Wonderwall
Stars who grew up in the spotlight then versus now: See how they transformed over the years
Posted: August 4, 2023 | Last updated: April 10, 2024
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Growing up is one of life's inevitabilities. But the truth is, it can be especially troublesome for one sector of the population more than others: child stars. While some of these moppets become more famous with time (see: Drew Barrymore), others are never heard from again past puberty. Let's start with this actress...
Her name means "sun" in French, but there's no denying that Soleil Moon Frye best translates to Punky Brewster, the title character from the NBC sitcom that made the young actress one of the best known child stars of the '80s.
Keep reading as we check in to see what she and more child stars are up to (and look like) today...
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Soleil Moon Frye joined fellow child star and longtime pal Melissa Joan Hart on "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" from 2000 to 2003. She continues to work as a voice actress but in recent years has focused predominantly on family and parenting projects, like her DIY crafting and mommy blog, MoonFrye.com. She also runs The Little Seed, an e-boutique that focuses on environmentally friendly family products, and has released a memoir and a party-planning book. She returned to TV in 2017 to appear on the show "Hollywood Darlings." In 2021, Soleil played an all-grown-up Punky on Peacock's "Punky Brewster" reboot series. The same year, she released the well-reviewed Leonardo DiCaprio-produced Hulu documentary "Kid 90," which features a trove of personal camcorder footage, audio tapes, diary entries and more that Soleil had saved as a teenager.
More recently, the actress -- who in 2020 split from her husband of two decades, producer Jason Goldberg, with whom she shares four children (daughters Poet and Jagger and sons Lyric and Story) -- starred in the 2021 film "The Cleaner." She also reprised her voice role as Zoey for 2022's "The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder." In 2021, she started dating Crazy Town frontman Seth Binzer. "I've known Seth since eighth grade and we've been friends our whole lives," she told Page Six. "We hadn't seen each other for many years and then reconnected as adults." They've since split.
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Christina Ricci scored her first big role in 1990 playing Cher's daughter in "Mermaids." She went on to star in "The Addams Family," "Casper" and "Now and Then." Her quick rise to fame as a child made her "obnoxious," she would later admit.
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In 1999, Christina Ricci earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in "The Opposite of Sex." Her illustrious career also includes starring roles in "Monster" opposite Charlize Theron and "Sleepy Hollow" opposite Johnny Depp as well as the lead on the short-lived series "Pan Am," which co-starred Margot Robbie. That's where she connected with dolly grip James Heerdegen, whom she wed in 2013. They welcomed son Freddie in 2014 and split in 2020 amid domestic violence allegations. In 2015, Christina starred as the titular murderer on "The Lizzie Borden Chronicles" and in 2017, she played Zelda Fitzgerald on Amazon's "Z: The Beginning of Everything." She's starred on the hit Showtime series "Yellowjackets" since 2021 and later appeared in Netflix comedy series "Wednesday." She married hairstylist Mark Hampton, with whom she welcomed a daughter, Cleo, in 2021.
In 2023, Christina admitted to having a hard time coping with fame as a child star. "Some people deal better with fame than other people and some people have more supportive families than other people," she said on the "Reign with Josh Smith" podcast. "I think it's -- and I always thought this when I was younger -- when being asked questions about who I was before I knew who I was, I knew that that was not helpful as a kid, which is probably why I was so obnoxious in interviews all the time."
MORE: Lindsay Lohan's most memorable fashion moments from the 2000s
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Haley Joel Osment became a household name after his breakout role in 1999's "The Sixth Sense" opposite Bruce Willis. He had other notable roles in films including "A.I. Artificial Intelligence," "Pay It Forward" and "Forrest Gump."
