Where’s Waldo? Probably singing somewhere.
He might not have been the biggest name in Hollywood, but there are plenty of people who recognize the name and face of Blake McIver Ewing. Not only was he Derek from the original “Full House” series, but he was also Waldo from “The Little Rascals.”
Today he’s known as Blake McIver and is doing everything he can to find success as a singer. Even when he was acting his characters frequently sang and danced, so we can’t fault him for trying his hand professionally. His 2014 album “Time Manipulator” was received well by critics and fans, but didn’t launch him back into the spotlight.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Left the court behind to do pretty much everything else.
He spent years dominating in the paint as a towering figure for the Milwaukee Bucks and later the Los Angeles Lakers, and then Abdul-Jabbar moved on to coaching, getting all the way up to assistant coach for the Lakers.
This huge man has now embraced his talent as a writer, having written and co-authored more than thirteen books. Many of the books are about himself, basketball, or African Americans, but there are also some children's books, as well as “Mycroft and Sherlock” with Anna Waterhouse. He also applied himself to humanitarian work and earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
Kurtis Blow
Rapping the gospel.
Kurtis was not just a rapper and not just a big rapper — he was the first commercially successful rapper EVER. His single “The Breaks” from his 1980 self-titled debut album is the first certified gold record rap song. But after fifteen albums, he turned to God. Blow — real name Kurtis Walker — founded Harlem's Hip Hop Church.
The rap star and born-again minister spends his time both preaching there as well as singing and acting as a DJ. There are a lot of career changes here, but this one might be the wildest. He still sometimes comes out with music, but it's slowed down in recent years so he can focus on other work.
Shirley Temple
From film to politics.
When films were still in their infancy, Shirley Temple was the queen of the scene. Her films “The Little Princess” and “Heidi” made her a superstar, but she wasn't able to stay in the limelight after she grew up. She ended up leaving acting at only twenty-two years old, getting involved in politics.
She ended up becoming a United States ambassador to Ghana and the former country of Czechoslovakia in the 1970s and 1980s. Temple passed away at the age of eighty-five in 2014, not only being the mold for child actors but the mold for moving into a different life.
Doris Day
A day's work at the animal shelter.
Doris's day in the limelight lasted for nearly three decades, from the forties to the sixties. She brought girl-next-door looks, boundless energy, and a memorable singing voice. Her romantic comedies were her biggest successes, including “Send Me No Flowers” and “That Touch of Mink.” She even earned an Oscar nomination for “Pillow Talk.”
Once she finished acting, her other passion took over: animals. She founded the Doris Day Animal Foundation, which advocates for quality-of-life initiatives for animals of all kinds. She seemed to particularly like horses, as well as those family classics dogs and cats.