Dana Plato . Mackenzie Phillips . The Coreys . Lindsay Lohan . We could go on – it ’s pretty easy to come up with a list of former child stars who did n’t gracefully make their way into maturity ; most of their storey are more sad than scandal . And then there ’s the child stars gone high-risk - then - good , such as Drew Barrymore . Former kid hotshot who grew up without incident , well , they ’re out there – you just have to attend for them because their faces are n’t in the tabloids ( or mugshot ) . lease ’s plain things off with a child virtuoso who desire nothing more than a Red Ryder BB gun forChristmas .
10: Peter Billingsley
When he was just a yearling , Peter Billingsley ’s baby blues landed him a Geritol commercial message , his first on - screen job . But you and I know him well in his character as Ralphie in the 1983 holiday classic " A Christmas Story . " He ’s continued to sour in thebusinessas an adult , head and producing ( and sometimes act , including uncredited roles such as his work as an elf in " Elf " ) movies including " Iron Man , " " Four Christmases , " " The Break - Up " and " Couples Retreat " – his collaboration with Vince Vaughn is no coincidence , as the two became friends when they both acted in the 1990 made - for - TV " CBS Schoolbreak Special : The Fourth Man " .
Billingsley credits his upbringing in Phoenix , Ariz. rather thanHollywoodas well as his parents ' interest in his study for his non - shocking transition from kid star to the working Hollywood sensation of today .
9: Wil Wheaton
At the age of 7 , Wil Wheaton – Richard William Wheaton III – get his firstcommercial , but he really broke out at 12 when he playact Gordie Lachance in Rob Reiner ’s " Stand By Me " ( with a famously messed - up Corey and River Phoenix , who give out of a drugoverdosein his early 20 ) . A five - year run as teenage Starfleet officer Ensign Wesley Crusher on " Star Trek : The Next multiplication " follow . In 2005 , VH1 ranked him # 62 on their tilt of the Greatest 100 Kid Stars . But unlike many other on - screen nipper , not only does Wheaton continue to run – and blog and plot – in his maturity , but he has done so without public dirt or any trips to rehab to " rest . "
8: Neil Patrick Harris
Wil Wheaton may magnificently keep ablog , but Neil Patrick Harris may have famously had one of the very first on TV –Doogie Howser , teenaged doctor , painstakingly go along his personal journal at the close of every sequence of " Doogie Howser , M.D. " He play the role from 1989 until 1993 . Before that , though , he was name for a Golden Globe for his role in " Clara ’s Heart . " All grown up , NPH stay on to pretend – as well as green groceries , direct , legion , whistle , dance and throw down the casual magic john . He ’s on the small screen ( even if you pretermit him as Doogie , you likely know him as Barney Stinson ) , the big blind ( who can forget his character in " Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle " ? ) and the stage – and in 2010 became dad to brotherly twins with partner David Burtka . He also took the stage as the title role in " Hedwig and the Angry Inch " on Broadway in 2014 .
7: Fred Savage
Fred Savage has produced and directed some of the most popular entertainment in the last 20 years , include " Boy fulfill World " and " Hanna Montana , " plus the more recent " It ’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia " and " Modern Family . " He ’s probably best known for his work in front of thecamera , though – and no , we ’re not talking about those Sears catalog molding jobs ; in the ' 80 , Savage was known best as the grandson in " The Princess Bride " and , of form , as Kevin Arnold on " The Wonder Years . " Savage is also a Stanford grad , ismarriedand is a dad , and through it we ’ve never seen him in any sorting of getting compromising attitude ( not counting those modeling photos ) .
6: Sean Astin
As an adult we know Sean Astin as a hobbit , doer and director , but before he even hit puberty he landed his first playing gig . And then , of class , there was the purpose that made him famous : Once a Goonie , always a Goonie .
And despite a turbulent childhood – in addition to being a child actor , Astin produce up with mom Patty Duke , who battlesbipolardisorder and attempted self-destruction several times while Astin was unseasoned – we ’ve never pick up him fall dupe to the pitfalls of being a child star .
Today Astin continues to work in Hollywood ; he also has a family of his own and actively volunteers – he ’s an proponent for fauna rights and mental wellness , as well as family literacy .
