# Actors who have ben a regular in TV shows both as children and as adults. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 7, 2008, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486 "2008-03-07T19:12:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/1 "2008-03-07T19:12:50Z")
The question came up from a discussion of Neil Patrick Harris. As a child he was _Doogie Houser MD_, now she shines in \*How I Met Your Mother with his adult portrayal of Barney. Who else has done this? ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/2 "2008-03-07T19:14:31Z")
Ron Howard in ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ and ‘Happy Days’ ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/3 "2008-03-07T19:23:35Z")
Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees was the star of a show called “Circus Boy” in the 50s and then one of the stars of “The Monkees.” ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/4 "2008-03-07T19:24:03Z")
Soleil Moon Frye was Punky Brewster and then played Roxie on Sabrina the Teenage Witch for 3 years. Alyssa Milano for Who’s the Boss and then Charmed. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/5 "2008-03-07T19:24:06Z")
[Rick (Ricky) Schroder](http://imdb.com/name/nm0005401/), of “Silver Spoons,” has done rather well as an adult, in series such as “NYPD Blue” and “24.” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/6 "2008-03-07T19:24:41Z")
Ricky Schoeder on _Silver Spoons_ and _NYPD Blue_. ---
**Author:** ![Ceejaytee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ceejaytee/32/2956_2.png) [@Ceejaytee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ceejaytee)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/7 "2008-03-07T19:24:46Z")
Jason Bateman was in Little House on the Prairie and Silver Spoons as a kid, Arrested Development as an adult. Alfonso Ribiero was also in Silver Spoons as a kid, and then Fresh Prince of Bel Air–he was about 25 when that ended. And then there’s Michael J. Fox, although he wasn’t all that young in Family Ties. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/8 "2008-03-07T19:27:01Z")
Valerie Bertinelli, child and adult on **One Day at a Time** Sarah Michelle Geller was a child in **High Stakes** and an adult in **Buffy** Anthony Michael Hall was a teenager on **SNL** and an adult in **The Dead Zone** ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/9 "2008-03-07T19:30:59Z")
Bill Mumy, _Lost in Space_, then _Babylon 5_. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/10 "2008-03-07T20:26:56Z")
[QUOTE=Krokodil] Valerie Bertinelli, child and adult on **One Day at a Time** [/QUOTE] Valerie Bertinelli, child on _One Day At A Time_ and adult on _Touched By An Angel_. Michael J. Fox was 21 when _Family Ties_ premiered, so he really doesn’t make the list. ETA: Cool Ricky/Rick Schoeder simulpost. ---
**Author:** ![Ceejaytee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ceejaytee/32/2956_2.png) [@Ceejaytee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ceejaytee)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/11 "2008-03-07T20:33:09Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] Michael J. Fox was 21 when _Family Ties_ premiered, so he really doesn’t make the list. [/QUOTE] Wow, was he that old? I was thinking late teens. Bill Mumy was a good call. He was so great in Babylon 5. To make up for Michael J. Fox, there was Sarah Jessica Parker in Square Pegs and Sex in the City. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/12 "2008-03-07T20:37:20Z")
Tiffani Amber Theissen. She was in _Saved by the Bell_ and later did several series as an adult. Susan Dey? She was a teenager on _The Partridge Family_ before going on to be in _LA Law_. Sarah Chalke and Katherine Heigl were also teenager/adult actresses (_Roseanne_/_Scrubs_ and _Roswell_/_Grey’s Anatomy_) ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/13 "2008-03-07T20:48:02Z")
Mickey Gubitosi (aka Robert Blake) Was a regular member of the _Our Gang_ shorts when he was a kid as Mickey. And was the lead in the series _Baretta_ as an adult. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/14 "2008-03-07T20:49:30Z")
My all-purpose answer: Don Hastings, who played the Video Ranger on **Captain Video** at age 15, and is still acting today on **As the World Turns**. I don’t believe Hastings has gone more than six months without being on a TV series. Shelly Fabares was on **The Donna Reed Show** at age 14 and a regular on **Coach** in her 40s. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/15 "2008-03-07T20:54:51Z")
While not quite a child, Genie Francis started on General Hospital as Laura when she was 14 and had that role for 26 years (1976-2002). Bonus trivia, she and Jonathan Frakes will have their 20th wedding anniversary in May. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/16 "2008-03-07T21:05:51Z")
Brian Austin Green was on 90210 as a child/young adult (starting at age 17 so just makes the cutoff) and was a regular on Ressurection Blvd and Freddie as an adult. He’s now a semi-regular on The Sarah Connor Chronicles. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/17 "2008-03-07T21:06:26Z")
Jenna von Oy in _Blossom_ and _The Parkers_ ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/18 "2008-03-07T21:11:04Z")
Elinor Donahue was on “Father Knows Best” as a teenager and “The Andy Griffith Show” and “The Odd Couple” as an adult. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/19 "2008-03-07T21:12:00Z")
One that maybe just barely counts is [Butch Patrick](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0665822/), who played Eddie on **The Munsters** and then starred in **Lidsville**. Although he was presumably playing younger, he was about 20 when the second series ended. Although he “retired” from acting shortly afterward, he still pops up in small parts and cameos from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/20 "2008-03-07T21:59:44Z")
Susan Dey was a teenager when The Partridge Family first went on the air. She was later a regular on L.A. Law. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486.md?page=2)