What happened to these young stars? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the most memorable performances from child actors who subsequently left the mainstream spotlight. We’re excluding former child stars like Tatum O’Neal and Edward Furlong, who still gave some high-profile performances following their career-defining roles.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the most memorable performances from child
00:08actors who subsequently left the mainstream spotlight.
00:11We're excluding former child stars like Tatum O'Neill and Edward Furlong, who still
00:15gave some high-profile performances following their career-defining roles.
00:22Number 10.
00:23Alex Attell – Millions What would you do if a bag of money fell
00:26out of the sky into your cardboard fort?
00:29Most people would go on a spending spree.
00:30Nine-year-old Damien Cunningham wishes to spread the wealth, believing God sent the
00:34green.
00:35In an age where it's easy to be cynical about anything religious, Alex Attell brings
00:38a sincerity to Damien that never comes off as manipulative.
00:46As naive as Damien can be, he's also wise beyond his years, with some even wiser figures
00:51guiding him.
00:52After Millions, Attell appeared in The Water Horse and the miniseries Cranford, before
01:04starting university.
01:05While he's been absent from the screen since then, his performance in Millions remains
01:08priceless, whether we're talking about pounds, euros, or the almighty dollar.
01:13Number 9.
01:14Jeff Cohen – The Goonies Several Goonies have become successful adult
01:17actors, with Kei Hui Kwan even winning an Oscar.
01:20Jeff Cohen, meanwhile, hasn't acted since 1991, but numerous fans look back at Chunk
01:25as their favorite character.
01:32People still perform the truffle shuffle in his honor, but nobody did it better than Cohen.
01:36While much of the humor surrounding Chunk revolves around his weight, this doesn't
01:39solely define the character.
01:43That's partially thanks to Cohen's infectious performance, delivering some of the film's
01:48most quotable lines.
01:49With Chunk separated from the other kids for much of the film, Cohen had to carry many
01:52scenes on his own, which he more than excelled at.
02:07Cohen still works in the industry as a lawyer, maintaining close bonds with his Goonie brethren.
02:19Number 8.
02:20Ariana Richards – Jurassic Park It wouldn't be easy for Jurassic Park to
02:27turn the child characters into props who exist only to be rescued.
02:31Although John Hammond's grandchildren are in constant peril, they're written and played
02:34realistically.
02:35Lex Murphy is vulnerable, yet resourceful.
02:38She makes mistakes like turning on the flashlight, but proves crafty when confronted by raptors
02:42in the kitchen.
02:56Ariana Richards authentically portrays Lex as an average kid flung into extraordinary
03:01circumstances, surviving by the skin of her teeth.
03:05She does so with minimal dialogue, sometimes saying everything with one horrified look
03:09and screams.
03:14Aside from a Lost World cameo and a few other minor roles, Richards left acting to focus
03:18on her art.
03:19As for her Jurassic Park brother, Joseph Mazzello, he's still rocking Hollywood.
03:25Number 7.
03:26Kate Maberly – The Secret Garden This underrated adaptation of Frances Hodgins
03:31Burnett's novel rests on the shoulders of Kate Maberly, who made her feature debut
03:35as Mary Lennox.
03:36In many respects, Mary is privileged, moving from a comfortable life in British India to
03:40a mansion in Yorkshire.
03:47Behind the luxury, Mary is coping with loss and neglect, escaping into a childlike wonderland.
03:52Maberly strikes the ideal balance as a girl who speaks her mind with brutal honesty, yet
03:56possesses deep empathy for others as she brings life back to the gloomy estate.
04:10Despite holding her own against legends like Maggie Smith, Maberly has only starred in
04:13a handful of projects since.
04:15Nowadays, she mainly works behind the scenes, but like the titular Secret Garden, Maberly
04:19is overdue for a rediscovery.
04:32Number 6.
04:33Quinn Cummings – The Goodbye Girl In this romantic dramedy, a mother and her
04:36young daughter share an apartment with a neurotic actor.
04:41Ironically, the most mature resident is little Lucy, played by Quinn Cummings.
04:58In the wrong hands, Neil Simon's dialogue for Lucy could come off as either too cutesy
05:02or too forced.
05:03Cummings couldn't be more natural in the role, however.
05:06While Lucy is a precocious child, she's still a child.
05:09Cummings demonstrates how even the most charismatic children possess universal fears like abandonment
05:14and the desire for a stable home.
