Whatever happened to the girl from Matilda? Or the boy from Home Alone? And what are the Olsen twins up to these days? Some of the most memorable child actors are still in the entertainment industry, while others have gone down completely different paths.
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Remember these familiar faces? Here’s what these young celebs look like today:
1. Jonathan Lipnicki
THEN: You might recognise him as the clever little kid from Jerry Maguire and as George Little, the boy from the Stuart Little movies.
NOW: Still a regular on the Hollywood scene, the 27-year-old actor has been seen on both the big and small screen.
2. Mara Wilson
THEN: She played Natalie Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), but Mara is probably best known for her role as the brilliant young Matilda Wormwood in Matilda (1996).
NOW: She reportedly grew tired of always being cast as ‘the cute girl’ and retired from acting in 2000. She’s since written a book, Where Am I Now? True Stories Of Girlhood And Accidental Fame, which came out in 2016.
3. Melissa Joan Hart
THEN: Melissa played the lead role of Clarissa in the ’90s TV hit Sabrina The Teenage Witch.
NOW: Today the mother of three also has ‘executive producer’ (of the TV series Melissa & Joey) and a stellar performance on Dancing With The Stars on her CV.
4. Dakota Fanning
THEN: At the age of eight, Dakota earned star status for her performance in the 2001 film I Am Sam, for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.
NOW: The all-grown-up actress and fashionista has a few box-office hits under her belt, including The Twilight Saga (2009 to 2012), and she can currently be seen in the TV series The Alienist.
5. Abigail Breslin
THEN: She has appeared in films like Raising Helen and My Sister’s Keeper, but her breakthrough role was that of Olive Hoover in the 2006 dramedy Little Miss Sunshine.
NOW: She continued her acting career with roles in hit movies like No Reservations, Nim’s Island and Zombieland. In 2016 she starred in the comedy/horror series Scream Queens, and she’s said to be returning to the big screen for the Zombieland sequel.
6. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
THEN: The twins became instantly famous in the late ’80s when they took turns to portray the role of Michelle Tanner in the TV hit Full House.
NOW: The Olsens retired from acting at age 18 and have since successfully transformed from youth stars into fashion moguls. Today they’re mostly managing their fashion brand, The Row.
7. Maureen McCormick
THEN: She’s probably best known for her role as Marcia Brady, the eldest daughter in the 1970s sitcom The Brady Bunch.
NOW: Maureen went on to make a few guest appearances in TV series, played supporting roles in movies like The Idolmaker, and starred in stage productions like Grease. In 2008 she published her controversial autobiography, Here’s The Story: Surviving Marcia Brady And Finding My True Voice.
8. Jaleel White
THEN: Who can forget this face?! Jaleel played Steve Urkel in the hit sitcom Family Matters for nine years – and to think he was originally cast as a one-time character only.
NOW: He continued his acting career with appearances in a number of TV series, like Grown Ups, Are We There Yet? and, most recently, in the movie The 15:17 To Paris.
9. Macaulay Culkin
THEN: Probably one of the most famous child stars of all time, Macaulay was propelled to stardom thanks to his roles in Home Alone, Richie Rich and My Girl.
NOW: After bidding the entertainment industry farewell in 1994, he briefly returned to our screens in 2003 with a guest appearance in the TV hit Will & Grace. But Macaulay has mostly steered clear of the spotlight.
Source: Good Housekeeping US
PHOTO: iStock/mikkelwilliam
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