Hollywood Celebrities who Left Hollywood to Pursue Normal Careers

The typical life of a Hollywood star includes all champagne parties on yachts, shopping at the most overpriced stores and boutiques, and spending time with other celebrities. Many people dream of living the celebrity life and being suddenly thrust into the public eye, but for some actors and musicians, the pressures of show business can weigh down on their hearts and souls and force them into an early retirement from Hollywood. So where are these former TV, movie, and music stars now? Why, like you and me, they’re spending most of their times at humble 9-to-5s to earn a living. Here are 20 celebrities that have ditched the Hollywood craziness and work regular day jobs. 1. Mackenzie Rosman from 7th Heaven Mackenzie practically grew up on the set of 7th Heaven. She reprised her role as Ruthie Camden for all 11 seasons until the series finale in May 2007. Since leaving the fictional town of Glenoak, CA, her acting career practically diminished. She played minor roles in indie movies, but she never really made a breakthrough outside of playing Ruthie. Since then, she’s devoted her time and efforts in philanthropy and hosting fundraising programs to find cures for several life-threatening diseases. 2. Tommy Rettig from Lassie Tommy starred as the cute Jeff Miller alongside the adorable, fluffy Lassie. The show did extremely well in the beginning but failed to garner the same high ratings it did during its first couple of seasons toward the end of the series. Tommy starred in a couple of movies after Lassie but ultimately decided to leave the Hollywood scene entirely and become a software engineer. 3. Lark Voorhies from Saved by the Bell Lark Voohries stole the hearts of millions of teenage Saved by the Bell viewers as Lisa Turtle. However, when the stint ended in 1993, she almost completely disappeared from the TV biz. Except for a few minor roles, as well as a failed attempt at kick-starting a music career, she was as good as gone in entertainment. Lark then became a writer and has three self-published books. 4. Elizabeth Berkley from Saved by the Bell Elizabeth is another star whose acting career did not exactly skyrocket after Saved by the Bell. Although she became widely popular after 1995’s Showgirls, it was for the wrong reasons. Her acting career didn’t die there, but the only other gigs she was offered were indie films. Like co-star Lark Voorhies, Elizabeth decided to try her hand at writing, releasing the self-help book Ask-Elizabeth. 5. Nick Offerman from Parks and Recreation Nick first stepped into worldwide fame after landing the role of Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation. Ron has become one of the most iconic TV show characters of this decade mainly due to being so relatable (who doesn’t have a little Ron Swanson in them?). Although he hasn’t necessarily left the Hollywood spotlight, he has several interests outside of acting. Nick is a professional carpenter who sells many of his pieces through his LA workshop called Offerman Woodshop. 6. Rapper Vanilla Ice The drug-selling, parachute-pants-wearing of the 1980s is long gone and has been replaced by the calmer but less stable house flipper we’ve grown to love and hate simultaneously. His new passion in life is real estate, and he now makes a living by flipping houses. He stepped back into the spotlight with his own reality TV show called The Vanilla Ice Project. We’re happy to report that this fallen rapper has made an honest living by flipping houses since his early 20s. 7. Sarah Michelle Gellar from Buffy the Vampire Slayer Sarah still remains somewhat active on TV, though she no longer spends weeknights slaying vampires as Buffy. But most of her time is spent away from the cameras, and she’s focused more on cooking as a business. Recently, her line of cake mixes entered into a deal with Starbucks and is being sold across more than 8,000 locations. She also released a cookbook alongside Gia Russo which shows off her creative food crafts. 8. Lucy Liu from Ally McBeal Lucy Liu first rose to prominence in Ally McBeal as Ling Woo. Since then, she’s starred in numerous blockbusters such as Charlie’s Angels and Shanghai Noon. Lucy is still gracing magazines, TV, and movies, but she also focuses on other endeavors. Lately, Lucy has been dabbling in the world of art – collages, paintings, etc. – and has donated several of her personal works of art to charity. 9. Danielle Fishel from Boy Meets World Everybody growing up in the mid- and late-90s knows Danielle Fishel as Topanga from Boy Meets World. When the series ended, she had matured quite a bit and became the host for The Dish, a satirical news show. She even reports for the YouTube channel PopSugar Girls Guide. Danielle reprised her role as Topanga in Girl Meets World from 2014 until the series finale in 2017. 10. Frankie Muniz from Malcolm in the Middle Frankie Muniz has been commended on numerous occasions for his natural acting ability. Without taking acting lessons, he was able to successfully playing Sammy, a “deaf” child in What the Deaf Man Heard. Frankie is mostly known for playing the main character in Malcolm in the Middle, and in 2003, he became Hollywood’s most bankable teen. However, he put his acting career on hold to fulfill his need for speed and took up open-wheel racing. 