Sleepless in Seattle kid seen for first time in 20 years & is now car salesman
SLEEPLESS in Seattle child actor Ross Malinger has been spotted for the first time in decades. Photos exclusively obtained by The U.S. Sun show Malinger, now 39, running errands in his hometown of … Ross Malinger, a former child actor who rose to fame as Tom Hanks' son Joshua Baldwin in the 1990s romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle, has been spotted for the first time in 20 years. The former actor, who began his acting career at age six, now works as a car salesman at several car dealerships in Los Angeles County. He also starred alongside Kirstie Alley in Disney's Toothless and had a role in a Seinfeld episode before he abandoned acting and instead pursued a career in car sales. His last acting credit came in 2006 when he appeared on CBS police procedural Without a Trace. Malinger is now a finance manager at the Keyes Automotive Group in the San Fernando Valley and has over 15 years of experience in the Retail Automotive Industry.
Published : 2 months ago by Alex Diaz in Entertainment
SLEEPLESS in Seattle child actor Ross Malinger has been spotted for the first time in decades.
Photos exclusively obtained by The U.S. Sun show Malinger, now 39, running errands in his hometown of Los Angeles.
The former actor shot to fame as Tom Hanks’ son Joshua Baldwin in the much beloved 1990s romantic comedy when he was just eight.
California native Malinger also starred alongside Kirstie Alley in Disney comedy Toothless and had a role in a Seinfeld episode before he abandoned acting.
Since then, he has gone on to have a career as a car salesman at several dealerships in Los Angeles County.
Malinger began his acting career aged six with a guest star appearance on a 1990 episode of hit teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210.
He also had a small role that year in Arnold Schwarzenegger action comedy Kindergarten Cop.
The following year he appeared on an episode of sitcom Roseanne before getting his big break with Sleepless in Seattle in 1993.
It tells the story of how recently widowed Sam and Jonah move from Chicago to Seattle in search of a new beginning.
On Christmas Eve, Jonah calls a radio talk show and convinces Sam to speak on air about how much he misses his wife.
Thousands of women write to Sam, including Meg Ryan’s character Annie Reed, and Jonah eventually brings Sam and Annie together.
The movie also features well-known character actors including Bill Pullman, Rosie O’Donnell and Rob Reiner.
To mark its 30th anniversary last year, New York’s Empire State Building and Seattle’s Space Needle - which both feature prominently in the film - were simultaneously lit.
The two landmarks also hosted screenings of the movie and offered visitors a chance to recreate its famous poster.
As his acting career began to wind down in the early 2000s, Malinger studied sales, distribution and marketing operations at Moorpark College and obtained an associate’s degree in 2004.
His last acting credit came in 2006 when he appeared on CBS police procedural Without a Trace.
Malinger’s LinkedIn page states that he is now a finance manager at the Keyes Automotive Group in the San Fernando Valley.
He first started work in car sales at a Honda dealership in Oxnard, a city just northwest of Los Angeles, in 2002.
His bio on LinkedIn does not mention his previous work as an actor at all.
It says he is “highly skilled and knowledgeable in finance, leasing and direct lending”, adding that he is a “specialist in Business Development and acquisition, including account management and retention”.
Malinger wrote, “I am highly skilled at training employees to sell and I possess management experience in managing and training sales teams.
“I also have over 15 years of experience successfully working in the Retail Automotive Industry having had a variety of different positions and responsibilities over the years.”
Approached by The U.S. Sun, Malinger said, “I don’t do interviews anymore, I just don’t have the time.”