# Child stars too obscure to make VH1's "100 Greatest" countdown **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 15, 2005, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-stars-too-obscure-to-make-vh1s-100-greatest-countdown/335715 "2005-12-15T13:39:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-stars-too-obscure-to-make-vh1s-100-greatest-countdown/335715/21 "2005-12-25T16:58:30Z")
Gary Coleman is number one?? Pardon? ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2005, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-stars-too-obscure-to-make-vh1s-100-greatest-countdown/335715/22 "2005-12-25T20:08:42Z")
I didn’t see any mention that kid in the 1950s televison series _Red Ryder_. He played Little Beaver, what was that kid’s name? Oh yeah, Robert Blake. I understand he also was in the Little Rascals before that. I wonder what ever became of him? I always thought his being around guns at that early an age would bode badly for him. Then there was that kid in _Circus Boy_ - Mickey Dolenz. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2005, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-stars-too-obscure-to-make-vh1s-100-greatest-countdown/335715/23 "2005-12-25T20:16:17Z")
Certainly prolific, if not great, [Clint Howard](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0397212/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnx0dD0xfGZiPXV8cG49MHxrdz0xfHE9Y2xpbnQgaG93YXJkfGZ0PTF8bXg9MjB8bG09NTAwfGNvPTF8aHRtbD0xfG5tPTE_;fc=1;ft=21;fm=1) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2005, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-stars-too-obscure-to-make-vh1s-100-greatest-countdown/335715/24 "2005-12-25T20:19:44Z")
> [@KGS](#): > > Anyway, in case you’re dying to know the most famous and influential child stars in history, here’s the link(s): [100-81](http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/92319/episode_featured_copy.jhtml) - [80-61](http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/92320/episode_featured_copy.jhtml) - [60-41](http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/92321/episode_featured_copy.jhtml) - [40-21](http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/92322/episode_featured_copy.jhtml) - [20-1](http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/92323/episode_featured_copy.jhtml). > I counted six Cosbys, seven Bradys, five from The Facts of Life, and three each from Roseanne, The Wonder Years, Diff’rent Strokes, Growing Pains, and Full House. Landmark shows, all of them. And while some of the movie stars seemed to place a bit low – Christina Ricci (#97), Elijah Wood (#75), Sarah Jessica Parker (#39) – you gotta admit, none of them have had the supreme staying power of Jonathan Lipnicki (#13). > > Of course, there were a few stars who didn’t make the countdown. (That’s the downside of these shows, you wind up staying awake all night brainstorming the names they skipped over…or, more likely, couldn’t get clearance for their TV shows and films.) But, when you think about it, you must agree that the brilliance of Hanson and Keisha Knight Pulliam soundly trump those flash-in-the-pan actors like Jackie Coogan, Shirley Temple, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, Dean Stockwell, Jay North, Mark Lester, David Cassidy, Leif Garrett, Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, Ralph Macchio, Elizabeth Shue, River Phoenix, Leonardo de Caprio, Christian Bale, Neil Patrick Harris, Lukas Haas, Sean Astin, Martha Plimpton, Jonathan Brandis, Christina Applegate, Lucas Black, Dakota Fanning, Emma Watson, Frankie Muniz, Haley Joel Osment… Jackie, Shirley, Judy, Mickey, Liz, Jay, and (presumably) Dean can all be explained by virtue of such lists typically ignoring everything that happened before the '60s. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2005, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-stars-too-obscure-to-make-vh1s-100-greatest-countdown/335715/25 "2005-12-25T21:06:45Z")
