Where Are They Now By Angela Guzman

Mara Wilson

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Mara Wilson was a successful child actor, until she decided showbiz wasn't for her. Wilson won our hearts playing Robin Williams' youngest daughter in the 1993 comedy Mrs. Doubtfire, and went on to star in the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street and the film adaptation of beloved children's book "Matilda" in 1996.

Now grown up, Wilson has graduated from NYU and is now a playwright.

In a blog post, the 24 year old talks about why she left Hollywood and why you'll never see her on "Dancing With the Stars." In her post she said, "Here is something no real celebrity will ever tell you: film acting is not very fun." "Doing the same thing over and over again until, in the director’s eyes, you “get it right” does not allow for very much creative freedom ... In terms of sheer adrenaline, film has absolutely nothing on theater."

Wilson has continued to write, releasing a memoir in 2016. She also does voice acting work including audiobooks and the fiction podcast "Welcome to Night Vale."

Jonathan Taylor Thomas

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Jonathan Taylor Thomas, or better known as teen heart-throb J.T.T. to thousands of teenage girls in the 90s, is best known for his role as the middle brother Randy Taylor on the '90s TV show Home Improvement. Thomas also starred in kids' movies like Tom & Huck and Wild America.

After the show wrapped, Thomas decided to focus on his education, enrolling in Harvard; he went on to graduate with a degree from Columbia in 2010. Thomas has stayed out of the lime light and only resurfaced in 2011 for a Home Improvement reunion photo shoot for Entertainment Weekly. He has only been spotted in public twice in the last 10 years, so it is safe to assume he is content living a quiet and private life.

Macy Gray

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Macy Gray is known for her chart topping hit in 1999 “I Try.” The song went on to live in the dramatic moments on TV shows like Spin City and Gilmore Girls. The song won her Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2001 Grammy Awards.

Since the one-hit wonder, Gray has released five albums and 15 singles; however none of the releases did well on the charts. Gray appeared as a celebrity contestant on the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars and had a small role in Tyler Perry’s movie For Colored Girls.

She competed in the popular TV show The Masked Singer Australia where she was ultimately eliminated. She has landed a few acting roles over the years and released an album in February 2023 called The Reset.

Mayim Bialik

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Mayim Bialik started her acting career early as a child actor and is best known for her role as Blossom Russo on the hit NBC show Blossom in the 90s. Bialik decided to go to UCLA after the Blossom series came to an end. She earned a bachelor's degree in 2000 in neuroscience, Hebrew and Jewish studies, and went on to the PhD program in neuroscience. She completed her PhD in 2007.

Since then, Bialik returned to acting and had a reoccuring role as Amy Farrah Fowler on the hit comedy sitcom The Big Bang Theory, where she ironically played a neuroscientist. Bialik also wrote a book in 2012 entitled Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way.

In 2022, it was announced that she and Ken Jennings would be the hosts of Jeopardy! following the death of Alex Trebek in 2020. But, it was announced in December 2023 that she will no longer be hosting the show.

Soleil Moon Frye

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Soleil Moon Frye began her career as a child actor at the age of 2. When she was 7-years old, Frye won the role of Penelope "Punky" Brewster in the sitcom Punky Brewster. The Punky Brewster character was a hit with young children. After the series ended, Frye continued her career in guest spots on television and supporting roles in films. She attended The New School during the late 1990s, and directed her first film, Wild Horses, in 1998. In 2000, she joined the cast of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as Roxie King. Frye also had a few brief voice over roles.

In 1996, Frye married producer Jason Goldberg and the couple has two kids. Frye opened an organic specialty clothing shop for children, The Little Seed, in Los Angeles. Frye also hosts a blog and web series which focus on child rearing and women's issues. In 2011, Frye released her first book Happy Chaos: From Punky to Parenting and My Perfectly Imperfect Adventures in Between.

In 2021, Frye returned to her role as Punky where she played her as an adult in the revival series.

Fred Savage

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Fred Savage played the deep minded teenager Kevin Arnold on the '60s-set series The Wonder Years from 1988-1993. Savage had a role in The Princess Bride (1987) and hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live (1990).

Savage has taken on directing and producing roles for various TV shows including Ugly Betty, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Modern Family, Happy Endings and more. Savage has also appeared in the films Single White Millionaire and Being Bin Laden, and voiced a character in the TV series Generator Rex.

In 2021, Savage served as the executive producer and director of The Wonder years reboot, but was terminated from the show in May 2022 for "verbal outbursts" and "inappropriate behavior."

Candace Cameron Bure

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Candace Cameron Bure played DJ Tanner, the oldest of three sisters in the family sitcom Full House (1987). As a child actor she worked on several films and other sitcoms including Growing Pains, with brother actor Kirk Cameron.

Today Bure is married with three children. Over the years Cameron has had roles in movies and sitcoms like Make It Or Break It, That's so Raven and Moonlight and Mistletoe and has co-hosted specials for the E! Network.

Through the years, Bure has found herself being criticized for her views on traditional marriage and has committed to only created faith-based content and putting her views and family first. She now stars in films on the Great American Family network which promotes traditional faith-filled family views along with directing and producing for the network.

Ron Howard

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Actor and director Ron Howard got his start at six years old, as Opie Taylor on the Andy Griffith show. In 1974, he played Richie Cuningham on the hit show Happy Days. In the 1980s Howard he began to dabble in his directing career.

Howard has gone on to direct some of the greatest films in cinematic history, most notably 2002's A Beautiful Mind, for which he earned the Academy Award for Best Director, as well as Blockbuster hits Cinderella Man (2005), The Da Vinci Code (2006), and Frost/Nixon (2008).

He has continued to direct movies and seems to have no interest in returning to acting. When asked what it would take for him to return to acting, Howard said "It would probably be Bryce," referring to his daughter who has followed in his film footsteps.