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In 2006, Haley Joel Osment pleaded no contest to misdemeanor DUI and drug-possession charges after he hit a brick mailbox and flipped his car while driving near Los Angeles. In 2010, the former child star graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Though he keeps a low profile, Haley works regularly: He appeared in 2015's "Entourage" movie, 2016's "Me Him Her" and "Yoga Hosers," HBO's tech comedy "Silicon Valley" in 2017, "The X-Files" in 2018 and "The Kominsky Method" from 2019 to 2021. He's a successful voice actor as well with credits on "American Dad" and 2021's "Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous" and "Dogs in Space."
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Danny Pintauro originated the role of Paul Ryan on "As the World Turns" in 1982. He played Tad Trenton in "Cujo" the following year. But we'll always love him most for his role as adorable Jonathan Bower on "Who's the Boss?"
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Danny Pintauro left Hollywood behind when "Who's the Boss?" came to an end in 1992. The former child star, who graduated from Stanford University, has worked as a Tupperware salesman and a restaurant manager since putting his acting days behind him. In 2019, he took to Instagram to reveal that he'd become a vet and pharmacy technician at Austin Pets Alive in Texas. In 2014, Danny and Wil Tabares tied the knot and the following year, he revealed to Oprah Winfrey that he's HIV positive. "I don't want to be a hero. I don't want to be the role model," he told Us Weekly. "I want to be the example." In 2020, he dipped his toes back into acting on "The Quarantine Bunch," a web comedy series featuring former child stars.
In 2023, he took a shot at former child star Candace Cameron Bure for what she said during an interview they did on "The View" discussing his HIV-positive status (she accused him of living a lifestyle of "heightened sex" and asked if he took any "responsibility" for "being promiscuous"). According to Danny, "It was horrifying. It was one of the lowest moments of the journey I had after coming out to Oprah."
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Before Jesse Eisenberg was one of Hollywood's biggest names, his little sister, Hallie Kate Eisenberg, was the most famous member of the family. She made it big at 6 starring in a popular series of Pepsi commercials in which she channeled the voices of Joe Pesci, Aretha Franklin and more celebs. That success translated into film roles in the late '90s and early '00s in flicks including "Paulie," "Bicentennial Man" and "Beautiful." She even played Helen Keller in the TV version of "The Miracle Worker."
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In 2010, 18-year-old Hallie Kate Eisenberg and big brother Jesse Eisenberg co-starred in "Holy Rollers." She made her Broadway debut in 2011 in the Roundabout Theatre Company's production of "The Women." After that, she reportedly halted her acting career to get an education at American University in Washington. She transitioned to music a few years later with then-boyfriend Owen Danoff (who'd been on "The Voice") as the group We the Others, but they haven't been active on social media since 2017. These days, she's active on her own social media channels where she documents her life and travels including in this photo, which shows her in China with big brother Jesse Eisenberg in 2019.
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Ben Savage got his start in Hollywood at 8 playing his real-life big brother's on-screen sibling in "Little Monsters." But he's best known for portraying Cory Matthews on "Boy Meets World" from 1993 to 2000.
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In 2003 during his studies at Stanford University, from which he graduated in 2004, Ben Savage interned for U.S. Senator Arlen Specter. He made his big acting comeback in 2014 reprising his role as Cory Matthews on the "Boy Meets World" spinoff "Girl Meets World," which wrapped in 2017. He appeared on an episode of "Homeland" in 2020 and was seen in the film "Girl in the Shed: The Kidnapping of Abby Hernandez."
In 2023, he tied the knot with long-term girlfriend Tessa Angermeier. Ben has also pursued a career in politics: He unsuccessfully ran for West Hollywood City Council in 2022 and has since filed paperwork to run for Congress in 2024.
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Nick Stahl found fame at 13 in Mel Gibson's 1993 directorial debut, "The Man Without a Face."
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Nick Stahl worked steadily throughout the '90s and seemingly made the difficult transition from child star to adult actor. He established his indie cred with roles in "The Thin Red Line," "In the Bedroom" and "Bully" before headlining "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," "Sin City" and HBO's "Carnivàle." In 2009, Nick married aspiring singer Rose Murphy, with whom he shares daughter Marlo.
