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What Happened to Your Favorite Child Stars?

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child stars graph, former child stars where are they now

The lives of child stars are fascinating. At an exceptionally young age, they become more rich and famous than 99.9 percent of us will ever be. However, they must eventually venture into adulthood just like the rest of us, and how they handle that seems to be a complete crapshoot. Some continue on the path of success and respectability, while others falter, get in trouble, or tragically die way too young.

This feature focuses on former child stars who are fortunately still alive, as the staggering amount of deceased ones is way too depressing and would require another graph. If you've lost track of what happened to some of your favorite young actors from TV shows and movies growing up - like those who played Urkel, Michelle Tanner, Webster and Screech - let this graph be your guide. Here's a breakdown by quadrants:

Quadrant I - Rich and Respected
Dating as far back to child stars like Ron Howard, who played Opie on "The Andy Griffith Show" in the 1960s, this upper right portion of the graph is where current child stars should aspire to land (especially if they want to remain relevant in show business). You will notice some currently popular actors in this quadrant, like Drew Barrymore, Neil Patrick Harris and Elijah Wood, but also some child stars who went on to make it big in other fields -- like directing (Fred Savage), producing (Peter Billingsley), fashion (the Olsen twins), and even writing math books (Danica McKellar).

Quadrant II - Rich and Embarrassing
There are two types of former child stars who end up in this quadrant. One is the Miley Cyrus type, who makes buttloads of cash but acts increasingly more shameless and will ultimately start moving down closer to Quadrant III (like Amanda Bynes). The other is similar to Jaleel White, still relatively rich from childhood stardom, but has not done much in the biz recently to garner any newfound respect.

Quadrant III - Poor and Embarrassing
This portion of the graph shouldn't need too much explanation. These former child stars have lost the majority (if not all) of their fortunes and have made terrible decisions -- often under the influence of drugs and alcohol. This has led to a loss of respectability, massive court fees, and even jail time for some. Oh, and a couple of them have dabbled in porn (unsuccessfully).

Quadrant IV - Poor and Respected
Possibly the most interesting portion of the graph is the bottom right, in that it was hard to find examples of former child stars who are "poor" (by celebrity standards) but still respected. "Jerry Maguire" child star Jonathan Lipnicki hasn't done much notable acting in the last ten years, but he's known for his charity involvements and for being super buff, trying to work his way toward action star status. Mara Wilson, on the other hand, known for her childhood roles in "Miracle on 34th Street," "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Matilda," left film acting altogether in order to have creative freedom and pursue other interests. That's respectable, but probably won't get her up to Quadrant I anytime soon.

Sources: Celebrity Net Worth, IMDb

 

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