Most of us grow up watching our favorite movies and TV shows. And at the center of these shows are our favorite child actors. Many found their way into Hollywood with their talents from a very young age. These child actors went on to pave their own ways to stardom. Some became singers or movie producers. Others stick to their acting careers and continue to play in various movies and TV shows. In some cases, however, the fame they gained gradually fade away as they grew up.
Child celebrities often age very well and can maintain outstanding appearances despite the difference in age. This list consists of 15 child actors who were a big hit when they were young and managed to score even bigger as they grow up.
#1 Ariana Grande — Cat Valentine, Victorious
Source: Nickelodeon, Ariana Grande/Instagram
Prior to becoming a famous singer in Hollywood, Ariana was an actress. She played Catarina "Cat" Valentine, one of the main characters in the 2010 Nickelodeon sitcom
Victorious. The show lasted until 2013 and became a success.
#2 Cole and Dylan Sprouse — Zack and Cody, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody
Here comes one of the most iconic duos of
Disney Channel. The Sprouse Brothers had starred in several previous projects before becoming Zack and Cody.
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody became a huge success, with the duo earning somewhere around $40,000 per episode.
#3 Corbin Bleu — Chad Danforth, High School Musical franchise
Source: IMDB
The
High School Musical franchise is undoubtedly one of the most memorable series of our childhood. In both movies, Corbin Bleu played Chad Danforth. In addition to acting, he also showed interest in a musical career.
#4 Daniel Radcliffe — Harry Potter, Harry Potter franchise
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures, Daniel Radcliffe/Instagram
Daniel is the face of the
Harry Potter movie franchise. Playing the titular character, he became one of the biggest names in Hollywood at the time. This role, however, went on to become a shadow too great for himself to surpass.
#5 Emma Watson — Hermione Granger, Harry Potter franchise
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures, East News
Emma's acting career started with Hermione Granger, a friend of Harry and Ron in the
Harry Potter franchise. Unlike Radcliffe however, her first professional acting role did not overshadow her career later on.
#6 Erik Per Sullivan — Dewey, Malcolm in the Middle
Source: Fox Broadcasting Company, helpfultips/imgur
Erik's acting career was not very well known in Hollywood. During his active years, he was given very little credit. He is mostly known for his role as Dewey in the 2000 sitcom
Malcolm in the Middle.
#7 Josh Saviano — Paul Joshua Pfeiffer, The Wonder Years
Source: New World Television, Josh Saviano/Instagram
Saviano is not a familiar name within Hollywood. He was not very active during his acting years. His biggest role was Paul Pfeiffer in
The Wonder Years.
#8 Matthew Lewis — Neville Longbottom, Harry Potter franchise
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures, Matthew Lewis/instagram
Matthew Lewis starred in the
Harry Potter franchise as the ever-bumbling Neville Longbottom. The actor also had acting experience prior to and following his career in the franchise.
#9 Mayim Bialik — Blossom Russo, Blossom
Source: Touchstone Television, Mayim Bialik/Instagram
Mayim Bialik is an actress and an author. She first appeared in the 1988 horror film
Pumpkinhead when she was 12 years old. To this day, she still stars in various movies and TV shows.
#10 Miley Cyrus — Hannah Stewart, Hannah Montana
Source: It's a Laugh Productions, mileycyrus/Instagram
Born into a family teeming with talent, Miley Cyrus was cast as the main character of the famous
Hannah Montana TV series. Not just that, she is also a great singer. Her musical career debuted along with the TV series.
#11 Neil Patrick Harris — Doogie, Doogie Howser, M.D.
Source: 20th Century Fox Television, Neil Patrick Harris/Instagram
Neil specializes in comedy. He is one of the youngest child actors to receive a Golden Globe nomination. The nomination was from one of his earliest TV shows,
Doogie Howser, M.D..
#12 Nicola Peltz — Katara, The First Airbender
Source: IMDB
One of the most popular roles Peltz has played is Katara in live-action
The Last Airbender. The movie was a flop, however, and affected everyone's career, including the actress's.
#13 Raven-Symone — Raven Baxter, That’s So Raven
Source: Carsey-Werner Productions, Raven Simone/Instagram
Raven-Symoné is a woman of many talents. Right now, she's a successful singer, before this she was a baby model and a child actor. She debuted her acting career with
The Cosby Show, and she is still acting to this day.
#14 Ron Howard — Opie Taylor, The Andy Griffith Show
Source: Wikipedia
As a kid, Ron Howard played all eight seasons of
The Andy Griffith Show as a young Opie Taylor, son of the titular character. Being exposed to movies from such a young age, he went on to become a prolific director/producer of American cinema.
#15 Tania Raymonde — Cynthia Sanders, Malcolm in the Middle
Source: IMDB, Fox Broadcasting Company
While Tania played in many television shows prior to
Malcolm in the Middle, her career only started to gain traction when she starred as Cynthia Sanders in the 2000 sitcom. From then, she went on to make an appearance in many, many movies and TV shows, including the Golden Globe-winning Amazon series
Goliath.
Bonus: Hedwig, Harry Potter franchise
Source: lolnopethisformyredditstuff/imgur
Many speculations suggested that Hedwig, Harry Potter's pet owl, has passed away. The truth is, she still lives. Hedwig is now living in a Japanese zoo near Tokyo.
