# Actors who left show business for another career? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 4, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280 "2010-03-04T14:45:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/1 "2010-03-04T14:45:52Z")
Only 1 I know of is Wayne Rogers from MASH, he now works as stock market adviser, he’s on TV in that role. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/2 "2010-03-04T14:57:33Z")
Wil Wheaton, of “Shut up, Wesley!” fame, seems to have pretty much left acting. He worked for Amiga for a while in the 90s, and I think he’s still in the tech sector, though I don’t really know. He also enjoys a considerable following in the blogosphere: [http://www.wilwheaton.net/](http://www.wilwheaton.net/) ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/3 "2010-03-04T15:00:50Z")
Thought of another guy - Christopher Knight of the Brady Bunch also got into the tech field but he still does TV , he did a reality show. He’s married to a much younger model [Adrianne Curry - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrianne_Curry) ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/4 "2010-03-04T15:05:16Z")
Grace Kelly ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/5 "2010-03-04T15:07:10Z")
OJ Simpson? ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/6 "2010-03-04T15:07:31Z")
Kal Penn of “Harold & Kumar” fame left House to be an associate director for the Obama’s Office of Public Liaison. He says he won’t go back to acting until Obama’s term(s) is up. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/7 "2010-03-04T15:07:31Z")
I gather we’re excluding people who went into politics? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/8 "2010-03-04T15:08:48Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > OJ Simpson? Good to see your arm has nothing to do with your wit today! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/9 "2010-03-04T15:09:39Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Good to see your arm has nothing to do with your wit today! The day I pass up a chance to make an OJ joke, hack me up and bury me! ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/10 "2010-03-04T15:09:59Z")
No, I forgot about people who went into politics such as Reagan and Arnold. Fred Thompson left acting for politics, went back to acting and then ran for president (very badly) I guess he’s back to acting again. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/11 "2010-03-04T15:14:31Z")
Lots of child stars. Spanky McFarlane of **Our Gang** , for instance. There’s also Margaret O’Brien and Shirley Temple Black. [William Obanhein](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0643152/bio) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/12 "2010-03-04T15:15:46Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > No, I forgot about people who went into politics such as Reagan and Arnold. Fred Thompson left acting for politics, went back to acting and then ran for president (very badly) I guess he’s back to acting again. Fred appearently uses acting as a part time job to support him between political gigs. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/13 "2010-03-04T15:25:48Z")
Fred Thompson started out as a lawyer, he was asked to be in a movie based on a true story that he was involved in. He’s a rare case of a real lawyer playing one on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/14 "2010-03-04T15:30:58Z")
But did these people _leave_? Or were they unable to find acting jobs so they went into another line? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/15 "2010-03-04T15:33:06Z")
Peter Ostrum, the kid who played Charlie Bucket in **Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory** , quit acting after that one film, despite being offered a three-picture deal. He’s a large animal vet in rural New York state. IMDb quotes him thusly: > [@](#): > > When the picture was over, it was like it had never happened. I returned to school and by the time it was in theatres I’d changed a lot so I wasn’t even recognised much. So, when I was, it was always a nice experience because people like ‘Charlie’. He’s a nice kid. My parents told me to look on it as an experience, which is what I did…My mom and dad were not at all stage parents. They made sure I had a clear choice about what I did for a living. I’m really grateful to them because being a veterinarian is very gratifying. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/16 "2010-03-04T15:33:59Z")
Grace Kelly married a rich prince , I guess that’s a good reason to quit acting. Some of them left acting on their own, others may have been forced to find another line of work. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/17 "2010-03-04T15:39:34Z")
Danica McKellar (Winnie on _The Wonder Years_) became a mathematician and author, though she still does act occasionally. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/18 "2010-03-04T15:45:09Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Grace Kelly or Shirley Temple Black ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/19 "2010-03-04T15:55:49Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > The day I pass up a chance to make an OJ joke, hack me up and bury me! And frame OJ for the act! ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280/20 "2010-03-04T15:59:14Z")
[Charmian Carr](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0139642/). Was absolutely enchanting as Liesl in The Sound Of Music. Now runs her own decorating company. Or did; she may be retired now. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-left-show-business-for-another-career/531280.md?page=2)