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Child actors will often suffer a fall from grace as they cross the threshold into adulthood. Some will fall prey to drugs and alcohol, but while that is a common stereotype, many graduate from the world of child stardom to become famous actors and musicians.
Many of the most successful stars working today started acting as children. Some began their film careers at a very early age, while others rose to prominence thanks to roles on television networks like Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel. Kenan Thompson went from All That to Saturday Night Live. Hillary Duff, who was once a Disney Channel institution, now has her own successful sitcom. Even Jason Bateman, the man who made Ozark and Arrested Development the successful shows they are started acting before he was 18. Here are some of the former child actors who were able to go on to have amazing careers.
10 Keke Palmer
Palmer earned fame when she was barely a teenager for her role in Akeelah And The Bee. Soon after that, she landed her own Nickelodeon television series True Jackson, VP. Palmer was not a fan of the identity and persona that Nickelodeon created for her. She is quoted as saying that corporations like Nickelodeon "pigeonhole" their stars to appear tidier than they really are. "Not only when you work with them are you working on their show, but you're working with their brand so you become that identity in which they want you to be..." Palmer also went on to say she does not like the lack of authenticity this creates, "ain't nobody that PG."
9 Ryan Gosling
The heartthrob from the notebook had several television roles as a young boy and as a teenager. The Canadian actor cemented his career permanently when he joined The Mickey Mouse Club as a Mouseketeer. Many of today's biggest stars are Musketeer alums, including Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, and Britney Spears.
8 Hillary Duff
Millennials will easily remember the hours they spent glued to their screens watching Hillary Duff play Lizzie McQuire. The show was so successful it got its own theatrically released movie, a rare occurrence for any Disney Channel show. True, many of them got feature-length films but most were released as made-for-TV movies, not in theaters. Duff continues to do comedy, even though she is fully grown, and is now the star of How I Met Your Father. Another familiar face from the hey-days of Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel can be found in her new show too.
7 Josh Peck
Peck can be spotted in a few episodes of How I Met Your Father as one of the men interested in Hillary Duff's character. Peck had a tumultuous experience as a child actor, although he was beloved by Nickelodeon fans for his roles on Drake and Josh and The Amanda Show, he suffered a great deal behind the scenes. He was not abused, but Peck was suffering from some very serious health problems as a child. At one point, before he was 18 years old, Peck had a weight problem and weighed 300 pounds. Some fans were disappointed when the once chubby-cheeked child actor slimmed down, but many did not realize that his weight problem had gotten so bad. Peck is now perfectly healthy and in addition to his ongoing acting career, he is a bit of an online celebrity now too.
6 Kenan Thompson
The star of All That and later Kenan and Kel continued his career in comedy as an adult. His experience on the set of All That gave him a perfect background for continuing his work in sketch comedy allowing him to easily step into his role as performer on Saturday Night Live where he has stayed for nearly two decades. Kenan Thompson also returned to Nickelodeon in 2020 when he and some of his fellow All That alums rebooted the show, occasionally making cameo appearances.
5 Elijah Wood
The man who went on to become Frodo in The Lord of The Rings started his career at a very early age. His first project was a very small part in Back To The Future II when he was only 7 years old. Soon after he did several other films, including Avalon and Radio Flyer, all before he was 10 years old. One of Elijah Wood's child co-stars from the film North would join him as a Hollywood star later in life, the incredible Scarlet Johansson, who was only 9 years old in her first film role.
4 Will Wheaton
Wheaton's character on Star Trek The Next Generation was Wesly Crusher and he was one of the show's most disliked characters. Fans of the show were not into the idea of Star Trek revolving around the story about some "gifted child" like Wesly for whatever reason. But, the unpopularity of the character ended up becoming sort of a gimmick among Star Trek fans and now Wheaton is a beloved and institutional part of the franchise, partly thanks to his recurring role as himself in The Big Bang Theory. Another iconic role of Wheaton's was his part in the Stephen King classic Stand By Me.
3 Jason Bateman
Bateman had an extensive career as a child star. He was in Silver Spoons, Little House on The Prairie, and the NBC sitcom The Hogan Family. It was his role on the latter mentioned show that earned him teen idol status and soon developed his career as a leading man and led him to Arrested Development in 2003.
2 Selena Gomez
Now an accomplished actress acting opposite legendary comedians like Martin Short and Steve Martin, the best-selling pop singer, dancer, and actress established her career by starring in The Wizards of Waverly Place on The Disney Channel when she was only 15 years old. Before she turned 30 years old, Gomez accumulated a net worth of more than $80 million.
1 Ariana Grande
Grande's stardom exploded after she departed from Nickelodeon's Sam and Cat and her work on the show Victorious, also for Nickelodeon helped to establish the young pop diva in the eyes of her public. Ariana Grande was only 16 when she started working for Nickelodeon, but her acting career started earlier than that. She was only 14 when she started acting on Broadway in the hit play 13.