Can we count Harry Shearer as an “almost?” A 14 year old Shearer played Frankie Bennett, a pre-cursor to Eddie Haskell in the pilot episode for Leave It To Beaver, “It’s A Small World,” which aired on CBS’ Heinz Studio '57 on April 23, 1957. Although Leave It To Beaver was picked up as a series, Shearer didn’t make it as a regular cast member.
As an adult, Shearer was a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1979-1980, and again from 1984-1985. Since 1989, of course, Shearer has been one of the regular voice actors on the Simpsons, playing Monty Burns, Wayland Smithers, Ned Flanders, and Seymour Skinner, just to name a few of his characters.
That looks like Raven-Symone in the movie trailers I’ve been seeing for College Road Trip. She was in The Cosby Show as Denise’s stepdaughter, IIRC.
[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]
Have a look through the soap opera kids/teens. Sometimes they spawn into viable TV adults.
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Michelle Trachtenberg are two examples.
Also on the list of the successful kids who’ve made the transition are the “Sullivan” kids – to Canadian television folks, those are all the kids who did the L. M. Montgomery television series - Anne of Green Gables, Road to Avonlea, Jane of Lantern Hill, Emily of New Moon. They have since turned to the US market and done great for themselves.
Sarah Polley – now also a director and scribe, on screen since she was old enough to walk
Zach Bennett
Andrea Morris
Megan Follows
Mairon Bennett
If we’re counting Michael J. Fox, there’s Jensen Ackles. He was 19 when he became a sorta-regular on Days of Our Lives, and now he’s just turned 30 on Supernatural.
Also, :eek: That’s Ricky Schroeder? Dude is so not aging well.
Sara Gilbert. Started at 13 on Roseanne, had a recurring role on ER 2004-2007 in her early 30s.
Omar Gooding, Cuba’s little brother played Earvin Rodman for 25 episodes of Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, starting when he was 16 eventually to play Demetrius Harris in Playmakers, 2003.
Jensen Ackles played Eric Brady, who was a major character on Days of our Lives. If we include him, we also include Michael Easton, who played Tanner Schoefield on Days and went on to play vampire Caleb on Port Charles and currently John McBain on One Live to Life. Yasmin Bleeth also got her start on the soaps, playing Ryan Felllini on Ryan’s Hope before going to Baywatch.
Sara Gilbert was also on Twins, and the only reason to watch the short lived series. Who the hell thought casting Melanie Griffith was a good idea?
I don’t know if Hayden Panetierre is an “adult” yet, but she was on a couple of soaps as a child and also on Ally McBeal and a few other shows, and now she’s a lead on Heroes.
“NYPD Blue” has salvaged two chilc stars’ careers. We’ve already mentioned Ricky Schroeder, but there was also Mark-Paul Gosselaar of “Saved By the Bell.”
And Melissa Gilbert of “Little House” has worked steadily as an adult (though none of her TV series have lasted long).
Courtney Cox was a semiregular on Family Ties as Michael J. Fox’s sweetheart before going on to Friends.
The little Italian kid who played Doogie Howser’s sidekick went on to play one of Tony Soprano’s crew.
Fred Savage was the lead in Wonder Years, of course, and had a failed series of his own about a decade later, IIRC. The actress who played his love interest later appeared on The West Wing several times.
She also has her on TV show on the Disney Channel (or maybe ABC Family) called That’s So Raven. She plays high school age, but is actually in her 20s.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner was 14 when he appeared on The Cosby Show and has appeared in several other sitcoms since then, most recently the Jason Alexander flop Listen Up (age 34).
Jackie Coogan was a famous child star (although in the movies—this was the pre-TV era) who, as an adult, had the role of Uncle Fester on The Addams Family.
His sister Justine Bateman was on Family Ties as a child, and as an adult in Men Behaving Badly and Men in Trees.
Shannen Doherty was Jason Bateman’s co-star in Little House on the Prairie as a child and was about 16 when she started appearing on Our House. She was over 18 when she appeared in Beverley Hills 90210 and Charmed.
Doherty’s Our House co-star Chad Allen was about 9 when he started appearing on St. Elsewhere in a recurring role as the autistic son of one of the doctors and went on to work as an adult on Our House and Dr. Quinn.
Patrick Labyorteaux played Laura’s friend Andrew on Little House on the Prairie for several years (Merlin Olsen played his father) and as an adult he starred as Bud on JAG. For years it drove me crazy trying to figure out who the actor playing Bud on JAG had been in a previous life.
Kristy McNichol was about 14 when she started on Family and was on Empty Nest as an adult.
Jennifer Love Hewitt was about 16 when she started on Party of Five and is now in Ghost Whisperer.
Kim Fields was on the Facts of Life as a child and Living Single as an adult.
