I remember reading about some ‘child’ actor in the 80’s who was on a sit-com and it went to his head and he bought a huge mansion and several expensive cars. … I’m pretty sure it was a tv actor. Similar to M.C.Hammer. was it Gary Coleman?
Coleman went through a lot of financial issues, and did declare bankruptcy in 1999, though it looks like a fair amount of it was the result of bad advice, and financial mismanagement of his assets from when he was a minor (by his adoptive parents and his business manager), as well as medical expenses.
Danny Bonaduce. I remember him telling the story about a guy asking him for his autograph while he was living out of his car.
ETA: I think ALL the Different Strokes kids had it rough for a while
Funny you mention MC Hammer, who did indeed do exactly that.
Jackie Coogan didn’t get to keep a bunch of his money because his parents kept it.
Searching “child actors who went bankrupt” brings up more names than members of this Board. However, Erin Moran from Happy Days seems to have a story of going broke and losing her home that’s not complicated by drugs, alcohol, or corrupt financial management.
For certain. Coleman, Todd Bridges, and Dana Plato all had extensive financial issues, drug issues, and run-ins with the law, and both Coleman and Plato died at a young age.
Such a shame, they ‘had it made’ and lost it for various reasons…
Gary Coleman had longstanding health issues, and ISTR he died of intracranial bleeding after a head injury (same thing that got my DFIL). Dana Plato’s death was suicide by drugs, sadly.
Todd Bridges, thankfully, does seem to be getting his life together.
Oh yeah!
No, We Got It Made was a different show.
Who was the child actor who gave all of tens of millions of earnings to his parents only for his parents to immediately squabble it all in a messy divorce?
Macaulay Culkin, perhaps? He removed his parents from his trust fund when he was 15 because of their spending, and I remember there being a big todo about his dad and divorce.
Bobby Driscoll, best known as the voice of Disney’s Peter Pan, is probably the ultimate example - he died a homeless squatter in an abandoned NYC tenement at age 31, and was buried in an unmarked grave because his identity wasn’t determined until a year later.
Hollywood sucks.
There are a shocking number of tragic tales that accompany the names of formerly famous child actors. I was reading recently about how the actor (Switzer?) who played Alfalfa on ‘Our Gang’ ended up getting shot trying to collect on a $50 debt.
And despite these unfortunate outcomes there are a pair of twin girl actors who are worth at least $500 million bucks. Unless they invested in crypto.
Though most of the Olsen twins’ fortunes are from sources other than acting. I think they had a line of clothing and other merchandise at Walmart.
Jackie Coogan famously got ripped off by his parents with regard to his earnings as a child star, and I vaguely recall NPH having some issues with his Doogie Howser money and his parents.
It’d probably be a shorter list if you asked about child stars who actually kept their money and lead happy lives.
Sure, “went on to live a normal life” isn’t going to make the gossip rags. But probably my favorite story of post-child stardom is Donnie Dunagan, the voice of young Bambi, who went in to a 25 year career in the Marines. He served three tours in Vietnam, won a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts, and was the youngest Drill Instructor in the Corps at that time.
The whole time he kept his role as Bambi a secret, and was only found out when a reporter tracked him down in 2004.