Surely, no Game of Thrones fan could forget Jack Gleeson. Jack played television’s most despised enemy, King Joffrey. Despite the high-profile role, Gleeson has not acted since 2014. In 2012, the actor hinted at his intention to retire from acting to pursue an academic career once his work on Game of Thrones was finished.
In 2014, Gleeson confirmed he would be permanently retiring from acting after concluding his work in “Game of Thrones.” In the same interview, he said that while he previously had the desire to pursue a degree, he has since gone off that idea. He is currently busy running his own touring theater company, which has a puppet show.
Fell Out of Fashion
It appeared like Nikki Blonsky was going to be the next big star after playing the role of Tracy Turnblad in 2007's movie adaptation of "Hairspray." Although she starred alongside an impressive list of actors like John Travolta, Queen Latifah, and Zac Efron, her career path took a big turn after the movie... for the worse.
In 2011, she earned a cosmetology license and started working part-time as a makeup artist and hairstylist. How could somebody who was poised to be the next big thing experience such a turn of events? We guess we will never know why she made that choice in the end.
Boardwalk to Nowhere
Paz de la Huerta seemed destined for fame when she acted on "Boardwalk Empire" for two seasons. The series went on air from 2010 to 2014 and was such a hit that it won a hefty 20 Emmy awards. However, her career quickly petered after the role. Since then, she hasn't made any high-profile appearances.
In 2015, it was reported that de la Huerta was suing the filmmakers, for ruining her career. Paz has also made allegations against Harvey Weinstein, an act which she describes as having made her life take a sharp dark turn. She became depressed and after a second season, HBO did not renew her contract.
Not Fetch
To anyone who's seen "Mean Girls" as much as I have, you would recognize that attractive face anywhere. Jonathan Bennett played the hunky Aaron Samuels as Lindsay Lohan's love interest. Following the role, he virtually disappeared from the acting world for several years.
At one point, he was even reported to be working as a spin instructor in Los Angeles. Nowadays, his career is on a steady incline. He currently is serving as the host of Food Network's "Halloween Wars," having hosted the previous "Cake Wars." Other recent noteworthy roles include “The Christmas House” in 2020, and he starred in 8 episodes of the comedy series “Awkward” in 2016.
A Second Career
Sometimes, when you have a good enough reason, you're ready to say goodbye to your career as an actor. Gene Hackman's time was up after 2004's "Welcome to Mooseport." With two Oscar wins under his belt, the veteran actor is sitting back and enjoying life with his wife of 26 years, Betsy Arakawa. He got an Oscar in 1972 for his role in “The French Connection” and again in 1993 for his work in “Unforgiven.”
Retiring from acting allowed some free time for his writing career. In the last two decades, he has finished five novels, including three works of historical fiction, a Western, and a police thriller. The guy is living proof that it’s never too late to make a big career change!