Jessica Bowman shot to fame in the 1990s as Colleen Cooper in the Western drama series, Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, in which she starred opposite Jane Seymour from seasons three to six.
Her standout performance earned her a Young Artist Award in 1996, paving the way for a guest role on Baywatch and a smooth transition into feature films, including Lethal Vows, Joy Ride, and the second Dr. Quinn film, The Heart Within.
© CBS via Getty ImagesBy the mid-2000s, however, Jessica chose to step back from her acting career to build a life away from the spotlight.
Now 45 – and looking just as radiant more than three decades after her breakout role – the former actress has reinvented herself as a successful businesswoman. Keep reading to find out more about her life after fame.
Jessica Bowman's life after fame
After starring in a string of films in the 90s, Jessica decided to leave the entertainment business to find a new passion.
Explaining her decision during an interview with The Spark in July, Jessica said: "I left acting because I felt like I had been doing it for so long that I didn't know anything else. Every kid kind of tries to find themselves and not just do what they know."
After studying psychology at college, Jessica met her husband and the pair went into the restaurant business.
"He has restaurant franchises," she explained. "Six restaurants, and then together we got up to about 20 restaurants."
© YouTube / The Spark"I don't know if restaurants are my passion but I do know that I love owning businesses," she shared, explaining that the pair are currently working on a franchise of medical spas.
"I love skin care and beauty, which is part of something I got from Quinn because there's a lot of behind-the-scenes makeup and hair," said Jessica, who has an aesthetician license and, along with her husband, has purchased three medical spas that are yet to open.
Would Jessica Bowman return to acting?
Jessica's fans will be pleased to know that she hasn't walked away from acting for good and is eager to reprise her role in another Dr Quinn movie.
"I never want to shut the door on acting," shared the star. "They do talk about doing another Quinn movie or an up-to-date Quinn story and I would be ecstatic to do that because that was such a great part of my life."
© CBS via Getty ImagesEarlier this year, the cast reunited to celebrate Jane Seymour's 75th birthday. Taking to Instagram with a carousel of snaps from the special occasion, Jane wrote: "Together again, forever connected. What a reunion!"
Jessica's family life
Jessica is married and shares a child with her husband, who was already a father when they first met.
Fittingly, her first meeting with her husband reads like something straight out of a Hollywood movie.
While her mother encouraged Jessica to go to bars and clubs to meet someone, she always maintained that she would meet the perfect man at a health food store "because that means he cares about his health and he'll spend money for quality."
In a twist of fate, Jessica was browsing a health food store when she struck up a conversation with her now-husband. After chatting in the aisles, he even ran after her outside to ask if she was single.
"We went on a date the next week and we've been together for 13 years now," she shared.
