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34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job

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A lot of people dream of fame, but the reality is that not many are cut out for it. While being a star might seem like all rainbows and butterflies, often the reality is harsher than that.
And so, sometimes a person who once was on top of the world popularity-wise can fall out of it. Whether it's by their own choice or the loss of relevancy, the fact that sometimes they end up in the shoes of "common folks" still stands. So, today let's jump in to read stories about folks exactly like that, shall we?
More info: Reddit

#1

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
My 4th grade teacher was the bassist for Joan Jett. When she got into the rock n roll hall of fame he was there. Weird seeing him on tv lol.
42points

#2

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
Danny Lloyd who played the kid in The Shining was my biology professor when I was in community college. Great professor, super nice. Doesn’t like talking about his childhood acting.
40points

#3

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
My small, leafy mid Michigan liberal arts college had requirements in order to get a degree. I put the arts requirement off until my senior year and decided to take intro to theater. The professor turned out to be Jeff Daniels who lived a half hour away in Chelsea. His career was in a lull in the early 2000’s and the boredom was starting to get to him.
39points

Some people think that fame is the ultimate goal, the key to happiness. And so, they do everything in their power to achieve it, even if that means doing some rather immoral stuff. But in their eyes, the more people learn their name, the better their life will get, so it’s all worth it. 

Yet, when they do achieve this goal, they realize the idea of stardom that was sold to them might have been false. Yes, fame can bring happiness for achievements, acknowledgment, love coming from fans, and all these kinds of things. But it can also bring certain hardships that the common folk might have a hard time understanding. 

#4

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
I roomed in college with the kid who was the voice of Charlie Brown for many years. He works for the department of public works in a small town now.
37points

#5

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
My oncologist used to be the drummer for The Offspring.
36points

#6

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
The other lead kid from Weird Science (the one who isn’t Anthony Michael Hall) was my medieval literature professor in college .
35points

For example, when you become famous, you basically become a public person. And that entails a loss of privacy. The famous person’s life becomes “content” for public consumption, and every action of theirs becomes scrutinized. 

Often enough, celebrities find it challenging to maintain relationships, friendships, and family life due to the lack of privacy they experience. After all, nowadays not only paparazzi can snap a pic of them that is shared all around – anyone who carries a phone with a camera can.

#7

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
One of the creators of The Oregon Trail fixed our cable connection at our house in the late 1990s.
35points

#8

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
The kid who played Charlie Bucket in the original Willy Wonka is a veterinarian in Lowville, NY... an *extremely* small town in nowhere, USA.

He is pretty tired of talking about it.
34points

#9

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
Owner of a local bike shop has an olympic gold medal in cycling. Still does repairs on bikes or sells bikes.
33points

In some cases, the constant attention, both positive and negative, affects the famous person so much that they don’t feel private anywhere. Here, G-Dragon, who is often dubbed the “King of K-Pop,” has talked about how during sensitive periods of his life, he has felt like he was in The Truman Show.

He has even referenced this film in some of his art, like in the song “Divina Commedia (신곡) (神曲)” with a famous movie quote: “In case I don’t see ya / Good afternoon / Good evening and good night.” 

#10

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
I once saw Tommy Lee Jones working at a post office. I don't remember what he did before that.
31points

#11

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
Back when it was still a sweet little bar with great gumbo, Great Jones cafe in NYC was my favorite spot to grab a bite and a beer and listen to a quality jukebox. Awesome bartender. Marc was always good for an interesting chat. After years of doing this one day he says he’s gonna be out of town on tour with his band.

“Oh what’s your band called?”

“Sonic Youth”

Edit: correction for the record store nerds it’s Mark (with a k) Ibold better known as the bassist from Pavement. But toured with Sonic Youth in the 2000’s.
30points

#12

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
My friend Kyra. She played Karen Cooper...the little girl in the basement in the original Night of the Living Dead. She went on to become an art teacher for many years. Now, she sticks to doing the horror convention circuit. She's a phenomenal artist! She's also a wonderful human who rescues hard to home animals. I love her dearly ❤️.
30points

For those unfamiliar with The Truman Show, it’s a 1998 movie about a man realizing his whole life is a reality TV show. So, just imagine how unsafe a person must feel to compare their life to such a scenario. 

To make matters worse, the lack of privacy isn’t the only hard thing celebrities deal with. They also feel the pressure to be perfect and relevant, to avoid (even though it’s basically impossible to do so) all criticisms, to ignore the hate, and all things like that.

#13

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
Jenette Goldstein who played Vasquez in Aliens and John Connor’s adopted mom in T2 opened a bra store for plus sized women called Jenette Bras. “The alphabet starts at D”.

I did a play with her in 2004. She is rad.

If you’ve got a larger than average bust and live in L.A. go to Jenette Bras.
28points

#14

Dan Spitz, the former lead guitarist of the thrash metal band Anthrax, retired from music to pursue a career in luxury watchmaking after studying at a Swiss watchmaking school. He is now known for his expertise in crafting high-end timepieces and has even been featured in documentaries about his work.
27points

#15

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
I used to work EMS in NYC. There was a former jersey shore cast member who was briefly on the job.

Also the keyboardist for Type O Negative is a phenomenal paramedic working in central Brooklyn. Really cool, laid back dude. He also had the Highest tolerance for hot peppers I’ve ever seen.
25points

Granted, stardom also grants certain privileges in life, which is something that G-Dragon has acknowledged too. Still, sometimes even the privilege doesn’t help when certain hardships come along. 

That’s why some famous people, after some time in the spotlight, decide to leave it all behind and pursue a more “normal” life. So, today, let’s partake in the stories about celebs like that – all of them were shared by people who had a chance of running into them in “the wild.” 

Maybe you have some similar stories of your own? Please, share them all in the comments!

#16

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
I worked in a restaurant in the late ‘70’s with Peter Tork.
25points

#17

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
I went to school with Jake Lloyd, the child actor who played Anakin skywalker. I’m not sure what he does now, last I heard he move to the Carolina’s and was having some mental health issues.

People liked to talk nonsense about him, but he was always kind to me, I think it was mostly just petty highschool bullying type stuff.
23points

#18

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
Former Olympic gold medal swimmer Beth Botsford used to bartend at the bar next door to my condo. She was a genuinely nice person.
22points

#19

My husband knew Bob Bryar from My Chemical Romance, used to play in bands with him before he got big. Legend has it that after he left the band he became a real estate agent before he passed.

On another note, I am a washed up local celebrity who never made it to the next level and my 34th birthday is tomorrow. This thread has given me a very positive new perspective on “life after fame” that is bringing me a lot of peace. You always hear about people falling off and going insane and I don’t want to end up like that.
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22points

#20

34 Once Famous People Who Traded In Stardom For A Regular Job
I met Eliza Dushku in my master's program.
21points
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