So many child stars have graced us with their talent over the years, whether as actors, singers or in any other category of performance art, they’ve been there and entertained us thoroughly over the years. Especially when we think back to the sitcom rich 70s, 80s and 90s, a show just wasn’t a show unless there were a filled with young stars to create a dynamic between the old and young characters.
A few examples: what would The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air have been without Will’s cousins? We think it’s safe to assume the result would have been pretty boring. Also, if we think back to James Cameron’s Terminator 2, where would the film have been without young John Connor’s quick wit and hilarious one-liners?
But what often comes with the territory of being a child star are pressures that most could never understand. The expression: “If you haven’t walked a mile in my shoes, then you’ll never understand,” comes resonantly to mind.
Well, today at The Gamer, we have a list of 25 young stars that started out okay, but sadly lost their way as the harsh realities of adulthood made it into their lives. Some have passed away and some are still around, either still stuck in a bad way of life or trying to escape it.
25 Nothing Good Can Come From Seeing The Departed
Even Haley Joel Osment wasn’t immune to what some have called the young Hollywood curse. If you remember him in Forest Gump, that means you remember how absolutely adorable the little dude was, and he was talented to boot. He has many TV and film appearances under his belt and all before he turned 12 years old. Some TV appearances included Chicago Hope and three episodes on Walker: Texas Ranger, in which he played a small boy infested with a virus.
His appearances were most often tearjerkers as he had conviction and believability. And of course who can forget The Sixth Sense?
Unfortunately, in 2006, he succumbed to his own demons and overturned his car in an auto accident, and was sentenced to probation and twenty four meetings. He has since gotten back on the wagon and seems to be concentrating on work again.
24 Such A "Mean Girl"
Lindsay Lohan was yet another child sensation who hit it big with audiences everywhere. Her appearances in films like The Parent Trap and of course the cult classic Mean Girls have garnered her a following that really won’t ever go away.
But unfortunately, what more than all the work she’s done in front of the cinematic camera, it’s what she’s done in front of the tabloid camera that has made her even more infamous than she would like.
We’re sure everyone can remember her problems, as they were made very public. Her hard partying ways led her to being hospitalized and put in rehab numerous times and eventually film executives got tired of relying on her to show up for work. She has recently made a return to film after a 5 year gap.
23 It's A Wonder He's Still Famous
When he started out, Justin Bieber was so soft spoken, polite and he gave off such a gentlemanly air, but talk about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The kid went bad and seemingly overnight. The bad behavior this kid exudes isn’t “cool” in the way it worked for Axel Rose … it’s outright annoying.
Bieber gives off the air of a frat boy who doesn’t like to hear the word "no".
He has no respect for his fans and the multitude of journalists that follow him around. He’s ungrateful and his actions show it … often in the eye of the paparazzi, his terrible behavior has been well documented and has gotten him in trouble many times.
22 An Unfortunate Slew Of Events
Family Ties was such an iconic show and it put Michael J Fox on the map, his role earning him 3 consecutive Emmy awards for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series. Yet also on the show, and a popular scene stealer at that was Brian Bonsall, who played Andy Keaton.
Bonsall parlayed his acting skills into film and even branched out into the horror genre, playing Mikey in Mikey, a demonic child who ends his parents in the extremely controversial film that was banned in London.
He retired from acting shortly after and actually went back to school and became a musician.
21 Wrong Acting Choice
Jamie Foxworth was on ABC sitcom Family Matters for four seasons, and unfortunately, her time there was cut short as he character had fallen to redundancy. The character of Steve Urkel was taking up so much TV time, executives decided to cut the character of Judy Winslow, the youngest child of the family.
The loss of her job was obviously very difficult to take and as she still wanted to be an actress, she turned to an industry that was known for accepting willing participants with open arms. She went on to make a lot of films there under the stage name, Crave.
She has since stated that the choice of making those films was a mistake and was one she made only out of desperation. Regardless, the damage to her image was done.
20 Fall From Grace
We’re positive most people who lived through the 90s will remember the Home Alone franchise. It skyrocketed young Macauley Culkin to overnight success and has entertained audiences for years. It’s primarily been labeled a Christmas film and most watch it during the holiday months. The young star turned that success into a decent career and in the 90s he released films at a regular rate … notables include: The Pagemaster, Richie Rich and My Girl.
He is an accomplished musician, and he and his band The Pizza Underground have many albums to their name.
