The casualties of early celebrity are too numerous to list here. But not every kid actor ends up robbing gas stations. Below, a few notable cases:
Jackie Coogan A sensation when he starred with Charlie Chaplin in “The Kid” (1921), little Jackie had a big career in silent films, but his mother and stepfather squandered most of his earnings. Coogan sued them in 1935 but got back only a fraction of what he had made. The upshot was California’s “Coogan Act,” which regulated how children could be used by the film industry. Later in life, Coogan played Uncle Fester on TV’s “The Addams Family.”
Tatum O’Neal Still the youngest person to win an Oscar (best supporting actress for “Paper Moon” in 1973), O’Neal was a hot ticket as a kid (“The Bad News Bears,” “Little Darlings”), but once she married John McEnroe, she made only five films in 15 years. Drugs have been a constant worry (she was arrested last year for possession of cocaine), and in her autobiography, “A Paper Life,” she describes a childhood of abuse.
Macaulay Culkin Most prominent of the Culkin Stable of Dramatic Children, Macaulay was impossible to escape as the adorable star of “Home Alone” (1990), which marked the commercial high point of his career. Emancipation from his parents, a very early marriage and several unsuccessful films have marked his later life, but he’s made some interesting choices in the past few years, including “Party Monster,” “Saved!” and “Sex and Breakfast.” He’s also pursued a stage career, to a degree of critical praise.
Drew Barrymore Lisping and adorable in “E.T.” (1982), she went on to one of the more fabled careers in Hollywood misbehavior. All the same, she accomplished the improbable, a successful transition to adult stardom (with, notably, “Poison Ivy” of 1992) and today is a highly successful producer and actress.