70s child star never acted again after iconic role he still gets paid for-Tobi Akingbade and Rebecca Sayce-Entertainment – Metro

The child star pursued a drastically different career (Picture: Warner Bros)

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’s Charlie Bucket quit acting right after starring in the 70s classic. 

Peter Ostrum, who played the day-dreaming kid Charlie, starred alongside Gene Wilder as the titular chocolatier in the 1971 film based on Roald Dahl’s beloved novel.

It becomes a bit of pub quiz favourite to name the movie’s child actors appeared in after their young fame – think Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Drew Barrymore.

Depending on how dedicated you are to internet sleuthing you’ll know the ins and outs of every step the likes of Parent Trap’s Lindsay Lohan and Home Alone’s Macaulay Culkin took since they burst onto the scene as child actors.

But no one seems to know what Peter got up to after starring in one of the most iconic movie roles that he still receives payment for every three months.

That’s because he retired as soon as the movie was released in 1971 and went on to become a vet. Yes, really.

Peter appeared in one of the biggest roles of the 70s (Picture: Chuck Fishman/Getty Images)

But since being propelled to stardom, he has disappeared from the spotlight (Picture: WireImage)

Peter was propelled to stardom in the 1971 film alongside Gene Wilder (Picture: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

Peter, 67, has lived a very normal life – compared to other high-profile child actors – in New York State working with large animals until his retirement, the Daily Mirror reported.

The father-of-two said: ‘Back then when the film came out there was no red carpet premiere.

‘I was in my hometown in Ohio and they had an opening there and I was the only one there.

‘There was a little bit of fanfare but not much and the film died a quiet death.

‘It had lukewarm reviews and people forgot about it.

‘It wasn’t until video 10 years later that it resurfaced and it took on a life of its own.’

It’s been more than 40 years since Peter, who was in his pre-teens at the time, took time out from his studies for the five months of filming in Germany.

The 1971 movie is still such a massive hit today (Picture: Rex Features)

Peter swapped fame for life as a vet (Picture: Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

He has done some event appearances to talk about the film (Picture: Chuck Fishman/Getty Images)

‘Acting was fine, but I ­wanted something more steady,’ he said. ‘The key is to find something you love doing, and that’s what I got.’

He loved filming the legendary movie with Young Frankenstein icon Wilder in Munich and has nothing but fond memories of his other co-stars.

When shooting finished he was merely 13 and being offered a three-movie deal.

But it turns out it wasn’t meant to be for Peter and he settled for another career after getting knocked back from several auditions.

When he returned home from shooting Willy Wonka, he said his parents had just got a horse and Ostrum was really impressed with the veterinarian who would come to his property in Ohio to look after the equine beings.

Speaking to the American Veterinarian Medical Association in 2000, he said: ‘Everybody thinks that acting is such a glamorous profession, but it’s a difficult profession.

‘I can remember the veterinarian coming out and taking care of the horses, and it made a huge impression on me.’

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