- 7 weeks ago
From sitcom sweethearts to Oscar-winning powerhouses, these former child stars proved their early fame was only the beginning. Join us as we look back at the actors and actresses who stepped away, reinvented themselves, and returned stronger than ever with unforgettable adult roles, awards buzz, and major pop culture moments. Which comeback shocked you most? Let us know in the comments below!
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00:00Be good! I taught him that, too!
00:02Welcome to Miss Mojo!
00:03And today, we're counting down our picks for the most incredible returns by child actors after they grew up.
00:09We gotta get white ass water newsies in New York!
00:12Number 20. Jackie Coogan
00:15Charlie Chaplin discovered vaudeville actor Jackie Coogan when he was about 4 years old.
00:27The 1921 masterpiece The Kid immediately established one of Hollywood's first major child stars.
00:34But the millions he earned would be squandered by his mother and stepfather.
00:38A 1938 lawsuit inspired California's Child Actors Bill, or the Coogan Act, to legally protect juvenile artists' assets.
00:46But Coogan was still facing a career decline that was worsened by a hiatus to serve in World War II.
01:00Two decades of meager roles later, he transformed into the wackily macabre Uncle Fester on the sitcom The Addams Family.
01:08Coogan finally had another iconic role to leverage into steady, show-stealing work for the rest of a landmark, lifelong
01:14career.
01:15What do you do?
01:18Home.
01:20I hang around.
01:23I help my nephew play with the trains.
01:26And I shoot off the cannon.
01:29I clean out the alligator's nest.
01:32Number 19. Macaulay Culkin
01:35The generational role of Kevin McAllister on Home Alone made Macaulay Culkin a Golden Globe nominee before age 12.
01:42What do you mean?
01:43Guys, I'm eating junk and watching rubbish.
01:46You better come out and stop me.
01:47He spent the next four years on such a hot streak that the whirlwind of superstardom, press, and financial battles
01:54with family prompted a hiatus.
01:56While Culkin's return after the 90s was hampered by his selectiveness and preoccupation with New York underground art, his brothers
02:03Kieran and Rory were blowing up.
02:05He ultimately leaned into his nostalgic brand in the late 2010s to reclaim public attention, then wisely steered it into
02:13a renaissance on TV.
02:26With acclaimed performances on American Horror Story Red Tide and Fallout, Culkin has hit the ground running as a household
02:33name once again.
02:34All that remains of America is the overwhelming evidence of its failure.
02:39Now, if you'll excuse me, we have a war to win.
02:42Number 18. Raven Simone
02:44After endearing families at age three as Olivia Kendall on The Cosby Show, Raven Simone became a fixture of nostalgia
02:52with the Disney Channel juggernaut on That's So Raven.
02:55I'm Tanya Baxter, Raven's mother.
02:57Thanks for coming.
02:59Anything for my baby's favorite teacher.
03:08But with the intense child to teen stardom came media scrutiny and production pressures.
03:14She thus stepped back after the end of the show in 2007, taking regular breaks to focus on music, college,
03:20and personal growth.
03:21After joining The View in 2012 and dedicating herself to LGBTQ plus activism, Raven became a beloved public personality on
03:29her own.
03:30Sexual orientation also goes hand in hand with marriage in that situation.
03:35If it was a man and a woman, and one was black and one was white, and they discriminated against,
03:39we could also go back into the constitution that's had many amendments saying they should be able to take care
03:44of his family as well.
03:45This triggered a triumphant comeback that included Disney's revival series Raven's Home.
03:50Now a new generation can look to Raven Simone for fostering nostalgia, mentorship, and overall inspiration.
03:57Guess my vision was wrong.
04:02Miss Baxter, may I have a word?
04:06Mom?
04:07Oh snap!
04:09Number 17, Will Wheaton.
04:111986's Stand By Me proved Will Wheaton to be a capable headliner at age 14.
04:17I'm never gonna get out of this town now, my Gory.
04:21You can do anything you want, man.
