Top 10 Actors Who Got Normal Jobs

After Erik von Detten’s career began on the popular soap opera, “Days of Our Lives”, it only took off from there. The budding young actor nabbed roles in pretty high profile fan favorites. Not only did he play the villainous Sid in the first “Toy Story”, but he also starred in “Princess Diaries”. Throughout the mid 90s and early 2000s, von Detten kept fairly busy with live action and animated roles. But he eventually chose to retire from acting in 2010. “The Princess Diaries' star is now married with children and currently works for a brokerage firm. As of 2023, his last role was as a grown up Sid in “Toy Story 3”.

For 80s kids, “The Goonies” was peak cinema. The action adventure comedy featured a young cast of future superstars. Jeff Cohen stood out by playing the role of Lawrence “Chunk” Cohen. During the classic film, the character was definitely a scene stealer. After the film put him on the map, he made a number of small appearances on TV. But Cohen later found himself truly drawn to legal pursuits and earned a law degree from UCLA. After deciding to pursue entertainment law, Cohen became a big player in the industry. In fact, he even sealed the deal that helped his “Goonies” co-star Ke Huy Quan appear in “Everything Everywhere All At Once”!

Long before Phoebe Cates was lighting up the silver screen in the 1980s, she was already destined for show biz. The daughter of a Broadway and television producer, Cates began her career modeling and dancing. But after an injury, Cates focused on modeling before eventually finding her way to acting. From “Fast Times at Ridgemont High '' to “Gremlins”, Cates created a big name for herself. She also married actor Kevin Kline in the 80s before the two started a family in the 90s. Years later, Cates drifted away from the camera and in 2005, she opened a boutique in New York City called Blue Tree. As of 2023, it still operates on Madison Avenue.

As a child star, Jennifer Stone acted in projects like “Secondhand Lions” and “Without a Trace”. However, she is best known for portraying Harper Finkle on the Disney Channel’s hit series “Wizards of Waverly Place”. At age 20, Stone was diagnosed with diabetes. This medical knowledge changed her personal and professional life. Stone stepped back from acting and ultimately decided to pursue a nursing degree. She currently works as an ER nurse in California. However, she still keeps a foot in the door of show biz. In 219, she starred and co-wrote the film “The In-Between”.

In the 90s, “Beverly Hills 90210” was one of the hottest series on television. Jaime Walters was just one of the strong members of the ensemble. In season 5, he joined the series and portrayed Ray Pruit, a bad boy musician with anger issues. Like his onscreen counterpart, Walters also played music and released three studio albums between 1994 and 2002. Eventually, he parted ways with the music and television industry and became a firefighter/paramedic. His former co-stars persuaded him to make an appearance on “BH90210” in 2019, where he played himself.

Throughout the 80s and 90s, Staci Keanan was a fixture of the television sitcom genre. Appearing on “My Two Dads” and “Step By Step”, she was building quite the career for herself. After “Step by Step” ended, she focused on her academic career, earning a BA in art history in 2002. Over a decade later, she set her sights on law school and afterwards became a Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles. In 2021, she also added educator to her resume by returning to her law school as an associate professor.

A former child actor, Danielle Spencer began her journey into show business back in the 1970s when she took acting classes. Her studies paid off when she was offered the role of Dee Thomas on the ABC comedy, “What’s Happening!!”. The series was eventually canceled after three seasons. After leaving the country for a while, she returned to the states to attend college. Spencer then decided to pursue veterinary medicine. However, her career as a vet didn’t stop her from continuing to act. She appeared in the 80s reboot “What’s Happening Now!!”. She also played a vet in the Oscar winning 1997 rom-com “As Good As It Gets”.

Best known for playing Officer Francis "Ponch" Poncherello on the television series “CHiPs”, Erik Estrada took his role to the next level. The New York City born actor became a police officer and an investigator. He even relocated to the state of Virginia to pursue his crime fighting passion. However, Estrada fans know that he did not totally give up his show biz pursuits. He continues to act, having worked on shows including “My Name is Earl” and “Adventure Time”. He also enjoys participating in reality television. Most recently, the actor turned officer made a quick appearance on FOX’s “The Masked Singer”.

For 90s kids, Mara Wilson was a staple of childhood cinematic classics. From “Matilda” to “Mrs. Doubtfire”, she was one of the biggest child actors of the time. Although she cultivated a healthy filmography, she pivoted away from acting in the 2000s. Instead, she focused on other artistic avenues in theater and more. As a writer, she has written for various outlets. In 2016, she published a book called “Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame”. Luckily for fans, she has gotten steady work in voice acting and has made the occasional cameo on shows like “Broad City”.

Although he is widely known as an actor, Dylan Sprouse is no one trick pony. The former “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” star also happens to be an entrepreneur. Sometime after earning a degree in video game design from New York University, Sprouse started working at a brewery. This job fueled his desire to open one of his own and thus, All-Wise Meadery was born. Sprouse also co-founded Thor’s Skyr, a dairy product with Icelandic roots. Whether he’s on set or brewing up his next venture, for Dylan Sprouse, life is definitely sweet.