If you were a child of the 90's, chances are you grew up watching Matilda, The Goonies, and all the other films that are now so nostalgia-inducing. And aside from an inevitable crush on Ms. Honey or a young Josh Brolin, many of us spent hours dreaming about ending up on the big screen, and in the faraway land of Hollywood. Now, while many of our early aspirations were limited to spending our pennies on things to impress our classmates with, some of us held onto our dreams of stardom, and dutifully participated in student productions until it became evident that an actor's salary just wouldn't cut it.

And it appears that many child stars also gave up their A-list status in favour of the hard graft. Here's 7 of them and their reasons for ditching the limelight...

 1. Matilda - Mara Wilson 

The most precocious little girl of the 90's gave up her acting credentials to focus on writing. She's not completely retired, however. she recently did some voiceover work, and has been appearing on the podcast, Welcome to Night Vale.

2. The Goonies - Jeff Cohen

Lovingly known as "Chunk" in the 80's classic, Jeff Cohen is perhaps still best known for inventing the "Truffle Shuffle". But his current job isn't too shabby. He became an entertainment lawyer after director, Richard Donner, introduced him to the behind-the-scenes of Hollywood.

3. The Shining - Danny Lloyd

After starring in Stanley Kubrick's horror hit, we're not surprised that Lloyd only had one more feature left in him. He appeared in the television film, Will: G. Gordon Liddy, and now teaches biology at a community college in Kentucky, US. He also briefly worked as a pig farmer.

4. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - Peter Ostrum 

The childhood classic is Ostrum's first and last acting credit. Shortly after appearing in the 1971 film, he discovered a love of horses and trained as a veterinarian.

5. Aliens - Carrie Henn

Carrie Henn is now a primary school teacher. It's evident that kids who star in horror films are put off the craft for life...

6. Hook - Charlie Korsmo

Korsmo only appeared in teen comedy, Can't Hardly Wait, after starring in Hook. Since then, he's earned a law degree from Yale university and currently teaches at a college in Cleveland.

7. Mrs. Doubtfire - Lisa Jakub

Afraid of becoming a "cautionary tale", Jakub left the industry at age 22 to focus on her personal life. She currently spends her time writing, and she has a blog where she documents what she's up to, as well as what Hollywood is really like.

Well, there you have it - a life of fame and fortune just doesn't appeal to all. However, I don't doubt that these erstwhile actors are still making a fine buck off the back of their childhood ventures.

If you were a child of the 90's, chances are you grew up watching Matilda, The Goonies, and all the other films that are now so nostalgia-inducing. And aside from an inevitable crush on Ms. Honey or a young Josh Brolin, many of us spent hours dreaming about ending up on the big screen, and in the faraway land of Hollywood. Now, while many of our early aspirations were limited to spending our pennies on things to impress our classmates with, some of us held onto our dreams of stardom, and dutifully participated in student productions until it became evident that an actor's salary just wouldn't cut it.

And it appears that many child stars also gave up their A-list status in favour of the hard graft. Here's 7 of them and their reasons for ditching the limelight...

 1. Matilda - Mara Wilson 

The most precocious little girl of the 90's gave up her acting credentials to focus on writing. She's not completely retired, however. she recently did some voiceover work, and has been appearing on the podcast, Welcome to Night Vale.

2. The Goonies - Jeff Cohen

Lovingly known as "Chunk" in the 80's classic, Jeff Cohen is perhaps still best known for inventing the "Truffle Shuffle". But his current job isn't too shabby. He became an entertainment lawyer after director, Richard Donner, introduced him to the behind-the-scenes of Hollywood.

3. The Shining - Danny Lloyd

After starring in Stanley Kubrick's horror hit, we're not surprised that Lloyd only had one more feature left in him. He appeared in the television film, Will: G. Gordon Liddy, and now teaches biology at a community college in Kentucky, US. He also briefly worked as a pig farmer.

4. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - Peter Ostrum 

The childhood classic is Ostrum's first and last acting credit. Shortly after appearing in the 1971 film, he discovered a love of horses and trained as a veterinarian.

5. Aliens - Carrie Henn

Carrie Henn is now a primary school teacher. It's evident that kids who star in horror films are put off the craft for life...

6. Hook - Charlie Korsmo

Korsmo only appeared in teen comedy, Can't Hardly Wait, after starring in Hook. Since then, he's earned a law degree from Yale university and currently teaches at a college in Cleveland.

7. Mrs. Doubtfire - Lisa Jakub

Afraid of becoming a "cautionary tale", Jakub left the industry at age 22 to focus on her personal life. She currently spends her time writing, and she has a blog where she documents what she's up to, as well as what Hollywood is really like.

Well, there you have it - a life of fame and fortune just doesn't appeal to all. However, I don't doubt that these erstwhile actors are still making a fine buck off the back of their childhood ventures.