Danielle Colby
Danielle Colby of American Pickers fame had success before making it on TV. She was a successful burlesque dancer who fell in love with the dance style after seeing a burlesque performance in Chicago. She started taking classes and also started her own dance troupe.
Danielle Colby
Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu is a successful actress who is also a very talented visual artist, which many people don’t know about. Although she still appears in TV shows sporadically, she dedicates a majority of her time to creating stunning visual art pieces.
Lucy Liu
Julia Stiles
Julia Stiles appeared in countless films and TV roles, appearing in hits like 10 Things I Hate About You, The Prince & Me, and the Bourne film series. Even with her busy acting career Stiles has managed to find the time to do philanthropic work. She has worked with Amnesty International as well as Habitat For Humanity.
Julia Stiles
Jim Carrey
Brilliant comedian, master impressionist, and actor Jim Carrey lit up our screens and made us laugh in countless films like Dumb and Dumber and The Mask. While he’s best known for his performances, he is also a passionate painter. He spends most of his free time painting.
Jim Carrey
Ariana Richards
Ariana Richards is best known for her acting role in Jurassic Park as well as its sequel. Afterwards, she did not appear in many other roles. She chose to instead attend Skidmore College and pursued a fine arts degree. She has since made waves in the art community and has spend her time creating art and painting.
Ariana Richards
Bo Derek
Bo Derek first appeared in the film Orca and became very well known after she starred in the movie 10 two years later. Nowadays, she does not participate much in the entertainment industry and instead is focusing her time on animals and her company that sells pet care products.
Bo Derek
Karyn Parsons
Karyn Parsons is best recognized for her role as Hillary Banks, Will Smith’s cousin on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. After appearing on the show, she had several small roles on other shows and films. She now spends most of her time running a production company that produces educational content for kids.
Karyn Parsons
Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris is a well known actor and action star who also became an Internet sensation in the early days of the world wide web. Not only is he an actor, but he also started a foundation called Kickstart Kids, which has the goal of using “karate to teach character-building values to students.”
Chuck Norris
Elisabeth Shue
Elisabeth Shue is best known for her roles in the films Adventures In Babysitting and The Karate Kid, but she has always been an avid tennis player. She started playing while she was growing up and continued even after her successful acting career and has been playing ever since.
Elisabeth Shue
Corey “Big Hoss” Harrison
Corey “Big Hoss” Harrison is one of the cast members of Pawn Stars who works at Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. After deciding to do a completely overhaul of his lifestyle, he had a lap band surgery and now boxes five days per week.
Corey “Big Hoss” Harrison
Angus T. Jones
Angus T. Jones is best known for his role on Two and a Half Men, which he abruptly quit after being baptized. He chose to attend college and leave the limelight. When asked if he would ever return to TV, he said: “The door is definitely still open for me to do that, but I’m taking things slowly. But I’m kind of liking the ability to travel and to move around at a moment’s notice and not have to be in one spot for years at a time.”
Angus T. Jones
Frankie Muniz
Frankie Muniz was a teenage heartthrob who seemed to be in every single popular movie in the early 2000’s like Big Fat Liar and also hit TV series Malcolm in the Middle. After a while, he stopped appearing in movies and started drumming in a band named Kingsfoil. Now he races cars professionally for Jensen Motorsport.
Frankie Muniz
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar became a household name when she played the main role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She now has turned to a new venture that has nothing to do with acting: businesswoman. She has a company called Foodstirs and is working on releasing a cookbook.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Chris Owen
Chris Owen is best known for his role as “The Sherinator” in the American Pie film series. However, though he wished to continue his acting career, he was not getting any great roles. To support himself, he has since become a waiter.
Chris Owen
Nikki Blonsky
After Nikki Blonsky starred in the film adaptation of Broadway show Hairspray, she decided to take on a new job. She pursued a cosmetology license and started working as a stylist. She currently works in New York, but she still continues to act.
