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There were reportedly 20,000 children who auditioned for the role of Dennis Mitchell in the 1993 film Dennis the Menace, but Mason Gamble was the one who got the part. From there, he went on to act in several other films before leaving acting to pursue science. But where did he get his start, and how did he land the role of one of the most iconic children in film? Not a lot is known about Gamble, who preferred to keep his private life quiet and didn't work in the industry long enough to establish a lot of film credits. Still, Gamble's portrayal of Dennis earned him fans and critical praise, and it's important to learn more about what he had to offer to the acting world and where he went when he decided to pursue another career. Read on to find out more.

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Early Life and Casting in a Major Role

Gamble was born in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were Sally and Tim Gamble, and his father was an actor. That gave Gamble an opportunity to get into the business, as well, as children of actors often do. In addition to playing such a significant role in his childhood, Gamble also attended Oak Park and River Forest High School, and graduated in 2004. Then he went on to college at UCLA, and graduated from there in 2008. He was part of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity during his time there, and studied science. He chose a career in marine biology. While he could have likely continued on an acting path, it wasn't what interested him. Many children of actors become actors as a career path, but there are those, like Gamble, who elect to do something different.

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While Gamble was growing up, he had several roles in films besides Dennis the Menace. He was active in Hollywood until 2011, which is the last year in which he acted. The role of Dennis opened doors for him and gave him a number of options, even though not everyone liked his performance. He won a Young Artist Award for Best Youth Actor for the character, but he was also nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst New Star. However, the role gained him a number of fans and a lot of attention, which meant he had the opportunity to move away from it and onto other things in Hollywood. He was never in another role that was as major as Dennis, but still worked in a number of commercially successful movies.

Life After Playing the Iconic Dennis

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The next acting role for Gamble after his portrayal of Dennis came in 1996, in the movie Just in Time. He was also in Spy Hard (1996), Bad Moon (1996), and Gattaca (1997). After that, Gamble was again nominated for a Young Artist Award for appearing in Rushmore (1998). That movie was a box office and critical success, earning Gamble a nomination for the YoungStar Award, as well. But Gamble wasn't done with acting just yet. He was also in Arlington Road (1999), and The Rising Place (2001). He made three other movies beyond that, including 2011's Golf in the Kingdom. That was the last movie Gamble made, and the last acting role he had before devoting himself full time to his interest in science as a marine biologist.

In addition to the movie roles, Gamble was also on television in a few guest appearances. From 1996 to 2006, he was in the TV movie Anya's Bell, and had guest roles on Early Edition, ER, Kate Brasher, Close to Home, and CSI: Miami. He also appeared as himself in Hollywood Remembers Walter Matthau. Gamble's last TV appearance was in 2006, and he hasn't been interested in acting beyond that. While it may seem strange that he didn't stay with acting and make it into a career, not everyone who has a starring role in something or family in the entertainment industry is interested in working as an actor. Additionally, some people don't feel the business is for them, and that can be epecially true with child actors who start out in the business at a very young age.

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Gamble doesn't discuss the issue much, but he's clearly moved on to do other things. His career as a marine biologist is one he went to school for and studied extensively, and presumably one he enjoys. While fans won't get to see him in another acting role, he'll always be remembered as Dennis the Menace. It's hard to ignore the importance of such a significant and popular role, and it's something Gamble can be proud of doing in the past. His childhood was unique because of it, but he also went on and made a name for himself in a different way that he was proud of. That's something fans can also appreciate about the talented former actor.