.
I've seen several lists like this over the years, this one is by far the longest:
I know maybe 60% of the names on that list.
Josh Saviano, one of the kids from
The Wonder Years. Who became a corporate lawyer.
Another girl from the same series, one who I didn't know was the sister of Danica McKellar. Who also became a lawyer. Her sister Danica McKellar is still acting.
Peter Ostrum,the kid who played Charlie in
Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, and instead of doing sequels to a very popular movie and other roles in an acting career, gave it up and became a Veterinarian.
I didn't know MC Hammer went broke and came back from that.
Carrie Henn, who played the little girl in
Aliens, who now teaches at a California school.
Poncharillo from
Chips became a real patrolman in Idaho !
"The Sherminator" from American Pie ! Now a waiter.
The Thor-obsessed little girl from
Adventures In Babysitting. Now a lawyer.
Phoebe Cates, the it girl of 1982 who starred in
Fast Times At Ridgemont High, left a Hollywood acting career to be a wife and mother. Not mentioned, she's married to Actor Kevin Kine.
Last on the list that interested me was Michael Schoeffling, who hilariously played "Jake Ryan" in
Sixteen Candles. Who for lack of acting roles, instead went into a business creating woodwork and furniture. Amazing that guy couldn't get work after starting out in a blockbuster movie like that.
Long as the list is, it left out others like Gary Coleman, who went from being the star of a number one television series in 1982, to being a security guard in a shopping mall, before he died.
Actess Leelee Sobieski is another missing from that list.
It's a bit of a misnomer in many cases to say a number of these actors "chose" to leave Hollywood. Some of them did choose to leave, but many of them their careers dried up, forcing them to pursue other work.
I read another article years ago, that the average salary of a Hollywood actor is about $5,000 a year, by many who play bit parts, and only a few who go on to become highly paid stars. The rest have other careers, and supplement their incomes with occasional acting roles. Or start out with success, but at some point are unable to get new acting roles, and with a loss of income go into other work.