Nikki Blonsky
Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei is known for her iconic role in the film My Cousin Vinny and also for other roles in Crazy, Stupid, Love and the Marvel films universe. While she has a successful acting career, she has also pursued another passion of hers: fitness. She has released two fitness instructional videos.
Marisa Tomei
Fabio Lanzoni
Fabio Lanzoni was at the peak of his success in the 1980’s and 90’s and was even named “sexiest man alive.” As his fame began to fade, he started to appear in ads as a spokesperson for brands like Oral B, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, and Old Spice.
Fabio Lanzoni
Jack Gleeson
Jack Gleeson is known for his one big role in the biggest TV show ever, Game of Thrones. He played King Joffrey, of course, but it seems like this will be the only role we’ll know him for. He decided to leave acting in order to pursue school. He chose to attend Trinity University.
Jack Gleeson
Jeff Cohen
Jeff Cohen is best known for his role in The Goonies when he was a kid, but he did not continue to pursue a Hollywood career in adulthood. Instead, he went to law school and is now a successful practicing attorney who owns his own law practice as well.
Jeff Cohen
Jon Gosselin
Jon Gosselin became well known for appearing in Jon & Kate Plus 8, a reality show about his then-wife and their eight kids. He currently is working as a DJ at nightclub Building 24 in Pennsylvania. He also works as an IT technician at Amazon.
Jon Gosselin
Vanilla Ice
Vanilla Ice was hugely popular rapper in the 90’s who is best known for his hit song “Ice Ice Baby.” When his music career began to fade, he started to work in real estate. He started flipping homes for profit and now has a show on the DIY network called The Vanilla Ice Project.
Vanilla Ice
Rebecca Ritters
Rebecca Ritters was a young actress when she starred on Neighbours but did not have much of an acting career afterwards. She went to school and earned a degree in international relations and politics. Now Ritters works as a producer.
Rebecca Ritters
Mara Wilson
Mara Wilson captured our hearts as the child actress who played the titular role in Matilda and also had a prominent role in Mrs. Doubtfire alongside Robin Williams. After these successful roles, Wilson retired from the entertainment industry in 2000 and chose to pursue writing instead. She has since published a book.
Mara Wilson
Jason Zimbler
Jason Zimbler co-stared in Clarisa Explains It All alongside Melissa Joan Hart from 1991 until 1994. He decided to leave acting and went to college. Since 2011, he has been woring as a software designer at HBO.
Jason Zimbler
Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron was a baseball player who became a sports legend when he broke Babe Ruth’s record. He later coached the Atlanta Braves and after retiring, he decided to open up a BMW car dealership in Georgia. With every car he sold, he gave out a signature.
Hank Aaron
Dylan Sprouse
Dylan Sprouse is known for his acting roles when he was a child, acting alongside his twin brother on Friends and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. After that show ended, he continued acting but also co-founded a meadery in New York called All-Wise Meadery.
Dylan Sprouse
Michael Schoeffling
Michael Shoeffling became well known for his role in the successful 80’s flick Sixteen Candles, but he left the entertainment industry and turned to carpentry. He works as a carpenter and makes custom furniture.
Michael Schoeffling
Tony Danza
Tony Danza is best known for his roles in Taxi Driver and Who’s The Boss? and after making a name for himself as an actor, he decided to pivot to something completely different: teaching. He teaches 10th grade English at Northeast Philadelphia High School.
Tony Danza
Dylan & Blake Tuomy-Wilhoit
You might not recognize these twins now, but if you ever watched Full House you’d recognize them as Jesse and Rebecca’s twin boys Nicky and Alex. They reprised these roles in the reboot of the show, Fuller House, but are not involved in Hollywood otherwise. Dylan works as a firefighter and Blake is a sound technician.
