Like so many actors who find fame before they find adulthood, Ross Malinger couldn't make it last. After a fair bit of success lasting into his teens, he quit the acting biz to sell classic cars at a dealership in Malibu, Calif.

Ross Malinger, born in 1984, seemed poised for a promising film career when "Sleepless in Seattle" came out in 1993. Indeed, though he was just nine years old at the time, it wasn't even his first role.

He first appeared on screen in the 1990 hit "Kindergarten Cop," and had already done two other films before being cast in "Seattle," which is now viewed as a romantic-comedy landmark. He played Jonah, the son of a lovelorn widower played by Tom Hanks. His character was central to bringing together the two star-crossed main characters, and it was the role that would make him a star.

The same year it was released, he had his first regular TV gig as Shelley Long's son in the one-season sitcom "Good Advice."

He returned to the sitcom game in 1996 in "Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher," which lasted for two years this time, but is more notable for also starring Portia de Rossi and Mila Kunis well before they were stars. (De Rossi, of course, would go on to fame in "Arrested Development," while Kunis would find it co-starring in "That '70s Show").

Malinger's biggest post-"Seattle" gig was as the voice of TJ in the Disney Channel cartoon "Recess," a role he reprised for two TV movies in 2001 and 2003.

His most recent role was a one-off spot in "Without a Trace" in 2006 -- it was the only role he played while over the age of 20 (which is good, since the grim crime-drama was certainly not kid friendly).

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