Beginning in 2012, his issues with addiction came to light as he went missing and was arrested on various charges including possession of meth and disorderly conduct in the wake of failed rehab stints. He moved to Dallas to take a break from acting and around 2017, he got sober and soon returned to acting: Nick appeared alongside Mena Suvari in 2019's "The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson" and was in four films in 2021 including "Grace and Grit." He also appeared on the 2022 Showtime drama series "Let the Right One In."
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Macaulay Culkin is the quintessential American child star, rising to international fame as Kevin McCallister in "Home Alone" and sequel "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" in the '90s. He's also known for his roles in "Uncle Buck," "My Girl" and "Richie Rich." Around the time of "Home Alone," he also struck up a friendship with Michael Jackson, making an appearance in Michael's "Black or White" music video.
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After 1994's "Richie Rich," Macaulay Culkin took a hiatus from Hollywood until 2003, when he appeared in the gritty indie "Party Monster." He married actress Rachel Miner in 1998, but they separated in 2000 and divorced in 2002. He went on to romance actress Mila Kunis for eight years until 2011 but kept a low profile, only making occasional appearances at DJ gigs or shows with his band Pizza Underground, which disbanded in 2016. In 2015 and 2016, he appeared on "The Jim Gaffigan Show" as a fictional version of himself. In 2019, he appeared in pal Seth Green's movie "Changeland" -- he's been in a relationship co-star Brenda Song since 2017.
The couple welcomed their first child together in 2021 -- the same year Macaulay appeared on the 10th season of "American Horror Story." In 2022 -- the year Macaulay appeared on the second season of "The Righteous Gemstones" -- he and Brenda got engaged and welcomed their second child.
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Twins Cole and Dylan Sprouse played one character, Julian, in the 1999 film "Big Daddy" opposite Adam Sandler. They went on to star on their own Disney Channel show, "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody," and its spinoff, "The Suite Life on Deck," from 2005 to 2011.
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Today, the Sprouse twins are doing quite well. After wrapping up "Suite Life on Deck," Cole Sprouse and Dylan Sprouse enrolled at New York University where they earned bachelor's degrees in humanities and video game design, respectively. In 2016, Cole landed the role of Jughead Jones on the CW series "Riverdale." Cole also found love with co-star Lili Reinhart, who plays Betty Cooper, whom he dated until 2020; he's been dating model Ari Fournier since 2021. In 2019, he starred in "Five Feet Apart," his second lead role in a theatrical film. More recently, Cole starred in the 2022 HBO Max movie "Moonshot" opposite Lana Condor.
Dylan has kept a much lower profile since his "Big Daddy" days. He's starred in a string of indie films, such as "Carte Blanche" and "Dismissed," and opened his own Brooklyn brewery, All-Wise Meadery, in 2018. In 2020, starred in "After We Collided," the sequel to "After." He later appeared in the film adaptation of the book "Beautiful Disaster." He and model Barbara Palvin, who started dating in 2018, got engaged in 2023.
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Jonathan Lipnicki made his film debut at 6 alongside Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger in 1996's "Jerry Maguire." (He had us at "Did you know the human head weighs 8 pounds?") Starring roles in "Stuart Little" and "Like Mike" soon followed.
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Jonathan Lipnicki took an extended break from Hollywood but returned in 2012 in indie movies "Edge of Salvation" and "For the Love of Money." The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu enthusiast made headlines in 2011 when photos of his buff bod went viral. He continues to train in mixed martial arts and regularly appears in small movies and TV shows -- in recent years, he's appeared in "2nd Chance for Christmas" with Tara Reid and Vivica A. Fox and the 2021 drama "Pooling to Paradise." You can also catch him on his podcast, "The Comeback Kids," which he co-hosts with WWE star Barbie Blank.
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Miami-born Alexa Vega had been acting for nearly a decade when she landed the lead role of Carmen Cortez in Robert Rodriguez's 2001 action film "Spy Kids."