Dylan & Blake Tuomy-Wilhoit
Danny Lloyd
Danny Lloyd played Danny Torrance in the iconic horror film The Shining alongside Jack Nicholson. He has since left the entertainment industry and is working as a biology professor at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, which is located in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
Danny Lloyd
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz has had quite the successful acting career, appearing in films like The Mask, Charlie’s Angels, Shrek, and many more. She has also written health and wellness books. In 2017, she announced that she is retiring from acting and has since started an organic wine company called Avaline.
Cameron Diaz
George Foreman
George Foreman rose to fame as a heavyweight champion boxer. After retiring from the sport, he started selling the George Foreman grill, which is meant to cook food in a healthy way. He continues to promote his grills and a healthy lifestyle.
George Foreman
Nick Offerman
Nick Offerman is known for his role as Ron Swanson on hit comedy show Parks and Recreation. Offerman is quite similar to his character, as the two both enjoy eating mean and woodworking. Offerman is the owner of Offerman Woodshop in Los Angeles, where he works to create canoes and tables.
Nick Offerman
Susan Boyle
Susan Boyle became an instant international star after she appeared on Britain’s Got Talent. She released several albums but never enjoyed being in the spotlight, so she has since retreated from the public eye. It has been reported that she has been seen applying to work as a cashier.
Susan Boyle
Rick Moranis
Rick Moranis is best known for his success in films like Little Shop of Horrors and Honey, I Shrunk The Kids. Since then, he has branched out from just acting and is now performing musical comedy acts. He chose to stay away from acting for about 23 years in order to focus on parenting.
Rick Moranis
J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling will forever be known as the author of the Harry Potter series. Since becoming one of the wealthiest people in the world, she has become actively involved in charitable causes. She is the president of Gingerbread, an organization that helps single parents in need. While she is still writing, a lot of her free time is dedicated to charity work.
J.K. Rowling
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
While Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is best known for both his wrestling and acting careers, he also has released a line of exercise apparel. His most recent clothing line is called Project Rock.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Richard Rawlings
Richard Rawlings is known for being the presenter of the series Fast N’ Loud but he is also a bar owner and a mechanic. He owns the Gas Monkey Bar N’ Grill in Dallas, Texas, which is known for be a good place for live music and good food.
Richard Rawlings
Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey is one of the most prominent UFC fighters, but in addition to this she also enjoys writing in her spare time. She released her autobiography called My Fight, Your Fight in 2015.
Ronda Rousey
Peter Ostrum
Peter Ostrum is known for playing Charlie in the 1971 hit film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when he was just 12 years old. After this iconic role, Ostrum chose to move on from acting and has since become a veterinarian.
Peter Ostrum
Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman is an award winning actor who has appeared in countless movies including Superman, Unforgiven, and Bonnie and Clyde. After an incredible acting career, he pursued another passion of his, writing. He now enjoys writing historical novels.
Gene Hackman
Phoebe Cates
Phoebe Cates starred in the 1980’s classic film Fast Times at Ridgemont High and also in the film Gremlins. After getting married in 1989, she retired from acting in 1994 in order to focus on her children. In 2005 she opened a boutique called Blue Tree on Madison Avenue in New York City.
Phoebe Cates
Danielle Fishel
Danielle Fishel played Topanga Lawrence on beloved TV show Boy Meets World, as well as its spinoff series Girl Meets World. She is now working as a reporter and journalist for PopSugar. She also makes appearances on the site’s YouTube channel.
Danielle Fishel
Ali McGraw
Ali McGraw rose to fame when she starred in Love Story, which earned her a Global Globe for Best Actress and a nomination for an Academy Award. She became a dedicated yogi, practicing Hatha yoga. She released a yoga video with Yoga Master Erich Schiffmann. She is also involved with animal welfare.
Ali McGraw
Kevin Jonas
Kevin Jonas was part of the musical group The Jonas Brothers until they disbanded in 2013. After, Kevin pursued his interest in home improvement and started working as a contractor. He was included in an episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey as a contractor. The Jonas Brothers recently reunited, so his contracting work is on the back burner for now.
