13 Surprising New Careers Of Former Child Actors Who Left Hollywood For Ordinary Lives

1.You probably remember Lisa Jakub as Lydia in Mrs. Doubtfire or Alicia in Independence Day, but she appeared in a whopping 39 TV shows and movies between 1985—2000.

In a blog post, Lisa explained why she left the industry, writing, "I got to the point where the competition and the politics and the superficial nature of the industry started to get to me... I decided I should leave, before I became one of those alcoholic/eating disorder ravaged/drug addicted train wrecks of a former child actor. I had no desire to be a cautionary tale." Today, she is an author, speaker, workshop leader, and yoga teacher.

2.Caroline Sunshine is best known for playing Tinka Hessenheffer in the Disney Channel show Shake It Up.

She interned at the White House during the Trump administration and was promoted to press assistant. After working as a press secretary for Vivek Ramaswamy's presidential campaign, she recently became Deputy Communications Director for Trump's campaign.

3.Ross Bagley was a huge star in the mid-'90s. You might remember him as Buckwheat in The Little Rascals or Nicky Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv's youngest child).

During an episode of the Hip Hop News Uncensored podcast, Ross said he wanted a "more normal type of life" and recalled fans chasing him out of a mall during the height of the Fresh Prince days. He now works as a realtor and DJ.

4.Kay Panabaker is best known for costarring in the Disney Channel movie Read It and Weep with her sister Danielle, as well as her roles in Phil of the Future, Summerland, and Fame.

During a 2016 interview with Naperville Magazine, she recalled a producer telling her she needed to lose weight because her character would be starting a romance, saying, "I didn’t think this was a good reason for a character to lose weight." She lost her passion for acting and turned to another love: animals. After returning to school for an 18-month program, she started working as a zookeeper at Disney World. In 2022, Kay shared a post on Instagram celebrating her coworkers; in the caption, she said she'd landed the job seven years ago.

5.Bridgit Mendler is most recognizable as Teddy Duncan from Good Luck Charlie, but she also appeared in Wizards of Waverly Place and Lemonade Mouth.

Despite her roles over the years, she focused heavily on her education. After several years at USC, the former Disney star earned a master's degree from MIT. Though she recently paused her PhD and law studies, Bridgit is now the CEO and co-founder of Northwood Space, a company that wants to mass-produce ground stations (the antennae that communicate with space satellites).

6.Peter Ostrum starred as Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory — his only movie credit. Afterward, David L. Wolper offered him a three-movie deal, but Peter turned it down. He told Veterinary Practice News, "I had a great experience making Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, but I don’t know that I fell in love with acting, per see."

Instead, he chose to pursue a career as a veterinarian. Peter graduated from Cornell University with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and worked at a vet clinic in New York for 37 years before retiring at the end of 2022.

7.Amanda Bynes became a household name in the 2000s. After gaining fame with Nickelodeon's All That and The Amanda Show, she starred in movies like What A Girl Wants, She's the Man, Big Fat Liar, and Sydney White.

Her last role was Marianne Bryant in the 2010 teen film Easy A. Earlier this year, Amanda shared an update that she's pursuing a career as a manicurist and would soon retake the board exam. "I really hope I pass the test this time," she said. "I will let you all know if I do or don't, of course, and I'll keep retaking it until I get the license."

8.Rajiv Surendra played Kevin Gnapoor in the 2000s classic Mean Girls. He also appeared in System Crash and Fast Food High.

The former child actor spent six years trying to land the lead role in Life of Pi but didn't get it and wrote about the experience in his memoir, The Elephants in My Backyard. He started a business called Letters in Ink offering calligraphy, chalk, and lettering commissions. On YouTube, Rajiv also posts videos exploring creative and domestic arts, such as antiquing, soap-making, home design, and art restoration.

9.Mary Badham will forever be remembered as Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird, the iconic movie based on Harper Lee's novel of the same name.

Mary retired from acting at the age of 14, though she took a few roles in past decade. In 2016, the Guardian reported that she worked as an art restorer.

10.Clayton Snyder played Ethan Craft in the Lizzie McGuire show and movie.

Though he's had other roles over the years, he's mainly focused on his job as a real estate agent. During an episode of the Where Are We Now? With Rivkah Reyes podcast, he said people still come up to him talking about his character on the show. "It's amazing how many times I've been asked point-blank: 'Are you really that dumb?'" he recalled. "You just say yes, 'cause what are they gonna do? They're like, 'Wait, really?'"

11.At 10 years old, Carrie Henn shot to fame as Newt in James Cameron’s Aliens.

But after filming wrapped, her family moved from England (where her father was stationed) back to the US. "I wanted to kind of get into American life and make friends," she told AVP Galaxy. "It was difficult at first because I was obviously different 'cause not only I’ve been in a movie, but also a different accent than a lot of other people." Carrie pursued a teaching career and remains an educator today.

12.Danielle Spencer played Dee Thomas on the '70s sitcom What's Happening!!. In college, she reprised her role in the sequel What's Happening Now!!.

Danielle stopped acting to better focus on becoming a veterinarian. In 2014, she told Black America Web that she had no regrets after two decades of working as a vet. "However, I do miss [acting] every once in a while." She said she'd be interested in a show focused on animal rights and care.

13.And finally, Jennifer Stone's most memorable role was Harper Finkle in Wizards of Waverly Place.

Since then, she's done some acting but chose to pursue a career in nursing. She has provided updates on social media while working as an ER nurse since the pandemic. Jennifer also co-hosts the podcast named Wizards of Waverly Pod.

Any other former child actors who work normal jobs now? LMK in the comments below!