From Chunk to powerhouse attorney: The wild journey of Jeff Cohen
Not long after, he chose a new identity for the screen, adopting “Cohen” as his stage surname, a tribute to his mother Elaine’s maiden name.
Before his breakout role in The Goonies, Cohen was already popping up on television. In 1982–83, he appeared as one of the kids who helped explain clues to players on the CBS game show Child’s Play.
A few years later, in the summer of 1985, he returned to TV as a young celebrity guest on the game show Body Language.
While filming the legendary The Goonies, Cohen cemented his place in pop-culture history with the unforgettable Truffle Shuffle, bringing infectious energy to the role of the lovable misfit, Chunk.
Jeff Cohen shouting through a hole in the door in a scene from the film ‘Goonies’, 1985. (Photo by Warner Brothers/Getty Images)
With Richard Donner at the helm and Steven Spielberg producing, the adventure-comedy told the story of a ragtag bunch of kids embarking on a high-stakes quest for lost treasure in hopes of saving their neighborhood.
A funny behind-the-scenes tidbit that many fans might have missed: Jeff Cohen was actually covered in chickenpox while filming Goonies. Worried he might get replaced, he kept it a secret and showed up on set anyway. According to the DVD commentary, sharp-eyed viewers can even spot the chickenpox on his chest during the iconic “Truffle Shuffle” scene.
Director Richard Donner once said that Jeff’s acting had a real, genuine quality — he was just himself on screen.
This is how Cohen has described getting the role of Chunk:
“There were basically about four fat kids in town, so every time there was a fat kid role you saw the same people at the audition,” he told the Daily Mail.
”Acting gave me up”
After the success of The Goonies, Jeff Cohen would have loved to continue acting, but one thing stood in his way.
”When I hit puberty, it was a career-ender for me. I was transforming from Chunk to hunk, and I couldn’t get roles anymore,” he said.
Then came the line that broke every Goonies fan a little:
