Where Is Brian Levinson Now? Matilda's Brother's New Life
He was Michael Wormwood — Matilda's dim-witted older brother, the one who couldn't read but could memorize TV commercials, the foil to Mara Wilson's genius. Brian Levinson was 14 when Matilda (1996) made him recognizable. He acted for one more year, then vanished — and when the details finally surfaced, they were nothing like the usual child-star story. This is the verified story of where Brian Levinson is now.
The Peak: Michael Wormwood (1990-1997)
Born Brian Levinson on October 27, 1982, in Los Angeles, he started acting at eight — debuting as "Brian" in Predator 2 (1990). The working-child-actor grind followed: Shoot First: A Cop's Vengeance, The Waiter, a kid in the airport in North (1994), Brent in Father and Scout (1994) opposite Full House star Bob Saget, Young Joey in Baby Face Nelson, and TV spots on Roseanne, Phenom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Hardball.
Matilda (1996) as Michael "Mikey" Wormwood — Matilda's older brother, the TV-obsessed, book-hating foil. Directed by Danny DeVito, based on Roald Dahl's novel, starring Mara Wilson, DeVito, Rhea Perlman, and Embeth Davidtz. Levinson was 14, playing the comedic antagonist with perfect obnoxiousness.
The film became a beloved classic. Levinson was recognizable — the brother, the one who gets outsmarted by a six-year-old genius. His final credit came the next year: Andy in a 1997 episode of Seinfeld. Then he stopped. No announcement. He just disappeared from the business.
The Marine: Nine Years of Service
What happened to Brian Levinson after 1997? For years, almost nothing was publicly known — and then Entertainment Weekly's "where are they now" reporting filled in the extraordinary gap: Levinson served nine years in the United States Marine Corps.
Think about that trajectory: from the set of Matilda to boot camp. From memorizing lines about TV dinners to the discipline of military service. It's the most dramatic pivot of any '90s child actor — not to another entertainment career, not to a trade, but to the armed forces. He got married in 2012, and he now works in events and promotions for San Diego nightlife — a long way from both Hollywood and the barracks, but a civilian life built on his own terms.
He did surface once for nostalgia: in July 2013, he attended a reunion barbecue with the Matilda cast — proof that the disappearance was a choice, not a tragedy. He simply built a life that didn't need Hollywood in it.
He is not on social media as a public figure and has never given a tell-all interview. The privacy is real — but it's the privacy of a man with a full life, not a vanished one.
The Person: Service Over Stardom
Levinson's story reframes the "vanished child star" narrative. He didn't disappear; he enlisted. The kid who played the TV-addicted brother grew up to choose one of the most demanding, least glamorous paths available: military service.
Nine years in the Marines is not a gap year. It's a career — deployments, discipline, a complete identity outside entertainment. Whatever drew him to it, the choice suggests someone who wanted structure, purpose, and anonymity in equal measure. Hollywood offered none of those reliably. And when the uniform came off, he built a third act in the most people-facing industry imaginable.
The San Diego nightlife work completes the picture: a people person, an events guy, someone who likes a crowd but on his own terms. Not a performer — a host. The brother who couldn't read grew up to be a man who chose his own story.
Where Is Brian Levinson Now?
As of 2026, Brian Levinson works in events and promotions for San Diego nightlife. He left acting in 1997 after a Seinfeld guest spot, served nine years in the U.S. Marine Corps, married in 2012, and attended a Matilda cast reunion barbecue in 2013. He maintains a low profile with no public social media.
Michael Wormwood couldn't read. Brian Levinson wrote his own next chapter — in uniform first, then in San Diego.
The Legacy: Matilda Endures
Matilda (1996) underperformed in theaters and then became immortal. Danny DeVito's adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel — starring Mara Wilson as the telekinetic genius, DeVito and Rhea Perlman as her monstrous parents, and Embeth Davidtz as the saintly Miss Honey — found its audience on home video and never let go. It's now a generational touchstone, a film about the power of reading beloved by the exact kids who needed it. And Brian Levinson's Michael Wormwood is essential to its machinery: the TV-brained brother whose comeuppance is the audience's catharsis.
