8 child stars who quit acting and returned to Hollywood years later

Talia LakritzSep 6, 2022, 17:44 IST

Ke Huy Quan returned to acting 20 years after starring in "The Goonies."Warner Bros. Pictures ; Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images

Child stars like Mayim Bialik and the Sprouse twins took time away from acting to go to college.
Former child actors Ben Savage and Andrea Barber reprised their famous sitcom roles as adults.

Mayim Bialik became famous playing Blossom Russo in the '90s TV show "Blossom."

Mayim Bialik as Blossom Russo.Harry Langdon/Hulton Archive via Getty Images

Bialik left acting to earn a doctorate in neuroscience, then returned to Hollywood playing Amy Farrah Fowler in "The Big Bang Theory."

Mayim Bialik on "Jeopardy!"ABC

Dylan and Cole Sprouse appeared in "Grace Under Fire" and "Big Daddy" before landing their breakout roles as stars of "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody."

Cole (left) and Dylan Sprouse in 1999.Ron Galella/Getty Images

After a break from acting to attend New York University, the 29-year-old Sprouse twins are back to acting in TV shows and films.

Dylan Sprouse (left) and Cole Sprouse in 2019.Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Macaulay Culkin is best known as the mischief-making protagonist in the "Home Alone" movies.

Macaulay Culkin in "Home Alone."20th Century Fox

He stepped away from acting in 1994 to go to high school, but has since returned to the screen with roles in "American Horror Story" and "The Righteous Gemstones."

Macaulay Culkin in 2018.Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for DCP

Anna Chlumsky became a celebrity when she starred in the 1991 film "My Girl" alongside Macaulay Culkin.

Anna Chlumsky.Fryderyk Gabowicz/picture alliance via Getty Images

After taking a break to earn a college degree and work in publishing, Chlumsky landed starring roles in successful shows such as "Veep" and "Inventing Anna."

Anna Chlumsky in 2019.Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, for HBO

Ke Huy Quan rose to fame as a child actor in "The Goonies" and "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom."

Ke Huy Quan in "The Goonies."Warner Bros. Pictures

Quan took a 20-year break from acting, then made a triumphant return in this year's "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

Ke Huy Quan in 2017.Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images

Ben Savage got his big break as Cory Matthews on "Boy Meets World" in the 1990s.

Ben Savage on season one of "Boy Meets World."ABC

After taking some time to focus on his education, Savage reprised his famous role in the spinoff "Girl Meets World."

Ben Savage in 2016.Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

Jason Bateman got his start on shows like "Little House on the Prairie," "Silver Spoons," and "It's Your Move" in the 1980s.

Jason Bateman as Derek Taylor in "Silver Spoons."NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

Bateman almost quit acting for good in the '90s, but a string of successful projects such as " Arrested Development" and "Juno" reignited his career.

Jason Bateman.Getty Images

Andrea Barber played Kimmy Gibbler on "Full House" from 1987 to 1995.

Andrea Barber on ABC's "Full House."ABC

She didn't act again until 2016, when she reprised her role in the "Full House" reboot, "Fuller House."

Andrea Barber.Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

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