Most people think that stardom is the final step in the lives of celebrities. But that is often far from the truth. Being a famous public figure is incredibly stressful and many stars turn away from this life to follow a much more humble career later on. There are many reasons for that, maybe they got tired of the paparazzi or they simply want to spend more time with the family. Let’s take a look at the surprising career changes of the following ex-stars.
Julia Stiles
Back in the 1990s, Julia Stiles played multiple roles in award-nominated films. She was in the prime of her career but when she got married and started a family, Julia realized there is more to life than being a famous actress. Over the years she has turned away from acting and instead focused on humanitarian work as well as taking care of her family. That being said, Julia Stiles did feature in a few smaller movie projects such as Trouble.
Rick Moranis
Rick Moranis has many talents, he used to be known for being a comedian, a screenwriter, an actor and even a successful musician. Rick rose to fame due to his his contributions to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Little Shop of Horrors and Ghostbusters in the 1980s. Sadly, it was a tragic event that made him focus on his private life, as his wife passed away in the 1990s. After that Rick focused on raising his children as a single parent and only played some low-key roles.
Tara Reid
Tara Reid was known as the “queen of teen movies” as she rose to fame for her roles in the hit movies American Pie, Josie and the Catfish and American Pie 2. Her move to opening a fast-food restaurant in Los Angeles was largely the result of receiving bad reviews of her work and a lack of commercial success for the movies she featured in. Considering all the negativity it comes as no surprise that she turned away from her career as an actress.
Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu is mostly known for her role as one of Charlie’s Angels as well as the American comedy Ally McBeal in which she played a tough lawyer. Not many people know that she is also a professional painter and spends most of her time in her very own painting studio. Her artistic talent has been widely recognized and some exhibits of her impressive portfolio are presented at the Cast Iron Gallery and the Purple Gallery in Los Angeles as well as the National Museum of Singapore.
Ariana Richards
Ariana Richards featured in the Jurassic Park movies as Lex Murphy, granddaughter of one of the main protagonists John Hammon. Instead of focusing on her acting career, Ariana enrolled at Skidmore College and got a degree in Arts and Drama. Ariana still works as an actress from time to time but is mainly focused on her career as a performer and artist.
Danielle Colby
The American reality TV personality Danielle Colby is best known for her appearance on American Pickers, which is widely considered a landmark reality show. Before appearing on television, she was part of a women’s skating team as well as being a burlesque dancer, and even the owner of her very own Burlesque academy in Chicago. She also has a real taste for antiques and old-fashioned designs and has owned her own vintage clothing company. Not only that, but she has also been working as an antique store manager.
Karyn Parsons
Karyn Parsons has made a name for herself with her appearances on the NBC show The Prince Of Bel-Air from 1990 to 1996. The show became a global success and one of the most well-known TV shows in history. Interestingly, after her contribution, Hilary didn’t continue working as an actress and instead created animated films about forgotten African-American heroes. Not only that, but Karyn has also written two children’s books. It’s safe to call her a very versatile artist with a whole array of amazing talents.
Bo Derek
Bo Derek’s rise of fame was largely due to her role in the adult comedy 10 in 1979. After that she featured in prominent movies such as Tarzan, Bolero and The Ape Man. After the death of her husband John Derek in 1998 she retired from acting and instead focused on her horses and even build up her own brand of pet care products. Bo Derek is also working as an activist for the rights of injured war veterans.
Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey is incredibly popular and can definitely be considered one of the most outstanding Hollywood actors of recent decades. Even though Jim Carrey is mostly known for his roles in comedies such as Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Cable Man and Liar, Liar he is also publishing children’s books and has recently become active in politics and art.
Corey “Big Hoss” Harrison
Corey “Big Hoss” Harrison has become a real star of the History Channel reality show The Price of History. The show has been incredibly successful ever since its launch in 2009. In 2014 however, Corey suffered a tragic accident that severely injured his back and made him drop out of The Price of History. Today Corey works at a world famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, which he co-founded with his father.
Angus T. Jones
Angus has become a star at a very young age due to his role as Jake Harper in the incredibly popular TV series Two and a Half Men. Interestingly, Angus stated religious reasons for his exit from the series as well as the entertainment world. Angus is not only a devout Christian, he also enrolled at the University of Colorado at Boulder to pursue a degree in environmental studies. We are sure plenty will be heard from Angus T. Jones in the future.
Elisabeth Shue
Elizabeth Shue can be considered one of the most popular actresses of the 80s and 90s and participated in popular movies such as Karate Kid, Cocktail and Back to the Future II. She was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress! Today Elizabeth has mostly retired from the entertainment world, focusing on her life as a mother and wife. She has definitely earned a few relaxing years after all her great work in previous decades!
Frankie Muniz
Frankie’s time as a star was relatively short. He raised to fame due to his role in the TV series Malcom, but quickly retired from his acting career when the show ended in 2006. Fascinatingly, Frankie then turned to professional car racing. It was always his passion to become a racer and we have to give him a lot of credit for being so dedicated to his dreams. That being said, Frankie Muniz did appear in the 2017 edition of Dancing with the Stars.
Chuck Norris
Everyone knows Chuck Norris jokes but not many people know that his rise to fame was largely due to the iconic movie The Way of the Dragon. He also featured in the Texas Ranger series but soon put his focus back on martial arts. Long before his acting career, Chuck Norris served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War. Church Norris’ honours in martial arts are incredible, he holds a black belt in Tang Soo Doo, Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In recent years Chuck Norris has appeared as the public face of Fiat commercials.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar is a household name due to her role in the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She also appeared in several other movies but soon focused on being a mum once her children were born in 2009 and 2012. Sarah is very family oriented but also spends quite a bit of effort on charitable work and promoting a healthy lifestyle. She even has an own food brand called Food Stirs.
