What Ilan Mitchell-Smith has been doing since Weird Science

Ilan Mitchell-Smith is beloved for playing one of the lead characters in the 1980s film Weird Science, but what about his career after that?

While he's best known for playing the charming nerd Wyatt Donnelly in the 1985 film "Strange Science," Ilan Mitchell Smith took a dramatic career turn. He's been acting since he was a kid, playing younger siblings or teenagers who wish they were cooler. After playing a younger version of Timothy Hutton's character Daniel Isaacson in the spy drama Daniel's Flashback, he appeared in the 1984 TV movie How to Be a Perfect Man in Just Three Days as the goofy Milo Limple Leigh, he took a class on achievement flawlessly. Mitchell-Smith went on to play Eric Stoltz's Vietnam War-obsessed brother in Cameron Crowe's teen comedy "In the Wild."

Wyatt is one of the cutest characters in John Hughes movies, he and his best friend Gary Wallace (Anthony Michael Hall) make a computer named Lisa (Kelly LeBrock) Coming of Age Woman's Tale is a classic coming-of-age story. Wyatt is a friendly character who is nervous and unsure about speaking to his crush, though he and his friend have an extreme way of dealing with what feels a bit sexist. While Ilan Mitchell-Smith is known for his weird science, what has he been up to since?

Ilan Mitchell-Smith Appeared In Movies & TV Shows Until 1991

Ilan Mitchell-Smith continued acting until 1991, and instead of playing the nerdy Wyatt-like character in Weird Science, the actor starred in several projects, including a brief TV characters and major movie roles. In 1985, he appeared on an episode of the series The Equalizer as Anthony Ganucci, a young adult who begs Robert McCall (Robert Woodward) to help his father stay away from professional corruption. Also following the popular Brat Pack films of the '80s, the actor landed an unexpected role in Silk Stalkings in 1991. Chris Lorenzo (Rob Estes) and Sgt. Rita Lee Lance (Mitzi Kapture) Stop Beating Women.

Ilan Mitchell-Smith's post-Weird Science career also included leading roles in the 1989 film Identity Crisis, as designer Yves Malmaison's (Richard Fancy) son Sebastian install. His most dramatic and impressive part, though, was in the 1988 film "Chocolate Wars" as Jerry Reynor, a Catholic school student who was not involved in a fundraiser selling chocolate as a political protest against the strict rules . The actor played Clark Kent's friend Andy McAllister on the forgotten Superman TV series "Superboy" in 1989 and 1990. The actor's other notable roles It was Bryan in 1988's "Journey to the Center of the Earth," about teenagers discovering Atlantis in Hawaii.

Ilan Mitchell-Smith Became A University Professor

After 1991, Ilan Mitchell-Smith decided to stop acting in favor of academia, and is currently an associate professor of medieval literature and culture at California State University, Long Beach. He has a Ph.D. BA in English Literature from Texas A&M University and BA and MA in Medieval Studies from UC Davis and Fordham Universities (from Cla.csulb.edu). The actor shared his joy in teaching and learning: "I publish some articles about medieval chivalrous romance, violence and monsters, and I also write about mid-century contemporary entertainment such as Disney princesses or online games or medieval Action Movie" (via Rediscoverthe80s).

Ilan Mitchell-Smith Played A Science Teacher In The Goldbergs

Although Ilan Mitchell-Smith took a long break from acting, making "Weird Science" was certainly a bright spot for him, and he has returned to the industry briefly with two notable TV appearances. Cameo on the show. In 2012, he voiced two episodes of Ax Cop, and in 2017, he appeared as Mr. Connelly, a high school science teacher, in the first episode of The Goldbergs Season 5, "Weird Science." The actor intends to stay in academia, However, he says that while he likes Ax Cop, "I'm not in the industry in general, but I like the professor's job."

Ilan Mitchell-Smith's appearance on The Goldbergs is a nod to him in the astonishingly prophetic Weird Science The humor and the perfect nod to play Wyatt, as this homage is not only in the episode title, but part of the main storyline. Adam Goldberg (Sean Giambrone) wants to create a digital woman for his brother Barry (Troy Gentile) like Wyatt and Gary, and Mr. Connelly helps him put the Got a Barbie doll. In The Goldbergs, with a nostalgic cameo by Ilan Mitchell-Smith, his character helps Barry get rid of his first love, Lainey Lewis (AJ Michalka), and is a kind, supportive adult in Barry and Adam's life.