he's the boss

Former child star Danny Pintauro returns to Hollywood with a fitness glow-up that’s the boss

By · Updated on April 18, 2024

After decades away from Hollywood, former child star Danny Pintauro has been working on his fitness and is ready to reignite his acting career.

The 48-year-old rose to fame as a child actor in the 1983 horror film Cujo and as the adorable son of Judith Light in the long-running ’80s TV series Who’s the Boss.

Starting at the age of eight, Pintauro played Jonathan Bower opposite Light, Tony Danza, Alyssa Milano and the late Katherine Helmond for the show’s entire eight-season run that ended in 1992.

They grow up so fast!

Following the show’s end, Pintauro attended Stanford University and soon found his life turned upside down when the National Enquirer outed him just after graduating in 1997.

While he tried to get back into acting, the homophobic climate at the time didn’t offer many roles to someone who was out. So he left Hollywood.

“It didn’t work. So, I left. All my life, I really felt like I wanted to figure out who I was as a normal human being outside of celebrity,” Pintauro recently told GED Magazine. “So, I said, look, the universe is telling me this is a bad time to try and be an actor.”

Over the years, Pintauro worked as a sales rep, restaurant manager and a veterinary technician.

But with society and Hollywood becoming more inclusive over time, Pintauro began questioning if he should give acting another shot.

After enjoying a “normal life” in Austin, Texas with his husband of 10 years, Wil Tabares, Pintauro became motivated to get back in front of the camera after watching openly gay actors Wilson Cruz and Anthony Rapp kissing on Star Trek: Discovery.

“How crazy was that moment? So impactful and so important,” he added. “It clicked and I said, that could be me, that should be me!”

So Pintauro plotted his move.

In addition to relocating to Los Angeles, part of his game plan included getting into the best shape of his life, which Pintauro has been documenting on social media.

“I’ve never had body ody ody. I didn’t think I was even capable of it for most of my life,” Pintauro shared.

“So getting back into the business as an actor, there are only a few things that you are in control of – your skill as an actor and your abilities. Outside of that, you can control your social media, which is a new thing that I had to learn how to do, and your body.”

And by the looks of it, he’s definitely got it down on lock.

Related:

Danny Pintauro recalls the time Candace Cameron Bure slut shamed him then blamed him for getting HIV

“She basically said, ‘Do you take responsibility for getting HIV because you were living a promiscuous lifestyle?'”

Pintauro, who continues to do HIV advocacy since first disclosing his status in 2015, now hopes to show the world his dramatic acting chops beyond the comedy skills he exhibited on Who’s the Boss.

“The entirety of my resume is dramatic work, but most people know me for my sitcom work,” he said. “My goal is to get back to that and to really explore all of the possibilities when it comes to that.”

After scoring a role in the Lifetime holiday film A Country Christmas Harmony, Pintauro is continuing to go on auditions while also amassing a faithful following on Instagram and TikTok.

We’re excited to see Pintauro’s return and look forward to watch his career continue to flourish.

Check out more of Pintauro’s physical fitness journey and social media clips below and then give him a follow:

@dannypintauro

BATTLE TODAY FRIDAY 3/22 @6PM PST! Bring your A-Game lovies! #dannypintauro #lgbtqia #lgbtq #fyp #eyeroll #middlefingerup #model #battle #tiktokbattle

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