He had retired from acting, but a return to the screen seems imminent as he is currently filming a Seth Green picture, Changeland. Unfortunately he hasn’t been able to avoid falling from grace.
19 A Dropping Level Of Fame
Jonathan Brandis had an extensive Hollywood career … both in film and in TV. He acted in many hit shows and made for TV films as well as big picture releases. Some notable performances include: Sidekicks, with Chuck Norris and the television miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s It.
But as is the case with so many of these young actors, the careers of the young in Hollywood dwindle, and they dwindle away quickly at that.
He had a lot of other roles come his way, but his career was going nowhere fast … ultimately leading to a severe depression on his part, as his close friends have attested to. Sadly, he said his goodbyes in 2003 and is part of the infamous 27 club of celebs who have disappeared at a tender age.
18 Icon Of The Screen
As is the case with the next young actor on this list—coincidentally also named Corey—this young man’s legacy can lay claim to having one of the greatest and most influential young Hollywood careers to date. Corey Haim and Corey Feldman starred in more blockbuster hits than any other young actor. Such films include: License To Drive, The Lost Boys, Silver Bullet, Watchers and the list goes on and on.
Sadly, the actor was deeply affected by adults on the sets of a few of his films and a mounting depression began to set within the young actor.
He turned to substances and sadly, his star extinguished permanently on March 10th, 2010. Feldman has written extensively on the subject of the experiences that he and his friend suffered and says that his disappearance is linked to that; of that he is sure.
17 The Other Corey
Seemingly the stronger of the two, Corey Feldman dealt with his problems and the issues he suffered in many different ways, as the star is thankfully still with us. He seemed to have dealt with his fame and what he suffered with an edge that leaned more towards quirkiness and an extroverted character as opposed to the somber introverted methods of his great friend.
His career was huge as well and he was part of some of the greatest most iconic films in Hollywood as well.
He was in Stand By Me, Gremlins and The Goonies, just to name a few. He too fell to substances, yet seems to have kicked the habit. He has a musical career and still performs extensively in film.
16 Screech Goes To Jail?!
Saved By The Bell definitely had its place in history and who can forget Screech, the quirky and often annoying comedy relief? We’re sure no one, as his was a character that demanded quite a bit of attention. The character that Dustin Diamond played in the original airing of that show would return for most if not all of the reboots that have surfaced over the years, and the actor is also an avid musician.
Well, his troubles have been pretty famous as tabloid TV has loved to document his antics.
Good old Screech was arrested for possession of a knife in 2014 and was sentenced to four months in prison. He is also pretty famous for producing a special tape of some renown and wrote an autobiography in which he’s admitted contained complete fabrications of his time at Saved By The Bell.
15 A Leader?!
Most famous for his time on Party of Five, 7th Heaven and 10 Things I hate About You, Andrew Keegan’s fall from grace is … very original, as it’s altogether pretty weird.
In 2014, he founded Full Circle, which was a spiritual community center located in Venice Beach California. It was later called into question, because after investigations, no evidence that they actually had foundations in any known religion was found. Furthermore, a raid conducted by authorities was reported and it was related to their distribution of black tea. The center claimed ignorance, but the damage was done and they were forced to close their doors in June of 2017.
Looks like Keegan’s days as a spiritual leader didn’t last long.
14 He Was Made An Offer He Couldn't Refuse
Lillo Brancato Jr played one of the most iconic roles in cinematic history. It was in 1993 and in Robert De Niro’s directorial debut that he played the role of Calogero “C” Anello in A Bronx Tale. His portrayal of the character was spot on and he received positive critical acclaim. Other roles soon followed, like Renaissance Man with Danny De Vito and a role on the hit HBO drama, The Sopranos.
It would be in 2005 that Lillo’s life would drastically change for the worse.
He and a friend were caught during an attempted burglary, resulting in the end of an off-duty cop. He was acquitted, but was sentenced to ten years for attempted robbery. He was incarcerated in 2009 and subsequently released on parole in 2013. He has returned to acting work.
13 Marital Bliss?
Taran Smith played Marc on Home Improvement, one of the most popular shows of the 90s sitcom era. The actor played that character from the time he was 7 until he was 16 years old.
Now, the controversy for this young star wasn’t really self-inflicted, as we’ve been seeing a pattern with most of these examples, but the downfall of the actor came at the hands of his parents.
