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Despite a high-profile struggle with substance abuse, the child star of 'E.T.' has forged a very successful film career.
The lovable actor had his screen debut at the age of nine, and just three years later landed his career-defining role as Kevin Arnold in ‘The Wonder Years.’
Best known for playing the protagonist in ‘Cleopatra,’ the most expensive film ever made at the time, Liz Taylor had her screen debut at just nine years old in the movie ‘There's One Born Every Minute.’
Young Elijah Wood appeared in a number of films during the '90s before he was cast in the career-defining role of Frodo Baggins in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ film trilogy.
Since the Hollywood heartthrob had his big break in the 1993 film 'What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,' his rise has been unstoppable.
Now best known for playing Alex Dunphy in the hit TV comedy show ‘Modern Family,’ Winter had her on-screen debut in a Cool Whip commercial at just four years old.
She has had roles in a number of wildly successful films and is regularly featured in lists of the world’s highest-paid actresses.
At just five years old, Ron Howard was cast in the role that would make him famous: Opie Taylor in ‘The Andy Griffin Show.’
Now best-known for his career in pop music, JT, like many other child stars, had his start on 'The Mickey Mouse Club' when he was just 12 years old.
Having started on the screen at the tender age of two, the actor is best known for his pre-teen role as Ralphie Parker in ‘A Christmas Story.’
The ‘Lost in Translation’ actress had her first major film role as a 12-year-old in ‘Manny & Lo,’ and since then her rise has been unstoppable.
She kicked her drug habit quickly and went on to star in a number of films before foraying into production.
Since then her career has gone from strength to strength, and she has starred in a number of hit films as well as dabbled in directing.
Although she is now better known for her career as a singer-songwriter, the star had her big break in film, appearing in films such as ‘Troop Beverly Hills’ (1989) and ‘The Wizard’ (1989).
He successfully continued his acting career into adulthood and even starred as himself in 'Once Upon a Deadpool', a kid-friendly version of 'Deadpool 2' in 2018.
The remarkably talented actor has had a number of major roles. In 2021 he starred alongside Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Cate Blanchett in 'Don't Look Up'.
Since the final film, however, she has refused to rest on her laurels and has starred in a number of successful films such as 'The Beauty and the Beast'.
Despite her hefty net worth, the actress keeps her feet on the ground. In the fall of 2017, she began studying law at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), but in 2018 she stopped studying to be focused on her career again.
The English actor is best known for playing Batman in the Christopher Nolan trilogy, but he actually started out when he was just 13 in Steven Spielberg’s ‘Empire of the Sun.’
Despite the royalties from his film debut, teenage Billingsley stayed focused on his work and had a successful acting career as an adult before venturing into production.
He then went on to have a very prolific career and has starred in and directed a huge number of films and TV shows.
Since his debut, he has built up an impressive acting portfolio and has amassed a number of awards, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globes.
Clearly his early career set the ball rolling because just two years later NSYNC was formed and that gave Timberlake the springboard he needed to forge a career as a solo artist and actor.
He is not riding on the success of the trilogy: he has subsequently appeared in a wide range of films, and in 2010 founded his own production company, Spectrevision.
Best known for playing Hermione Granger in the 'Harry Potter' films, it would have been easy for the English actress to bask in the royalties made from the franchise.
The story about the child actor who couldn't cope with his early fame is one that features all too often in the media. Whether it's substance abuse or brushes with the law, former child stars are in the news so often you'd think that being famous when you're young is a sure-fire way to a turbulent adulthood.
But there are some child stars who, for one reason or another, are able to withstand the pressure of achieving fame early. Check out this gallery for evidence that not all child stars suffer the same ill fate.
Since semi-retiring from acting in the mid-1990s, Lewis has made a great success of her music career and has released five solo albums.
The American-Israeli actress had her film debut at just 12 years old with her role in the action drama film ‘Léon: The Professional.’
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The story about the child actor who couldn't cope with his early fame is one that features all too often in the media. Whether it's substance abuse or brushes with the law, former child stars are in the news so often you'd think that being famous when you're young is a sure-fire way to a turbulent adulthood.
But there are some child stars who, for one reason or another, are able to withstand the pressure of achieving fame early. Check out this gallery for evidence that not all child stars suffer the same ill fate.