04:24The following year, he landed the dream project of a lead role on Star Trek The Next Generation.
04:30Unfortunately, while the series became a critical and cultural phenomenon, the youth appeal in Wesley Crusher polarized fans.
04:37But moving from one assignment to another is part of the life which you're choosing.
04:42I know.
04:44But this isn't any ship.
04:46Typecasting and mental health challenges further limited opportunities for Wheaton as he entered his twenties, so he created his own
04:53opportunities as a multimedia writer and personality in the early days of online entertainment.
04:58And with a recurring role as himself on The Big Bang Theory, Wheaton faced the Trekkie backlash head on.
05:04Now he and Crusher stand proud as permanent icons of nerd culture.
05:09Hey look! They named their team after me.
05:13No, it's not.
05:15Never mind.
05:16Number 16, Natasha Lyonne.
05:18From Pee Wee's Playhouse came lead roles in the indie classic Slums of Beverly Hills and But I'm a Cheerleader.
05:24I get good grades. I go to church. I'm a cheerleader.
05:29Jessica and American Pie further set up Natasha Lyonne for crossover stardom going into her twenties.
05:35However, this early success spiraled into substance use disorder, legal troubles, and health crisis.
05:41After fighting her way to sobriety, Lyonne rebuilt her career through small roles until she landed Nikki Nichols on Netflix's
05:48Orange is the New Black.
05:50It is cheating. Come on.
05:52A-Rod doesn't cry when he gets plunked in Beantown. He sucks it up and tries to steal second.
05:56That stability and acclaim empowered her to co-create, write, and direct and star on Russian Doll.
06:02By that point, Lyonne was already well into a renaissance as a show-stealing character actor and headliner.
06:08And as always, she's doing it on her own terms.
06:11Did you ever hear the one about the broken man and the lady with the death wish who got stuck
06:18in a loop?
06:18Number 15, Tyler James Williams.
06:21The star of Everybody Hates Chris carried a massive sitcom as a young Chris Rock from the age of 12.
06:28What made you decide to come back?
06:29I thought Corleone was my problem. Then I noticed the real problem.
06:33I'm little, skinny, and I can't fight it. So no matter where I go, I'm still the same guy.
06:37Tyler James Williams was a six-year veteran even then. But after the show ended in 2009, he laid low
06:45to avoid typecasting and treat his Crohn's disease.
06:48Amid all of the guest spots, principal roles on Criminal Minds Beyond Borders and Whiskey Cavalier didn't last long.
06:54I love Polish people and specifically their wood furniture. They're the number one exporter of wood furniture in all of
07:01Europe.
07:02Classic. I mean, everybody loves wood.
07:05Top notch.
07:05Williams' comedic and dramatic range was undeniable, but he wouldn't become a household name again until Abbott Elementary.
07:12Substitute teacher Gregory Eddy was singled out from the hugely popular sitcom, earning his actor three Emmy nods and a
07:20Golden Globe win.
07:21Now it's safe to say that everybody loves Tyler.
07:24Look, you can't care about what other people think about your choices.
07:27Because at the end of the day, you're the one who got to live with him.
07:29Number 14, Gabby Hoffman.
07:32Considered one of the most naturalistic child stars of the 90s, Gabby Hoffman shined in Field of Dreams, Uncle Buck
07:39and Sleepless in Seattle.
07:41N-Y.
07:43What is that?
07:44No way.
07:45That's N-W.
07:47New York.
07:49He's on his way to New York.
07:51But she grew so uncomfortable with the aggressive machinery of Hollywood that she walked away in her late teens.
07:57They teach us self-government, and then they disenfranchise us.
08:01That's true.
08:02They teach us to take ourselves seriously, and then they act as if we don't count.
08:06Well, hey, I say this eats the big one.
08:08We count.
08:08We want to vote.
08:09It's our future.
08:10She would gradually sneak into independent projects from Bard College and the New York theater scene.