5: Danica McKellar
Danica McKellar , who played girl - next - door Winnie Cooper on the ' 80ssitcom"The Wonder Years , " has taken some full-grown character ( and full-grown photograph – she posed in her skivvies for Stuff cartridge in 2005 ) , but she ’s best known these daytime for hermathacumen , not an inclination for public scandal .
While McKellar continues to work in her maturity , these days she ’s also on a missionary station to get kids – and especially young girl – into math ; she ’s the generator of a handful of maths Bible ( including " Math Does n’t lactate , " " Kiss My Math , " " Hot tenner : Algebra Exposed " and " girl Get curve : Geometry Takes Shape ! " ) . And she ’s qualified : In shoal , she also co - authored what would become the Chayes - McKellar - Winn Theorem . And her Erdős – Bacon turn – the phone number of degree of legal separation a person has from Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős in paper paternity plus the number of degrees of separation that person has from Kevin Bacon in acting roles – is 6 .
4: Natalie Portman
When they were just 10 years one-time , Natalie Portman and Britney Spears were understudies in the all - female Off - Broadway show " Ruthless ! " – but then their paths depart . While lance went on to star on the " Mickey Mouse Club , " record the song " … infant One More Time " and have a very public meltdown , Portman has been quiet build an impressivemoviecareer . Never one for the spoils of famous person , Portman has been quoted speak about the value of Department of Education ( she has a stage inpsychologyfrom Harvard ) and keeps her private life , well , individual .
3: Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster is a Yale graduate ( she got her B.A. inliteraturemagna cum laude in 1985 ) , the female parent of two sons and a former preteen woman of the street . Wait , that third one is n’t real ; rather it ’s the role – Iris in the Martin Scorsese motion picture " Taxi Driver " – for which Foster win her first Academy Award at just 14 . Unlike the fate of some other young actors , Jodie ’s shenanigans are all found on - screen , not off .
While " Taxi Driver " may have been her break - out role , Foster start her motion-picture show career as the Coppertone kid when she was only 3 and never really bequeath the Hollywood scene , apart from her clock time incollege . As an grownup , Foster continues to represent but also can be found behind the tantrum directing and raise . Oh , and she ’s also fluid in French .
2: Ron Howard
You know him on screen as Opie on " The Andy Griffith Show , " Steve Bolander in George Lucas ' " American Graffiti " and , of path , Richie Cunningham on " Happy Days " – and we could take all day to mention the film where a grown - up Ron Howard can be find behind the tv camera , a list that includes theblockbusters"A Beautiful Mind , " " The da Vinci Code " and " Rush . "
But where you wo n’t find him is in rehab or in the pages of any of the populartabloidpublications ; this former child lead has been married to his high school sweetheart since 1975 – notably without scandal – and after more than five decade in the business carry on to have a skillful - guy reputation .
1: Shirley Temple
Hollywood ’s biggest small mavin , Shirley Temple ( later , Shirley Temple - Black ) , started in the movie business when she was only 3 years old , launching a career that would lead President Franklin D. Roosevelt to say , " As long as our country has Shirley Temple , we will be all right . "
Like many other child maven who made it into adulthood just fine , Temple - Black ’s conversion from celebrity kid to well - adjusted adult was due much in part to her mother , who insist on always being present , both on set and in construct sure her daughter did n’t knuckle under to the despoliation of the manufacture . Temple - Black grew up to become not only AFI ’s eighteenth large female American screen caption , but after retiring from Hollywood at eld 22 , the littlest rebel went on to success outside of the movie industry .
In 1938 when she was just 10 long time quondam , Congress suspect her of being aCommunistsympathizer ; and just about 30 years later , in 1967 , she ran for but failed to win a congressional seat in California . Nixon appoint her example in the U.S. delegating to theUnited Nationsin 1969 , and later she went on to be appointed U.S. Ambassador to Ghana in 1974 ( to 1976 ) , followed by an ambassadorship to Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992 .
Lots More Information
It was in reality really difficult to narrow down the listing of former youngster wiz who turn out just o.k. . I came close to including Joseph Gordon - Levitt , Mayim Bialik , Jonathan Ke Quan and some of the tike from " The Cosby Show " ; they could all arguably be included in this list , but I only had ten spot ! The two I absolutely positively wanted to let in ? Shirley Temple and Wil Wheaton . No head about that .
