Child Stars - An Update

Oh, those adorable little kids, who grabbed laughs and stole scenes on comedy shows. Have they gone on to fame and success, or descended into obscurity? Let's look at a few, starting with the littlest member of "The Cosby Show," Keisha Knight-Pulliam. The precocious tot survived childhood and adolescence without a breath of scandal, then went on to play a hooker in "Madea Goes to Jail." She's now working on a reality show with her boyfriend. Just what the viewing audience needs. Going back a few decades, Jerry Mathers starred in "Leave it to Beaver" from 1957 to 1963. He disappeared for a while until his name came up in the late '60's in a false rumor that he had been killed in Vietnam. Out of the public eye again, he reappeared for three months in a Broadway production of "Hairspray" in 2007. He currently has a successful career in real estate development and banking.

How about some success stories? Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen shared the role of Michelle Tanner in "Full House." In adulthood they became tabloid darlings. They also invested their money well. They now run companies representing music, clothing, videos, books and fashions. Jodie Foster started out at age 2 in show biz. At 14 she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the classic "Taxi Driver" (only working with Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorsese). After leaving the movies for a Yale degree, Jodie went on to win two Oscars for "The Accused" and "Silence of the Lambs." She's still acting and directing. But the biggest child star success story belongs to Academy Award winning director Ron Howard. Starting at 5 in "The Andy Griffith Show," the actor grew from Ronny to Ron in "Happy Days." As a young adult he began a career as a director. From 1977's "Grand Theft Auto" when he was 23 to today's "Angels and Demons," Howard has had far more hits than misses and is a sought-after director.

Comments (1):

Mateo @ 05/27/2009 ( 11:57:47 AM )
Child stars roller coasters. Danny Bonaduce, Actor, radio show host, reality star, Boxer and professional wrestler. Mareen McCormick had a addiction to prescription drugs and is now doing reality TV. No one has a larger roller coaster of a career then Robert Downey Jr. He made his screen debut at age 5, start acting full time at 17 and made Saterday night live at age 20. In 1992 He was nominated for best actor academy award for his portal of Charlie Chaplin in "Chaplin". From 1996 to 2001 he has several drug-realated arrest and was in ans out of rehab. His upward battle started with a supporting role on Ally McBeal for which he won a Golden Globe. RDjr had a great 2008 with blockbusters "Ironman" and "Tropical Thunder".