From Greta Garbo to MC Hammer, some stars, no matter how big, have decided they’ve had their time in the sun, and would rather focus on other things.
Who are they, and where are they now?
Read on to find out.
Jeff Cohen – Lawyer/Writer
Who’s your favorite Goonie?
We’re willing to bet it’s Chunk. He’s definitely ours.
Jeff Cohen in The Goonies, Tristan Brand/Variety/REX/Shutterstock (5809789c)
But Jeff Cohen, who played Chunk in the 1985 blockbuster hit The Goonies, decided not to leverage his Hollywood success, and instead, became a lawyer. He studied at the prestigious University of California, Berkeley, and in addition to founding his own law firm – Cohen & Gardner – he also writes regularly for the Huffington Post.
Big Hoss – Working at the Family Store
“Big Hoss” or Corey Harrison is an American TV personality you might know from the documentary television show “Pawn Stars.”
Corey Harrison in Pawn Stars, @realcoreyharrison / Instagram
Since 2016, Hoss has remained out of the spotlight, and continues to work in his father and grandfather’s store.
Michael Schoeffling – Woodworker
It comes as no surprise that before stealing our hearts as Jake Ryan in 1984’s Sixteen Candles, Michael Schoeffling modeled for GQ. He went on to star in eight films including 1985’s Vision Quest, 1990’s Mermaids, and 1991’s Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken, before retiring from acting altogether.
Screenshot from “Sixteen Candles”; Image via @scarloz/IG
Currently, he makes handcrafted furniture and is the owner of a woodworking shop. He also enjoys spending time with his family and here he is posing with his daughter Scarlett when she was a baby.
Agnetha Faltskog – Astrology Studies
Back in the 1970s and ’80s, Swedish pop group ABBA was one of music’s most influential collaborations.
With far-reaching, worldwide success, ABBA were a force to be reckoned with – and Agnetha Faltskog, ABBA’s leading woman, was the one who wielded it.
Images by @agnethafaltskog_/Instagram, I.B.L./Shutterstock (432435c)
But after the band’s breakup and Agnetha’s short-lived solo career, the Swedish musician bought an isolated country house in her homeland, and focused on her astrology studies, yoga and horse-riding.
Chris Owen – Waiter
Chris Owen in American Pie, @chriscoleowen / Instagram
Greta Garbo – Early Retiree
Greta Garbo’s name is almost synonymous with “Classic Hollywood.”
Despite having only appeared in a handful of movies, many of them silent, Garbo made a lasting impression on the world of film, before she decided to retire at the early age of 35.
Greta Garbo in Anna Christie, Shutterstock (112624a)
From 1940 onward, Garbo led a life of leisure, vacationing abroad and travelling with an exclusive group of friends, as well as collecting art.
Reed Alexander – Journalist
Nickelodeon fans may recognize Reed Alexander as Nevel Papperman from iCarly, which he played from 2007-2012 and later reprised in a 2014 episode of Sam & Cat.
Screenshot from “iCarly”; Image via @therealreedalexander/IG
Since then, the 27-year-old actor has kept busy, publishing a website on healthy eating for young people and getting his undergraduate degree in media studies and broadcast journalism from New York University followed by a master’s of science degree in journalism from Colombia University. Currently, he’s a financial news reporter at Insider and you can catch him in and the 2021 revival of iCarly.
Alfonso Ribeiro – Dancer/Host
Alfonso Ribeiro in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Dancing with the Stars
Jennifer Stone – Nurse
We fell in love with Jennifer Stone when she played Harper Finkle on Wizards of Waverly Place from 2007-2017 and in 2009’s Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie. While she went on to star in many films including 2010’s Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars and 2011’s Mean Girls 2, at just 28 years old, she’s disappeared from the spotlight.
Screenshot from “Wizards of Waverly Place”; Image via @jenniferstone/IG
After getting diagnosed with latent autoimmune diabetes in adults when she was 20, Stone left acting to become a nurse so she could better understand her disease.
Dylan Sprouse – Brewmaster
Dylan Sprouse rose to fame with his twin, Cole, after the two brothers played in a string of hits like Big Daddy, Friends and in their own show, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody on the Disney Channel.
