Did you know that these successful child actors continued their success further as adults?1
. Drew Barrymore
Being born in Barrymore
family would automatically get you an acting career, but starting from 11 months is still commendable. She started with dog-food commercial in which even after being bitten by the dog, didn’t cry and impressed the producers.
She made her film debut in Altered States, a blockbuster sci-fi adaptation of a novel; and then in cult film ET.
But after that Drew had brush ups with drugs even before she entered in her teens, and people were ready to write her off as just a one time actor.
Proving everybody wrong she made a comeback by playing the challenging role of
manipulative teenage seductress in Poison IVY . After that she never looked back, and from winning Golden Globe to conquering fans’ hearts, she kept on gaining success and fame.
2. Christian Bale
Christian Bale who left the audience awestruck playing starring role in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun at the age of 13,
was sure to make a successful transition to a grown-up cult star. Ever since his teen acting years, Bale had always been bestowed with roles of substance.
He made his film debut as Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich of Russia in a tele-film dubbed, Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna. His impressive appearance soon took him ahead to play lead roles in the miniseries Heart of the Country and the fantasy adventure Mio in the Land of Faraway, where he shared screen space with Christopher Lee and Nick Pickard. Who can forget the serial killer Patrick Bateman of American Psycho. His performance did wonders in his career and elevated his popularity status to sky-heights.
Today, Bale is best-known for his enormous cult following. The Tenth Anniversary issue of the Entertainment Weekly titled him as one of the “Top 8 Most Powerful Cult Figures of the Past Decade”. His performance in American Psycho did wonders in his career and elevated his popularity status to sky-heights.
3. Jodie Foster
This li’l 3-year old tot hit the field of acting appearing in TV commercials. Soon after she debuted as a television actress in a 1968 episode of Mayberry R.F.D. Jodie had made 50 appearances in TV and films altogether, before attending her college.
Then in 1976, at the tender age of 14, she stunned her audience playing underage prostitute in Taxi Driver. She won an Oscar nomination for best supporting Actress for this role. Jodie made sure that she never loses her pace of work, and went on step by step with stronger determination. Her hard work and talent didn’t go unnoticed and she won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1989 for playing a rape survivor in The Accused.
Since then, there has been a long list of awards to her kitty; her internationally acclaimed and Oscar winning performance in The Silence of the Lambs, definitely deserves a special mention.
4. Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood emerged as a born star ever since her debut in Tomorrow Is Forever in 1943. Almost in a blink of an eye, she became the top child star in Hollywood with her 1947 Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street.
In her 20 films as a child actor, Natalie shared screen space with stars like Gene Tierney, James Stewart, Maureen O’Hara, Bette Davis and Bing Crosby.
Natalie proved that not all successful child actors grow up to be spoiled brats. She made successful transition to adult roles and won both critical acclamation and awards.
At 16, she won an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Nicholas Ray’s Rebel.
1950s was a kind of a stagnant phase in her career, when she was tired and full playing many ‘girlfriend’ roles under the contract signed with Warner Brother. Then in 1961, Elia Kazan’s Splendor in the Grass once again brought her career on track and she won Best Actress Nominations at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes and BAFTA Awards. West Side Story , Love with the Proper Stranger, Inside Daisy Clover (1965) and This Property Is Condemned (1966) are just to name a few of her works that showered her with awards along with rocking Box Office success. Wood was an actress in true sprits, who worked till her last breath and died while filming a sci-fi film Brainstorm (1983).
5. Mickey Rooney
Multiple awards winner, Mickey Rooney made appearances in films, television and stage almost throughout his life.
Mickey has been winning all the flatteries right from his first performance, which he gave while only 17-months old. Wearing specially tailored tuxedo, Mickey had already begun to show his starry colors appearing in A Gaiety Girl with his parents. His first full fledged TV appearance that featured him as “Mickey McGuire” for 78 of the comedies, got him his screen name ‘Mickey Rooney’, who was actually named as Joseph Yule, Jr on his birth.
