When you grow up in Hollywood, it can be a tough transition from childhood or adolescence to adulthood. Some celebs start their Hollywood careers so young that it seems as if they miss out on a normal childhood. Furthermore, celebrities that try to transition into adulthood run the risk of being pigeonholed or typecast depending on how iconic or well-loved a particular role was or how long they acted on a specific show. For example, Jaleel White, who played Steve Urkel on Family Matters, found it difficult for anyone to see him other than his beloved, nerdy character.
However, some stars manage the transition from being a childhood-turned-adult celebrity pretty well. Some celebrities can stay relevant and find themselves financially successful even after surpassing their childhood prime. Here are ten celebs who transitioned from being childhood stars successfully.
10 Tia Mowry
You may think that Tia Mowry became famous acting on Sister, Sister in 1994. However, her first attempt at making it big was when she was a part of the R&B girl group named Voices, singing alongside her sister Tamera Mowry and four other members. The group was formed in 1989 and disbanded in 1993 with one of their songs Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!, reaching 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. After Sister, Sister Mowry starred in movies such as Seventeen Again and Disney's Twitches and Twitches Too. She also played Melanie Barnett-Davis in the popular series The Game and stars in Netflix's original series Family Reunion. Her net worth is $4 million.
9 Tamera Mowry
After Sister, Sister ended in 1997, Tamera took on roles with her sister, such as Seventeen Again, Twitches, and Twitches Too. The twins even tried their hand at reality TV—their show Tia & Tamera lasting for three seasons. Mowry would also star in solo movies such as Something to Sing About and appeared regularly on shows such as Strong Medicine. However, one of Tamera's most notable and long-lasting career changes was her being a host on the Emmy Award-winning talk show The Real for seven years. She now has her family featured on Hallmark Channel's two-hour lifestyle show Home & Family. Mowry's net worth is estimated at $4 million.
8 Dakota Fanning
At seven years old, Dakota Fanning played in I Am Sam. She also had roles in Uptown Girls, The Cat in the Hat, and Wars of the Worlds. At 14, Fanning also played Lily Owens in The Secret Life of Bees and 15 when Fanning played Jane Volturi in The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Fanning admitted that she struggled to get adult roles, but she has appeared in movies such The High Note, Effie Gray, Please Stand By. Her net worth is $12 million.
7 Kenan Thompson
Nickelodeon's All That, a children's version of Saturday Night Live, aired in 1994 where Kenan Thompson was an original cast member. He then starred in Kenan & Kel alongside Kel Mitchell from 1996-2000. Thompson also had roles in The Mighty Ducks franchise, Good Burger, and Fat Albert. Thompson went on to become the longest-tenured cast member of SNL starting in 2003. His net worth is $13 million.
6 Zendaya
Zendaya first arrived on the Hollywood scene in shows such as Disney's Shake It Up and K.C. undercover. When she landed her first role, she was only 13! After being a Disney star, Zendaya landed movie roles such as Michelle "MJ" Jones in Spiderman: Homecoming, Anne Wheeler in The Greatest Showman, Rue Bennet in HBO's Euphoria, and the female titular character in Netflix's Malcolm & Marie. Her net worth is $15 million.
5 Emma Watson
We first saw Emma Watson in 2001 in Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone. She starred in seven more installments and then focused on her education. She has a Bachelor's degree from Brown University in English Literature and starred in films like This Is the End, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast. Watson's net worth is $80 million.
4 Drew Barrymore
One of the first places that fans saw and fell in love with Drew Barrymore was E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982. She was only seven years old and starred in many films since then, including The Wedding Singer, Never Been Kissed, Charlie's Angels, and Music and Lyrics. In 2020, Barrymore had a talk show, and in 2021 there will be a second season. Her net worth is an estimated $125 million.
3 Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson didn't start her career singing hits such as Pleasure Principle and Miss You Much. First, she and her family had a variety TV show, The Jacksons, in 1976, when she was about ten years old. Then, Jackson played a role as Penny in the television series Good Times and Charlene in Different Strokes, and Cleo Hewitt in Fame. Jackson then went on to dominate the music industry as one of the best-selling artists of all time and would return to acting in films such as Poetic Justice, Why Did I Get Married Too?, and For Colored Girls. Jackson's net worth is an estimated $190 million.
2 Ron Howard
Ron Howard is one of those stars that earned more money once he made a career change. He first gained prominence, starring as Opie Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show. Howard also had a lead role in the coming-of-age film American Graffiti. After leaving Happy Days in 1980, he focused on directing. Critics praised Howard for directing films such as Apollo 13 and The Da Vinci Code. Howard is worth an estimated $200 million.
1 Leonardo DiCaprio
In 1989, at age 14, Leonardo DiCaprio first appeared in The New Lassie. Subsequently, he had roles in Parenthood and Growing Pains. Since the late 80s, it seems as if DiCaprio never slowed down. He starred in movies such as the classic 1997 film The Titanic and would play in many other roles after, such as The Wolfe of Wall Street and The Great Gatsby. DiCaprio's estimated net worth is $260 million.