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Alexa PenaVega -- who changed her name after she and singer-actor Carlos Pena Jr. tied the knot in 2014 -- went on to appear in three more installments of the "Spy Kids" franchise. She worked with director Robert Rodriguez again in "Machete Kills" in 2013 and "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For" in 2014. Alexa also appeared on TV's "The Tomorrow People" and "Nashville" and competed against her hubby on season 21 of "Dancing With the Stars" in 2015. More recently, she starred in two Hallmark mysteries, "Picture Perfect Mysteries: Dead Over Diamonds" and "Picture Perfect Mysteries: Exit Stage, Death." She voiced Carlota on "The Casagrandes" from 2019 to 2022. The actress shares son Ocean, born in 2016, son Kingston, born in 2019, and daughter Rio, born in 2021, with husband Carlos.
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From 2000 to 2003, Christy Carlson Romano starred alongside Shia LaBeouf on Disney's "Even Stevens" as big sister Ren Stevens. She made history as the first actress to work on three Disney projects at the same time -- on top of starring on "Even Stevens," Christy appeared opposite Hilary Duff in 2003's "Cadet Kelly" and voiced the titular teen on the channel's hit animated series "Kim Possible."
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Since her time as a Disney star, Christy Carlson Romano has been outspoken about her struggles with her mental health. "Many of you know me as the girl from that TV show or movie you once saw on the Disney Channel," she wrote in a 2019 essay for Teen Vogue. "Maybe you saw me on Broadway or in a Lifetime Movie. I am an actress and if you were going to define my 'brand' you might say I was 'perfect' or 'pulled together.' I'm here to throw a wrench at that image."
From 2018 to 2020, Christy voiced Trina on Disney's "Big Hero 6: The Series." In addition to hosting her own YouTube cooking series, "Christy's Kitchen Throwback," the former child star more recently returned to acting with a role in the HBO Max film "Single Mother By Choice." Christy currently resides in Orange County, California, with husband Brendan Rooney, whom she met in a college screenwriting class. They married in 2013 and share two daughters.
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Every kid wanted a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas after Peter Billingsley starred in "A Christmas Story" in 1983. The child actor also performed in more than 120 commercials before he was cast as Ralphie.
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Nowadays, Peter Billingsley spends more time behind the camera than in front of it. He executive produced "Four Christmases," "Iron Man" and "The Break-Up" (and gave himself bit parts in each one). He also directed "Couples Retreat" starring Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn. He also served as an executive producer on the Netflix cartoon "F is for Family" from 2015 until 2021, and he appeared in the "Christmas Story" sequel -- "A Christmas Story Christmas -- in 2022. Despite growing up in the public eye, he's managed to keep his personal life somewhat of a mystery.
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A 6-year-old Michael Fishman made his acting debut playing Roseanne Barr's son on the sitcom "Roseanne" in 1988.
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Michael Fishman turned his attention from acting to producing in the late '90s. He produced 58 episodes of "The Roseanne Show" between 1998 and 2000 and was nominated for a Sports Emmy for outstanding production design/art direction for his work on "Sports Science" in 2007. He returned to the acting world in 2018 when "Roseanne" came back to TV, then reprised his role on "The Conners," on which he plays a grown-up D.J. Conner. Michael wed Jennifer Briner, with whom he has two kids, in 1999. They amicably separated in 2017 and she formally filed for divorce in 2019.
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David Faustino was just 3 months old when he made his TV debut on "The Lily Tomlin Special." He scored his first full-time gig at 12 when he landed the part of awkward Bud Bundy on the beloved sitcom "Married... With Children," which ran for 11 seasons.
