If you grew up watching movies in the 1980s, chances are you remember Chunk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The loud Hawaiian shirt. Jeff Cohen\u2019s performance became a permanent part of pop culture. But what happened after the cameras stopped rolling turned out to be one of Hollywood\u2019s most unexpected success stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff Cohen, born Jeffrey Bertan McMahon on June 25, 1974, in Los Angeles, experienced major changes early in life. Around the age of seven or eight, his parents separated \u2014 a moment that left a lasting impression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not long after, he chose \u201cCohen\u201d as his professional last name, honoring his mother Elaine\u2019s maiden name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before The Goonies<\/em>, Cohen was already a familiar face on television. In the early 1980s, he appeared on the CBS game show Child\u2019s Play<\/em>, helping contestants solve clues. In 1985, he returned to TV as a young celebrity guest on Body Language<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then came the role that would define his childhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1985, Cohen was cast as Chunk in The Goonies<\/em>, directed by Richard Donner and produced by Steven Spielberg. The adventure film followed a group of kids on a treasure hunt to save their neighborhood \u2014 and became one of the most beloved family movies of all time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cohen\u2019s energy and authenticity made Chunk unforgettable, especially during the now-iconic Truffle Shuffle scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One little-known behind-the-scenes detail: Cohen filmed much of The Goonies<\/em> while quietly dealing with chickenpox. Afraid of being replaced, he kept it to himself and showed up to set anyway. If you look closely, the marks are still visible during that famous scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director Richard Donner later said Cohen didn\u2019t need to act \u2014 he simply brought his real personality to the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cohen once joked about landing roles in that era: After The Goonies<\/em>, Cohen hoped to continue acting \u2014 but puberty changed everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen I hit puberty, it was basically over,\u201d he later explained. \u201cI was changing, and the roles disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n His most honest reflection struck a chord with fans: Rather than stay stuck in frustration, Cohen stepped away from Hollywood and focused on building a new identity beyond child stardom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cohen attended UC Berkeley, where he joined the football team and endured intense hazing. During one game, thousands of fans began chanting for him to do the Truffle Shuffle. He eventually gave in \u2014 once \u2014 and the crowd erupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout this period, Cohen maintained a close relationship with Goonies<\/em> director Richard Donner. When Cohen asked for a college recommendation letter, Donner went above and beyond \u2014 covering his education and helping him find behind-the-scenes work at studios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donner offered blunt but life-changing advice: Cohen listened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He earned a business degree from Berkeley, followed by a law degree from UCLA, and set his sights on entertainment law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff Cohen didn\u2019t just become a lawyer \u2014 he became one of the most respected entertainment attorneys in Hollywood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He co-founded Cohen & Gardner LLP, earned spots on Variety\u2019s<\/em> Dealmakers List and The Hollywood Reporter\u2019s<\/em> Next Gen Executives list, and built a career representing major talent across film and television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the career shift, his office proudly reflects his past. He keeps a signed E.T.<\/em> poster from Steven Spielberg and a Superman poster from Richard Donner, both celebrating his journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cohen laughs that clients love the connection: In one of the most poetic twists imaginable, Cohen negotiated the deal for his Goonies<\/em> co-star Ke Huy Quan in Everything Everywhere All at Once<\/em> \u2014 the film that earned Quan an Academy Award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During his Oscar acceptance speech, Quan thanked Cohen publicly, calling him his \u201cGoonies brother for life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now in his early 50s, Jeff Cohen has fully embraced his journey. While he jokes that the Truffle Shuffle requires \u201cperfect lighting and a few martinis,\u201d he has no regrets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m proud of ten-year-old me,\u201d he said. \u201cThat kid made an impact.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike many former child stars, Cohen emerged from Hollywood grounded, successful, and fulfilled \u2014 proving that reinvention is possible, and that success doesn\u2019t always follow a straight line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From movie icon to elite Hollywood lawyer, Jeff Cohen\u2019s story is a powerful reminder that sometimes the best comeback happens off-screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you grew up watching movies in the 1980s, chances are you remember Chunk. The loud Hawaiian shirt.The unforgettable Truffle…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7703,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/divaxo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/divaxo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/divaxo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/divaxo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/divaxo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7702"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/divaxo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7704,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/divaxo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7702\/revisions\/7704"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/divaxo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/divaxo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/divaxo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/divaxo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The unforgettable Truffle Shuffle.
And the lovable chaos he brought to The Goonies<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA Fast Rise in the Spotlight<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Becoming Chunk \u2014 and a Movie Legend<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere were only a handful of kids like me going out for the same auditions. It was survival of the fattest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen Acting Came to an Abrupt Stop<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t quit acting. Acting quit me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nReinventing Himself Through Education<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t need to be an actor. You need to understand the business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nFrom Child Star to Powerhouse Attorney<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey get a kick out of the fact their lawyer is Chunk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nA Full-Circle Hollywood Moment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Redefining Success<\/h3>\n\n\n\n