Child stars from the 1980s often faced the intense pressure of Hollywood fame, but several prominent actors chose to trade the spotlight for the courtroom.
Jeff Cohen’s transition from Chunk
Jeff Cohen appeared as the character Chunk in the classic adventure comedy The Goonies. After appearing in television series like Family Ties, he stepped away from acting in 1991 to pursue a career in law. Cohen maintains ties to his Hollywood roots, having negotiated the contract for his co-star Ke Huy Quan’s Oscar-winning role in Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022).
Josh Saviano’s pivot to consulting
Josh Saviano gained recognition in the late 1980s playing Paul Pfeiffer on the coming-of-age sitcom The Wonder Years. He eventually left acting to attend Yale University, moving into the fields of law and business consulting. Despite his career shift, Saviano made occasional returns to the screen, appearing in Law & Order in 2014 and 2015.
Charlie Korsmo’s legal academia
Charlie Korsmo rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s with roles in Dick Tracy and the fantasy film Hook. Following his time in Hollywood, he studied at MIT and worked in government missile defense before attending law school. Today, he serves as a professor of law at Case Western Reserve University, though he recently appeared in the film A Different Man.
Isaac Lidsky’s path to the Supreme Court
Isaac Lidsky, known for his role in Saved by the Bell: The New Class, transitioned from television to the legal profession after earning his J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Lidsky, who is blind due to a rare genetic condition, achieved a significant milestone as the first blind law clerk to serve on the United States Supreme Court. He clerked for Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg before working as an appellate lawyer for the Department of Justice.
Lara Jill Miller’s return to performance
Lara Jill Miller portrayed Sam on the sitcom Gimme a Break! starting when she was 14 years old. She briefly left the industry to earn degrees in politics and French from New York University, followed by a law degree from Fordham. While she practiced law in New York, she eventually returned to the entertainment industry to work as a voice actor for projects like DC Super Hero Girls.
Questions about former child stars and legal careers
Did these actors leave Hollywood permanently?
Not all of them. While some, like Jeff Cohen, shifted focus to legal practice, others such as Lara Jill Miller and Charlie Korsmo have returned to acting or voice work in recent years.
Which former child star clerked for the Supreme Court?
Isaac Lidsky served as the first blind law clerk at the United States Supreme Court. He clerked for Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg after graduating from Harvard Law School.
Are there other actors who pursued law?
The industry has seen various transitions, but these five individuals are noted for their specific shift from 1980s child stardom to professional legal careers. Their career paths remain a point of interest for fans of 1980s television and film.
Keep reading