He landed an acting career by chance, drawn in mostly by the promise of less school. For more than a decade, he worked steadily and built a devoted fan base. But there was something he valued more than staying in the spotlight.

He started acting before he turned 10 and spent the next decade in front of the camera. With lead roles in high-profile productions and back-to-back credits across film and television, he became a familiar presence to viewers throughout the late ’90s and early 2000s.

The child actor as Nicholas Alamain in “Days of Our Lives” in 1992 | Source: Getty images

Over time, his appearances tapered off and eventually stopped. Today, he is married, raising three young children, and working outside the entertainment industry. In 2024, he returned to the screen for the first time in over a decade, prompting a wave of excitement from longtime fans.

By the time he was 10, he had been signed and was soon cast in his first professional job. He was cast in a regular role on the long-running NBC soap opera “Days of Our Lives.” He remained with the show for two years. Acting initially appealed to him for practical reasons. 

The actor as Nicholas Alamain in “Days of Our Lives” in 1992 | Source: Getty images

With a private tutor on set, he was able to cut his school hours in half, something he found far more appealing than spending full days in a traditional classroom. As his early career picked up, so did the perks: airport limousines and hotel stays became part of his routine, giving him a taste of the industry’s lifestyle from a young age.

Despite the rapid start and exposure to a fast-paced industry, his mother maintained a strict balance between work and home life. She allowed him to attend premieres and socialize but kept him grounded and away from the party scene. 

The ’90s heartthrob appears with the cast of the CBS comedy series “Meego,” on September 19, 1997 | Source: Getty Images

He avoided common pitfalls faced by young actors, crediting a strong upbringing and clear moral boundaries as the reason he steered clear of trouble during those years. By the time he was 12, he had already built a foundation that would carry him into a busy and visible career through his teenage years.

After his early success on daytime television, he moved quickly into a wide range of family-focused projects across network TV and cable. Between 1995 and 2001, he built a steady string of lead roles in made-for-TV movies and series that positioned him as a central figure in late-’90s teen entertainment.

The former child actor pictured on September 19, 1997 | Source: Getty Images

He played Danny in Disney’s 1995 remake of “Escape to Witch Mountain” and took on lead roles in network dramas such as CBS’s “A Season of Hope” and NBC’s “In the Line of Duty: Kidnapped.” In 1996, he starred opposite Robert Hays in “Christmas Every Day” and appeared with Beau Bridges in “A Stranger to Love.”