The film's afterlife includes a hit Broadway musical adaptation (Matilda the Musical, which won five Tony Awards) and a 2022 Netflix film version — proof that Dahl's story, and DeVito's film, tapped something permanent. Levinson's performance, pitched at exactly the right level of obnoxious, is part of why the original endures: you can't have Matilda's triumph without Michael's comeuppance.
That Levinson traded this for the Marine Corps is the detail that elevates his story from curiosity to legend. The kid who played the ultimate couch potato grew up to choose one of the most physically and mentally demanding paths in American life. Nine years of service, then a civilian career in San Diego nightlife, then a quiet appearance at the 2013 cast barbecue — the rare child actor whose second act is more interesting than his first.
From Uniform to Nightlife: The Third Act
The transition from nine years in the Marine Corps to San Diego nightlife promotions is less strange than it sounds. Military service builds exactly the skills that events work demands: logistics, teamwork under pressure, reading a room, managing chaos with calm. San Diego — a Navy and Marine town — is full of veterans who built second careers in hospitality, and Levinson fits the pattern: the former child actor who found, in uniform, the structure that Hollywood never provided.
What makes Levinson's story remarkable isn't just the pivot — it's the deliberateness. He didn't stumble into the Marines after a public flameout; he enlisted quietly, served honorably for nearly a decade, married in 2012, and built a civilian career. There were no "troubled former child star" headlines, no reality-TV redemption arc. He simply did the work — first on sets, then in uniform, now in nightlife — and kept his private life private.
The 2013 Matilda reunion barbecue was his one concession to nostalgia: a summer afternoon with former castmates, no cameras, no press tour. He showed up, caught up, and went back to his life. For a man who played one of the most memorable comic foils in '90s family film — and then served his country for nine years — it's the perfect epilogue: present, grounded, and entirely on his own terms.
Then vs Now: Two Chapters
| Then (1990-1997) | Now (2000s-2020s) |
|---|---|
| Michael Wormwood in Matilda (1996), age 14 | Events/promotions, San Diego nightlife |
| Predator 2 (1990); Seinfeld (1997) | Nine years, U.S. Marine Corps |
| Working child actor | Married 2012; low profile |
| Last credit 1997 | Matilda reunion barbecue (2013) |
Brian Levinson was Michael Wormwood in Matilda (1996), then he enlisted. Not a fall, not a comeback — a second service. The most dramatic pivot of any '90s child actor: from the soundstage to the Marine Corps to San Diego nightlife. The brother who couldn't read grew up to be a man who chose his own story — and served his country while writing it.
Frequently asked questions
Who did Brian Levinson play in Matilda?
Brian Levinson played Michael Wormwood, Matilda's TV-obsessed older brother, in Matilda (1996) directed by Danny DeVito. He was 14, playing the comedic foil to Mara Wilson's genius with perfect obnoxiousness.
What else was Brian Levinson in?
Predator 2 (1990, his acting debut at age 8), Father and Scout (1994) with Bob Saget, Baby Face Nelson, North (1994), and TV spots on Roseanne, Phenom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Hardball, and Seinfeld (1997, his final credit as Andy).
Why did Brian Levinson quit acting?
He stopped after a 1997 Seinfeld episode with no public explanation — then served nine years in the U.S. Marine Corps, the most dramatic pivot of any '90s child actor.
What does Brian Levinson do now?
He works in events and promotions for San Diego nightlife, after nine years in the U.S. Marine Corps. He married in 2012 and keeps a low profile with no public social media.
How old is Brian Levinson?
He was born October 27, 1982, in Los Angeles — 43-44 in 2026. He was 14 in Matilda (1996).
Did Brian Levinson attend Matilda reunions?
Yes — he attended a Matilda cast reunion barbecue in July 2013, his one known nostalgia appearance.
Is Brian Levinson on social media?
No — he has no public social media presence.
Where is Brian Levinson now?
As of 2026: San Diego, working in events and promotions for nightlife; former U.S. Marine (nine years of service); married since 2012; attended the 2013 Matilda reunion barbecue, his one known public appearance since leaving Hollywood — a quiet afternoon with former castmates, no press, no cameras, just lunch — the Marine, the nightlife pro, the former child star, all at one table.