05:16Although Cummings received an Oscar nomination, she only appeared in one other film.
05:19She had more TV credits, most notably a recurring role on Family, but Cummings now works as
05:24a writer and entrepreneur.
05:30Number 5.
05:31Matthew Garber and Karen Dutrisse – Mary Poppins
05:34This duo first appeared together in the 1963 Disney film The Three Lives of Thomasina.
05:39So technically, both children had more experience on the silver screen than Julie Andrews when
05:43they made Mary Poppins a year later.
05:45Although Andrews stole the show as the Oscar-winning nanny, the iconic performances from Garber
05:49and Dutrisse were just as integral to this classic.
06:00Both bring a wide-eyed innocence to the Banks children, but have a mischievous side that
06:04requires a firm, yet affectionate hand.
06:15The two only co-starred in one other film, The Gnomemobile, which credited them as the
06:19Mary Poppins kids.
06:21Sadly, Garber died from hepatitis in 1977.
06:24While Dutrisse popped up a few more projects, Jane Banks is her cinematic legacy.
06:28Number 4.
06:29Hunter McCracken – The Tree of Life
06:31In The Tree of Life, director Terrence Malick delivers one of the most complex and simplistic
06:35cinematic journeys we've ever had.
06:49Something similar can be said about Hunter McCracken's performance as young Jack, who
06:52grows up to be played by Sean Penn.
06:54Much of the film is presented from Jack's perspective, as all-encompassing as the world
06:58seems through his eyes, Jack lives a fairly ordinary life with his graceful mother, intimidating
07:03father, and two brothers.
07:04The entire experience can feel like a string of memories that look inconsequential on the
07:08surface.
07:09Underneath, though, they're molding Jack into the man he will become.
07:14At the center of everything is McCracken, who to this date, only has one screen-acting
07:19credit.
07:20But what a role it is.
07:21Number 3.
07:22Mary Battom – To Kill a Mockingbird
07:24There have been countless books and films about prejudice, although few have done a
07:28better job exploring this difficult subject from a child's point of view than To Kill
07:32a Mockingbird.
07:36Scout Finch doesn't grasp the gravitas of the case her father has taken until the trial
07:40is underway.
07:41Even after the heartbreaking verdict, Scout doesn't understand everything, but a part
07:45of her childhood innocence is lost.
07:47The lessons her father has imparted will stay with Scout well into adulthood, however.
07:51Mary Battom received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her genuine performance, at
07:55the time becoming the category's youngest nominee.
08:04She left acting shortly after, but when Aaron Sorkin brought Harper Lee's book to the stage,
08:09Battom took on another role as Mrs. DuBose.
08:18Number 2.
08:19Carrie Henn – Aliens
08:20James Cameron is credited for bringing more action to the Alien franchise following its
08:24claustrophobic predecessor.
08:30He also brought more heart with the introduction of Carrie Henn as Newt.
08:38Ripley and the orphaned Newt have both lost the ones they love most, forming a mother-daughter
08:42bond that provides the film's emotional anchor.
08:58Newt isn't completely helpless, having survived a while before Ripley's crew showed up.
09:02That doesn't make her any less traumatized from the experience.
09:05In Henn's eyes, we see the hell that Newt has endured, but we also see hope.
09:09It would have been interesting to see Henn grow up with the character, but Alien 3 had
09:13to ruin everything.
09:14In any case, teaching was Henn's true passion, even if she's mostly remembered for Newt.
09:38Number 1.
09:39Peter Ostrom – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
09:47Charlie Bucket isn't as colorful as the other four children who find a golden ticket.
09:50This is what makes Charlie the hardest role to crack.
09:56He doesn't get as many humorous lines or personality quirks, but Charlie still needs
10:00to shine above everyone else with his kind heart, universal relatability, and a smile
10:04so wide it could put anybody in a better mood.
10:14Peter Ostrom encompassed all of these traits in what would be his first and last film role.
10:19Although Ostrom was subsequently offered a three-picture contract, he turned it down
10:23and went on to pursue a veterinarian career.
10:34Ostrom wouldn't even discuss his acting stint for years, but in recent decades, he's
10:39come to embrace his part in making a perennial childhood staple.
10:42Which former child stars would you like to see make a comeback in adulthood?
10:45Let us know in the comments!