08:16Finally, Hoffman won back audiences with an Emmy-nominated tenure on HBO's Girls and the cult film Crystal Fairy and
08:23the Magical Cactus.
08:24Then she became one of the highlights of Amazon's landmark dramedy, Transparent.
08:29With two more Emmy nods onto her belt, Hoffman is back to being a consistent scene-stealer in a wide
08:35variety of films and series.
08:37You know, who needs guidance in life? I mean, what on earth would I do with God, you know?
08:42So thank you.
08:42You can keep your voice down, all right?
08:44Oh, keep my voice down, huh?
08:45We have people down.
08:45Because that's our family religion, right?
08:47You're being...
08:47Secrecy.
08:49Mara Wilson
08:50Family film classics like Mrs. Doubtfire and Matilda were enough to make Mara Wilson a legend before she was 10
08:57years old.
08:57Tell you a story
09:00Half a long time ago
09:03Little bitty, pretty one
09:05Sadly, she had also lost her mother to cancer by that time.
09:09Between this and the relentless media scrutiny, Wilson shockingly retired in 2000 to focus on a healthy coming of age.
09:16Twelve years later, she snuck back onto the screen mostly through voice acting and reclaimed fame as an accomplished writer
09:23and political activist.
09:24Her 2016 memoir, Where Am I Now?, earned her accolades as both author and audiobook narrator.
09:31The original title was K for Kid because when you are a child on a film set, they put a
09:35parentheses K next to your name to indicate that you are a child and that you are kind of separate
09:40from everybody else. And I always felt a little like I was the odd one out.
09:43It may not be the career that Hollywood was expecting for Wilson, but it's an incredible multifaceted success story that
09:50she wrote herself.
09:51Okay, I'm gonna do the pan-roasted turbot with fennel pollen aioli, prosciutto, berlotti beans, parsnips, turnips, and carrots.
09:58So the turbot?
09:59Yeah.
10:00I'm gonna do the chicken.
10:01Alright, very good.
10:02Cool.
10:02Thanks.
10:03Number 12.
10:04Mayim Bialik
10:05In the early 90s, Mayim Bialik donned her funky hat and rose to popularity as the quirky title character on
10:12NBC's Blossom.
10:13Oh, God.
10:14What if this is just a cruel hoax being perpetrated at my expense?
10:18I'll just die.
10:20I'm not making sense here, am I?
10:22But hey, what does?
10:23I mean, the state bird of Utah is the seagull.
10:26The show was praised for its female-driven story and for dealing with serious topics that most other primetime series
10:33shied away from at the time.
10:34After Blossom ended, Bialik took a step back from the spotlight and spent some time earning a Bachelor of Science
10:40from UCLA.
10:42She returned to the screen in 2005 and continued her studies in the field of neuroscience to acquire her PhD.
10:49Tell us about your work, Amy.
10:51I doubt you'd understand. Sheldon tells me you only have a master's degree.
10:55This was around the time that she began playing, fittingly, neuroscientist Amy Fowler in The Big Bang Theory, where she
11:02actually starred opposite Johnny Galecki, another former child star.
11:06Since 2021, Bialik has been the host of Jeopardy!
11:10It's an immense honor, especially for someone who's dedicated so much of my life to academia, to knowing things, and
11:16to being able to communicate things.
11:1811. Ron Howard
11:20America grew up with freckle-faced Ronnie Howard as the star of the seminal sitcoms The Andy Griffith Show and
11:26Happy Days.
11:27My sister's becoming a black belt and I'm going bing bong.
11:32I'm sorry I even bothered you, Fonz. I'll get Vivian back here.
11:35George Lucas' classic comedy American Graffiti fittingly marked his transition into both adulthood and movie stardom.
11:43I don't know why I ever asked you out in the first place.
11:45You didn't. I asked you out.
11:47What do you mean you asked me out?
11:49Backwards day, remember?
11:50But as that dwindled with typecasting throughout the 70s, Howard made himself the leading man as director and co-writer
11:57of Grand Theft Auto.
