Having the mind of a child and the money of a grown up—a very, very rich grownup—is usually a bad combination. I’m talking about child stars. It doesn’t help that most laws are just “laws” to them. What’s the drinking age for a child star? Something like…14, right? Then add the fact that they have just as many responsibilities as a 30-year-old, so they end up dating 30 year olds, and it turns out to be very hard for a child star to grow up a healthy, normal human being. Lindsay Lohan is the new poster child for child stars gone wrong these days. But for all the Lohans out there, there are those who somehow manage to transition seamlessly into adulthood. Check out the 10 who did just that.
We all remember her as the Beverly Hills princess Lisa Turtle in Saved By The Bell. With the teen comedy behind her, Lark Voorhies took on more dramatic roles in Soap Operas such as Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful.
Keshia Knight Pulliam won an Emmy at age 6 for her role as sweet and sassy Rudy Huxtable on The Cosby Show. She stepped out of the limelight for her teen and young adult years and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Sociology from Spelman College. Today, Rudy is all grown up and played a Hot con artist in Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail and most recently starred as Miranda on House of Payne.
Today you’ll see Claire Danes on the Showtime Series Homeland as a CIA detective trying to uncover a terrorist plot. Perhaps her stint at Yale University prepared her for such serious roles. That’s right—even though she did not graduate college, she did attend the prestigious institute for a while and even turned down a role in Schindler’s List because she would not have access to a tutor while on set.
Remember these two wholesome sisters? Well, they pretty much kept it together after their family comedy series Sister, Sister. Today, Tia Mowry plays a medical student on the CW drama (that is occasionally funny) The Game, and Tamera starred in the ABC family sitcom Roommates in 2009. Most recently, they starred in the Style Network show Tia & Tamera.
It’s couldn’t have been easy for Jaleel White to have anyone view him as anything other than the endearing and socially awkward Steve Urkel. But somehow, White pulled it off and even landed himself small roles in titles like Dreamgirls and Big Fat Liar.
Hilary Duff’s role on a show that taught family values must have made her anxious to have her own family. Little Lizzie McGuire is all grown up, got through her teen years scandal-free while taking on the pop star role every now and then, and now she and her professional hockey player husband, Mike Comrie, are expecting their first child.
She doesn’t have to be covered in vampire bites for you to recognize her. Anna Paquin won an Oscar for her supporting role in the The Piano at the age of 11. And while her most recent role is pretty scandalous, her personal life seems far from that. Paquin is married to her True Blood vampire co-star (and on-screen beau), Stephen Moyer.
Another member of the Cosby tribe, Raven Symoné’s mischevious smile has been seen in later years on family-friendly series and films such as the ABC Family TV movie Revenge of the Bridesmaids and co-starring with the hilarious Martin Lawrence in College Road Trip.
Recognize this cute face? Jonathan Taylor Thomas had a long run on the show Home Improvement as the loveble middle brother. Even though he caught the attention of a nation of teenage girls, he passed on further fame to attend Columbia University.
Another Yale alumni, Jodie Foster played a prostitute at the unripe age of 14. The role gained her an Oscar nomination and, undoubtedly, a long career in acting. Somehow, Jodie attended and completed Yale University in the midst of it all, graduating in 1985.
