# Child Actors that didn't crash and burn **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 15, 2013, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964 "2013-03-15T00:52:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/41 "2013-03-15T06:16:48Z")
Seems like most child or teen actors grow up fine and aren’t burnouts. The few burnouts like Todd Bridges or Susan Olsen are the exception and not typical. Some of the child actors like Gary Coleman had money troubles, but that was mostly his parents mismanagement. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/42 "2013-03-15T07:00:42Z")
Helen Hunt Anna Paquin Michael J. Fox ---
**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 15, 2013, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/43 "2013-03-15T08:49:39Z")
Jeremy Gelbwaks and Lisa Gerritsen got the hell out of showbiz and have apparently lived very productive lives. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/44 "2013-03-15T09:04:25Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > Jodie Foster If you grade such people based on how famous they were when very young, how sexualised and fucked up their early roles were, and how together they are and always have been in adulthood, Jodie wins hands down in my book. Jodie fan? Moi? What made you think that? ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/45 "2013-03-15T09:26:03Z")
You tried to shoot a US president? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/46 "2013-03-15T09:53:06Z")
Lukas Haas has done okay … did some partying in his 20s, but nothing “fucked up” AFAIK – and gets occasional work (recently seen early in “Lincoln”), despite having once said he didn’t plan on being an adult actor. Not sure if he has some other, steadier job these days as well. P.S. Diego, it’s a good thing you were careful with your punctuation – otherwise, you could get Princhester in trouble! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/47 "2013-03-15T11:01:42Z")
Scarlett Johansson began acting in films at age 9. AFAIK, she’s OK – she certainly looks OK. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/48 "2013-03-15T11:26:24Z")
> [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](#): > > My most favorite in the child actor area is Mary-Kate & Ashley who are now successful fashion designers. One of them (Mary-Kate?) developed a major eating disorder. I don’t follow their progress so I don’t know how she’s doing now, but she was worryingly skeletal for a long time. Last I checked the Fanning girls (Dakota and Elle) seemed to be doing okay. Have I missed a front page story of a drug-addled underage sex romp or anything? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/49 "2013-03-15T11:49:15Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Robert Downey Jr. has his act together _now_, but he spent many years being the very definition of “train wreck”. > > And, some definitions of that group include Charlie Sheen, who makes Downey look like a choirboy. > > 🙂 Yes there have been a few hiccups. Its remarkable that Downey survived. ---
**Author:** ![DeweyDecibel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@DeweyDecibel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeweyDecibel)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/50 "2013-03-15T12:02:27Z")
Still too young to be out of the woods, but Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) seems to be doing quite well. Taking interesting roles in film and theater, getting OK to good reviews, and seems pretty normal in interviews. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/51 "2013-03-15T12:25:11Z")
> [@DeweyDecibel](#): > > Still too young to be out of the woods, but Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) seems to be doing quite well. Taking interesting roles in film and theater, getting OK to good reviews, and seems pretty normal in interviews. The OP mentioned the HP three (although IMO Emma Watson comes across as a bit big-headed in interviews - YMMV). Radcliffe is, I think, a bit of a nerd at heart which probably helps; there’s a YouTube clip of him singing Tom Lehrer’s _The Elements_ to a baffled Graham Norton and he positively kicked ass on _QI_ with some very esoteric knowledge of magic. And Grint seems reasonably mellow although who knows. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/52 "2013-03-15T12:49:56Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Lukas Haas has done okay … did some partying in his 20s, but nothing “fucked up” AFAIK – and gets occasional work (recently seen early in “Lincoln”) Also featuring Jackie Earle Haley, who started acting on the big screen at eleven; at twelve he was showing up for episodes of _The Partridge Family_ and _Marcus Welby_, at thirteen he was playing a juvenile delinquent on _SHAZAM_, and at fourteen you’ve got _Day Of The Locust_ and _Bad News Bears_… …and in his forties, he makes a sudden comeback, earning an Oscar nomination before playing everything from Rorschach to Freddy Krueger; there were some lean years in between, but apparently no trainwrecks on the way to turning fifty in time for _Dark Shadows_ and _Lincoln_, with _Robocop_ on the way. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/53 "2013-03-15T18:01:04Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Tatum O’Neil…We’re including people who did crash and burn, then later straightened out, right? **Tatum O’Neal** straightened herself out? No snark, I’m really asking. I thought she’d recently had yet another relapse. I’ve already forgotten whether or not she’s already been mentioned: **Brooke Shields.** ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/54 "2013-03-15T18:08:20Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Alyson Hannigan See also: Seth Green. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/55 "2013-03-15T18:20:37Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Seems like most child or teen actors grow up fine and aren’t burnouts. The few burnouts like Todd Bridges or Susan Olsen are the exception and not typical. Susan Olsen? Cindy Brady? She’s not a train wreck. I’ll add Diane and Erin Murphy, who played Tabitha on _Bewitched_. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/56 "2013-03-15T18:58:28Z")
[\*\*Jenny Lewis \*\*](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Lewis)(Troop Beverly Hills, The Wizard) is a very successful musician now (solo and also with Rilo Kiley). ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/57 "2013-03-15T19:56:42Z")
**Kirsten Dunst**. I never thought she and her round Charlie Brown head would translate into an adult actor. She’s in her 30’s now and working very steadily. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/58 "2013-03-15T20:01:09Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > **Kirsten Dunst**. I never thought she and her round Charlie Brown head would translate into an adult actor. She’s in her 30’s now and working very steadily. Yeah, she’s working but I also hear a lot of drug rumors about her (cocaine). ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/59 "2013-03-15T22:23:22Z")
> [@phall0106](#): > > Melissa Gilbert (Little House on the Prairie) came to mind. She divorced awhile back, but no drug rehabs or anything that I can recall. > [@Loach](#): > > All three Gilbert siblings seemed to get through being child actors and stayed successful. Melissa Gilbert had a very [well-publicized battle](https://www.google.com/search?q=melissa+gilbert+alcoholism) with alcohol and drug abuse. ---
**Author:** ![James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Otto_Sweet_Heart)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964/60 "2013-03-15T22:36:43Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > One of them (Mary-Kate?) developed a major eating disorder. I don’t follow their progress so I don’t know how she’s doing now, but she was worryingly skeletal for a long time. Its been nine years now since all of that. Now things are going well for her and Ashley as far as I know. 🙂 🙂 🙂 God bless you and them always!!! Holly (a day one fan of them) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-actors-that-didnt-crash-and-burn/652964.md?page=4)