I used to have a big crush on [Kim Richards](http://www.kimrichards.net/start.html). ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-stars-too-obscure-to-make-vh1s-100-greatest-countdown/335715/26 "2005-12-25T22:25:12Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > A lot of people don’t know this, but Sharon Baird was heavily involved in Sid & Marty Krofft’s productions in the 70s as well, as a costume actor. Speaking of Sid and Marty Krofft, no mention of \*\*Jack Wild \*\* from _H.R. Pufnstuf_ and the movie _Oliver!_ ? Or his _Oliver!_ co-star **Mark Lester**? Didn’t see **Peter Billingsley** from _A Christmas Story_ either. What a lame-ass list! ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2005, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-stars-too-obscure-to-make-vh1s-100-greatest-countdown/335715/27 "2005-12-26T03:54:28Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > Lisa Gerritsen, who played Bess Lindstrom on **Mary Tyler Moore** and **Phyllis** , got out of show business in 1975. She was last seen working for a “large software firm in California” in the 90s. No relation to Leif Garrett. I am 43, and now…finally… I am comfortable saying this in public. I carried a torch for this girl that burned so very brightly. When she got onto " My World And Welcome To It", I thought I’d about plotz. I got to see her WEEKLY??? Lawdy. Hope she enjoyed her time in show biz. She seemed just so…sweet. Thumpa thumpa. 😃 I’ve got a thing for girls with [long thick curly hair and adorable faces.](http://www.sitcomsonline.com/photopost/data/734/15585Bess.jpg). Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2005, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-stars-too-obscure-to-make-vh1s-100-greatest-countdown/335715/28 "2005-12-26T07:21:39Z")
> [@want2know](#): > > Didn’t see **Peter Billingsley** from _A Christmas Story_ either. #63 ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2005, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-stars-too-obscure-to-make-vh1s-100-greatest-countdown/335715/29 "2005-12-27T11:46:13Z")
> [@KGS](#): > > But, when you think about it, you must agree that the brilliance of Hanson and Keisha Knight Pulliam soundly trump those flash-in-the-pan actors like Jackie Coogan, Shirley Temple, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, Dean Stockwell, Jay North, Mark Lester, David Cassidy, Leif Garrett, Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, Ralph Macchio, Elizabeth Shue, River Phoenix, Leonardo de Caprio, Christian Bale, Neil Patrick Harris, Lukas Haas, Sean Astin, Martha Plimpton, Jonathan Brandis, Christina Applegate, Lucas Black, Dakota Fanning, Emma Watson, Frankie Muniz, Haley Joel Osment… > > Any more that I’m missing? **Patty Duke, Hayley Mills, Mary Badham, Keisha Castle Hughes** …this thread reminded me of a tourney I started (but abandoned) a few years ago (pre-Whale Rider). These are a few of the nominees, some of which are already on the VH1 list. These are only movie actors, not TV. Since the tourney never got properly started, the list is not comprehensive since more could have been nominated. Also, the more minor nominees never got eliminated, so I don’t present this list as actors that all deserve to be on a “Greatest” list, just as a reminder of some actors. They’re alphabetical by first name. Several actors were nominated for more than one movie, which