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Child actors seem to come and go, and it’s not just some recent phenomenon. For generations, a lot of actors that got their start as children tend to stop acting as they become adults. In some cases, it’s because they no longer fit roles or have been typecast because of their childhood appearances. Others choose to walk away on their own. In the case of Jeff Cohen, he left Hollywood because a combination of both. These days, one of the kids from “The Goonies” is now practicing law and living a normal life.

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Cohen was born as Jeff McMahon on June 25, 1974 in Los Angeles, California. While his family didn’t have a lot of connections that could’ve made him famous, he was still raised in the right city to start an acting career. Cohen started going to auditions at a young age and didn’t have to wait until his 10th birthday to find success.

1983 was the first year in Cohen’s acting career, and it was a solid one. He guest starred in episodes of “Tales from the Darkside” and “Webster”, as well as the television movie “Little Shots”. The following year, Cohen added several more guest spots on the shows “The Facts of Life”, “Family Ties” and “Kids Incorporated”.

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Then, in 1985, Cohen had the role of a lifetime by playing Lawrence, but was better known to his friends as Chunk in “The Goonies”. Chunk was the one that was captured and left behind from the rest of the Goonies, befriending the deformed Sloth that turned out to be one of the good guys. The film made three times its budget at the box office, and in the years since has become a classic amongst film fans.

After “The Goonies”, there weren’t many roles left in Cohen’s career. He appeared in a pair of episodes of “Amazing Stories” and added another guest starring role in “Family Ties”. His final TV roles came in episodes of “Wonderful Worlds of Disney” and “She’s the Sheriff”. As for film, he only did two more. In 1988, he lent his voice to “Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School” with his final role coming in 1991’s “Perfect Harmony”. It’s now been around 30 years since his last acting credit.

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“It was fun being an actor, but by the time college rolled around, I was ready to try some new things,” Cohen said. “By the time I graduated, I realized I enjoyed having a normal life and I never went back.” That’s not the only reason, either. “Puberty was the main culprit in ending my acting career,” Cohen added. “I went from being kind of this chunky little kid to looking different, and I was really bummed because I loved acting.”

Cohen continued by saying that “Puberty is the ultimate nemesis for a child actor,” highlighting how fast things can change in Hollywood. “And puberty kicked me in the gut. It felt like: ‘What am I going to do now? I’m going to be a has-been at 14 years old?”

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After his acting career had come to an end, Cohen put a firm focus on his academics. He moved up the coast to Berkeley to attend Cal, earning his first degree in business administration. Cohen was a standout student while in college, and in his semesters off had continued to spend time at movie studios. He learned the business side of how Hollywood operated, and wanted to take it another step further.

Cohen went back to school, this time sticking around Los Angeles to attend UCLA. He earned his Juris Doctor from the school and started practicing law, opening up a firm in the suburb of Beverly Hills. Since then, Cohen has been working in legal matters as they pertain to the entertainment industry and has found himself to be quite successful.

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One person that Cohen is very thankful for to help him in taking the next step in his career is Richard Donner. Donner had directed films like “Superman” and “Lethal Weapon” during his career, as well as “The Goonies”. The advice and opportunities that he allowed Cohen were invaluable for his life and career.

Donner was the one that got Cohen into the business aspect of Hollywood. “(Donner told me) ‘Come work with me, kid, there’s a whole other side to show business, kid.’” Donner gave Cohen a letter of recommendation that helped to get him into a good college, as well. In the end, it was Donner that helped to pay for Cohen’s education.

“I talk about the ups and downs and growing (up) with my mom and my sister with a single parent household in the Valley,” Cohen said. “And how I thought academics was the way that I could contribute to the entertainment industry again and make my life better.”

Cohen represents plenty of actors these days, especially younger ones, and he hopes to take them under his wing the same way that Donner did for him. “My concerns about my clients are not merely academic,” Cohen said. “I’ve been in front of the camera. I know how hard everyone works. I treat them carefully, with respect.”

The best part about being an attorney in Hollywood and working with stars, though? “I get to go to the parties but I don’t have to audition,” he joked. Many of his clients are thrilled to have him, too, having been big fans of “The Goonies” while growing up no matter how old they are. “Having Chunk as your attorney? That’s pretty cool.”