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David Faustino kept acting here and there after "Married... With Children" came to an end in 1997. More recently, he appeared as himself in the "Entourage" movie, reprised his role as Howard Green on "The Young and the Restless" for a few episodes in 2017 and has voiced characters in "The Legend of Korra," "DreamWorks Dragons" and "Dragons: Race to the Edge." David also dipped his feet into the music business: In the '90s, he released a rap album and started a weekly hip-hop party called Balistyx at the Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip, where acts like N.W.A., KRS-One and will.i.am performed. David, who raps under the name Lil' Gweed, has also hosted "Old Scratch Radio Hour" and "Skee 24/7" on DashRadio.com. He was married to Andrea Elmer from 2004 to 2007. More recently, he's been in a relationship with Lindsay Bronson, with whom he welcomed daughter Ava in 2015 and son Cassius in 2022.
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Friday nights in the '90s were not complete without Jaleel White, who played nerdy, accident-prone Steve Urkel on "Family Matters." While the part was supposed to have been a one-episode guest-starring role, Urkel was so beloved that 13-year-old Jaleel was given a full-time starring gig.
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Whoa, mama! Yes, that's Jaleel White, non-Urkelized. He graduated from UCLA with a degree in film and television in 2001. Since then, he's kept busy with guest-starring spots on TV and small movie parts including roles in "Dreamgirls" and "Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer." In 2012, he competed on season 14 of "Dancing With the Stars," where he earned the nickname "Jerkel." He appeared on an episode of "Atlanta" in 2016 starring as -- who else? -- himself. He nabbed a role on the CBS show "Me, Myself and I" from 2017 until 2018 and appeared on the 2020 TV show "The Big Show Show." From 2020 to 2021, Jaleel voiced Gene the Genie on Disney's "DuckTales" reboot; he more recently appeared on 2022's "North of the 10." Jaleel and girlfriend Bridget Hardy welcomed a daughter, Samaya, in 2009. But they split and Bridget later accused her ex of domestic violence.
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A 10-year-old Jenny Lewis portrayed Lucille Ball's granddaughter on the short-lived sitcom "Life With Lucy." She went on to appear in "Troop Beverly Hills," "The Wizard," "Big Girls Don't Cry... They Get Even," "Foxfire" and more.
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Jenny Lewis hasn't appeared on screen since 2001, though she voiced a small role in "Bolt" in 2008. (She also wrote a song for the soundtrack.) The former child star, who once romanced Jake Gyllenhaal and David Faustino, has been focusing on her music career since the '90s. She sang lead vocals for indie rock group Rilo Kiley, which she formed with then-boyfriend Blake Sennett in 1998. The group took a hiatus when the couple called it quits and then disbanded for good in 2011. In 2010, Jenny teamed up with new boyfriend Johnathan Rice to form musical duo Jenny and Johnny. She's also released three solo albums including 2014's "The Voyager." In 2016, she teamed up with Erika Forster and Tennessee Thomas to form the trio Nice As F***. Jenny's latest solo album, "Joy'All," is due out in 2023. In 2021, she opened for Harry Styles during his "Love on Tour" concert trek.
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Alisan Porter first gained notoriety in 1987 on Ed McMahon's "Star Search" when she became the youngest contestant to win the competition. Of course Hollywood came knocking, and she was cast in the title role in John Hughes' 1991 film "Curly Sue," in which she went toe-to-toe with James Belushi.
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Though Alisan Porter has appeared on screen just a handful of times since she starred as "Curly Sue" in 1991, she's enjoyed some success as a stage actress: She originated the role of Miriam in "The Ten Commandments: The Musical" alongside Val Kilmer and Adam Lambert in Los Angeles in 2004 and appeared in the Broadway revival of "A Chorus Line" in 2006. Alisan, who in 2014 opened up about her struggle with alcoholism, has also released several albums over the years including the 2014 solo effort "Who We Are." In 2016, she competed on NBC's "The Voice," earning a spot on Christina Aguilera's team and eventually winning season 10. She later headlined the Las Vegas show "The Voice: Neon Dreams" with other "The Voice" stars. In 2012, she married Brian Autenrieth, with whom she shares son Mason Blaise and daughter Aria. The two announced their split in 2017. In 2023, she married childhood friend Justin de Vera, a professional dancer with whom she welcomed daughter Shilo in 2021.
