Most people have dreams of becoming a celebrity. The fame and fortune, the glitz and glamour, and everything that comes with it sounds like a dream. But some celebrities are the opposite, choosing to give up their life of fame for a simple job. They all have their reasons for sure so let’s see who went back to living a normal life.
1. Freddie Prinze Jr.
In the late 90s and early 2000s, Freddie Prinze Jr. was the man of every woman’s dream. He graced TV screens with heartthrob-ready roles in I Know What You Did Last Summer and She’s All That. He even had his own sitcom for a season. Then he moved to wrestling. Prinze had always been a fan of wrestling, so he was hired to write, produce, and direct for the WWE.
2. Frankie Muniz
Muniz was once considered one of the rising stars of Hollywood and appeared in a host of movies after his tenure on the hit TV show Malcolm in the Middle. In 2001, at the age of 16 he drove the pace car for the Daytona 500. He’s now a legitimate professional racer, even earning an award for sportsmanship from his peers. Muniz also manages an olive oil shop in Arizona.
3. Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal has made movies, hip-hop albums, and excellent fashion choices as a TNT basketball commentator. But away from the court, O’Neal loves cops. So he became one in multiple cities. He went through Los Angeles’ sheriff’s academy and became a reserve officer. He busted perps in Miami and he’s participated in cases in Virginia and Georgia, becoming honorary sheriff’s deputies in both states.
4. Gene Hackman
It’s likely your parents love many of Hackman’s film roles. Chances are, your parents will like the books he’s writing. Hackman is now a published author, crafting historical fictions like Escape From Andersonville, a story of prison escape set during the Civil War.
5. Kevin Jonas
Kevin Jonas traded in his guitar for business. JonasWerner is a construction company that offers custom-built homes and renovations. The Blu Market helps social media influencers partner with companies interested in working with them. Yood is a phone app that makes ordering food simple. They’re all founded by Kevin Jonas.
6. Cary Grant
He was suave, handsome, and incredibly watchable. But in 1966, at 62, he stopped acting. When Grant became a board member of cosmetic company Faberge, people assumed it was an honorary figurehead position. Grant took it seriously, attending every meeting and getting his hands dirty. He took similar approaches when serving on boards for MGM, the Academy of Magical Arts, and Western Airlines.
7. Mara Wilson
You undoubtedly recognize Mara Wilson as Matilda, the big-screen version of the classic Roald Dahl heroine who gets into psychic mischief. After the instantly iconic performance, however, she retired from acting at age 13, and shifted her goals. Wilson has been writing prolifically, including a memoir about her child star status called Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame.
8. Cameron Diaz
From her big-screen debut in The Mask, to her campily self-aware finale in Annie (2014), Cameron lit up every project she appeared in with talent and enthusiasm. Diaz has written two best-selling works since her acting retirement, focusing on bettering different parts of existence. The first, The Body Book, is all about how to keep one’s body healthy. The second, The Longevity Book, is all about how to keep one’s life long and prosperous.
9. Amanda Bynes
After breaking through in TV shows like All That and movies like She’s the Man, Bynes descended into a public breakdown. Spurred in part by a brief 2007 fashion line, Bynes enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in 2014. Four years later, Bynes graduated with an associate’s degree.
10. Danny Lloyd
Danny Lloyd quit Hollywood. It was The Shining and Lloyd was six. He had to act out horrific scenes while being tricked that he wasn’t in a horror film. He currently lives a quiet life in Kentucky with his family. He teaches biology at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College.
11. Shirley Temple
In the late 1960s, Temple turned away from show biz and set her sights on making the world a better place. She’s worked as a United Nations delegate, the Ambassador to Ghana, the Chief of Protocol of the United States, and the Ambassador to Czechoslovakia. And we have her to thank for that drink.
12. Peter Ostrum
After playing the main character Charlie in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Peter Ostrum took a one-way ticket out of the film industry. One day, a veterinarian came to examine the family’s horse. Ostrum found his fate. He received his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University, and currently practices out of New York.
13. Mike Vitar
Mike Vitar from The Sandlot, quit acting and eventually became a Los Angeles firefighter.
14. Kirk Cameron
Cameron has publicly disavowed what he views as anti-Christian corruption in the entertainment industry, even rejecting certain storylines when he was on Growing Pains. He co-founded and is active in The Way of the Master, an evangelical multimedia program. As an evangelical, born-again Christian preacher., Cameron’s movies like Left Behind: The Movie, Fireproof, and Saving Christmas all help him communicate his message.
15. Greta Garbo
The Scandinavian actor delighted audiences in silent films like Flesh and the Devil before transitioning seamlessly to talkies like Camille. But Garbo had always disliked the spotlight. She decided to start a new career as an Art collector. By the time of her death, Garbo’s collection was worth millions of dollars, including masterpieces by Auguste Renoir.
16. Kristi Yamaguchi
You can’t beat Kristi Yamaguchi. She was a global icon in the 1980s and ‘90s. After she left the rink, her icon status didn’t leave. Tsu.ya is a women’s activewear clothing brand, named after Yamaguchi’s middle name. Yamaguchi designs the stylish duds herself, promising to hit the center between fashion and comfort. All proceeds help support Yamaguchi’s Always Dream Foundation, which helps children in need.
17. Rick Moranis
People remember Rick Moranis for his comedic roles in movies such as Ghostbusters, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and Little Shop of Horrors. When his wife died in 1991 from breast cancer, the actor began to scale back his work commitments as he took sole responsibility for bringing up his kids. By 1997, he had quit acting completely.
18. Jake Lloyd
Jake Lloyd is recognizable as the face of Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace. Lloyd also appeared in several other movies, such as Jingle All the Way.
19. Jeff Cohen
Cult film enthusiasts will know him as Chunk from The Goonies. Following this appearance, he had various roles in smaller television and film productions before leaving the business. Cohen went and studied at several universities and eventually became a successful entertainment lawyer, even starting his own company within the industry.
20. Lisa Jakub
Best known as Lydie Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire, Lisa Jakub also had roles in films such as Independence Day and Painted Angels. In 2000, she was 22 and loathing the industry. She moved to Virginia and worked different jobs, including at a radio station, before deciding that she wanted to write for a living.
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