Little Orphan Annie has been a staple of pop culture for almost 100 years, and the beloved redhead has appeared in comic strips, radio, stage, film, and more. However, the 1982 musical film directed by John Huston probably features the most iconic interpretation of the character. A lot of the actors in that film were big stars already, but what has become of Annie herself, actress Aileen Quinn? Annie was far from her only acting performance, but she's more focused on making music today, even though she has good memories of making the film. Let's take a look at what happened to Aileen Quinn, the little girl who played Annie.
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00:00Since 1924, little orphan Annie has been an American icon. Actress Aileen Quinn adopted
00:06the role in 1982 for the John Hudson-directed film, forever cementing her place in pop culture.
00:13But what's happened to the pint-sized star since then?
00:17Starring in commercials
00:19After the runaway success of Annie, Quinn became one of the most sought-after young
00:24actresses of her time. As a result, she was as in-demand for commercial work as she was
00:29for mainstream TV and film gigs. In addition to doing a spot for Northern Bathroom Tissue,
00:34she made a memorable appearance for Minute Maid Orange Juice, in which she wore full
00:38Annie regalia and assured a table full of orphans that they would eventually be adopted.
00:44"...and it's going to happen for you, just like it happened for me."
00:49Young Quinn also did some pre-Annie gigs, like a spot for Planters Cheeseballs and
00:54one for a series of Mattel toys called Gorgeous Creatures Dolls.
00:59Annie got razzed
01:02The Golden Raspberry Awards, a.k.a. the Razzies, were created by publicist John
01:06Wilson in the early 1980s. These prizes were designed to celebrate the worst films,
01:12actors, and directors of the year. Somehow, Quinn managed to garner one of these none-too-prestigious
01:19accolades, as she was nominated for a Worst New Star Razzie in 1983. Yet interestingly enough,
01:26she also received Golden Globe nominations that same year for New Star of the Year and for Best
01:31Actress in a Musical or Comedy. At least she was in good company. Mary Tyler Moore, Mia Farrow,
01:37and Arnold Schwarzenegger were also nominated for Razzies that year.
01:42Staying in showbiz
01:45Though Annie was the biggest cinematic role of her life, Quinn continued working in film
01:49and television for some time after snagging her most famous gig. Some people consider Annie to
01:54be a Cinderella story of sorts, and given her subsequent film roles, it would appear that Quinn
02:00enjoys fairy tales. She starred in the 1988 musical The Frog Prince, based on the Brothers
02:05Grimm tale The Frog King. She also voiced Dorothy Gale in a 1982 anime version of The Wizard of Oz.
02:12As for TV, she showed up in an episode of The Great Space Coaster, a beloved 80s afterschool
02:18staple. Looking back fondly
02:21About 30 years after Annie, Quinn shared many memories of her time on the set.
02:26In an interview for Playbill, she recalled,
02:28"...I was doing the Broadway show while I was simultaneously auditioning for the film.
02:33Film actually came much more naturally to me."
02:36Quinn also recalled her endearing naivety when it came to the major stars she was working alongside.
02:42In fact, she recognized Carol Burnett as
02:46the Reading and Continental commercial, as opposed to the star of her own variety show.
02:51Quinn also noted her affectionate relationships with Albert Finney and Bernadette Peters,
02:56and she shared a particularly special relationship with Tim Curry,
03:00despite how villainous his character was in the film.
03:04Generations of Annies
03:06In 2012, Quinn participated in a fun and enlightening interview with Katie Couric
03:11that reunited three generations' worth of Annies.
03:15She sat down alongside Andrea McArdle, who played the first Annie on Broadway,
03:19and Lilla Crawford, who starred in the 2012 Broadway revival,
03:23as the three of them reminisced about a major part of their childhoods.
03:27When discussing her favorite part about filming Annie,
03:30Quinn picked a song that all three ladies had fond memories of.
03:34"...I love Hard Knock Life too, even in the movie we get to splash and all those
03:37buckets and the water comes out, so I love that."
03:39The three Annies all agreed that there's not a bad song in the show,
03:42and Quinn made it clear how much she still loves watching the musical after all these years.
03:48"...Baby's still my favorite. I still love Baby. I can't wait to hear you sing that."
03:51"...people always wondered why, if she's trying to put this little girl to sleep,
03:54why did I sing it at the top of my lungs? Because we had no microphone."
03:58Committing to music
03:59As one might expect, Quinn's fantastic talent didn't simply diminish along with her childhood
04:05stardom. As of 2011, she's been the lead singer for the rockabilly group The Leapin' Lizards,
04:10which was named after one of little orphan Annie's favorite catchphrases in the comic strip.
04:15They've played at some pretty impressive venues,
04:17including Los Angeles' famed Whiskey A Go-Go nightclub and even Disneyland.
04:22And if you want to check them out yourself,
04:24plenty of their performances are available on YouTube. Or, you can track down one of
04:29their live shows and hope that the set list includes at least one classic from Annie.