is why their name appears multiple times. ACTOR MOVIE **Abigail Breslin** (Signs) **Alex Rafalowicz** (Shine) **Anna Chlumsky** (My Girl) **Anna Paquin** (Jane Eyre) **Anna Paquin** (Piano, The) \*\*Anton Glanzelius \*\* (My Life as a Dog) **Brad Renfro** (Client, The) **Brandon Adams** (People Under The Stairs, The) **Brandon Call** (Adventures Of Ford Fairlane, The) \*\*Brendan Sexton III \*\* (Welcome to the Dollhouse) **Brigitte Fossey** (Jeux Interdits) **Brooke Shields** (Blue Lagoon, The) **Brooke Shields** (King of the Gypsies) **Brooke Shields** (Pretty Baby) **Carrie Henn** (Aliens) **Cary Guffey** (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) **Chris Makepeace** (Meatballs) **Chris Makepeace** (My Bodyguard) **Christian Bale** (Empire of the Sun) **Christina Ricci** (Addams Family Values) **Christina Ricci** (Addams Family, The) **Christina Ricci** (Mermaids) **Claire Danes** (Little Women) **Corey Feldman** (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter) **Corey Feldman** (Goonies, The) **Corey Feldman** (Stand By Me) **Corey Haim** (Lucas) **Dakota Fanning** (I Am Sam) **Danielle Harris** (Halloween 4) **Danielle Harris** (Last Boy Scout, The) **Danny Lloyd** (Shining, The) **Deborah Baxter** (High Wind In Jamaica, A) \*\*Diane Lane \*\* (Little Romance, A) **Drew Barrymore** (E.T.) **Drew Barrymore** (Firestarter) **Eamon Owens** (Butcher Boy, The) **Edna May Wonacott** (Shadow of a Doubt) **Edward Furlong** (Terminator 2) **Elijah Wood** (Ice Storm, The) **Elijah Wood** (Radio Flyer) **Elizabeth Taylor** (National Velvet) **Emma Watson** (Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone) **Fairuza Balk** (Return To Oz) **Fernando Ramos Da Silva** (Pixote) **Frankie Muniz** (My Dog Skip) **Freddie Bartholomew** (Captains Courageous) **Georges Du Fresne** (My Life In Pink) **Haley Joel Osment** (A.I.) **Haley Joel Osment** (Sixth Sense, The) **Hallie Kate Eisenberg** (Paulie) **Hannah Hall** (Virgin Suicides, The) **Hayley Mills** (Parent Trap, The) **Hayley Mills** (Pollyanna) **Hayley Mills** (Whistle Down The Wind) **Heather Matarazzo** (Welcome to the Dollhouse) **Henry Thomas** (E.T.) **Hugh O’Conor** (My Left Foot) **Jackie Coogan** (Kid, The) **Jamie Bell** (Billy Elliot) **Jean Simmons** (Great Expectations) **Jean-Pierre Cargol** (Wild Child, The) **Jean-Pierre Léaud** (400 Blows, The) **Jeff Cohen** (Goonies, The) **Jena Malone** (Bastard Out of Carolina) **Jennifer Connelly** (Labyrinth) **Jodie Foster** (Candleshoe) **Jodie Foster** (Freaky Friday) **Jodie Foster** (Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane, The) **Jodie Foster** (Taxi Driver) **Jonathan Ke Quan** (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) **Jurnee Smollett** (Eve’s Bayou) **Justin Henry** (Kramer vs. Kramer) **Kate Maberly** (Secret Garden, The) ('93) **Kelly Reno** (Black Stallion, The) **Kieran Culkin** (It Runs In The Family) (aka My Summer Story) **Kirsten Dunst** (Interview with the Vampire) **Kirsten Dunst** (Little Women) (1994) **Leelee Sobieski** (Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries, A) **Liesel Matthews** (Little Princess, A) (1995) **Linda Blair** (Exorcist, The) **Lucas Haas** (Witness) **Macaulay Culkin** (Home Alone) **Macauley Culkin** (Good Son, The) **Mamengaroa Kerr-Bell** (Once Were Warriors) **Margaret O’Brien** (Meet Me In St. Louis) **Martin Stephens** (Innocents, The) **Mary Badham** (To Kill A Mockingbird) **Max Pomeranc** (Searching For Bobby Fischer) **Mickey Rooney** (Little Lord Fauntleroy) **Miko Hughes** (Pet Semetary) **Miko Hughes** (Wes Craven’s New Nightmare) **Milla Jovovich** (Return to the Blue Lagoon) **Mischa Barton** (Lawn Dogs) **Molly