- Drew Barrymore was 6 when she acted in “E.T.” and has been a Hollywood mainstay ever since.
- Kristen Stewart appeared alongside Jodie Foster in “Panic Room” and starred in “Charlie’s Angels” last year.
- Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson grew up onscreen during the filming of eight “Harry Potter” movies and are all still acting.
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Some child actors quit Hollywood for good and retire to a life of relative anonymity. But these 10 stars have continued to give stellar performances, dominate at the box office, and earn prestigious awards.
Here are 10 child stars who are still famous and show no signs of slowing down.
Drew Barrymore was just 6 years old when she appeared in “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”
She was 7 when the movie was released in 1982. Her parents and paternal grandparents were also actors.
She has appeared in iconic movies like “The Wedding Singer,” “Charlie’s Angels,” and “50 First Dates.”
She currently stars in and executive produces “Santa Clarita Diet” on Netflix.
Mayim Bialik became famous playing Blossom Russo in the '90s TV show "Blossom."
Bialik landed the role as a teenager and played Blossom for six seasons.
Bialik is now a four-time Emmy-nominated actress and won the Critics' Choice award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2016 and 2018.
Bialik played Amy Farrah Fowler for nine seasons of "The Big Bang Theory," which aired its series finale on May 16, 2019. She also uses her platform to speak out about parenting and the pressure new mothers often face.
Dakota Fanning was the youngest nominee in the history of the Screen Actors Guild Awards at age 8.
Her performance in the 2001 movie "I Am Sam" put her on the map.
Fanning hasn't slowed down, most recently appearing in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood."
She also starred in the "Twilight" saga movies and "Ocean's 8."
Natalie Portman's first onscreen role was Mathilda in "Léon: The Professional" in 1994.
She then became famous worldwide for her role as Padmé Amidala in the "Star Wars" prequels.
She won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for her role in "Black Swan" and starred in films such as "Annihilation," "Vox Lux," and "The Death and Life of John F. Donovan."
She's also one of the smartest celebrities in Hollywood with a bachelor's degree in psychology from Harvard.
At 12 years old, Jodie Foster starred in "Taxi Driver" with Robert De Niro.
Before that, she'd started her acting career on TV shows such as "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" and "The Doris Day Show."
She has been nominated for four Oscars, won two for best actress, and is now focusing on directing.
Foster was named best actress at the Academy Awards for "The Accused" in 1989 and "Silence of the Lambs" in 1992. She continues to act.
Kristen Stewart appeared alongside Jodie Foster in "Panic Room."
Her performance earned her a Young Artist Award nomination.
Best known for playing Bella Swan in the "Twilight" movies, she has gone on to earn critical acclaim in other blockbusters.
Stewart was the highest-paid actress in 2012, according to Forbes. She appeared in "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" in 2016 and "Lizzie" in 2018. In 2019, she starred in "Charlie's Angels."
Daniel Radcliffe was 11 years old when he played Harry Potter in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."
He was the same age as the titular character when he finds out he's a wizard.
Radcliffe has experimented with different movie genres since leaving "Harry Potter" behind.
He also appeared on Broadway in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," "The Cripple of Inishmaan," and "The Lifespan of a Fact."
Rupert Grint played Harry's best friend, Ron Weasley.
Grint was also 11 years old when he was cast.
Grint has moved into television with starring roles in "Sick Note," "Snatch," and "Servant."
He has also worked on indie films and appeared in the West End's production of "Mojo" and "It's Only a Play" on Broadway.
Emma Watson played Hermione Granger in all eight "Harry Potter" movies.
She had only ever acted in school plays before landing the life-altering role.
Watson played Belle in Disney's live-action "Beauty and the Beast" in 2017. More recently, she played Meg in "Little Women" in 2019.
She's also something of a real-life Hermione with her feminist book club and gender equality advocacy through HeForShe in partnership with the United Nations.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt got his start on shows such as "Family Ties" and "Quantum Leap" before his breakout role in "10 Things I Hate About You."
After a brief break from acting to attend Columbia University, he returned to show business.
Gordon-Levitt played Edward Snowden in "Snowden" in 2016.
Gordon-Levitt also wrote, directed, and starred in the 2013 movie "Don Jon" and had a cameo in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." He also runs hitRECord, an online production company.
- Read more:
- THEN AND NOW: 20 child actors all grown up
- WHERE ARE THEY NOW: The cast of 'Glee' 10 years later
- THEN AND NOW: The 'Avengers' stars before they were famous
- THEN AND NOW: The cast of '13 Going on 30' 15 years later
- THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Clueless' 24 years later