# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/41 "2008-03-08T22:45:57Z")
Johnny Depp was a teen on _21 Jump Street_ and has done some movies since then, I’ve heard. Not sure of any later regular TV appearances. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/42 "2008-03-09T01:34:25Z")
Joey Lawrence was a very young kid when he appeared on Gimme A Break, was a teenager on Blossom, and starred in a sitcom (with his brothers) as an adult called Brotherly Love. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/43 "2008-03-09T03:06:09Z")
Rick Nelson was 11 when The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet first went on the air, and 25 when it ended. David Nelson was a couple years older, but I think still qualified as a “child.” Bobby Burgess was dancing on The Mickey Mouse Club as a 13-year old, and dancing on The Lawrence Welk Show when he was 40. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/44 "2008-03-09T04:24:44Z")
Not well known outside of Australia I’d imagine, but Kate Ritchie who plays Sally in _Home and Away_ has been a regular on the programme since she was 10 years old. She is now 30 and plays the same character. > **[Kate Ritchie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Ritchie)** > > Katherine Leigh Ritchie (born 14 August 1978) is an Australian actress, radio presenter, and children's author. She is best known for her long-running role as original character Sally Fletcher on the television soap opera Home and Away, for which she won two Gold Logie awards. She played the character for 20 years, appearing from the pilot episode in 1988 until 2008. She currently co-hosts Nova 96.9's breakfast show Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie alongside Ryan Fitzgerald and Michael 'Wippa' ... ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/45 "2008-03-09T05:39:44Z")
Elisha Cuthbert was doing _Popular Mechanics for Kids_ when she was roughly fifteen; she’s since gone onto _24_ and a handful of movie roles. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/46 "2008-03-09T06:27:43Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] Ricky Schoeder on _Silver Spoons_ and _NYPD Blue_. [/QUOTE] Not so much. I thought he sucked on _NYPD Blue_, but was great on _Lonesome Dove_. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/47 "2008-03-09T06:29:18Z")
[QUOTE=GuanoLad] **Christina Applegate** : _Married… With Children_ at 16, and various shows since but currently _Samantha Who?_ [/QUOTE] Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/48 "2008-03-09T06:31:22Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] The little Italian kid who played Doogie Howser’s sidekick went on to play one of Tony Soprano’s crew. [/QUOTE] Got link? ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/49 "2008-03-09T06:34:44Z")
[QUOTE=teela brown] [hijack] When checking on the accuracy of the above factoid, I came across pictures of the actress Keshia Pulliam, who played Rudy in TCS. Wow, that little girl grew up into a knockout beauty. Why haven’t I been seeing her in more movies? [/end hijack] [/QUOTE] Yikes. She’s [gorgeous](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm971412992/nm0700443). ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/50 "2008-03-09T07:18:00Z")
Went searching on IMDB, thinking that Angela Cartwright (b. 1952) would qualify. But her two series regular shots were both as a child actor - as Danny Thomas’ daughter in Make Room For Daddy (1957-65) and as Penny in Lost in Space (1965-68) She did appear in the movie Beyond the Poisiden Adventure (1979) and in a made-for-TV movie with a most intriguing cast, Scout’s Honor, in 1980. [Link here](http://imdb.com/title/tt0081466/). Other than Cartwright, the cast included child starts Gary Coleman, Jay North (Dennis the Menace), Paul Peterson (The Donna Reed Show) and Lauren Chapin (Father Knows Best) Also appearing were Harry Morgan ( December Bride, Pete & Gladys, The Richard Boone Show, Dragnet 67, M_A_S\*H) plus Katherine Helmond (Jessica Tate in Soap). movie star Pat O’Brien, Robert Trujillo (bass player for Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica) and several actors with long lists of credits on multiple TV shows: Joanna Cook Moore, Peter Hobbs, Rance Howard (Ron Howard’s dad). All three of the latter had appeared several times on The Andy Griffith Show. Interesting mix. There’s no plot synopsis on the IMDB, but Rotten Tomatoes says “Synopsis: Gary Coleman plays an orphaned cub scout who becomes a hero when his troop is trapped by a cave-in.” Anybody seen this? ---
