Mike Vitar was often the face of coming-of-age sports dramas, with the star playing ‘Benny the Jet’ Rodriguez in The Sandlot and Luis Mendoza in The Mighty Ducks films.
Throughout the 1990s, Mike found plenty of work as an actor, appearing in the likes of Diplomatic Immunity, Brooklyn Bridge, Sunset Grill and NYPD Blue. However, this would be the only decade that he worked as an actor, with his final appearance being in a 1997 episode of Chicago Hope.
He didn’t even reprise his role as Benny the Jet when The Sandlot 2 was released in 2005, with his only appearance being in archival footage.
But why did Mike end up leaving the world of showbusiness behind and what is he up to now? Here’s all you need to know…
Why did Mike Vitar leave Hollywood and what does he do now?
Although Mike hasn’t opened up about the reason that he stood away from Hollywood, he now works as a firefighter with the Los Angeles Fire Department, having worked for them since 2002.
There appears to be no controversy over his departure with his The Sandlot co-star, Patrick Renna, who played Hamilton “Ham” Porter telling People in August: “I will say, there’s nothing contentious about Mike Vitar. You know, the man started out as a childhood hero of everyone and became a real-life hero.
“From what I’ve gathered, he’s just a private dude now. We all email him, he responds. Unless he’s fighting a fire.”
Patrick also revealed that he attempted to get Mike to return to acting in Dugout Dads, but the star decided against it.
© Alamy Stock PhotoMike is married to his wife Kym, and they share three children. The star was sadly dealt heartbreak in 2008 when his older brother, Pablo, died on 29 January 2008 following a two and a half year battle with cancer.
Mike Vitar’s assault charge
In 2015, Mike and two others were charged with felony assault after they attacked 22-year-old Samuel Chang who was handing out Halloween candy. The group believed that some of the candy was laced with drugs, despite Samuel’s denials, and subsequently pinned him to the ground. Eric Carpenter, one of the men involved, held Samuel in a chokehold for around six minutes.
After Samuel fell unconscious, CPR was performed and he was transported to hospital where he later suffered a haemorrhage, kidney failure and severe head trauma.
Mike pleaded no contest to misdemeanour battery, and while he was spared jail, he was suspended without pay for six months before returning to full active service.
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