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Keshia Knight Pulliam started acting professionally at 3 on "Sesame Street." By 4, she was starring alongside Bill Cosby as Rudy, the youngest Huxtable, on "The Cosby Show." At 6, she became the youngest actress to earn an Emmy nomination for best supporting actress.
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In 2001, Keshia Knight Pulliam graduated with honors from Spelman College. She quickly made her return to Hollywood, appearing in films "Beauty Shop" and "Madea Goes to Jail." Keshia, who lives in Atlanta and runs a production company, also starred on "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" from 2007 to 2012 (and reprised her role in 2020) and competed on reality shows "Splash" in 2013 and "The Apprentice" in 2015. That same year, she got engaged to former NFL player Ed Hartwell, only to marry him a day later on Jan. 1, 2016. But their love story didn't have a happy ending. The two split months later while she was pregnant with daughter Ella Grace, who arrived in 2017. Keshia spent much of her pregnancy in the news due to Ed's insistence that he was not the girl's father. But paternity test results proved that he indeed is. Their divorce was finalized in 2018.
Later that year, she appeared on the first season of an American "Celebrity Big Brother," but she was the second person evicted from the house. In 2021, she appeared in the film "Redeemed." In recent years, Keshia, who's promoted herself as a chef, launched her own spice line, Keshia's Kitchen. In 2021, she married actor Brad James (pictured), with whom she had a baby in 2023.
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Miko Hughes started acting at 2 in movies like "Pet Sematary," "Kindergarten Cop" and "Jack the Bear." He also played Michelle's bratty friend Aaron Bailey on "Full House."
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Miko Hughes largely left the spotlight behind after his child stardom days. After a role on "Full House" and a re-emergence as a teen on the WB show "Roswell," he appeared in a handful of films and television shows, though nothing that found mainstream success, when he got older. More recently, he appeared in the 2019 film "The Untold Story" and the 2021 movie "Floaty." He then starred in 2022's "Black Friday."
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Tina Majorino was one of the most sought-after young actresses of the mid-'90s. She got her first big role at 7 playing Sophie Wilder on the short-lived sitcom "Camp Wilder." Things picked up from there, with film roles in "When a Man Loves a Woman," "Corrina, Corrina," "Andre" and "Waterworld." A number of TV movies followed, including "Before Women Had Wings" with Oprah Winfrey.
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Tina Majorino took a five-year hiatus from Hollywood before starring as Deb in "Napoleon Dynamite" in 2004. She went on to find success as a television actress with recurring roles on "Veronica Mars," "Big Love," "True Blood," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Legends." Tina also starred in the music video for Pink's "F*****' Perfect." She appeared in the 2014 "Veronica Mars" movie and starred on the TNT show "Legends" that same year and popped up on the television show "Scorpion" from 2017 to 2018, an episode of Hulu's "Into the Dark" in 2020 and did a stint on "The Good Doctor" in 2022. She can also be seen in 2022's "I, Challenger."
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Charlie Korsmo had a whirlwind career in Hollywood, starring in six movies in 1990 and 1991 including "What About Bob?" and "Hook" (pictured). Pretty impressive for a pre-teen, huh?
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Charlie Korsmo returned to the big screen just once -- in "Can't Hardly Wait" in 1998 -- before leaving Hollywood for good. He graduated from MIT with a degree in physics and earned a law degree from Yale. Charlie went on to work for the Environmental Protection Agency and for the U.S House of Representatives as a staff member for the House Policy and Homeland Security committees. He's been a law professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio, since 2011.
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It's hard to steal the spotlight from the Olsen twins, but Jurnee Smollett did it with ease as Michelle's sassy best friend Denise Frazer on "Full House." Jurnee got her chance to shine on her own when she was 11, playing the title character in 1997's "Eve's Bayou" (pictured) alongside Samuel L. Jackson.
