Bruce Bogtrotter's all grown up! Matilda star Jimmy Karz looks a world away from the chubby cake-eating kid 20 years since the film's release

He became synonymous with his on-screen character Bruce Bogtrotter in 1996's hit movie Matilda.

But Jimmy Karz - who found his way into the hearts of millions when he scoffed an entire oversized chocolate cake as punishment - looks a world away from his on-screen alter ego.

Now aged 31, Jimmy is almost unrecognisable from the 12-year-old chubby chap who is best remembered with long curly brown hair and covered in chocolate after winning victory over the film's evil headmistress Miss Trunchbull.

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Unrecogniseable! Jimmy Karz - seen on his social media page - looks a world away from his Bruce Bogtrotter character in the 1996 film Matilda

In pictures seen on his social media pages, he looks rather handsome with a neatly-trimmed beard and has slimmed down since his younger days and that iconic role of 20 years ago.

Following his star turn in the Roald Dahl movie opposite leading actress and bona fide 1990s icon Mara Wilson, Jimmy went under the radar and has since quit acting.

He has a couple of other acting roles under his belt, appearing in 1998's Adam Sandler-fronted movie The Wedding Singer - in which he grabbed Drew Barrymore's backside - as well as a bit part in one episode of hospital drama ER.

But, according to IMBD, that's where his Hollywood career ended, leaving the acting world in the late 1990s to pursue a normal lifestyle.

Throwback: Then aged 12, Jimmy appeared as the cake-eating chubby Bruce in the hit Roald Dahl movie

The handsome former thespian has now put his cake-eating days behind him, and is now in the midst of training to be a doctor at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

He follows in the footsteps of Matilda actress Mara who, after a run of huge roles as a child - including in Mrs Doubtfire and Miracle On 34th street - also quit acting to enjoy a more low-key career. 

The 28-year-old is now a writer and avid social media commentator: on her website she revealed her decision to quit Hollywood and denied that she is planning to return to the big screen.

Alll grown up: In a picture in 2011, Jimmy - who has now quit acting to become a doctor - couldn't look more different from Bogtrotter

She writes: 'The short answer is no, I don't have any plans to pursue film acting. It's not my 'thing' anymore, if it ever was. Yes, I do still act sometimes.

'But when I do, it's with people I know and trust, people who respect me as a person and appreciate what I have to offer.'

Fans of the hit 1996 movie will remember the gut-wrenching scene in which Bruce is forced to eat an entire chocolate cake by the school's headmistress Miss Trunchbull as a punishment for stealing a slice of hers from the kitchen.

Childhood classic: Matilda, starring Mara Wilson in the leading role, told the tale of a genius young girl who was bullied by her parents and evil headmistress Miss Trunchbull

However, it wasn't enjoyable as the baked item was filled with the cook's sweat and blood, but finish it he did, thus making him a bit of a cult icon for children of the 90s. 

In 2013, the cast of Matilda came out of the woodwork to reunite, with Jimmy joining Mara and the others for a barbeque as they took a trip down memory lane.

Getting together for a picture, the film's Mara and Jimmy reunited with Rhea Perlman, Embeth Davidtz, Danny DeVito, Donna Spangler, Brian Levinson, Pam Ferris, Leor Livneh Hackel, Jacqueline Steiger, Kiami Davael and Sara Magdalin. 

Back together again! In 2013, the cast reunited - (L-R): Donna Spangler, Brian Levinson, Pam Ferris, Jimmy Karz and Leor Livneh Hackel, Front Row (L-R): Jacqueline Steiger, Rhea Perlman, Mara Wilson, Kiami Davael, Sara Magdalin, Danny DeVito, Embeth Davidtz