So many of us grew up with child stars in the ’80s. They more or less had our dream job — they got to be funny, cute, and earn a good chunk of change in the process. Unfortunately, being a child star is a lot more difficult than many of us assumed. Just because they already had a job doesn’t mean they were exempt from school, or that their lives were easy just because they had money.
A lot of child stars went on to do other things. In fact, many of them seemed to give up the spotlight. But, especially thanks to streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, they’ll always be remembered for the work they contributed early on. Some ’80s child actors are even gaining new fans as younger audiences discover their earlier work on said streaming platforms. It has to be strange knowing that even if you’ve been out of the business for 20 years, there are still people just discovering you and trying to figure out what you’ve been up to.
Some of these ’80s child actors had a hard time, especially as they got older. It’s a crazy amount of pressure on their shoulders to keep up the same visible level in their career that they established back when they were kids. Other times, they manage to get through everything unscathed, and impressively continue to score roles as adults.
No matter what, the work they’ve done is legendary.
They were just kids taking on the same type of jobs that plenty of adults wouldn’t be able to handle, and many of them did it with dignity and grace. Here are 16 of the best ’80s child actors and what they’ve been up to since their little and big screen debuts.
1. Soleil Moon Frye
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Who’s ready for some more Punky Brewster?
If you were a fan of the 1984 show, then here’s some good news. According to Deadline,
Frye is working on a reboot. The star is one of the many who managed to continue finding roles after her first big hit. She’s also done a lot of voiceover work over the years for shows like
Bratz and
The Proud Family.
2. Lisa Bonet
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You probably know Lisa Bonet best as Denise Huxtable.
Bonet acted on The Cosby Show between 1984 and 1992. In that time, she also gave birth to actress and model Zoë Kravitz. So, you could say that Bonet has a lot of things to be proud of in her life. You’ve likely seen her back in 2016 when she played Marisol Campos in the show Ray Donovan.
3. Jodie Sweetin
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Not many people get a chance to relive their character from the ’80s.
But, Jodie Sweetin did. Even though Fuller House was canceled after season five, it was interesting to see what happened to Stephanie Tanner (and the other ’80s child actors) as an adult.
Sweetin had a rough few years after Full House ended, but seems to be on a much healthier path.
The fact that she’s still close to the Tanner family in real life is also pretty amazing.
4. Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen
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On the topic of Full House, it’d be a shame not to mention the Olsen twins.
Born on June 13, 1986, they were literally babies when Full House started up in 1987. The twins quickly created their own empire and became much more than ’80s child actors.
Even though they’ve both seemed to give up acting to pursue (and succeed in) fashion, they’ve pretty much achieved everything that a child star could hope for.
It’s all pretty wild, considering they had no idea how big they would come when the first episode of Full House aired.
5. Gary Coleman
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Gary Coleman’s story is a bit sadder.
Coleman starred on Diff’rent Strokes as Arnold Jackson back in the late ’70s and most of the ’80s. He reportedly had kidney issues that stunted his growth, making him shorter than most of the other celebrities at 4’8″.
He had his first kidney transplant at the age of five, and his health needed to be monitored throughout his life.
Coleman sadly passed away in 2010 at the age of 42.
6. Corey Feldman
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Unlike the ’80s child actors already mentioned, Corey Feldman was known more for his films.
Feldman happened to be cast in some of the biggest ’80s movies, like Gremlins, Stand By Me, and The Goonies. He’s still working, notably as a voice actor in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series as Slash.
You might not know this, but he’s also got a pretty lucrative music career, and he’s released multiple albums.
He has also been very vocal about alleged instances of child abuse in Hollywood.
7. River Phoenix
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When talking about ’80s child stars who had so much potential, River Phoenix always makes the list.
Phoenix got his big break in the 1982 series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. He also starred in Stand By Me alongside Corey Feldman. Unfortunately, before his career could really blossom, Phoenix died of an accidental drug overdose outside of The Viper Room on Halloween in 1993.
He was only 23, and his fans were devastated.
He is survived by his brother, actor Joaquin Phoenix.
8. Fred Savage
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Can you imagine what The Wonder Years would have been like without Fred Savage?
The first episode of the popular ABC show aired in January 1988. The show went on for six seasons and ultimately called it quits with a two-part finale in 1993. Savage still acts, but he’s also known these days as a director, working on shows like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Modern Family.
9. Gaby Hoffmann
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Gaby Hoffmann’s first acting credit was in Field of Dreams back in 1989.
Since then, she’s starred in a ton of different movie and film projects. You may remember her in 1989’s
Uncle Buck, or as one of the girls in the 1995 movie
Now and Then. Starting in 2014, she started portraying Ali Pfefferman in the Amazon original show
Transparent. Aside from acting, she’s also a mom.
She gave birth to a baby girl, Rosemary, in 2014.
10. Jenny Lewis
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You might have forgotten, but this rock goddess got her start as a child actor.
Lewis appeared in
Troop Beverly Hills and
The Wizard, both of which were released in 1989. In the ’90s, Lewis decided that she’d rather pursue music, so she started up the band Rilo Kiley. In 2019, she released a
new solo album called On The Line, and it garnered a host of positive reviews.
11. Sean Astin
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Actor Sean Astin got his start in the ’80s with movies like The Goonies and Like Father Like Son.
These days, Stranger Things fans may recognize him best as Bob Newby. Fans of The Lord of the Rings know that he famously took on the role of Samwise Gamgee for the franchise.
Out of all the ’80s child actors out there, Astin may actually be one of the most fortunate in terms of long-term success.
12. Danica McKellar
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Winnie Cooper was an icon for young girls. And so is the woman who played her.
Danica McKellar was an asset on
The Wonder Years, and Winnie has been one of her most prominent and important roles. These days, she’s doing a lot of voice acting. She’s got a completely different career as well — she’s a mathematician and an advocate for education.
She started up McKellar Math in 2007, which aims to make math more fun for students.
13. Kirk Cameron
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His projects might be making a smaller impression today, but Kirk Cameron had a major impact in the ’80s.
He played Mike Seaver on
Growing Pains, which ended its run in 1992. In the mid-’90s, he was given his own sitcom called
Kirk, but it only lasted a year. Even though
Growing Pains was far behind him, he still revived his role as Mike for a few television projects, most notably
Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers, which aired in 2004.
14. Alyssa Milano
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Alyssa Milano has had decades of success in the realm of Television.
From 1984 to 1992, Milano played Samantha Micelli on Who’s The Boss? Her next big television hit was Melrose Place, where she played Jennifer Mancini. Milano had yet another television hit with Charmed, which aired from 1998 to 2006.
Since her career took off, she’s been constantly working on different projects.
15. Joey Lawrence
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Do you think that Joey Lawrence goes one day without someone yelling “Whoa!” at him?
You might know Lawrence best from
Blossom, which started airing in 1990. However, he had already developed quite the career by that time. Lawrence played Joey Donovan in the series
Gimme A Break! which aired from 1983 to 1987.
Blossom just gave him even more exposure and built up his fanbase to an incredible level. He has appeared in a few shows since his teen heartthrob days, including
Joey & Melissa with Melissa Joan Hart. He even had an
18-day stint on the 2019 season of
Celebrity Big Brother.16. Corey Haim
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You can’t have a list of ’80s child actors without including Corey Haim.
Corey Haim and Corey Feldman were two ’80s child actors who became thick as thieves. They became the “Corey’s,” and worked in plenty of projects together, creating a real friendship. However, Feldman managed to avoid a tragic ending, unlike his friend; Haim died of a drug overdose in 2010. Prior to, he was known for movies like The Lost Boys and License to Drive.