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1. Abigail Breslin
Photo Credits – Getty Images
Abigail Breslin’s portrayal of the adorably awkward Olive Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine impressed audiences in 2006. However, it would only be a few more years until Breslin would change in his library glasses for a shotgun in Zombieland and its follow-up
2. Ariana Richards
Ariana Richards made a lasting impact on viewers as the tech-savvy Lex in Jurassic Park. Richards chose to leave acting despite having a clear talent for it to pursue a career in the arts. She is now a skilled painter with several honors to her credit, so the career change paid off.
3. Alison Arngrim
For seven seasons of Little House on the Prairie, Alison Arngrim gained national attention as Nellie. Arngrim said to The Huffington Post in 2013 that her time as Nellie had been “therapeutic,” even though her acting career would never see the same level of popularity again. She continues to make appearances at conferences.
4. Jonathan Lipnicki
Jonathan Lipnicki is a special case. He played the adorable nerdy kid with glasses in the 1990s blockbusters Stuart Little and Jerry Maguire. Then, it appears that he went through an uncomfortable, fat stage. But when we fast forward to the present, he is a ripped black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. A remarkable turnaround!
5. Robert Ri’chard
In the Nickelodeon series Cousin Skeeter, Robert Ri’chard played the antagonist to a troublemaking puppet for a significant portion of his teenage years. Ri’chard presumably had no trouble establishing human friends fifteen years later, though. He has probably appeared in Harlem and Empire recently.
6. Tatyana Ali
Tatyana Ali’s role as Will Smith’s little cousin, Ashley Banks, in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, will live on in memory. Although Ali has not since played a part of this size, she continues to appear young. She could even be a familiar face from The Young and the Restless.
7. Peter Ostrum
One of the most well-known children’s films, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory from 1971, had Peter Ostrum as the main character. But in the end, Ostrum concluded that the entertainment lifestyle wasn’t for him. He only appeared in one acting part, Charlie Bucket, and became a veterinarian as an adult.
8. Patrick Dempsey
Patrick Dempsey had a long and successful career. However, he is probably best known for playing the suave Dr. “McDreamy” on Grey’s Anatomy. Dempsey was even typecast in rom-coms from the 1980s and 1990s like Can’t Buy Me Love and Loverboy as bespectacled, bouffant-haired nerds.
9. Jerry O’Connell
Jerry O’Connell would be a fantastic spokesperson for puberty. Amazingly, the Sliders actor transitioned from portraying Vern in Stand By Me to becoming the Hollywood actor we are familiar with today. He is also wed to actress-turned-model Rebecca Romijn. You did well, man.
10. Melissa Gilbert
Laura Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie was portrayed by Melissa Gilbert from 1974 until 1984. She then transitioned rather easily from kid to adult performer, and she is still working in the TV profession today. In 2016, she also ran for Congress, but due to health issues, she finally had to withdraw from the contest.
11. Alyssa Milano
In the 1980s, Alyssa Milano played the tomboyish Sam, Tony Danza’s daughter, in Who’s the Boss? But if you fast-forward a few years, she is suddenly a sex icon and has the acting chops to play a strip-joint waitress in Melrose Place. Brazen, her most recent theatrical release, debuted on Netflix in 2022
12. Jerry Mathers
Jerry Mathers was a prominent child star from 1957 to 1963 due to his role in Leave It to Beaver. Despite having had a varied life, Mathers is still most remembered for his portrayal of Beaver. He joined the United States Air Force Reserve, for one, and even gave the 1967 Emmy Awards speech while dressed in military uniforms. He then obtained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy as well.
13. Alexa PenaVega
As a child, did you watch any Spy Kids movies? Your eyes would have popped out of your head when Alexa PenaVega appeared on screen in the sleazy 2013 action film Machete Kills as Killjoy. The actor and her husband, Carlos PenaVega, presently have three children.
14. Josh Saviano
Following the conclusion of the Wonder Years in 1993, actor Josh Saviano, then known as Paul Pfeiffer, gave up acting and enrolled at Yale to study political science. He is now a well-known attorney with his own business, the Spotlight Advisory Group.
15. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen swiftly rose to global superstardom after making their television debut as Michelle Tanner on Full House. The Olsens’ success was established in the 1990s by a number of film and television roles, but they have since left acting behind. Instead, the clever twins followed hugely profitable professions in fashion design, and today they are incredibly wealthy—worth an amazing $500 million!
16. Josh Peck
Josh Peck has advanced significantly from his days as the goofy Josh Nichols on Drake & Josh on Nickelodeon. In modern TV comedies like Turner & Hooch and How I Met Your Father, Peck makes a dashing and undoubtedly attractive figure. In 2023’s epic Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, he will next be seen on the big screen.
17. Lacey Chabert
Since she was cast as Claudia Salinger in the television show Party of Five, Lacey Chabert has almost grown up in the spotlight. However, Chabert now reigns supreme in Hallmark Channel productions. If you haven’t seen Chabert in one of their warmhearted holiday songs, Christmas isn’t Christmas.
18. Tatum O’Neal
Tatum O’Neal, who was 10 years old when she won the Oscar for her role in Paper Moon in 1974, was the youngest to do so. Although O’Neal has not been able to add a second Academy Award to her collection of honors in her adult life, she has provided her viewpoint in two books.