Ringwald** (Sixteen Candles) **Molly Ringwald** (Tempest) **Natalie Portman** (Beautiful Girls) **Natalie Portman** (Heat) **Natalie Portman** (Leon aka The Professional) **Natalie Portman** (Mars Attacks!) **Natalie Wood** (Miracle on 34th Street) **Nell Potts (Eleanor Newman)** (Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, The) **Nicholas Hoult** (About a Boy) **Pamela Franklin** (Innocents, The) **Patty Duke** (Miracle Worker, The) **Patty McCormack** (Bad Seed, The) **Peggy Ann Garner** (Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A) **Peter Billingsley** (Christmas Story, A) **Peter Ostrum** (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) **Quinn Cummings** (Goodbye Girl, The) **Rebecca Harrell** (Prancer) **Reese Witherspoon** (Man in the Moon) **River Phoenix** (Stand By Me) **Robert Norman** (My Life So Far) **Roddy McDowell** (How Green Was My Valley) **Rory Culkin** (Igby Goes Down) **Rory Culkin** (Signs) **Rory Culkin** (You Can Count On Me) **Sarah Polley** (Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The) **Scott Tiler** (Once Upon A Time In America) **Sebastian Rice-Edwards** (Hope and Glory) **Shirley Temple** (Little Princess, The) (1939) **Steven Warner** (The Little Prince) (1974) **Sue Lyon** (Lolita) **T.J. Lowther** (Perfect World, A) **Tatum O’Neal** (Bad News Bears, The) **Tatum O’Neal** (Paper Moon) **Veronica Cartwright** (Birds, The) **Victoire Thivisol** (Ponette) **Vinícius de Oliveira** (Central Station) **Virginia Weidler** (Philadelphia Story, The) **William Eadie** (Ratcatcher) Here’s the complete VH1 list: 1. Candace Cameron 2. Lacey Chabert 3. Hanson 4. Christina Ricci 5. Allison Arngrim 6. Alfonsio Ribeiro 7. Jenna von Oy 8. Anna Pacquin 9. Lecy Goranson 10. Dana Plato 11. Kriss Kross 12. Amy Linker 13. Cynthia Nixon 14. Jackie Earl Haley 15. Shannen Doherty 16. Scott Schwartz 17. Raven Simone 18. Jeremy Miller 19. Lance Kerwin 20. Nancy McKeon 21. Justin Henry 22. Diane Lane 23. Peter Ostrum 24. Menudo 25. Robbie Rist 26. Elijah Wood 27. Tatiyana Ali 28. Adam Rich 29. Jason Hervey 30. Erin Moran 31. Jerry O’Connell 32. Edward Furlong 33. Michael Oliver 34. Jonathan Ke Kwan 35. Jill Whelan 36. Heather O’Rourke 37. Lara Jill Miller 38. Peter Billingsley 39. Will Wheaton 40. Eve Plumb 41. Jason Bateman 42. Kirsten Dunst 43. Brian Bonsil 44. Danielle Spencer 45. Danny Pintauro 46. Danica McKellar 47. Quinn Cummings 48. Mayim Bialik 49. Michael Fishman 50. Tempestt Bledsoe 51. Danielle Brisebois 52. Kristy McNichol 53. David Faustino 54. LeAnn Rimes 55. Tina Yothers 56. Butch Patrick 57. Joey McIntyre 58. Mindy Cohn 59. Mike Lookinland 60. Anthony Michael Hall 61. Todd Bridges 62. Sarah Jessica Parker 63. Sara Gilbert 64. Jaleel White 65. Linda Blair 66. Soleil Moon Frye 67. Susan Olsen 68. New Edition 69. Malcolm Jamal Warner 70. Melissa Gilbert 71. Lisa Welchel 72. Valerie Bertinelli 73. Alyssa Milano 74. Fred Savage 75. Corey Haim 76. Jonathan Taylor Thomas 77. Henry Thomas 78. Kim Fields 79. Barry Williams 80. Joey Lawrence 81. Christopher Knight 82. Keisha Knight Pulliam 83. Ricky Schroder 84. Molly Ringwald 85. Dustin Diamond 86. Kirk Cameron 87. Tatum O’Neil 88. Jonathan Lipnicki 89. Brooke Shields 90. Jackson Five 91. Danny Bonaduce 92. Maureen McCormick 93. Corey Feldman 94. Ron Howard 95. Emmanuel Lewis 96. Drew Barrymore 97. Jodie Foster 98. Olsen Twins 99. Macaulay Culkin 100. Gary Coleman Since the VH1 list is so heavily skewed toward television, I wish **Pamelyn Ferdin** had made the list. They should have made 2 lists, TV and movies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/child-stars-too-obscure-to-make-vh1s-100-greatest-countdown/335715.md?page=1)