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Mason Gamble entered the world of big-screen acting at the very young age of six when he appeared in the hit film Groundhog Day. Three months later, noted producer John Hughes initiated a nationwide search for the perfect child actor to take on the icon role of Dennis the Menace, and Mason was chosen from a field of 20,000 hopefuls. Mason starred with screen veteran Walter Matthau, and the film went on to achieve significant box office success. His performance in Dennis the Menace earned Mason a Young Artist Award for "Best Youth Actor Leading Role in a Motion Picture Comedy." 

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Mason went on to appear in Just in Time, Bad Moon, Spy Hard, and Gattaca. His career continued to gain momentum through the rest of the 1990s and early 2000s, but he hasn't appeared on the big screen or on television since Golf in the Kingdom in 2011. Like many child stars who came on the scene with a big bang, Mason didn't go on to develop a substantial acting career in adulthood.

Where He's At Now

Now in his early 30s, Mason no longer considers himself a show business professional. Unlike many former child stars, he didn't simply enter a life of aimless drifting after his star dimmed. Instead, he used his earnings from acting to attend the University of California, eventually graduating from their School of Dentistry. However, it seemed a career in dentistry wasn't in the cards either, and shortly after graduating from dental school, Mason switched gears and decided to follow his lifelong passion for marine biology. 

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Mason keeps a very low profile in his life out of the limelight -- he even chooses not to have a social media presence. Although he didn't become a millionaire as the result of his early acting career, he put the money to good use by investing it in his education. He has stated that although he will always love to act, he also believed in nourishing the mind with knowledge and that the lives of undersea flora and fauna had always fascinated him. Although information about his current career is scanty, it's reported that he earns about $100,000 per year. It's probably a slight step down from his income he enjoyed in his former career as a child star, but it's not bad for someone who's doing what he loves for a living. 

No information is available concerning Mason's personal life as an adult, which is undoubtedly just how he wants it. He seems to have emerged from child stardom with a rare level head. Who knows -- he may return to acting one day when and if he feels that the time and opportunity is right. Mason is one of the lucky few who grew into his adult looks with grace. Cute kids all too often evolve into unattractive adults, and it makes the adjustment even more difficult when the child enjoyed a career as a star and suddenly has to deal losing that career. 

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Where He Came From

Mason had a remarkably normal childhood, which probably at least partially helps explain why his adjustment to life after being a child star hasn't been chronicled by the type of sad descent into substance abuse, bad relationships, and poverty suffered by so many in his position. He grew up in Oak Park, a relatively affluent suburb of Chicago, and was active in sports as well as in scholastics. Mason was a National Merit Scholar, which undoubtedly provided him with the discipline necessary to be able to successfully pursue a degree in the natural sciences. 

Whatever comes next in his life, Mason will likely handle with the same good cheer and sense of responsibility that he was known for during his years as a child star.