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In 2007, Jurnee Smollett starred in "The Great Debaters," for which she won an NAACP Image Award for best actress. She returned to the small screen with roles on "Friday Night Lights," "The Defenders," "Parenthood" and "True Blood." She acted on the WGN period drama "Underground" from 2016 to 2017 and appeared in 2017's"One Last Thing." She's also lent her voice to the Disney cartoon "Sofia the First." 2020 was a major year for the actress -- whose brother is controversial actor Jussie Smollett -- as she appeared in the movie "Birds of Prey" and starred on HBO's critically acclaimed series "Lovecraft Country." She went on to star in the sci-fi film "Spiderhead" alongside Chris Hemsworth and Miles Teller in 2022. In 2010, she married musician Josiah Bell. The pair welcomed their first child, son Hunter, in 2016, and announced their split in 2020.
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Anna Chlumsky starred as whip-smart Vada Sultenfuss in "My Girl" in 1991. She also acted alongside fellow child star Christina Ricci in 1995's "Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain."
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Anna Chlumsky left Hollywood in 1998 to attend the University of Chicago, where she majored in international studies. After graduating in 2002, she worked as a fact checker for Zagat Survey. Anna made her return to Hollywood in 2007 and starred on "Veep" form 2012 to 2019, earning six Emmy nominations for her work. More recently, she starred as Vivian on the hit Netflix series "Inventing Anna." She and husband Shaun So, an Army veteran she wed in 2008, have two daughters, Clara and Penelope.
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A 6-year-old Ashley Johnson starred on two seasons of "Growing Pains" as Chrissy Seaver. In 1995, she scored the title role in "Annie: A Royal Adventure" and co-starred with Hugh Grant and Julianne Moore in "Nine Months." By the time she played Mel Gibson's teen daughter in "What Women Want" in 2000, there was no question that this moppet was all grown up.
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Ashley Johnson is still acting -- though she said goodbye to her trademark curly hair long ago. Most notably, she portrayed Mary Beth Caldwell in "The Help" and Amber Ahmed on the AMC crime-drama "The Killing." Ashley appeared on the Geek & Sundry series "Critical Role" and played a forensic specialist on NBC's "Blindspot" from 2015 until 2020. More recently, she's lent her voice to Netflix's "The Legend of Vox Machina."
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Henry Thomas's ability to cry on cue helped him score the part of Elliott in "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination for new male star of the year. He went on to star in movies like "Cloak & Dagger," "The Quest" and "Murder One."
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Henry Thomas might not be as famous as his "E.T." on-screen sibling Drew Barrymore, but he's still amassed quite the impressive resume over the years. His biggest hits include "Legends of the Fall," "All the Pretty Horses," "Gangs of New York" and "Dear John." More recently, he's had stints on shows like "Better Things" and "Grip and Electric." He also notably appeared on the hit Netflix series "The Haunting of Hill House" in 2018 and had a role in the 2020 Disney+ film "Stargirl." In 2021, he appeared on the horror series "Midnight Mass" and in 2022, he was in the thriller flick "Crawlspace." He and actress Marie Zielcke, with whom he shares daughter Hazel, tied the knot in 2004. According to reports, they've since separated.
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Danielle Fishel shot to fame portraying Topanga Lawrence on "Boy Meets World" from 1993 to 2000.
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Danielle Fishel starred in "National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze" in 2003 and its straight-to-video sequel in 2006. In 2007, she became a NutriSystem spokesperson and lost 28 pounds. From 2008 to 2011, she hosted the Style Network series "The Dish." Danielle last starred on the "Boy Meets World" spinoff series "Girl Meets World," which wrapped in 2017. She graduated from college at 31 in 2012 and married Tim Belusko the following year, though they split in 2015. She married second husband Jensen Karp, a writer, in 2018. They couple welcomed son Adler in 2019 and son Keaton in 2021.