11. Mara Wilson from Matilda Mara Wilson, though the popular child actress in the mid-1990s, was not a household name, though you may have seen her in movies like Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire. She’s left acting and has pursued other ventures, such as becoming a writer. In 2016, she released a book titled Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame. She’s also a member of Publicolor which is a non-profit organization which aims to promote the positive effects of colorfulness in schools. 12. Kirk Cameron from Growing Pains Actor Kirk Cameron was a rising star in the late 80s and mid-90s, and he made it big by scoring the role of Mike Seaver on ABC’s Growing Pains. However, he left it all – the potential fame and fortune – to pursue his real passion: faith in Christianity. He continues to make TV appearances as an evangelist, though he did star in the 2014 film Saving Christmas. 13. Danny Lloyd from The Shining When Danny Lloyd was cast to play Stanley Kubrick in the horror film The Shining, it was predicted that the offers would continue rolling in for the childhood actor. He was just six years old when the film was shot, but he been commended for portraying Danny Torrance flawlessly. But by the time he entered his teens, he found acting to be not as attractive a prospect as he’d initially hoped. Instead, he dropped it altogether and became a biology professor in a Kentucky community college. 14. Jennie Garth from Beverly Hills, 90210 Jennie Garth had a minor role on Growing Pains – so minor in fact that she only starred in the sitcom in one episode – but she caught the eyes of Hollywood directors everywhere. Not long after Growing Pains was she set to play the role of Kelly Taylor in all Beverly Hills, 90210. After 10 years of playing Kelly, she decided to quietly leave Hollywood and start her own business. In 2017, she launched the website which sells products marketed specifically to mothers. A portion of the sales goes to a select charity. 15. Michael Schoeffling from Sixteen Candles Michael Schoeffling wasn’t a huge star, but he made a pretty modest living by acting on TV and in films. His most notable work was playing Jake Ryan alongside Molly Ringwald in 1984’s Sixteen Candles. He continued acting for roughly six years after, but he finally decided to leave the entertainment industry and focus on carpentry. 16. Rick Moranis from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Rick Moranis was an upcoming comedian and huge film actor who landed memorable roles in Ghostbusters; Honey, I Shrunk the Kids; and Spaceballs. It seemed like his career in Hollywood was not going to fade anytime soon, but tragedy struck his family when his wife of four years, Ann Belsky, passed away from cancer. Rick made the tough decision to leave the spotlight and become a stay-at-home dad to raise his two children, Rachel and Mitchell. 17. Mercedes Lander form Kittie Mercedes Lander was the drummer and backup vocalist for the Canadian band Kittie. The band remains active to this day, but many of their shows are Mercedes-less. She has hit the brakes on her music career and instead flips homes like Vanilla Ice. Her business model is the same: buy cheap, renovate on a budget, and sell high. 18. Jason Zimbler form Clarissa Explains It All Jason Zimbler is best known for playing Ferguson W. Darling, the little brother to Clarissa Darling (Melissa Joan Hart) in Nickelodeon’s Clarissa Explains It All. He obviously wasn’t the main character in the show, but he was a notable character who made the audience laugh from time to time. After the show ended, he continued to work in the entertainment industry, but this time from behind the cameras. Since 2011, he has worked for HBO as a software designer. 19. Nikki Blonsky from Hairspray Nikki Blonsky became an instant favorite in the musical comedy film Hairspray in 2007. After its release, it has been reported that Nikki continued to receive offers to act in film and on TV, but the actress was looking for a steady source of income and not just sporadic acting gigs. She decided to leave acting and sought a career in cosmetics. She now works as a hairstylist and makeup guru out of Great Neck, NY. 20. Jack Gleeson from Game of Thrones Jack Gleeson has played Joffrey Baratheon on HBO’s Game of Thrones and has become one of the most hated/loved actors in the series. The hate for Jack stems from his impeccable portrayal of Cersei Lannister’s eldest son. However, after the character was killed off in season 4, he decided to enter into the world of academics. Jack also started his own theater production company, Bears in Space, but it ceased operations in late 2016. Jim Carrey The person who used to sing out of his butt has recently taken up creating sculptures and paintings in his cavernous space that he calls a “womb” – so typical of him!He’s said that he is happy with what he had done in the showbiz, and is also working on a novel. Judging by his recent statements about existentialism and spirituality, it is probably certain that he is not returning to the silver screen. Tony Danza The American-Italian actor has been a major thing in the 90’s – nowadays he is better known for his cooking skills – he released a cookbook with his son in 2008. He tried his hand in the showbiz again, in the ’00s, but all attempts have been short-lived. His publications started with the book he released about the year he spent as a teacher, that was also documented as a reality show. Nevertheless, he is no longer making a living by starring on TV. Gary Dourdan Gary is the odd one out in this list, as his career is still not entirely halted in Hollywood yet, however, due to the increasing number of arrests and issues he had with law enforcement and creditors, he probably should look into job postings in his area.