Images by @allwisemeadery / Instagram, JSSImages/BEI/Shutterstock (616124q)
The two siblings have grown since, and today, Dylan has become a brew master, operating a meadery and bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Cameron Diaz – Investor
Starring in multiple blockbusters in the ’90s such as The Mask (1994), My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997), and There’s Something About Mary (1998), Cameron Diaz’s start was shining bright and it seemed nothing could ever stop her.
However, after she starred in Annie in 2014, the world was bewildered by her disappearance from the big screen. Everyone’s questions were answered in 2017 when the mega star announced that she’s retired from acting.
Photo by John Salangsang/BFA/REX/Shutterstock (4240181bq), camerondiaz / IG
Since her retirement from acting, the former actress and published author has been since invested in health and biotech startups. In May 2019 she was a keynote speaker at The Infatuation’s annual food festival, EEEEEATSCON.
Danny Tamberelli – Podcast Host
Speaking of The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Danny Tamberelli, who played Little Pete, had a successful career as a voice actor, starring in The Magic School Bus from 1994-1997, 1992’s The Mighty Ducks, and the video game 2013’s Grand Theft Auto. He was also a cast member on All That. In addition to acting, Tamberelli’s also the bassist and vocalist for the rock band Jounce and Every Good Boy.
Screenshot from “Pete & Pete”; Image via @dannytamberelli/IG
As of 2013, he’s a podcast host with his former The Adventure of Pete & Pete cast member, Michael Maronna and he’s the founding member of a sketch comedy group called Manboobs.
Doris Day – Animal Rights Activist
Doris Day’s meteoric career has ensured her name will never be forgotten. Her achievements in both music and film such as Young at Heart (1954), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Pillow Talk (1959) and Move Over, Darling (1963) are monumental, and her contribution to American culture is indisputable.
Doris Day in Young at Heart, @therealdorisday / Twitter
But despite the strong mark she’s left, she hasn’t been acting since the ’70s. Instead, she’s focused on something else: animal welfare. Day runs multiple nonprofits dedicated to the welfare and well-being of animals, and has even co-authored a book on the subject. In addition to her nonprofit activities, she also owns and runs a hotel.
Alicia Silverstone – Environmentalist
Alicia Silverstone in Clueless, PopularImages / Depositphotos,
Nikki Blonsky – Blogger
Nikki Blonsky got her big break after starring as Tracy Turnblad in 2007’s Hairspray to which she was discovered at an open casting call for unknowns. She had no previous professional acting experience, but it was her dream to play Tracy after seeing the musical on Broadway.
Screenshot from “Hairspray”; Image via @nikkiblonsky/IG
After Hairspray, she’s pretty much disappeared from the spotlight only appearing in a few shows including 2010’s Huge and 2013’s Smash as well as a few movie roles. To pay the bills, she became a hairdresser and cosmologist. As of 2020, you can find her in her video blogging series on Instagram where she interviews other celebrities.
Angus T. Jones – Event Producer
Angus T. Jones starred as the funny kid on Two and a Half Men, starting out as a child and continuing his role well into his teen years.
Images by @Angus T. Jones / Facebook, Peter Brooker/REX/Shutterstock (695214gg)
Following the show’s ending, however, Angus elected not to continue as an actor, but rather to focus on the business side of things, and joined the management team of an event production company called “Tonite.”
Barret Oliver – Photography and Print Artist
Barret Oliver is best known for his depiction of Bastian in 1984’s acclaimed adaptation of Michael Ende’s The NeverEnding Story. He was fairly successful during his relatively brief stint as a child actor, and starred in 13 films between 1982 and 1989 – but ultimately, he decided to realize his talent elsewhere.
Barret Oliver in The NeverEnding Story, twopalms / Youtube
Today, Oliver specializes in 19th century photography and print techniques. His work has been featured in museums, gallery exhibitions and in films, and he even wrote a book about ancient photography techniques titled A History of the Woodburytype.
Kevin Jonas – Entrepreneur
The Jonas Brothers are still a hugely successful band – but when brother Kevin chose to leave the group, he seems to have known what he was doing.
Images by Sara Jaye/Shutterstock (676868c), @kevinjonas / Instagram
Today, Kevin Jonas is an entrepreneur, having founded a real estate company as well as launched a restaurant-search phone app.
