Jack Lord. During the last season of “Hawaii Five-O,” he produced a pilot for a series that was not picked up (“M Station: Hawaii”). When Five-O ended, he called it a career, and retired.
He was set for life, not just for 12 years of a hit series, but he owned a piece of the show. Interestingly, I read somewhere that he was one of the people up for the role of “Captain Kirk,” and wanted a piece of “Star Trek,” if he got the job. According to that same article, Roddenberry didn’t think too much of that.
Sorry about that. Anyway, he did it strictly as a favor to DeNiro. Like Rick Moranis, he decided to concentrate on his singing (though nobody else seems to have concentrated on it). Vincent Laguardia Gambini Sings Just for You
Most of the cast of Head of the Class seems to have stopped acting (or it quit them, one or the other). Tony O’Dell- the cute snobby one- is now a massage therapist according to one source, while Dennis (the fat sloppy computer nerd) moved behind the camera and produces/directs some hit shows for the Disney channel. The redhead, Khrystine Haje (even I had a crush on her) still turns up occasionally (probably as a hobby since she never was that great as an actress and [according to a “where are they now?” article some years ago] she’s independently wealthy from really good high-tech investments with her HotC paychecks).
I was about to say Cary Elwes who played Wesley in the Princess Bride, but then I looked at his IMDB entry and realised he’s been in a shit load of films and TV shows, including ones I’ve seen. I never realised he was the same guy who played Jerry in Liar Liar.
The one who has done really well behind the camera is Brian Robbins, who played Eric. According to IMDb the shows that he has produced or exec produced include One Tree Hill and Smallville, in addition to some movies like Wild Hogs.
Taking a break for a few years is not really the same as giving up acting. Schwarzenegger had a leading role in 2003 (Terminator 3), a minor role as recently as 2004 (Around the World in 80 Days), and will be able to devote a lot more time to his film career soon if he so chooses. He might never star in another blockbuster, but he’ll probably be in demand for celebrity cameos for the rest of his life, and he seems to enjoy it.
Wayne Rogers appears not to have gone more than two years between movies from 1959 to 2003, when he turned 70. That includes periods when he was a regular on TV series.
I was going to say McLean Stevenson, but looking at his IMDB page he was working last in 1993, and died in 1996, so I guess he has a good reason for not doing anything more recently. (He’s another guy whose IMDB list is surprisingly long!)