**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 9, 2008, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/51 "2008-03-09T08:17:48Z")
> [@](#): > > Elinor Donahue was on “Father Knows Best” as a teenager and “The Andy Griffith Show” and “The Odd Couple” as an adult. I read this and was thinking “and she played Chris Elliott’s mother on _Get a Life_”. Then I went to look it up to make sure I was right and according to IMDB, Bob Elliott and Elinor Donahue only appeared as Chris’ parents in two episodes of the series. Which I have to strongly doubt. As I recall, Chris’ parents made regular appearances on the show’s first season. Am I remembering incorrectly? It has been about fifteen years ago. And why haven’t they released this show in a decent DVD set? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/52 "2008-03-09T08:24:47Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] Johnny Depp was a teen on _21 Jump Street_ and has done some movies since then, I’ve heard. Not sure of any later regular TV appearances. [/QUOTE] Johnny Depp only played a teen on Jump Street. He was 24 when he took the role. [QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] Courtney Cox was a semiregular on _Family Ties_ as Michael J. Fox’s sweetheart before going on to _Friends_. [/QUOTE] Courtney Cox was 20 when she was discovered in Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” video. She was also on the soap “As the World Turns” in 1984 and in the series “Misfits of Science” in 1985-86. By the time she was in “Family Ties,” starting in 1987, she was 23. Both actors were well into adulthood when they took their first roles. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/53 "2008-03-09T08:54:28Z")
This didn’t occur to me until after the edit window, but additionally, Depp played an undercover police officer on “21 Jump Street.” And Courtney Cox played Alex Keaton’s college sweetheart on “Family Ties.” So in addition, the two were playing adult characters in their respective TV series. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/54 "2008-03-09T17:58:38Z")
[QUOTE=Oslo Ostragoth] Got link? [/QUOTE] [Max Casella](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/) played Vinnie Delpino, Doogie’s sidekick on the show, and later played Bennie Fazio, a member of the crew, on _The Sopranos_ for 29 episodes. In one memorable scene on the _The Sopranos_, Bennie immerses a restauranteur named Artie Bucco’ s hand into a vat of boiling tomato sauce. Little sweet Vinnie Delpino did that?!?! ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/55 "2008-03-09T23:03:54Z")
Jessica Alba was 14 when she first starred in the rehydrated _Flipper_ and 19 when she ascended to be _Dark Angel._ ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/56 "2008-03-09T23:04:31Z")
[QUOTE=5-4-Fighting] [Max Casella](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0143295/) played Vinnie Delpino, Doogie’s sidekick on the show [/QUOTE] But he suffers from Ralph Macchio syndrome, in that he was 22 years old when he was on Doogie Howser, but played a 15 year old. ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/57 "2008-03-10T02:36:03Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] [snip] The actress who played his love interest later appeared on _The West Wing_ several times. [/QUOTE] That would be [Danica McKellan](http://imdb.com/name/nm0005211/), who was Winnie Cooper on Wonder Years had a recurring role as Will Bailey’s sister on The West Wing as well as being Maddie Monroe on Inspector Mom last year ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/58 "2008-03-10T12:34:13Z")
[QUOTE=Hometownboy] That would be [Danica McKellan](http://imdb.com/name/nm0005211/), who was Winnie Cooper on Wonder Years had a recurring role as Will Bailey’s sister on The West Wing as well as being Maddie Monroe on Inspector Mom last year [/QUOTE] McKellar. I’ve seen her described as an actress/mathematician, which is one of the best job titles ever. ---
**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 10, 2008, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/59 "2008-03-10T12:40:13Z")
[Kellie Martin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kellie_Martin): Life Goes On & ER. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-ben-a-regular-in-tv-shows-both-as-children-and-as-adults/440486/60 "2008-03-10T23:39:08Z")
[QUOTE=GuanoLad] But he suffers from Ralph Macchio syndrome, in that he was 22 years old when he was on Doogie Howser, but played a 15 year old. [/QUOTE] **Elendil’s Heir** mentioned him first, I just supplied the link requested by **Oslo Ostrogoth** ; didn’t really research the info. [QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] . . . . The little Italian kid who played Doogie Howser’s sidekick went on to play one of Tony Soprano’s crew . . . . [/QUOTE] [Previous 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) [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=4)