It was revealed that the actor wanted financial independence from his parents, seeing that they were trying to take his trust fund. His parents defended themselves, but the damage was done and doubt was placed in the minds of all following the story. Then, at the tender age of 17, he married a woman 16 years his senior. The couple later divorced.
12 "There Is No Fate But What We Make"
This one’s a tough one, as Edward Furlong’s film career was quite illustrious. Having starred in many classics and cult classics, his fame is secure in the annals of time and no one can ever take away what he did on screen.
He starred in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, American History X, Brainscan and many more.
But like so many other actors on this list, he was a victim of terrible circumstances, as it was revealed that at the age of thirteen, he started a relationship with his stand-in on Terminator—a relationship that lasted for many years—and the woman was 26 years old. A lot of things we don’t know are happening occur behind the scenes of our favorite films.
11 What More Can We Say About Shia?
Sometimes genius comes in a strange package. Over the last few years as we’ve watch LaBoeuf go from the young star of such children’s films like Holes, I Robot and Constantine, to more serious fare like Bobby and New York, I love You. It was these roles that showed his acting ability and a conviction that is rarely found within a young actor like him.
But as he grew, so did his weird behavior and issues, which came to the forefront quite quickly.
His antics appearing on late night tabloid TV and newspapers. He was unable to curb that behavior and as time passes, it becomes worse and worse. His people released a statement that he was diagnosed with problems, but his films still speak volumes for his talent—only film makers shouldn’t expect him to be able to promote films as he’s been known to walk out on interviews.
10 Her Life Became A Little Boring
Jodie Sweetin played Stephanie Tanner on the ABC sitcom Full House and now its reboot, Fuller House. She’s also a dancer, as she was also on Dancing With The Stars back in 2016.
She played the part of Stephanie perfectly and she loved the schedule she kept as the show was on the air. What was interesting in her case, was that her problems started when the show was about to wrap, citing potential boredom s a reason for her downfall. She became stuck and her life was nothing but on a severe downward spiral.
She has been clean since 2008, after she attended rehab and is now once again concentrating on her work. She was married three times, each time, the marriage ending in divorce.
9 The Slightly Different Twin
This is an entry on this list that has often come under scrutiny, and it isn’t for her positive contributions to the world of film and television; we all remember the sweet Two Of A Kind novels and shows she starred in with her twin sister.
To say that the Olsen twins are odd would be putting it too mildly, despite the aura of wonder that follows their superstardom.
The controversy that follows them around—especially Mary-Kate—is extensive and we never know what to expect next from either of the sisters. There are rumors that Mary-Kate married a man who was so much older than her, he could easily have been her father. Whatever floats your boat?
8 What A Sad Ending!
Dana Plato played the iconic character of Kimberly Drummond on the hit TV series, Different Strokes. She played the character from 1978 until 1986. Her inclusion on this list is probably one of the saddest and most depressing falls from grace we’ve seen, as she too has passed away and lost her terrible battle.
After her time on Different Strokes, she tried desperately to find stable work as an actress, looking for that next big role, and sadly, it never came.
Her beauty and her talent are still missed to this day. Her final days were spent doing an interview on Howard Stern, where she came under fire for claiming that she was clean after a very long time under the influence. She left the studio and disappeared shortly afterward on more substances.
7 Talented Young Star Gone Too Soon
This talented young star got his start in John Grisham’s The Client, a fast paced legal drama, starring Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones. To say that Brad Renfro was a scene-stealer who definitely ran away with the film would be a grave understatement. Other great roles followed and this young talent’s acting ability came to the surface every time out. More films include: Tom and Huck, Deuces Wild, Stephen King’s Apt Pupil and so many more.
Sadly, his genius on screen didn’t come with a few demons behind the scenes that would plague him for most of his time here.
He passed away after a substance interaction in January of 2008. He had just starred opposite Mickey Rourke in The Informers and critics said his performance could have catapulted him back to the top.
6 Drastic Changes
Hers is a story of complete and utter mental breakdown, and unfortunately for Amanda Bynes, it all happened on camera, for the world to see. And shocking it was to see the wrecking of a Hollywood career she worked so hard for.
She was the star of many hit films and TV shows and she won over hearts with her hilarious disposition and quirky faces. In She’s The Man, possibly her biggest hit, she starred alongside Channing Tatum and did a convincing job of playing a dude.
But sadly, a slew of problems led to an arrest, subsequently leading her to undergo three years’ probation.