Peter Ostrum is a former child actor who gained firm in the 70s for his debut role as Charlie Bucket in the film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”. Despite his early rise in Hollywood, he left acting to become a veterinary doctor. He is married to Loretta M. Lepkowski and together they have 2 children.
While Ostrum has stated that he has no regrets about his career switch, there are still fans who think he would have made a great actor. From his brief acting career to why he quit as well as his present endeavors, here’s all you should know.
Peter Ostrum was 12 Years Old When he Acted in His Only Film
The former child actor, Peter Ostrum was born to his parents Dean Gardner Ostrum and Serepta Mabel on November 1, 1957, in Dallas, Texas, US. However, the youngest of 4 children was largely raised in Cleaveland alongside his older siblings and the family later moved to Newark, New Jersey.
While there is no established information about his siblings, we garnered that his father was a lawyer. As for his education, he started off at Byron Junior High School in Cleaveland and later proceeded to North Hunterdon Regional High School in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.
At the age of 12, the then 6th grader was noticed by talent agents who watched him perform at the Cleaveland Play House Children’s theatre. Following that, he was invited to New York for a screen test where he sang “My Country, Tis of Thee” and a month after, he was given 10 days to prepare for his first film role as Charlie Bucket in “Willy Wonder & the Chocolate Factory”.
He relocated to Munich, Germany, and got started with film shooting. Ostrum recalled feeling like an exchange student for 5 months as he was being tutored by older actors for several hours before the shoot. Since it was his first film, the star actor Gene Wilder who portrayed Willy Wonka took interest in him and Ostrum would later describe him as a gentleman who treated everyone with so much respect.
The film was based on the Roald Dahl children’s book about a group of children who tour a mysterious candy factory after winning a contest. In the film, Charlie Bucket was the main protagonist.
The Texas-born left Acting For Veterinary School
Despite Ostrum’s earlier rise to fame in the 70s, he decided to step back from the acting scene. He revealed that being a child actor was hard and he couldn’t keep up. He also recalled auditioning for several roles after his debut but wasn’t selected.
Consequently, he decided to pay more attention to the family horse stable and became more interested in their horse veterinarian whom he said left an impression on him as he made living from what he enjoyed doing. Ostrum narrated that he soon developed a passion for caring for animals and would later work at several stables including the Delaware Equine Center in Pennsylvania while he waited for his admission into the veterinary school.
Even though he contemplated returning to acting at a point, his newfound passion grew even more until he was admitted to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. There, he majored in animal husbandry and veterinary medicine and in 1984 he graduated with a Doctorate degree.
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Peter Ostrum is Married and Has Two Children
As you would easily find, the former child actor is married to Loretta M. Lepkowski. Information about how the pair met is not known however, we can assert that they got married in 1987 in a ceremony that was witnessed by their friends and family.
His wife Loretta is a native of Tug Hill, Upstate New York who pursues a career as an artist. She enjoys painting portraits of ordinary people among other things. The artist has made appearances in several exhibitions including “Bridging Tug Hill to the Adirondacks” and ‘Venerable Folks of Tug Hill”.
Peter and his wife have been together for many decades which saw the birth of their two children Helenka Ostrum; a wine and food connoisseur and her brother, Leif Ostrum.
What is The Former Child Actor Up To?
At the moment, he pursues a career as a veterinarian and works in the Lowville NewYork and Countryside Veterinary Clinic. He also partners with Dairy Health & Management Services.
Asides from this, he made an appearance for the Pfizer-funded video series, “Veterinarians on Call”. In the short documentary series, he discussed his career as a veterinarian, and according to him, being a veterinarian is the greatest job in the world. He also stated that he enjoys working from farm to frame and ensuring the safety of animal products such as meat and milk.
The Aftermath of Ostrum’s Career Switch
It’s being said that “Once a Star Always a Star” and this might just be the reality that came after Ostrum’s career switch. He narrated how people would still recognize him in the crowd and approach him. At a point, he had to shy away from interviews and decline reporters.
At one point, he had to lie to some people that it was his older brother who starred in the film and not him. In fact, his wife only found out that he was a child actor when he was about to introduce her to his mother.
Nonetheless, he soon grew tired of the hid and seek game and rather choose to accept his reality. He has honored several invitations to speak to students at Lowville Academy about his once time acting career and his work as a veterinarian. Ostrum has also accepted an invitation to appear at the Showdown Film Festival in Watertown, New York to speak to the audience.
The Texas-born stated that he still has a thing for acting and gets to watch his one-time film occasionally. While some of his co-stars in the film pursue their acting careers, he clarified that he has no regrets about his switch and continues to maintain a close relationship with most of the film cast whom he calls family.
