Child Actors To Turn To Adult Careers

For many, being an actor is the ultimate dream. Moving to New York or Los Angeles and living the high life of shiny things, fancy restaurants, and roller coaster ride aside, it’s difficult to get anywhere in this industry without working your way up from the bottom. But some people manage to achieve success extremely early on in their lives becoming stars before they’ve even made it through high school. However, not every child actor continues acting after growing up. They develop significant dreams and thrives to achieve them via a different path. That being said, these are the 5 child actors who have turned to adult careers –

Danny Lloyd

In Stanley Kubrick’s classic adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel “The Shining,” the role of Danny Torrance, a psychic boy with premonitions, was played by Danny Lloyd. He was thirteen when he shot the film. During an interview, Lloyd stated that he enjoyed the experience and has fond memories of the project. However, these days, Lloyd is a biology teacher at his local community college in Kentucky where he lives happily as one of Hollywood’s most famous former child actors.

Related: 20 Times Hollywood Shamelessly Made Child Actors Become Adult Actors’ Love Interests

Peter Ostrum

In 1971, the iconic adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was released and made for a wholesome family film. The magical story tells the tale of an eccentric confectioner named Willy Wonka who opens his curious candy factory to the world for the first time. These days, instead of making candy, he is a veterinarian with Countryside Veterinary Clinic in Lowville, New York.

Ross Bagley

Ross Bagley has appeared in a handful of films and TV shows as a child actor. His first acting job was at age 6 when he played Buckwheat in the 1994 big-screen reboot of “The Little Rascals.” Later that year, he joined the cast of the Will Smith sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (where he played Will’s youngest cousin Nicky). Nowadays you can find him selling real estate part-time while working full-time as an insurance broker.

Related: 13 Actors Who Started Their Career As Child Actors

Margaret Langrick

Margaret Langrick spent most of her life acting as an actress for television shows such as “21 Jump Street” and “Danger Bay.” Her career came to a standstill when she suffered from diabetes. However, that did not stop her from pursuing her dreams. In 1996, after one last appearance in the Bigfoot comedy “Harry and the Hendersons,” Margaret Langrick retired from acting and began a new journey in publishing.

Ross Malinger

Ross Malinger appeared in “Beverly Hills,” after which he moved on to star in “Without A Trace” for five years up until 2006. He has also worked on shows like “Who’s the Boss?” and movies like “Kindergarten Cop.” Post his stints on-screen, Ross went into auto sales and currently works as a general manager for one LA dealership.