Some call him a nerd, and some call him much more. Kenneth Parcell was a country bumpkin who achieved his dream of working for NBC. He’s eternally optimistic, eager to please, and works hard. Jack McBrayer began acting in 1999 as a bit part in “Early Edition,” quickly moving on to bigger and better things.
Not only does McBrayer have a huge collection of roles that continue to this day, but he’s also been in a few video games, he’s also, of all things, been in a Mariah Carey music video (“Touch My Body”) and was on Broadway in a production of “Crazy for You.”
Tony Hale – Arrested Development
He's the epitome of a mama's boy, having spent eleven months in the womb. He and Lucille Bluth participate in “Motherboy” events; he gets revenge on her by dating her nemesis (also named Lucille) and joins the army to get her goat.
The actor behind this strange character, Tony Hale, has been doing plenty but got an even bigger break by providing the voice of Forky from “Toy Story 5.” Hale also appeared as one of the main characters in “Veep” from 2012 until the show ended in 2019, which earned him two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Support Actor in a Comedy Series in 2013 and 2015.
Jerry Mathers – Leave It to Beaver
The word nerd wasn't even something that people knew about when Theodore “The Beaver” Cleaver started to appear on television screens. However, a lot of his personality traits would become classic nerd things, being geeky and picked on, even if his older brother Wally was there to protect him.
In real life, Jerry Mathers was quite the lady's man, getting married three times – Diana Platt, Rhonda Gehring, and Teresa Modnick. He has three children- all grown up. He was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 1996 and later became the first male spokesperson for the weight loss program Jenny Craig. He's still with us but has slowed down acting.
Gabrielle Carteris – Beverly Hills 90120
In a crowd full of rich, fashionable kids, being the level-headed smart one of the group does not get you much acclaim. Still, Andrea Zuckerman had plenty of moments when her friends would have been much better off listening to her words of wisdom.
Gabrielle Carteris went on to be much more than braces and glasses – she went on to become the executive vice president of SAG-AFTRA, the trade union that represents over a hundred thousand actors and actresses, as well as other entertainment professionals. She's been hitched to Charles Isaacs since 1992 and has a pair of children.
Masi Oka – Heroes
Masi Oka got to play every layman's greatest dream – one day, Hiro Nakamura was just your average office worker and comic book geek, and the next he has superpowers. Being an actor who is known around the world for a single role is pretty cool in and of itself, but there's more.
Oka was also Doctor Max Bergman in “Hawaii Five-0.” While Oka is most known for his acting roles, he has also appeared as a producer, and also worked as a digital effects artist – his first job after graduation was at Industrial Light & Magic, the motion picture visual special effects company that George Lucas founded.