rest of her life and went into her real passion of nursing.
PeepPeep the duck 5 months ago
She must be a special person, I couldn’t imagine being a nurse, all the work and patients and caring and blood. Them and mothers have crazy draining jobs
#23
Fred Grandy played Gopher on "The Love Boat". He became a US congressman.
Al Franken from "SNL" became a senator.
Mel in Georgia 5 months ago
Al Franken made some poor choices, but compared to the Groper in Chief, he was unfairly railroaded out of office. We could use him in the Senate these days.
#24
Kevyn Major Howard (who just passed away a few days ago) was known for Deathwish 2, Sudden Impact and especially for Rafterman in Full Metal Jacket. He stopped acting around 1999 and became a headshot photographer. A BBC show described him as the King of the Hollywood headshot.
Also, Michael Schoeffling (Jake Ryan in Sixteen Candles) quit acting in the early 90s and opened a woodworking shop where he builds handcrafted furniture.
#25
Carrie Henn, Newt from Aliens, is a teacher.
#26
Phoebe Cates has a boutique.
Doesn't Nikki Blonsky do cosmetology?
Gene Hackman retired from acting and is now quite the accomplished writer.
#27
The actor Michael Schoeffling, who played the character Jake from 16 Candles (not super famous, but was well known) went on to have a normal life as a carpenter, I think.
Fat Harry (Oi / You) 5 months ago
The opposite to Harrison Ford, who started as a carpenter before being asked to read lines while working at (I think) George Lucas's house and ending up as an actor.
#28
The husband of the oldest daughter on the Cosby show works at Trader Joe’s now. There was a ton of pics of it. Poor dude just wanted to earn a normal living.
JayWantsACat 5 months ago
I was so happy to see his cameo, and then the shoe bringing him back multiple times.
#29
Probably not a big deal now but if you watched Nickelodeon in the 90's you've watched The Adventures of Pete and Pete. Allison Fanelli played Ellen. A lot of other people on the show continued acting but she decided not to. Went on to become a physician's assistant.
How weird would it be to go the doctor and end up interacting with Big Pete's best friend?
#30
I don't think she lost her career but the woman who played the doctor in Saw 3 is now a real estate agent.
#31
Jeanette Goldstein (Aliens, Terminator 2) , owns a chain of stores that sells bras.
#32
Sports is full of these kinds of stories:
-Michael Vick.
He JUST signed that franchise deal then went to federal prison for dog Fighting. He had to work construction at $10/hr while on parole
-Ryan Leaf
No. 2 overall pick in the draft, was the biggest bust in sports history for a while (until JaMarcus Russell came along), fell into pain killer a*******n and began stealing. Caught multiple felonies in his active a*******n and served prison time
-OJ Simpson
NOT for the double murder trial, he still had a life after that. But after that, he was busted for robbery and kidnapping charges in Nevada and did like 9 years in prison. Heisman Trophy, HOF, got away with murder, and still goes to prison
-MARION JONES
From OsteenLawFrirm.com: "Marion Jones was labeled the fastest woman in the World at one point in her life while she made over $7 million dollars every year. She lost everything, including all her gold medals, thanks to steroids, check counterfeiting, check forging, committing perjury to the IRS, money laundering and more illegal d***s.'.
#33
The actress who played Rachel McGuire on Boy Meets World now does educational/how-to videos and documentaries.
#34
Armie Hammer is a waiter in a cruise i think.
#35
Larry Zerner.
If you're a fan of *Friday the 13th*, you'll know him as Shelly from part three, the original owner of Jason's iconic hockey mask. He doesn't act anymore, but he will do small appearances in films like *Knights of Badassdom* and reprised his role as Shelly as a DLC character in *Friday the 13th: The Game*.
But his actual job since 1987 is an entertainment lawyer.
In 2005, Larry represented Jeff Bergquist in a copyright infringement lawsuit against Daniel Knauf and HBO over the television series *Carnivàle*. Also in 2005, Zerner represented George Lutz in a lawsuit against the makers of the remake of *The Amityville Horror*. In 2018, he did Twitter posts and interviews breaking down the messy legal battle going on for fans of *Friday the 13th*.
#36
Gary Coleman, though most of his money was stolen by his parents. He was working as a security guard at one point before his death to pay the bills.
#37
Armie Hammer.
Went from hollywood star to selling timeshares in the Caribbean.
#38
Britney Spears. Sure she's still super famous but her mind ain't right and she doesn't have her kids. To me that's losing everything. A lot of people failed her and I'm not blaming her at all. I want to see her succeed but her path forward feels pretty bleak.
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What do you think ?
Melissa Harris 5 months ago
Most of these were child actors that decided not to continue as adults.
jasper 5 months ago
Agreed. Even most of the adult actors chose to walk away for whatever reason. Very few of them "lost" their careers. Stupid headline.
Load More Replies...
Mabelbabel 5 months ago
I saw an interview with an adult film actress called Gauge-she'd been on a government panel or something about the adult film industry. She left the business and trained as a surgical technologist and graduated. But she had to do a certain number of supervised hours in hospital, and one of the anaesthetic staff recognised her-she started getting s£xually harassed, her supervisor refused to sign her off as having done the necessary hours unless she made it worth his while. It became so rampant that she left, and then tried to retrain as a beautician and cosmetologist, but exactly the same thing happened-colleagues and clients partners hitting on her, and no one would book her because media linked her adult p0rn name to her real name. She was married and had kids by this stage, and went back to her former job because she needed to be earning something. I felt rather sorry for her really.
Melissa Harris 5 months ago
Most of these were child actors that decided not to continue as adults.
jasper 5 months ago
Agreed. Even most of the adult actors chose to walk away for whatever reason. Very few of them "lost" their careers. Stupid headline.
Load More Replies... Mabelbabel 5 months ago
I saw an interview with an adult film actress called Gauge-she'd been on a government panel or something about the adult film industry. She left the business and trained as a surgical technologist and graduated. But she had to do a certain number of supervised hours in hospital, and one of the anaesthetic staff recognised her-she started getting s£xually harassed, her supervisor refused to sign her off as having done the necessary hours unless she made it worth his while. It became so rampant that she left, and then tried to retrain as a beautician and cosmetologist, but exactly the same thing happened-colleagues and clients partners hitting on her, and no one would book her because media linked her adult p0rn name to her real name. She was married and had kids by this stage, and went back to her former job because she needed to be earning something. I felt rather sorry for her really.
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