11:59Alright, now don't panic. This is gonna work.
12:01The experience, in fact, spurred his longtime interest in the other side of the camera.
12:06Howard reinvented himself as one of the most diverse filmmakers of his generation, with two Academy Awards to his name.
12:14That lifelong acting career is still going strong, with the Ernest Howard now also recognized as an industry powerhouse.
12:20Or did you bounce your way over the M. Night Shyamalan?
12:24And, you know, tell him that what he really ought to do is have one of the ghosts say,
12:30When's Bruce gonna realize he's dead?
12:3410. Anna Klumsky
12:36At the very young age of 10 years old, Anna Klumsky was shot to stardom after making her feature film
12:42debut in the heartfelt coming-of-age drama My Girl.
12:45Going to Hollywood to live with the Brady Bunch. I wanna live with them too.
12:49No, you can't. We have enough kids. You'll have to live with the Partridge family.
12:55From 1999 to 2005, Klumsky took a hiatus from the movie industry, during which she bagged a degree in international
13:03studies.
13:04After trying out a few jobs as a fact checker and an editorial assistant, the Chicago-born actress decided to
13:10retrace her steps back to the screen.
13:13I don't know if I should kiss you or spank you.
13:14Who says you can't do both?
13:17Please.
13:18You did great. The audience loved you.
13:21Only because I had a good part.
13:22She picked up guest appearances on multiple TV shows before landing the role of Amy Bruckheimer on V, which earned
13:29her a whopping six Emmy nominations.
13:32She further increased her star power in 2022, with a leading role on the Netflix miniseries Inventing Anna.
13:39You know I give good story. Let me do this.
13:42Number 9. Sean Astin
13:45As the son of renowned Hollywood actors John Astin and Patty Duke, Sean Astin was introduced into the movie business
13:52at an early age.
13:53His cinematic debut came when he was just 13 years old with the role of Mikey Walsh in The Goonies.
13:59Down here it's our time. It's our time down here.
14:04That's all over the second we ride up Troy's bucket.
14:09Over the next few years, Astin appeared in supporting roles in multiple films, but never quite capitalized on his childhood
14:16fame to secure another defining performance.
14:18That was until the Lord of the Rings trilogy, where he was cast as Samwise Gamgee, sidekick to Frodo Baggins.
14:25Come on, Mr. Frodo. I can't carry it for you. But I can carry you!
14:33His performance, like every other part of the trilogy, received critical acclaim and won him multiple awards.
14:39Today, he can be spotted on well-known series like The Big Bang Theory and Stranger Things.
14:44Look at me now. I get to date Joyce Byers. Ha! Are you kidding me? I get to date Joyce
14:51Byers. See, it all works out in the end, doesn't it?
14:548. Cole Sprouse
14:56Along with his twin brother Dylan, Cole Sprouse started acting from as early as eight months old in TV shows,
15:02films, and commercials.
15:04From now on, it's just you and me. Cody, can I talk to you? Buzz off, my boy!
15:11Before his major breakthrough as a child star in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and its spin-off
15:16The Suite Life on Deck, he shared several roles with his brother.
15:20The first role that he didn't play interchangeably with Dylan was Ross Geller's son Ben on Friends.
15:25Do you remember all that stuff I taught you yesterday? Remember all that stuff I taught you yesterday?
15:32Don't do that. Don't do that. Seriously, your dad doesn't like pranks. Seriously, your dad doesn't like pranks.
15:37By the end of The Suite Life franchise in 2011, Sprouse moved on to college and graduated in 2015 with
15:44a major in archaeology.
15:46Following a five-year hiatus from acting, Sprouse was cast as Jughead Jones in Riverdale, bringing him back to the
15:52screens of those who watched him growing up.
15:54In case you haven't noticed, I'm weird. I'm a weirdo. I don't fit in, and I don't want to fit
16:02in. Have you ever seen me without this stupid hat on? That's weird.