Kevin Jonas
Mike Vitar
Mike Vitar played Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez in the beloved film The Sandlot. He continued to act and appeared in several more TV shows and films, but eventually decided to leave acting. He is now a firefighter working in Los Angeles.
Mike Vitar
Josh Saviano
Josh Saviano played Kevin Arnold’s smart best friend Paul Pfieffer on The Wonder Years. After acting, he decided to attend Yale University and earned a degree in political science. He continued his education and earned a J.D., working in law for a few years before starting to work as an entrepreneur.
Josh Saviano
Jennie Garth
Jennie Garth is best known for her role as Kelly Taylor on the hit show Beverly Hills, 90210. She was on the show for its 10 seasons and after it ended she had several other small roles. She has since pursued her own online business called MomGiftBox.com, a subscription-based gift service.
Jennie Garth
Charlie Korsmo
Charlie Korsmo portrayed Jack in the 1991 film Hook. He starred in several other films as a child actor but chose to leave the entertainment industry. He studied law and has become a successful lawyer. He is a faculty member at Case Western University’s School of Law.
Charlie Korsmo
MC Hammer
MC Hammer is known for one of the catchiest songs of the 1990’s, “U Can’t Touch This.” He was a popular entertainer for a while, but he quickly found himself bankrupt. He decided to become a minister and even started a TV ministry that’s called M.C. Hammer and Friends.
MC Hammer
Tiffany
Tiffany rose to prominence in the 1980’s after her hit song “I Think We’re Alone Now” came out and topped charts. After her singing career dwindled, she opened a shop called Tiffany’s Boutique that was located in Nashville Tennessee. She shared on Twitter that she has since closed the store.
Tiffany
Taran Noah Smith
Taran Noah Smith is known for his role as little Mark Taylor on popular 1990’s sitcom Home Improvement. However, he chose not to continue acting as an adult, and surprisingly he chose to become a carpenter. He worked with Burners Without Borders to help rebuild areas affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Taran Noah Smith
Michael Maronna
After appearing in 90’s Nickelodeon hit The Adventures of Pete & Pete, he went on to star in films like Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost In New York. He no longer acts but works in TV productions as an electrician.
Michael Maronna
Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Jonathan Taylor Thomas voiced young Simba in the Disney animated film The Lion King and also starred on Home Improvement. He decided to leave acting, saying: “I’d been going nonstop since I was 8 years old. I wanted to go to school, to travel and have a bit of a break.” He now works as a writer and director.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Kirk Cameron
Kirk Cameron played Mike Seaver on the hit TV show Growing Pains. He later decided to convert to Christianity and grew apart from his former co-stars as a result. He works with Ray Comfort in The Way of the Master, which is an evangelical ministry.
Kirk Cameron
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple was the adorable child actress who was an icon during the 20th cenntury. She starred in films like The Little Princess, Bright Eyes, and Heidi. When she was 22, she chose to leave acting and work in politics. She was the U.S. ambassador to former Czechoslovakia and also Ghana during the 70’s and 80’s.
Shirley Temple
Geena Davis
Geena Davis has appeared in films like Thelma and Louise, A League of Their Own, The Accidental Tourist, and Beetlejuice. She later turned to activism, founding the Geena David Institute on Gender in Media, whose focus is to balance the gender inequality in the entertainment industry and Hollywood.
Geena Davis
Steven Seagal
Steven Seagal became well known after appearing in films like Under Siege, Hard to Kill, and Out for Justice. He capitalized on his fame by starring his own reality show, but it was cancelled shortly after it began. Despite having some legal troubles, he was named as a special US-Russian envoy.
Steven Seagal
Blake McIver Ewing
Blake IcIver Ewing starred on hit sitcom Full House, playing Derek, Michelle’s friend. He also played Waldo on The Little Rascals. He has now pursued a singing career and released an album in 2014.
Blake McIver Ewing