When Peter Ostrum was 10 years old, he landed the role of a lifetime with the role of Charlie Bucket in the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. As a child, Ostrum enjoyed acting, but it quickly became the only and last film he ever acted in. He later went on to become a veterinarian.
“I hate to say it was one and done,” Ostrum said.
Ostrum said he had other opportunities and if he could only make one film, that was the one to be in. Three to four generations later, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory has become a cult classic. In 2021, the movie will celebrate its 50th anniversary. It was filming the movie that made him actually want to switch careers. After returning home from the set, the family acquired a horse and Peter became interested in becoming a veterinarian and that’s what he is today after getting a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University.