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Child Star Jon Paul Steuer Of "Grace Under Fire" And More Has Died
The former child star, Jon Paul Steuer, who made a successful career for himself after leaving the entertainment industry has died. He was 33-years-old at the time of his passing.
Steuer (also known as Jonny P. Jewels) was only three when he first asked his mother about acting. After modeling for several months, Steuer actually leapt onto a stage when a role became open, and a talent agent decided to sign the spunky little kid.
"I had never really gotten into acting for the stardom or the fame or the attention," he would later say. "I did it because I liked acting."
His first big break came at age six, when he landed a role on the hit sci-fi show Star Trek: The Next Generation. A large number of child actors had applied for the position, however, Steuer was the only one who could sit still for three hours while they applied the makeup for his character.
After several more small projects, he was cast as Quentin Kelly in the sitcom Grace Under Fire. However, despite the success of the show Steuer would eventually quit because of a cast member, which led to his leaving the acting industry entirely.
Even though Grace Under Fire led to serious fame for it's cast, this same attention caused serious mental health problems for certain members of the show.
During the show's production, star actress Brett Butler developed a drug addiction and began acting erratically. The intense media coverage was too much for Steuer, who left the show, and was then still pursued relentlessly for information on his co-worker. He would soon admit he had had enough of the industry.
"I was kind of blown away by how unprofessional people inside the industry were," he said. "It really soured me. I didn't want that kind of attention."
He retired from acting and spent several years as the lead singer for glam punk band Soda Pop Kids, before moving to Portland, Oregon. Here, he opened up a vegan restaurant that was a hit in the local community.
According to local newspaper reports, Steuer died on January 1, though no cause of death has been confirmed.