10 sets of twin child stars who quit acting and left Hollywood behind
Due to child labor laws, many child parts on TV shows and movies are played by twins.
But like many other child stars, some twins chose to leave Hollywood for good once they grew up.
The Olsen twins created a fashion empire that reportedly brings in at least $100 million annually.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were two of the biggest child stars of all time, but they retired from acting to focus on fashion.
The Olsen twins were infants when they began starring on "Full House" in 1987, and they were 9 years old when it ended. They also starred in multiple direct-to-video specials, like "You're Invited to Mary-Kate & Ashley's..." and "The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley," plus direct-to-video movies such as "Holiday in the Sun" and "Our Lips are Sealed."
They returned to network TV with shows "So Little Time" and "Two of a Kind," but neither lasted more than a season.
The twins also starred in 2004 rom-com "New York Minute," which was their first theatrical release since 1995's "It Takes Two." "New York Minute" also was the last thing they acted in together.
In 2006, the Olsens founded The Row, which the Business of Fashion called one of "New York's most high-profile young brands." They founded a second brand, Elizabeth and James, in 2007. According to the Business of Fashion, The Row brings in between $100 million and $200 million annually, while Elizabeth and James earns around $89 million annually.
They are now 37.
Sawyer and Sullivan Sweeten played the Barone twins for all nine seasons of "Everybody Loves Raymond."
The Sweeten twins acted alongside their real-life older sister Madylin Sweeten, who played Ally Barone. All three Sweeten siblings appeared on the show through its finale in 2005.
After the sitcom ended, Sullivan didn't act again until 2017 when he appeared in a short. He hasn't acted since.
His brother, Sawyer, died in 2015 at age 19 due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He hadn't acted since "Everybody Loves Raymond."
The twins' manager Dino May told People the twins chose to stop acting. "I've been in the industry a long time and these kids were special. That's one of the reasons why it was a decision they made after ['Raymond'] — and they had plenty of requests — to stay on hiatus."
Sullivan is now 28.
Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush shared the role of Carrie Ingalls on "Little House on the Prairie" in the '70s and '80s.
The twins were on "Little House" from 1974 to 1982. After that, Sidney appeared in the 1983 film "Hambone and Hillie," while Lindsay appeared in a 1983 episode of "Matt Houston," before retiring from acting.
They do, however, still keep in touch with their "Little House" castmates. They participated in a virtual reunion in March 2021 to raise money for The Actors Fund.
The Greenbush twins are now 53.
Shane and Brent Kinsman are famous for their roles in "Cheaper by the Dozen" and "Desperate Housewives."
The Kinsman twins made their screen debut in 2003 as twins Kyle and Nigel Baker in "Cheaper by the Dozen," two of the 12 Baker kids. They returned for the 2005 sequel, "Cheaper by the Dozen 2."
Simultaneously, they were appearing on "Desperate Housewives" as Porter and Preston Scavo, the twin sons of Felicity Huffman's character, Lynette, from 2004 to 2008.
Their last on-screen roles were in a 2008 episode of "ER."
According to their Instagram profiles, they're now competitive jiu-jitsu fighters, and they're now 26.
Milly and Becky Rosso played Elle Woods' twin cousins in "Legally Blondes."
The Rosso twins are best known for their starring roles in the direct-to-DVD movie "Legally Blondes" from 2009, and for playing Jessica and Janice Ellis across both "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" and "The Suite Life on Deck" from 2006 to 2010.
"Suite Life on Deck" was their last on-screen appearance, but they continued to be part of an all-girl group with their other two sisters called The Rosso Sisters. The group disbanded in 2015 after the death of their mother, according to a Facebook post.
Milly and Becky are now 29.
Ryder and Evan Londo appeared in both "Sons of Anarchy" and "Mad Men."
Ryder and Evan are still young, but they haven't worked much since the last season of "Mad Men" in 2015, according to their IMDb profiles. They shared the role of Don Draper's youngest son, Gene, from 2012 to 2015.
Simultaneously, they also played Jax Teller's son Abel on "Sons of Anarchy" from 2011 to 2014.
Evan had an uncredited role in 2016's "Rules Don't Apply," but that was the last time either has acted.
Ella and Jaden Hiller played Lily for the first two seasons of "Modern Family" before their parents took them off the show.
The Hiller twins' parents took them off the show after two seasons because it became clear that they didn't like acting or being on set. A source told People in 2011 that every time the twins were filming they became "agitated and unhappy."
"Ella and Jaden are enjoying new toddler adventures in swimming, dance, gymnastics, and rock climbing," their mom, Michelle, told People at the time.
"Halfway through season two, their personalities had started to develop, and it was really clear to us that they weren't enjoying their time on set," Michelle later told Women's Day. Now, they're happily "retired."
The Hillers are now around 16.
Blake and Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit's only roles were playing Alex and Nicky in "Full House" and "Fuller House."
Both Blake and Dylan have stayed working in the entertainment industry, just not as actors. Dylan has been credited as part of the sound department on projects like "Lovecraft Country," "Lost in Space," "Castle Rock," and 43 episodes of "Game of Thrones."
Blake also worked as a foley artist — someone who recreates sounds used in TV and movies — on "Castle Rock," as well as "FBI," "Home Team," and more.
Their only acting credits were as the Katsopolis twins on 70 episodes of "Full House" and two episodes of "Fuller House."
They're now 33 years old.
Luke and Evan Kruntchev have appeared in "Last Man Standing" and "Dexter."
The Kruntchev twins have appeared in three projects: eight episodes of "Last Man Standing" from 2011 to 2012, 29 episodes of "Dexter" from 2010 to 2012, and 47 episodes of "Days of Our Lives" from 2013 to 2015. It's now been eight years since they've acted, according to IMDb.
They're now around 20 years old.
The oldest set of twins on this list are Richard and Ronald Lee Simmons, who appeared in "I Love Lucy" in the '50s.
Lucille Ball made history when, after getting pregnant in real life, decided to make her character Lucy in "I Love Lucy" become pregnant as well.
And after Ball gave birth to her real-life child, Lucy did as well, with the episode "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" airing the same day Ball welcomed her son Desi Arnaz Jr in 1953.
Lucy and Ricky's son, Little Ricky, was played by multiple kids over the years, including the Simmons twins, who are credited in six episodes of the show, according to IMDb.
Seventy years later, it's still the twins' only acting credits.
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