16:067. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
16:09Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a classic case of a famous child star who transitioned seamlessly into a successful adult career.
16:16I never sleep. I'm exhausted. Besides, you don't have the authority to alter the schedule.
16:21I'm in command.
16:22Yeah, well, I'm in puberty, pal.
16:24But what many may not know is that the actor who began his career at the age of six once
16:29took a break from the hard and fast life of Hollywood superstardom.
16:32After playing Tommy Solomon on Third Rock from the Sun, Gordon-Levitt moved to New York to attend college, but
16:39dropped out after a few years and returned to acting.
16:42Calling for details?
16:44For what?
16:44Details about the party.
16:46Who is this? Or I'll hang up.
16:48If you don't know me, I'll save you some time.
16:49I know everyone and I have all the time in the world.
16:52Follow your youth.
16:53Since then, he has appeared in many blockbuster movies and even made his directorial and screenwriting debut with the 2013
17:00film Don John.
17:01If one thing's for sure, Gordon-Levitt seems to have cracked the code on moving from teen idol to leading
17:07Hollywood man.
17:08There is no why. Just because when I see a beautiful place to put my why, I cannot resist.
17:15Number 6. Drew Barrymore
17:17For many child stars, early fame can get overwhelming and really negatively impact their lives.
17:23Sadly, this was the case for Drew Barrymore.
17:26Born into a family of renowned thespians, Barrymore was acting before she even knew how to read.
17:32Her breakout role came at the age of 7 when she starred in E.T. The Extraterrestrial.
17:37E.T., phone home.
17:39E.T., phone home.
17:41He wants to call somebody.
17:43The role was a pretty easy land given that her godfather is none other than Steven Spielberg.
17:48By 13, Barrymore had unfortunately developed substance problems that sent her to rehab.
17:54At first, I was clean, but I, you know, I was off drugs, but I still had the same behavior
17:58and was still doing the same things.
18:01And that's when I really got clean when I realized I just wasn't doing it right.
18:05Luckily, she beat the odds, cleaned up her act, and resurfaced in a host of successful films throughout the 2000s.
18:12Although she's currently taking a hiatus from acting, we're still graced with her lovable charm on her daytime talk show.
18:19We're gonna spend an hour every day celebrating life.
18:22Oh.
18:23I'm so excited.
18:24I could scream.
18:26Wanna do it with me?
18:26Guys, ready?
18:285.
18:30Jason Bateman
18:31Throughout his long career, Jason Bateman has successfully transitioned from a child star to a teen idol, and now to
18:38an award-winning actor and director.
18:40That career progression was by no means easy, though.
18:43And is it too much to think that I may want to spread a little Christmas cheer among the little
18:47maggots of Oak Park?
18:51Colorist touched, David.
18:53Following his run on the sitcom The Hogan Family, Bateman found himself going down the dangerous path of many child
19:00stars before and after him.
19:02By the early 2000s, we hadn't heard much about him until he landed the central role of Michael Bluth on
19:08Arrest and Development.
19:09I mean, we have made nothing but sacrifices for this family, and tonight it all pays off, my boy. Tonight
19:14your granddad makes me partner.
19:16This was followed up with a string of comedy flicks throughout the 2000s and early 2010s. Bateman finally made the
19:23switch from comedy to drama in 2017, with his lauded acting and directing work on the Netflix series Ozark.
19:30Just give it to me. I want more than just a 10%. I want it all, and I want to
19:34take it down there.
19:354. Neil Patrick Harris
19:37After being discovered at a drama camp, Neil Patrick Harris got his first professional acting role in the 1988 film
19:44Clara's Heart.
19:45Although he received a Golden Globe nomination for that movie, it was his performance as the titular child prodigy in
19:52Doogie Howser, M.D. that catapulted him to fame.
19:55Now go get me something I can use for a leg price. Go.
19:58Okay, clear away folks. Come on, stay back.
20:01Thank you guys.
