Child stars often leave the entertainment business after spending their childhood in the spotlight, and we forget about them. The public moves on to the next big thing, and former young stars are free to live their life in relative obscurity. Some child stars choose to make a comeback, or do reality shows (The Two Coreys, anyone?), but others never return to the spotlight. There might even be some that you could pass on the street and have no idea that starred in your favorite movie or TV show as a kid.
There are endless lists on child stars who grew up to be another one of the gorgeous celebrity masses (Emma Watson), and child stars who have aged terribly (Lindsay Lohan, Haley Joel Osment). But there are some child stars that look nothing like what you would have expected, either because of plastic surgery, or they just grew up away from the pressure of Hollywood. Here are 10 child stars that you would never recognize today.
Jonathan Lipnicki
via: www.izismile.com
Jonathan Lipnicki was only 6 years old when he appeared with Renee Zellweger andTom Cruise in the critically-acclaimed film, Jerry Maquire. He also starred in Stuart Little and appeared in episodes of Dawson’s Creek and The Jeff Foxworthy Show. He is now 23, and hasn’t had any starring roles in awhile. He has been focusing on philanthropy through work with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and he also trains in mixed martial arts, and has even indicated that he might be interested in fighting professionally in the future.
Miko Hughes
via: www.empireonline.com
When he was only 3 years old, Miko Hughes starred in the film adaptation of Stephen King‘s Pet Sematary as Gage Creed. He is also known for films like Kindergarten Cop,Apollo 13, and Mercury Rising. As an adult actor, Hughes guest starred on a few episodes of the WB’s Roswell, but didn’t do much film work. Now, he is a successful DJ going by the name DJ Cubed, and to look at him, you would never think he was the creepy, homicidal kid that came back from the death to kill people in Pet Sematary.
Kate Maberly
via: www.tmz.com/www.imdb.com
English actress Kate Maberly made her film debut as Mary Lennox in the 1993 film, The Secret Garden. She was 11 years old at the time, and the role jump started her acting career. She went on to roles in Gulliver’s Travels and Finding Neverland, among others. She is also a talented musician, and she attended London’s Trinity College of Music, graduating in 2004 with a joint honors degree in piano and cello performance.
Anna Chlumsky
via: www.goodtoknow.co.uk
The girl who stole everyone’s heart opposite Macaulay Culkin in the 1991 film My Girl is all grown up. Anna Chlumsky was 11 years old when she got her big break, and she put her acting career on hold to attend school at the University of Chicago, and pursue work outside of Hollywood. But she returned to the entertainment business to work on independent films, and now you may recognize her as one of the stars of HBO series Veep. She has also been nominated for two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, proving that leaving the business for a little while doesn’t have to be career suicide.
Mackenzie Rosman
via: www.thehuffingtonpost.com
The youngest member of the Camden family on 7th Heaven was played by Mackenzie Rosman from the age of 7 to 18. Ruthie Camden was a cute, innocent, curly haired kid even as she grew into a young adult on the show. Rosman hasn’t done anything high profile since 7th Heaven ended in 2007, except for a guest appearance on The Secret Life of the American Teenager in 2010. But she did pose for Maxim in 2013, showing off her all-grown-up body in lingerie. Bet you didn’t think you would ever see Ruthie Camden in a sexy photo shoot.
Lark Voorhies
Via: :www.eonline.com
You probably remember Lark Voorhies as the fresh faced teenager who played Lisa Turtle on the original Saved By the Bell. She also appeared in episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and had her own story arc on Bold and the Beautiful in 1995, and again in 2004. In 2012, Voorhies’ mother told People magazine that her daughter was recently diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, and Lark when on to do multiple interviews denying being Bipolar, and insisted she was just fine. But her changing appearance begged to differ. It’s unclear whether she has had too much plastic surgery, or just doesn’t know how to apply makeup, but she definitely doesn’t look like stylish, beautiful Lisa Turtle anymore.
Danica McKellar
via: www.nydailynews.com
Danica McKellar starred as Winnie Cooper in The Wonder Years from 1988-1993 opposite Fred Savage. She was the one chosen out of hundreds of kids who auditioned, and even beat out her own sister to win the role. After the show ended, McKellar did a variety of guest starring roles. In 2004, she posed for Stuff magazine after she was voted by readers as the 90s star they would most like to see in lingerie. She participated in the 18th season of Dancing With the Stars, and came in sixth place. McKellar also has a degree in mathematics, and has written four books that aim to encourage young girls to have confidence and succeed in math.
Ross Hull
via: www.zimbio.com
If you are Canadian, you probably remember Ross Hull from shows like Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Ready or Not, and Student Bodies. He played Gary, the leader of The Midnight Society on Are You Afraid of the Dark? from 1991-1996, and continued acting until a 2004 appearance on Stargate: Atlantis. Hull completed Mississippi State University’s Meteorology Program, and was hired by Canada’s The Weather Network in 2005. He has since been a weather reporter, and anchor at various news stations across Canada. He now works as a meteorologist for Global Toronto.
Jenna Von Oy
via: www.livewellnetwork.com
We all know Mayim Bailik, who played Blossom‘s title character is now a regular on Big Bang Theory. But what happened to Jenna Von Oy, who played her fast talking best friend, Six? When Blossom ended, Von Oy started film school, but dropped out after two years to return to acting. She played Stevie on The Parkers for 5 seasons, and has made guest appearances on Cold Case, and Family Guy. In 2000, she tried to launch a country music career, but it wasn’t until 2007 that her debut album, Breathing Room was released.
Brian Bonsall
via: www.rnningfool.com
Brian Bonsall played young Andy Keaton on Family Ties from 1986-1989, and also had a part as Alexander Rozhenko on Star Trek: The Next Generation in the early 90s. You also might recognize him as the kid who makes himself a millionaire and spends all the money in a couple weeks in the Disney film, Blank Check. He quit acting in 1995, and moved to Boulder Colorado where he finished school, and started a band. He has been in a number of different bands, and also works on solo projects, and he has stated that he has no interest in returning to acting. He has also had multiple run-ins with the law since his child star days. Who would have thought innocent little Andy Keaton would have neck tattoos?