Nikki Blonsky
Nikki Blonsky leads a really interesting, as well as unconventional life. She initially rose to fame due to her role in the incredibly popular musical film Hairspray but soon after disappeared from the screens and instead worked in a sales job in New York, before becoming a cosmetologist in a beauty salon. Even though Nikki did play smaller roles in TV shows she has generally preferred to keep a low profile. Considering how stressful life as a public figure is, it comes as no surprise that some people just want to be left alone!
Chris Owen
Everyone knows Chris Owen from his role as Chuck Sherman in the popular comedy American Pie. Even though his acting career seemed to be going well, new job offers soon disappeared and instead of the glamorous life as a Hollywood star, Chris started working at a sushi restaurant in Santa Monica. In an interview, Chris stated that he loves acting and uses his current job as a way to keep following his dream. Hopefully, we will soon see him again on screen!
Michael Schoeffling
Michael Schoeffling went from actor and model to carpenter! Like so many other former actors and models he has found it hard to find jobs after his initial success playing Jake Ryan in the film Sixteen Candles. That being said, Michael seems to be doing well for himself and his family as he now owns a store in Pennsylvania and sells his own handmade furniture.
Fabio Lanzoni
Fabio Lanzoni is known for his advertising gigs as he featured in commercials for Old Spice and “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter”. Fabio’s initial claim to fame was a number of movies he contributed to in the 1990s. Apart from his acting career, he also worked as a model. Unfortunately, his life as a celebrity soon stalled. But that hasn’t stopped Fabio, he now owns a women’s clothing brand, a fitness brand, and a business selling several dietary supplements. Seems like Fabio is quite the businessman!
Jack Gleeson
Joffrey Baratheon was definitely the most hated character in Game of Thrones. Obviously this very much underlines Jack Gleeson’s acting talent but unfortunately for him, playing this incredibly unpopular role seems to have hurt his acting career in the long run. Soon after Game of Thrones, Jack decided that acting is not for him, according to rumours he simply found life as an actor to be too stressful, as he constantly received abuse for playing an unpopular character. Today Jack pursues an academic career and we wish him the best of luck for that!
Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei has taken several large breaks in her career as an actress and is today focusing on her career on Broadway as well as her fitness products. Marisa initially rose to fame for her great performances in the movies Indomitable Heart, What They Want, The Big Short and The Ides of March.
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz is one of the biggest names in Hollywood but has recently retired from life on screen. Who can blame her? She has won many awards and earned millions of dollars with her acting talent. She was even considered to be the highest-paid actress in all of Hollywood at some point. Today Cameron mostly focuses on health and has even invested in a biotech startup. Apart from her professional life, she is also a dedicated mother and wife and refuses to participate in any big movie projects.
Tony Danza
Tony Danza has a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame and has mainly reached prominence due to his 80s show “Who’s The Boss”. What might surprise some of you, is that Danza is also a tap dancer, boxer, teacher and co-author of a cooking book. What an incredibly versatile guy!
Rebecca Ritters
Rebecca Ritters is another incredibly versatile ex-actress. She already began her acting career at the early age of 8 and played Hannah Martin in the comedy Neighbors. After her time in cinema, she switched over to theatre and even appeared on the British comedy Coronation Street. She then studied politics and international relations at the University of Melbourne and is today established as a well-respected journalist.
Mara Wilson
Mara Wilson rose to fame by playing the role of Matilda in the namesake movie. Later she contributed to Mrs Doubtfire and Milagro en la calle 34 before retiring from her acting career in 2015. Today she is a successful author and has written and published several books.
Jeff Cohen
Back in the 1980s Jeff Cohen was a popular child actor and played a role in the movie The Goonies. Unfortunately his acting career never really took off after that. Despite that, Jeff worked in several film productions and later became an attorney specialising in the entertainment industry. It seems like he found a great way to combine law with his previous passion for the movie industry.
Jon Gosselin
John Gosselin rose to television fame after his wife gave birth to sextuplets. Yes, you heard that right, not twins but sextuplets. Six babies born at the same time! John and his wife starred in a Discovery Health Channel reality TV show which introduced the audience to all the fascinating details of their unusual everyday family life. John also became the author of a book that made it to the New York Times bestseller list. Unfortunately, things turned for the worse soon after as he and his wife got divorced, forcing John to now work as an IT technician for Amazon.
Dylan Sprouse
As children, Dylan and his brother Cole teamed up to star in the Disney Channel series, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and its sequel, The Suite Life on Deck. Right after, Dylan decided to quit acting and instead went to university, studying video game design at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study.
Jason Zimbler
Jason Zimbler made a name for himself for playing a role in the Nickelodeon series Clarissa Explains It All. Afterwards, Zimbler struggled to make a living out of acting and instead focused on academics. He got a degree in Business Administration and a postgraduate degree in Theater Directing. Today Jason works as a software designer for HBO which once again lets him influence movies and shows.
Dylan & Blake Tuomy-Wilhoit
Dylan and Blake Tuomy-Wilhoit are famous twins that rose to fame for their roles of Nicky and Alex Katsopolis, the twin children of Jesse and Becky featured in the TV series Fuller House. After their acting careers dried up, Dylan and Blake switched over to a Food Truck business. Unfortunately, the business didn’t work as well as planned and they had to go separate ways. Blake tried to become a firefighter but somehow ended up as an audio engineer. Dylan on the other hand became a sound effects artist.
Comments