20:02Who is this kid?
20:05That's my son. The doctor.
20:08His career on the screen stalled after that, but Harris continued being active on the Broadway scene.
20:13In 2004, he appeared as the vulgar, fictionalized version of himself in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.
20:20The Doogie line always works on strippers.
20:24Lap dance.
20:25This paved the way for his comeback role in How I Met Your Mother. The show revitalized his career, which
20:31now boasts of multiple Emmys, a Tony, and several award show hosting credits.
20:36It's gonna be legend. Wait for it. And I hope you're not lactose intolerant because the second half of that
20:41word is dairy.
20:42Number three, Jodie Foster.
20:451976 was a great year for Jodie Foster.
20:49Hey, I understand. And it means something, really.
20:53The intelligent, bright-eyed actress got her breakthrough role in Martin Scorsese's Palme d'Or, winning Taxi Driver, which saw
21:00her receive an Oscar nomination at just 14.
21:03That same year, she starred in four other films and also hosted Saturday Night Live.
21:08In 1980, Foster enrolled as a full-time student at Yale, and by the time she graduated five years later,
21:15she had trouble finding movie roles.
21:17That all went away with the 1988 drama The Accused, where Foster played an assault survivor searching for justice.
21:23Now, who the hell are you to decide that I ain't good enough to be a witness?
21:28I bet you if I went to law school and I didn't live in some goddamn dump, then I would
21:32be good enough.
21:32The role earned her her first Oscar for Best Actress and marked the beginning of many mature performances that we
21:39would come to know and love Foster for.
21:41You see a lot, Doctor.
21:44When are you strong enough to point that high-powered perception at yourself?
21:50What about it? Why don't you, why don't you look at yourself and write down what you see?
21:55Number 2. Christian Bale
21:57Long before he donned Batman's cape in the Dark Knight trilogy, a teenage Christian Bale got the lead part in
22:03Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun out of 4,000 others.
22:07Didn't I teach you anything?
22:09Yes!
22:11Yeah.
22:13You taught me that people will do anything for a potato.
22:17The movie brought him a lot of fame, a status he grew to dislike soon after.
22:22Nevertheless, he persisted, picking up a bunch of less popular roles over the next decade.
22:33By the 2000s, Bale began to establish himself as an actor willing to undergo a complete transformation for a role.
22:40His turn as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho reintroduced him to mature audiences and set the stage for his career
22:47-defining performance as Bruce Wayne.
22:49Child or adult, Bale was and still is one of the most captivating actors of his generation.
22:55It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.
23:02Number 1. Kiwi Quan
23:04By age 14, Kiwi Quan had won Hollywood's heart as Short Round in The Temple of Doom and Data in
23:11The Goonies.
23:12Hey, Data, don't mess this one up and prepare for these swings of flight!
23:22Oh! The screen door!
23:24Let me! The screen door!
23:27Sadly, Hollywood repaid the Vietnamese refugee with meager and stereotypical roles when he got work.
23:34Quan essentially retired in 2002 to work as a stunt coordinator and assistant director for nearly 20 years.
23:41Then he returned to the front of the camera in Everything Everywhere all at once,
23:46which stretched Quan's muscle in pretty much every genre.
23:50I don't know.
23:59The only thing I do know is that we have to be kind.
24:03So after he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, he became the versatile superstar he always should have
24:10been.
24:11Quan is also an advocate for empowering Asian representation in Hollywood and the ultimate comeback story for a screen prodigy.
24:18Time slipping.
24:19That! I've been time slipping in the TVA.
24:23It's impossible to time slip in the TVA.
24:24But you just saw it happen.
24:25Yeah. I'm having trouble reconciling that.
24:28What are your favorite coming-of-age comeback stories with actors?
24:32Ring them up in the comments below.
24:33Ring them up in the comments below.
24:34Ring them up in the comments below.
24:37Ring them up in the comments below.
24:38Ring them up in the comments below.
24:38Ring them up in the comments below.