Mickey smoothly made his way to adolescent roles playing teenage son of a judge in 1937’s A Family Affair. And, Andy Hardy of A Family Affair went on from series to series till 1958, to make Mickey one of the most successful comedians of his times.
Mickey was a pool of talent, after comedy, he made some memorable musicals that proved to be even bigger hits. Babes in Arms (1939)is one of his strings of musicals that made him the biggest box office drawer in 1940. His unforgettable performances had made him unquestionably, the best-known entertainer .
6. Seth Green
Well known for his role of Daniel “Oz” Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Seth Green
had made a jumpstart in his career at the ages of 10. He bounced directly from TV commercials to prestige films like
Hotel New Hampshire with Jodie Foster and Woody Allen’s Radio Days.
Proceeding smoothly through long list of appearances in TV and Films, Green’s career took a leap with
Buffy The Vampire Slayer and the Austin Powers series. Now he had successfully established himself as
as a self-aware adult star with Josie And The Pussycats, The Italian Job and RobotChicken. He was adored as a kid and he’s equally adored as a modern cult figure and that’s what you call a performer.
7. Kirsten Dunst
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Starting off as a fashion model at a tender age of three, now best known as Spiderman’s love interest, Kristen Dunst had given countless appearances in TV and Films right from her childhood days. Pretty soon she managed to become the favorite child model of Ford Models and Elite Model Management.
By the age of 12, Kirsten had modeled for almost 100 commercials. She made her debut in films with Oedipus Wrecks, a short film by Woody Allen. But her real breakthrough came with her role of Claudia in the movie “Interview with Vampire”. Starring opposite Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, Kirsten had already begun realizing her dream. She even won a Golden Globe Nomination and an award for the best breakthrough performance at MTV movie awards in 1995 for this role. She has never looked back since then.
After Spiderman sequels lot of good things has been coming her way. Kirsten is completely hooked and booked all through this year, and we wish her the same for all her coming years.
8. Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci won both love and acclaims right at the age of 11, with her best-known work in Mermaids as Wednesday Addams.
She did not rest after all this appreciation and with The Opposite Of Sex, she put herself on the aisle that lead her towards fame even more startling than this. Anything but conventional, Ricci played it all - dark or cartoonish. Her mesmerizing yet creepy looks in the Ice Storm, Pumpkin and contrast child-like look in Monster made her one of the best unconventional young actors around.
Her Black Snake Moan (2007) was described as a Ricci’s best performance by filmmaker Kevin Smith. However, for this fully charged actress, this is just the beginning, there’s a lot more to come.
9. Ron Howard
Ron Howard caught eyes of viewers when he played Andy Griffith’s TV son, Opie Taylor,
on The Andy Griffith Show in 1960 at the age of six. However, credit for his first earned recognition goes to
Winthrop Paroo, the role that he played in the film version of The Music Man with Robert Preston and Shirley Jones. Then in 1974, with Happy Days he outplayed many big actors with his superb rendition of Richie Cunningham character.
While starring in Happy days, he also debuted his directorial career. Beginning with low budget action-comedy like Grand Theft Auto, and Night Shify he went on to create a masterpiece, The Da Vinci Code.
10. Natalie Portman
Natalie knew it from beginning that acting is what she’s made for. In 1990, she turned
down the opportunity to become a child model for Revlon in favor of acting. Just four years later, her strong ambition for acting got her first role in an independent film Léon. She didn’t have to sweat post-Leon and her hands were already full with roles in films Heat, Everyone Says I Love You, and Mars Attacks!, as well as a major role in Beautiful Girls.
The vulnerable little girl from Luc Besson’s The Professional,
or exorbitantly costumed heroine of The Phantom Menace, she performed all sorts of shades with equal caliber.
Natalie played the lead role in Anywhere but Here in 1997 and won a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Ann Augus. Portman has consistently grown onscreen and has continued growing even better.
The Olympic medal-winner Sonja Henie was one of his first customers.
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