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Maia Brewton is best known for her turn as Thor-loving Sara Anderson in the classic comedy "Adventures in Babysitting" (pictured). Prior to the 1987 film, she also played Sally Baines in "Back to the Future."
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Maia Brewton starred on "Parker Lewis Can't Lose" from 1990 to 1993 before leaving the spotlight to focus on her education. She earned an undergraduate degree from Yale before earning her law degree from the Southwestern University School of Law. She's worked for the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, Change.org, served as a writing fellow at the Vera Institute of Justice and worked as a senior writer in the New York City Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice. Since 2017, she's been an attorney at Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers, a nonprofit that represents parents who can't afford an attorney. In 2008, she wed Lara Spotts and changed her name to Maia Spotts. The New York-based duo share twin sons Rizzo and Calder.
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Jenna von Oy made her feature-film debut in 1989 alongside Tom Cruise in "Born on the Fourth of July." But she's best known for her role as Six LeMeure, the fast-talking best friend of Mayim Bialik's titular teen, on "Blossom" (pictured).
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Jenna von Oy briefly put her acting career on hold to attend film school at the University of Southern California after "Blossom" came to an end. She eventually returned to acting, portraying Stevie van Lowe on UPN's "The Parkers" from 1999 to 2004. In 2007, Jenna released her debut album, "Breathing Room." In 2017, she released the book "Situation Momedy: A Very Special Episode in Toddlerdom." That same year, she competed on "Battle of the Network Stars" as a member of the TV sitcom team, which took on actors on cop shows. She appeared in the 2019 family comedy "Cecil" and more recently appeared as herself on "Call Me Kat" on FOX (second from left).
In 2010, Jenna married computer data consultant Brad Bratcher, with whom she welcomed daughters Gray and Marlowe. In recent years, she's been in a relationship with a woman named Kaleigh, who often appears on her Instagram page.
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Kristy McNichol landed her first series-regular role -- Patricia Apple on "Apple's Way" -- at 12 in 1974. She went on to play Letitia "Buddy" Lawrence on "Family" and earned two Emmys for her work on the TV drama. Kristy also scored a Golden Globe nomination in 1982 for her performance in "Only When I Laugh" before she retired from acting in 1998.
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In 1992, Kristy McNichol left the cast of "Empty Nest" after she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She returned for the sitcom's final episode but has not appeared on camera that often since. She lent her voice to "Invasion America" in 1998 and in 2012 appeared in the short film "Call to Action to Mayor Bloomberg: Sodas & Soap Operas." In 2012, the former child star revealed that she's gay and had been living with her partner, Martie Allen, for the past two decades.
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Jaimee Foxworth snagged her first acting job -- Judy Winslow on "Family Matters" -- at 10. But her success on the show was short-lived: After the fourth season, her character was written off and never acknowledged again.
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After her stint on "Family Matters," Jaimee Foxworth and her two sisters formed the short-lived girl group S.H.E. In 2000, the former child star launched her career as an adult film actress under the stage name Crave. In 2008, Jaimee faced her addiction issues on "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew." She welcomed son Michael Douglas Shaw Jr. in 2009. Today, she's active on social media and does paid shoutouts for fans on the website Cameo. She also started a podcast in 2020, "The S.H.E. Show," with her three sisters. It's based on their lives in Los Angeles.
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Robert MacNaughton (right) had to audition eight times before he won the role of older brother Michael in "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial." In 1983, he starred as Adam Farmer in "I Am the Cheese" then quietly left Hollywood behind.
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In 2015, Robert MacNaughton appeared on camera for the first time in 28 years in a pair of indie films, "Frankenstein vs. The Mummy" and "Laugh Killer Laugh." The former child star, who enjoyed some success as a stage actor, reportedly served as a mail handler in Phoenix, Arizona, and Jersey City, New Jersey, during his time away from Hollywood. He and his wife, actress Bianca Hunter, have four sons between them, including Robert's son from a previous relationship, Noah.
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