If you weren't watching Disney Channel original movies and TV shows as a kid, no offense,
but you did childhood wrong.
Between Brink!, Smart House, Even Stevens, and Lizzie McGuire, the network was pretty
much everything to a '90s kid.
While some of our favorite Disney stars went on to do big things others just faded into
the woodwork.
Take a walk down Memory Lane with us as we try to track down Disney stars who seem to
have fallen off the face of the Earth.
Erik von Detten
With that shaggy blond hair and those smoldering good looks, Erik von Detten was the real deal
in the late '90s and early 2000s.
He was a Disney Channel regular, appearing in plenty of shows and movies, including Brink!,
Odd Man Out, So Weird, and the ever-popular Princess Diaries franchise.
Unfortunately, von Detten left our screens once he grew up a bit.
He's steered clear of Hollywood since 2004, except for reprising his role as the voice
of Sid in Toy Story 3 in 2010.
Thanks to that gig, von Detten made a rare appearance at the film's premiere—only to
prove that he's still a total babe.
Adam Lamberg
If you were a fan of Lizzie McGuire, then Gordo, played by the adorable Adam Lamberg,
was probably one of your favorite characters.
As much as we would have loved to see more of Lamberg on the big or small screen, it
just wasn't in the cards.
Except for a couple of appearances in small-budget films in the late 2000s, Adam opted to walk
away from Hollywood.
The Disney star graduated in 2008 from the University of California, Berkeley, with a
degree in geography.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Lamberg completed a master's degree in public administration
from Baruch College and works as a developmental associate at the Irish Arts Center in New
York City.
Ashlie Brillault
While her casting as mean-girl Kate Sanders in Lizzie McGuire seemed like a perfect fit,
the spotlight just wasn't for Ashlie Brillault.
After playing Kate for the last time in The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Brillault gave up acting.
According to her LinkedIn profile, she briefly worked as a volunteer attorney for the American
Civil Liberties Union Jails Project, before going on to become a criminal defense attorney
for a private law firm.
She told MTV News in 2015,
"At the moment I'm focusing on being a mom to this amazing little human being and in
the next few months I plan on looking for a job as a lawyer in the civil rights or criminal
defense field…
My ultimate goal is to work on issues related to criminal justice reform."
It's a far cry from Hollywood, but with so much going for her these days, it sure seems
like Brillault is living "fabulously ever after."
Alana Austin
When Motocrossed premiered in 2001, Alana Austin was every young tomboy's idol.
She was sporty, pretty, and got the hot guy in the end.
While plenty of girls probably considered signing up for motocross after the movie aired,
Austin was signing out of the acting world.
Her last role was in 2006 where she had a small part in the TV series Close to Home.
Instead of acting, Austin appears to be focusing on a writing career.
For those that do want to keep up with her for nostalgia's sake, though, she is quite
active on both Instagram and Twitter.
Chez Starbuck
When The Thirteenth Year premiered in 1999, Chez Starbuck was the hunkiest merboy we'd
ever seen.
In 2011, he made a cameo as himself in The L Word, lost 50 pounds, and appeared on Live
Big with Ali Vincent to tone up his bod.
Since then, Starbuck has gotten into bodybuilding and is also a talented artist, creating unique
and pop-art inspired pieces for commission.
He even creates custom kitchen and pantry organization solutions for homeowners.
He lives in Austin, Texas, where he and his wife are, as of the making of this video,
currently expecting a baby — as well as the release of The Long and the Short, Chez's
first movie role in more than a decade.
Cara DeLizia
You might remember Cara DeLizia as the memorable, and very inquisitive, Fi on So Weird from
1999 to 2000.
After her character was written off in the show's second season, DeLizia went on to appear
in Boston Public and guest star on NYPD Blue and The West Wing.
She retired from acting in 2012, though, and now serves as the executive director for an
organization dedicated to helping Haitian orphans.
Brandon Baker
In the Disney Channel movie Johnny Tsunami, Brandon Baker snowboarded his way into our
hearts as the teenage grandson of a surfing legend.
But what has Baker been doing since he outgrew those roles?
He keeps a fairly low profile, but Baker has continued to act, and while he doesn't post
on social media frequently, a look at his Instagram indicated that he loves to travel.
Tiffany Thornton
As the self-obsessed Tawni Hart — who eventually becomes Sonny's best friend on Sonny with
a Chance and So Random!
— Tiffany Thornton quickly rose to prominence among the Disney Channel's group of young
stars.
She's appeared in a few roles and voice acting jobs in the years since, blogs for Disney
Baby, and was a morning radio host for the Hot Springs, Arkansas radio station KLAZ.
In late 2015, Thornton's husband was tragically killed in a car accident, leaving Thornton
to raise their two children alone.
She's been focused on raising her family and serving as a worship leader, traveling around
the country to conferences about youth ministry.
Nick Spano
Better known as Donnie Stevens from Even Stevens, Nick Spano was and still is totally dreamy.
After The Even Stevens Movie in 2003, Spano popped up in some small television roles,
particularly in crime dramas such as Cold Case and NCIS.
According to his Facebook, he studied English literature at UCLA and taught acting classes
for the John Robert Powers acting agency.
These days, he's busy with his L.A. community organization, Re/Creation Cafe—a creative
space to "recreate oneself through play."
Steven Anthony Lawrence
If you saw Steven Anthony Lawrence today, you'd be forgiven for not recognizing him
as Beans, the Even Stevens character he played on the Disney Channel.
He told The Huffington Post in 2015,
"What I'm doing now is actually teaching mainly.
I get a really big kick out of it."
He's also led seminars at various California colleges, including USC, Berkeley, and Pepperdine.
In late 2015, Even Stevens fans who happened to be visiting the Sunvalley Shopping Center
in Concord, California got quite a surprise when they spotted Lawrence working as a Santa's
helper at the popular mall.
That unexpected gig might be related to Steven's upcoming project that might just mark his
big comeback, though.
He's slated to star in a 2018 holiday movie about two bumbling elves titled Holly, Jingles
and Clyde 3D.
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