Tiffany – Vintage Clothing Vendor
Pop star Tiffany is best known for her 1987 smash hit I Think We’re Alone Now, but within a few years she fell out of the limelight. In the early 2000s she left the public eye to run a vintage clothing store called Tiffany’s Boutique, just outside Nashville, Tennessee. However, this closed down in 2015 and she has since returned to music.
Jeff Cohen – Attorney
Many stars of 1986 kid caper The Goonies (including Josh Brolin, Sean Astin, Corey Feldman and Martha Plimpton) went on to long acting careers. Not Chunk actor Jeff Cohen, who instead became a successful entertainment lawyer. One of Cohen’s clients is Ke Huy Quan, and Cohen helped his fellow Goonie secure a good pay deal for Oscar-winning comeback movie Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Jack Gleeson – Puppeteer
Jack Gleeson gave an unforgettable performance as sadistic boy-king Joffrey Baratheon in Game of Thrones, but the experience actually put him off a career in acting. Said Gleeson: “I just stopped enjoying it as much as I used to … When you make a living from something, it changes your relationship with it.” In 2015 he created a puppetry show entitled Bears in Space that subsequently toured in America.
Taran Noah Smith – Building rockets for SpaceX
Taran Noah Smith is probably best known for his role as Mark Taylor on Home Improvement, but his life has taken some unexpected turns since then. First, he married a woman nearly twice his age when he was only 17 years old. Later, he launched a vegan cheese company. Most recently, he’s been employed as an engineer by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX, helping build rockets.
Danny Lloyd – Biology Professor
At the age of only six years old, Danny Lloyd starred in the notorious horror film The Shining – but aside from a cameo in 2019 sequel Doctor Sleep, he never acted again. Instead, Lloyd went on to have a successful career in education. In 2007, he became a biology professor at a community college in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, where he still works today.
Phoebe Cates – Boutique Owner
Phoebe Cates found fame in 80s classics Fast Times At Ridgemont High and Gremlins, but by the late 90s she left acting behind. Married to fellow actor Kevin Kline, Cates is now a business woman, and in 2005 she opened a boutique called Blue Tree on New York’s Madison Avenue, which sells clothing, homeware and jewelry. She is also a philanthropist contributing to various charities.
Vanilla Ice – Real Estate Mogul
Vanilla Ice will always be remembered by 90s kids for his iconic rap hit Ice, Ice Baby. While he’s best known for his rapping and brief celebrity status, Ice (real name Rob Van Winkle) really made his fortune in real estate. This formed the basis of reality TV series The Vanilla Ice Project in 2010, which ran on the DIY Network from 2010 to 2019.
MC Hammer – Church Minister
MC Hammer’s early albums achieved Diamond certification and he had a worldwide hit with U Can’t Touch This. Sadly, business problems saw Hammer (aka Stanley Kirk Burrell) rack up $13 million in debt, forcing him to file for bankruptcy. Having been a Christian for most of his life, Hammer has now become a pastoral minister, officiating weddings and also working with prison and youth ministries.
Gene Hackman – Author
Gene Hackman is a Hollywood legend who has starred in a number of iconic films including The French Connection and Unforgiven. Fans of the actor were surprised when Hackman announced he was retiring from acting in July 2004. Instead Hackman decided that he wanted to become a novelist and has written three historical novels alongside archaeologist Daniel Lenihan. He also released two solo efforts in 2011 and 2013 entitled Payback at Morning Peak and Pursuit.
Hayden Christensen – Farmer
Hayden Christensen gained international recognition playing the key role of Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels. However, the young Canadian actor’s performance earned some disdain from critics and fans, and high profile movie roles afterwards proved scarce. For this reason, Christensen used a chunk of his Star Wars salary to buy a load of land in Ontario, Canada to become a farmer.
Chris Owen – Waiting Tables
Chris Owen is instantly recognisable to 90s/2000s kids as ‘the Sherminator’ of American Pie, but later difficulties finding acting work saw him work as a waiter to make ends meet. In response to a Daily News article about his situation, the actor stated: “Life doesn’t always go the way you planned. I love acting and this job lets me stay in the fight.”
Freddie Prinze Jr. – Food Entrepreneur
Freddie Prinze Jr. was a late 90s/early 00s heartthrob, best remembered for She’s All That, I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scooby-Doo. He married Sarah Michelle Gellar in 2002, and they have two kids together. When his acting career cooled, Prinze’s love of food eventually led him to become a chef and food entrepreneur. His first cookbook hit shelves in 2016.
Mara Wilson – Writer
Everyone recognizes child actor Mara Wilson from Matilda, Mrs. Doubtfire and Miracle on 34th Street. However, she ultimately decided that acting wasn’t for her and chose instead to become a writer. She penned a play entitled Sheeple for the New York International Fringe Festival. She also published a memoir entitled Where Am I Now? in 2016.