John Cassisi – Convicted Felon
It’s fitting that John Cassisi was discovered by Bugsy Malone and Fish director Alan Parker who went to a Brooklyn classroom and asked students to nominate the “naughtiest” who happened to be Cassisi.
Screenshots from “Bugsy Malone”; “After They Were Famous”
But Cassisi’s acting career was short-lived—those were his first and last acting roles and he retired from acting in 1982. From there, he became involved in construction work and he worked his way up to the Director of Global Construction for Citigroup. But in 2015 he pled guilty to a bribery scheme and was sentenced to two years in prison and a $500,000 forfeiture, as The New York Times reported.
Jon Gosselin – Waiter
We came to know Jon Gosselin from the reality TV show Jon & Kate Plus 8, which ran from 2007-2009. While we fell in love with Jon and Kate, their marriage crumbled apart before our eyes. The breakup was messy and all over the media, but after that, we didn’t hear much from Jon except that he was performing as a stripper at a male revue in Atlantic City in 2017.
Screenshot from “Jon And Kate Plus 8”; Image via @jongosselin1/IG
But besides that, Jon’s been keeping busy as a waiter and prep cook at restaurants in Pennsylvania and DJing on the side. As of 2020, he’s an IT director at a private, non-profit healthcare facility.
Carrie Henn
“Carrie Henn” isn’t a name that usually rings any bells – and that’s because she only appeared in one film. But that one film just so happens to be considered an action/horror/sci-fi classic: 1986’s Aliens – and has garnered Henn a place of honor with the dedicated fans of the franchise.
Carrie Henn in Aliens, @RealCarrieHenn / Twitter
Following her short Hollywood stint, Henn returned to school, and ended up becoming a schoolteacher in California – although she still goes to fan conventions, and still corresponds with her Aliens co-star, Sigourney Weaver.
Steven Seagal – Policeman
Steven Seagal is up there amongst Hollywood’s greatest action stars – with parts in films such as Under Siege (1992) – right along Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jean Claude Van Damme.
Steven Seagal in Under Siege, @seagalofficial / Instagram
But Seagal is also a real-life action hero, volunteering in Louisiana as a reserve police officer.
Cary Grant – Stay at Home Dad
When people talk about the “Golden Age of Hollywood,” there are a few actors who immediately come to mind, and Cary Grant is somewhere at the top of that short list with appearances in films such as The Awful Truth (1937), Bringing Up Baby (1938), His Girl Friday (1940) and The Philadelphia Story (1940) and To Catch A Thief (1955) among others.
Cary Grant in To Catch A Thief, BEI/Shutterstock (4667843bb)
In 1968, when Grant was 62, he decided to leave Hollywood behind, stating that the “Golden Era” of the Californian film industry was over and that it was more important to him to provide a stable environment for his newborn daughter, Jennifer.
Jack Gleeson – Theology Student
Jack Gleeson is one of today’s most recognizable actors. He did, after all, play the monstrous child-king Joffrey on HBO’s hit show, Game of Thrones.
Jack Gleeson in Game of Thrones, @JackGleeson_ / Twitter
But while playing Joffrey certainly has its perks, it’s definitely not easy playing one of the most hated characters on television, and when his character was killed off, he chose to leave acting and to begin theology studies in college.
Al Green – Pastor
During the ‘70s, Al Green was one of the most well-known soul singers with hits including “Take Me to the River”, “Let’s Stay Together”, and “I’m Still in Love with You”. A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and 11-time Grammy winner, Green’s got soul.
Image by Everett/Shutterstock (10294068a); Ron Sachs/UPI/Shutterstock (12380132q)
Did you know that Al Green is now a pastor? Green became an ordained pastor and turned to gospel music after injuring himself falling off the stage. He took it as a message and turned to God and he put his focus towards his church.
Bridgit Mendler – Law Student
Another Wizards of Waverly Place actress to make this list is Bridgit Mendler who played Juliet van Heusen. She went on to star in 2010-2014’s Good Luck Chuck, 2015-2016’s Undatable, and Nashville in 2017.
Screenshot from “Good Luck Charlie”; Image via @bridgitmendler/IG
While her career was just starting to take off, since 2017, she’s been a graduate student and researcher at MIT with a focus on improving social media. In 2019, she enrolled at Harvard Law School.
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