Youngsters who land major Hollywood film roles have sometimes gone on to achieve more tremendous success, with the likes of Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling gaining recognition before they were teenagers.
However, numerous child actors who achieved worldwide fame have since vanished from , with some pursuing other careers and having stopped acting altogether.
Here at Express Online, we have rounded up some actors who earned success through their breakthrough roles at a young age but have now left the entertainment world.
Jake Lloyd
When the Star Wars franchise returned to cinema screens in 1999, fans were introduced to Jake Lloyd, who played a young Anakin Skywalker.
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Jeff played the role of Chunk in The Goonies – but is now no longer acting (Image: Getty)
Jake was only eight when he landed the role in Episode I: The Phantom Menace, but he left quickly after the film’s release. Part of the reason was his mental health, and he recently completed an 18-month stay at a mental health facility.
In an old interview, he spoke about his love for the franchise: “The experience I’ve had with the fans is immediately therapeutic. Right now, it’s still therapeutic. It’s helpful for people and healthy. It isn’t something I’d shy away from.”
Jeff Cohen
The Goonies is a 1985 cult classic with a star-studded cast. Josh Brolin, Sean Astin, and Ke Huy Quan have since earned international fame, but Jeff Cohen has since left the acting world.
He played the iconic role of Lawrence – or Chunk – and you’ll be forgiven if you don’t recognize him now. The 50-year-old is now an entertainment lawyer, and his body image has transformed after he enlisted in his college football team.
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Jake Llyod earned worldwide fame when he appeared as a young Anakin Skywalker (Image: Getty)
Danny Llyod in Stephen King’s horror classic The Shining (Image: Getty)
Danny Llyod
When Stephen King’s adaptation of The Shining hit cinemas in 1980, fans were introduced to a young Danny Torrance. The former child actor debuted at the age of six and was chosen by Stanley Kubrick to appear in the horror classic.
After quitting acting, he became a biology professor at a community college in Kentucky. Danny briefly returned to his role as Torrance in the sequel to The Shining in 2019, Doctor Sleep.
Mara Elizabeth Wilson
Mara found international fame as a child actor in Matilda (1996) and Mrs Doubtfire (1993). The 37-year-old now lives full-time as a writer and admitted that the toll of child stardom was “brutal and dehumanizing.”
She wrote 2012: “Film can be exciting, but more often, it’s tedious. The celebrity aspect is nothing short of ridiculous, and auditioning is brutal and dehumanising.
“Every time I see a pretty young girl on the subway reading sides for an audition, my only thought is, ‘Man, am I glad I’m not doing that anymore.'”
Mara Elizabeth Wilson found fame in Matilda and Mrs Doubtfire (Image: Getty)
Peter Ostrum played the role of Charlie Bucket in the 1971 film (Image: Getty)
Angus T. Jones
Known for his breakout role in the sitcom Two And A Half Men as Jake Harper, he starred in 226 episodes before he retired from acting in 2013.
At the time, he was reportedly the highest-paid child actor in . After he left the acting world, he pursued higher education at the University of Colorado and joined the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
Peter Ostrum
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was an instant hit when it was released in 1971, and the role of Charlie Bucket was played by a young Peter Ostrum. Despite his massive film debut, Ostrum didn’t continue with acting and instead chose a career as a vet. He recently retired from Countryside Veterinary Clinic in New York in 2023.