‘Cobra Kai' Star Quits Acting After 20 Years Of Acting
Courtney Henggeler and Ralph Macchio in "Cobra Kai."
One of the stars of Netflix's hit series Cobra Kai has 'hung up the gloves' after 20 years of acting.
Cobra Kai, which ran for two seasons on the now-defunct YouTube Red channel in 2018 and 2019 before being acquired by Netflix, became a worldwide cultural sensation when Netflix released Season 3 in 2021. Cobra Kai wrapped up after the release of the third increment of Season 6 in February.
Set more than three decades after Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) defeated Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) at the All-Valley Karate Tournament, Cobra Kai picks up the stories of Daniel, Johnny and Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove).
The series also chronicled the story of the important people in Daniel's and Johnny's lives, including Daniel's wife and auto-dealership co-manager Amanda LaRusso (Courtney Henggeler).
Now, about two months after the final episodes of Cobra Kai were released on Netflix, Henggeler has announced that she's calling it a day with showbiz.
'After 20 plus years of fighting the good fight in the acting business, I hung up my gloves on Friday,' Henggeler wrote in a recent Substack post, which she linked to via her Instagram page. 'I called my agents and told them I was tapping out. I no longer wanted to be a cog in the wheel of the machine.'
While Courtney Henggeler was a regular on all six seasons of Cobra Kai, she said all the years in the acting business have taken a toll on her.
'All I've ever known in my professional life was acting. But not even the art or craft of acting. All I've truly ever knew was the hustle,' Henggeler wrote. 'The hustle, the grind, sprinkled (occasionally) with the odd acting job. Perhaps a line or two to TV's Dr. House - 'Sorry' (that's it. That was my line. Genius)."
Henggeler's screen debut came in 2003 when she starred in the indie horror thriller Bog Creatures, which was followed by the House appearance she mentioned above. Over the years, Henggeler has also appeared in guest roles in such series as NCIS, Happy Endings, Melissa & Joey, Royal Pains, Mom, Bones, Jane the Virgin and The Big Bang Theory.
'We survived off the crumbs,' Henggeler wrote in her Substack post. 'We filled our cup with the possibility; our mugs with delusion. Our plates were empty, but a golden goose hung over our heads. Today might be the day. Today might be the day I reach the golden goose … 20 plus years of this … I'm hungry.'
In 2023, Henggeler played a supporting role in the George Clooney-directed docudrama The Boys in the Boat.
'I'm considered one of the lucky ones,' Henggeler noted. 'I was on a series. A successful series. I made money. My face was on the billboards I longed for 20 plus years. I was directed by George Clooney for godsakes. This by all definitions is the golden goose.'
Despite it all, Henggeler wrote that she's 'famished.'
Henggeler noted that for years she 'silenced' the voice in her head that begged her 'to walk away.'
And by the sound of her Substack post, Henggeler has finally done it.
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