# The Prettiest/Handsomest Teens in TV History **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2009, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076 "2009-05-20T15:36:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/21 "2009-05-20T19:23:14Z")
I remember when I was a kid, I used to think the kid who played [Dr. Zee](http://galactica1981.tripod.com/zee.jpg)on the original Battlestar Galactica (his name was Patrick Stuart, but he goes by James Patrick Stuart these days for obvious reasons) was good looking. (Sorry for the bad pic–it’s hard to find pics of him, let alone good ones.) [He didn’t grow up half bad, either. 🙂](http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&um=1&sa=1&q=james+patrick+stuart&btnG=Search+Images&aq=f&oq=) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/22 "2009-05-20T19:24:37Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Michelle Trachtenberg > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Seconded. > [@runner pat](#): > > Valerie Bertinelli > [@zamboniracer](#): > > Sarah Michelle Gellar as “Buffy” was very pretty, particularly in the show’s first season before she lost some weight. All of You + Charlotte = beer ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/23 "2009-05-20T19:41:37Z")
Marie Osmond. She was born in 1959 and _The Donny and Marie Show_’s last season was 1979. For that matter, Donny is only two years older, so he was a teen when the show started. Didn’t women/girls think he was handsome? ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/24 "2009-05-20T20:22:07Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > Jodie Foster. Man I’d have killed to be with her. Mr. Hinckley? Is that you? ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/25 "2009-05-20T20:31:18Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris in _Buffy_. Sorry, nobody who looked like that in high school would have been dateless. No matter how ugly the shirts. But the show _was_ a fantasy. There aren’t really vampires & werewolves, are there? > > “Go Fish” is considered one of the lesser episodes. But we do get to see Young Nick in a Speedo… Really? I have a nerd-crush on Xander, but it’s due to his personality, and while I don’t think Nick Brendon is ugly, I wouldn’t say he’s that handsome, either. ---
**Author:** ![brownie55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@brownie55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brownie55)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/26 "2009-05-20T20:32:07Z")
> [@winterhawk11](#): > > I always thought Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack Morris from _Saved by the Bell_) was attractive, at least when he was a kid. > Melissa Joan Hart (_Clarissa Explains it All_) > Scott Baio (_Happy Days_) > Ricky Schroder (_Silver Spoons_) If we are going to mention _Saved by the Bell_ can I mention Elizabeth Berkely? ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/27 "2009-05-20T20:32:36Z")
The first person who imediately came to mind was Tuesday Weld as Thalia Menninger. The second was Tiffany Amber Thiessen. And of course both are covered in the 1st two posts. My 3rd pick also made the thread already–Valerie Bertinelli. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/28 "2009-05-20T20:39:07Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > Stacey Dash as Dionne on Clueless was gorgeous, as was pre-Mike Tyson Robin Givens on “Head of the Class” twenty years ago. Stacy Dash was 30 when that show premiered. Robin Givens was merely 22 - but still too old for the thread. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/29 "2009-05-20T20:39:12Z")
Alyssa Milano. 13 at the beginning of Who’s the Boss, 20 at the end. I’d like to say I’m sorry she was in those horrible movies after that, but since I’d been praying for them for years I really can’t. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/30 "2009-05-20T20:42:15Z")
Jessica Alba was a teenager on a Flipper show of some kind and was strikingly beautiful. She’s lost too much weight in adulthood, but at the time she was gorgeous. Chyler Leigh was and is beautiful and was on a number of TV shows before hitting 20, almost all of which lasted less than a season. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/31 "2009-05-20T20:46:01Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > The first person who imediately came to mind was Tuesday Weld as Thalia Menninger. Please add yourself to the post 22 list. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/32 "2009-05-20T20:46:03Z")
Tatania Ali who played Ashley Banks on Fresh Prince was pretty smoking. (And I always thought Alfonso Ribeiro who played Carlton was always a lot hotter than his character.) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/33 "2009-05-20T20:52:23Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > Mr. Hinckley? Is that you? _Applause_ Jonathan Taylor Thomas from _Home Improvement_ was pretty cute. But the problem with male child stars is that a lot of what makes them great – baby face, small stature – doesn’t translate well to adulthood, while it’s usually a plus if the girls can stay short and skinny. Plus puberty often takes more of a toll on the boys (well, at least on their skin) while making the girls/women more marketable (i.e. boob-having). ---
**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:** [May 20, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/34 "2009-05-20T21:10:15Z")
Katie Holmes in Dawson’s Creek. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/35 "2009-05-20T21:29:19Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Stacy Dash was 30 when that show premiered. Robin Givens was merely 22 - but still too old for the thread. My bad. You’re right. I’ll second the nomination of “The Fresh Prince’s” Tatyana M. Ali. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/36 "2009-05-20T21:51:09Z")
Traci Lor— no, wait . . . that wasn’t TV. How one’s memories do run together . . . :o ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/37 "2009-05-20T21:56:23Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > Alyssa Milano… Agreed ---
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/38 "2009-05-20T22:02:18Z")
Linsay Lohan was so cute & striking when she started out - its sad to see recent pictures of her. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/39 "2009-05-20T22:07:37Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > But the problem with male child stars is that a lot of what makes them great – baby face, small stature – doesn’t translate well to adulthood, while it’s usually a plus if the girls can stay short and skinny. Plus puberty often takes more of a toll on the boys (well, at least on their skin) while making the girls/women more marketable (i.e. boob-having). That’s assuming a successful actor has to be a classically good-looking romantic lead or action hero. **Michael J. Fox** (in his 20s during the run of “Family Ties,” but had been acting since his teens) would still be a popular actor if not for his medical disability. Heck, he _is_ still a popular actor. He consistently found principal roles where being short and baby-faced was an advantage, or something that could be worked around at worst. **Mickey Rooney** wasn’t quite as successful as an adult actor as he was as a teen, but then again, no one is as successful as Mickey Rooney was when he was a teen. A career spanning eight decades is nothing to sneeze at. Again, he generally played roles suitable to his appearance, but so does every screen actor. I think part of the reason **Doogie Patrick Harris** is so likable playing characters of questionable morality is that he has retained some of his childlike features into middle age. Not that his considerable talent isn’t important too. On the other hand, you would never know **Christian Bale** had been a child actor to look at him. Although not as prolific as some actors, he has been attached to a few successful projects. I can’t list every male actor who successfully transitioned, and I’m not going to start a list of female actors who didn’t, but I’m sure we can think of a few without much effort. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076/40 "2009-05-20T22:17:46Z")
I always had a thing for **Kim Richards**. [http://www.melissabianco.com/images/KimRichards.jpg](http://www.melissabianco.com/images/KimRichards.jpg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prettiest-handsomest-teens-in-tv-history/497076.md?page=3)