Karolyn Grimes, 79 – Retired Medical Technologist

Some acting careers were not cut out to last. American child star Karolyn Grimes started appearing in movies at the young age of 5 years-old. She did retire less than a decade after. Karolyn made her debut in the 1945 production Pardon My Past. She will always be famous for her role as Zuzu Bailey in the all-time classic It’s a Wonderful Life. Karolyn’s teenage years were tragic. She lost her mother when she was 14, and her father died only one year later. Without parental support, Karolyn decided to retire from acting in 1954 to became a medical technologist student and raise a family.