Ali MacGraw – Yoga Instructor
Ali MacGraw was nominated for an Academy Award in the 1970s for her role in Love Story. She then released her autobiography, Moving Pictures, in 1991. MacGraw eventually decided to become a yoga instructor. She had been practising since her early 50s and produced an extremely popular yoga video with American Yoga Master Erich Schiffmann entitled Ali MacGraw Yoga Mind and Body.
Karyn Parsons – Philanthropist
90s kids used to love watching Karyn Parsons on screen every week thanks to her performance as the snobby and spoiled Hilary Banks on Fresh Prince of Bel Air. However, she decided not to capitalize on her success and instead chose a much more charitable way of life. Parsons now works as a philanthropist and has been instrumental in promoting the achievements of African-Americans.
George Foreman – Grill Salesman
‘Big George’ was a two-time world heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist who enjoyed a highly successful career in boxing after a difficult childhood. But youngsters will probably be more familiar with his famous kitchenware rather than his boxing prowess. Foreman became an entrepreneur after hanging up his boxing gloves and has made millions of dollars thanks to his George Foreman Grill.
Charlie Korsmo – Lawyer
Charlie Korsmo was a child actor in early 90s hits Dick Tracy and Hook. Korsmo soon decided that acting wasn’t for him and trained to be a lawyer instead. He studied at the prestigious MIT before passing the bar and working as a lawyer in NYC for many years. He’s also done work for the Environment Agency and the Republican Party in the House of Congress.
Al Green – Graceland Pastor
Al Green is the legendary soul singer who produced classic tracks such as Let’s Stay Together and Tired of Being Alone, but his roots are in gospel. Green has fully committed to his faith since retiring from the world of singing and is now a practising minister in Memphis, Tennessee. He preaches at the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church, which is located near Elvis’ Graceland mansion.
Sarah Michelle Gellar – Cookbook Author
Sarah Michelle Gellar enjoyed a hugely successful 90s/early 00s acting career, most famously as TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and she recently returned to TV in Wolf Pack. In the interim, not unlike husband Freddie Prinze Jr., Gellar made waves in food after co-founding the baking kit company FoodStirs. She also released a cookbook entitled Stirring up Fun with Food.
Amanda Bynes – Fashion Student
Amanda Bynes was a rising star in the 2000s after appearing in popular films such as What A Girl Wants, She’s The Man and Hairspray. However, her acting career was cut short by mental health issues with which she sadly still struggles. Still, the one-time star enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Irvine and graduated in 2019.
Shaquille O’Neal – Doctor of Education
Shaquille O’Neal absolutely dominated the world of basketball during his stellar career. O’Neal didn’t shy away from the spotlight and could often be found novelty rapping or selling Icy Hot when he wasn’t on the court. So what is he up to now? The Lakers star has actually been very productive after retiring from basketball. After leaving his sporting career behind, O’Neal earned an MBA and a doctorate in education.
Angus T. Jones – Event Production
After finding fame in hit comedy Two and a Half Men, Angus T. Jones left show business behind at the age of 21. Apparently Jones now works on the management side of things by taking a step behind the camera. The former actor now works for Tonite, the production company which is co-run by P. Diddy’s son, Justin Combs.
Josh Saviano – New York Attorney
Most people probably know Josh Saviano as the kid who played Paul in The Wonder Years. Remember those big geeky glasses?! You won’t believe what Saviano looks like nowadays. Well Saviano decided that acting wasn’t for him and instead he decided to go away and study the law. The former child actor graduated from Yale University and received his JD from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in NYC.
Dylan Sprouse – Mead Seller
Dylan Sprouse starred with his twin brother Cole in the Suite Life of Zack & Cody. So what is he up to today? While he might not have given up on acting completely – Dylan had a recent role on Riverdale, he has pursued plenty of non-acting jobs in recent years. Cole has largely ditched the world of show business in favour of a mead production company.
Peter Ostrum – Vet
Peter Ostrum became famous for his role as Charlie Bucket in 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but he never had any desire to pursue acting as a full-time job. Nowadays he works for Countryside Veterinary Clinic in Lowville, New York, where he works on small and large dairy farms.
Mark Feehilly – Caterer
Mark Feehilly was part of Westlife, one of the biggest pop groups of the 90s. The band sold 44 million records before disbanding in 2011 after 14 years together. Since the breakup Mark has given up fame to set up his own catering business. He now runs a catering company named Old Street, which runs out of a refurbished 1971 Citroen H Van.
Kevin Jonas – Builder
Kevin Jonas is the oldest of the pop group siblings the Jonas Brothers, but he left the band in 2014. He worked as a builder at first, and even made a cameo as a contractor on a 2014 episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. The Jonas Brothers reformed in 2019, but now we know what he can fall back on!
