Child Stars That Grew Up Right In Front Of Our Eyes

Most of us went through an awkward phase, and we’re willing to bet that it was during the teenage years. There’s really no way around it, this is a phase we must all go through, but luckily most of us manage to escape relatively unscathed. These celebrities can be envied for their fame and riches, but one thing we are not jealous of is the fact that they had to go through their this phase in the spotlight, with prying eyes and judgmental opinions everywhere. These celebrities truly grew into themselves. Take a look at some of the most amazing transformations.

Kylie Jenner

Kylie Jenner is the youngest of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, and avid viewers of Keeping Up With The Kardashians will remember her from the early days, when she looked completely different from the Kylie we’re familiar with today. She had to go through her awkward phase with millions of viewers tuning in. Fortunately for her, it also meant that she was able to build a makeup empire thanks to her fame.

Danica McKellar

Danica McKellar became well known when she appeared on The Wonder Years, and was many a young boy’s first celebrity crush. She is still acting but she is also a math writer and education advocate, having written books like Math Doesn’t Suck, Kiss My Math, Hot X: Algebra Exposed, Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape. She hopes to encourage more girls to become interested in and build confidence with math skills.

Jonathan Lipnicki

Jonathan Lipnicki stole our hearts when he starred in Jerry Maguire as the adorable Ray Boyd. He later appeared in Stuart Little, Stuart Little 2, The Little Vampire, Like Mike, and more recently Broil. He also had a role in popular TV show Dawson’s Creek.

Alexa PenaVega

Alexa PenaVega is best known for her role as Carmen Cortez in the Spy Kids film series. She later appeared as Julie Corky in the movie Sleepover in 2004. She landed the lead role on Ruby & the Rockits in 2009. She married actor Carlos Pena Jr. in 2013, and the couple has three children together. They also have a YouTube channel called LexLovesLos.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Gordon-Levitt started out his career early on, appearing in films like A River Runs Through It, Holy Matrimony, Angels in the Outfield, and later got his big break on TV show 3rd Rock from the Sun. After taking some time off from acting, he attended Columbia University, and then returned to acting. He’s since starred in many successful films including 500 Days of Summer, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Snowden, and The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan started acting when she was just 10 years old in the soap Another World. Her big break came in the 1998 film adaptation of The Parent Trap. She then appeared in Life-Size, Get a Clue, Freaky Friday, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Mean Girls, and Just My Luck. She took some time away from acting to focus on her substance abuse and checked into rehab. Following many years out of the spotlight and focusing on sobriety, in 2022 she signed a deal with Netflix for several films.

Tatyana Ali

Tatyana Ali is best known for appearing as Ashley Banks on the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran from 1990 until 1996, though she began acting when she was just 6 years old, appearing on Sesame Street. She layer played Tyana Jones on Love That Girl! and had a recurring role on The Young and the Restless from 2007 until 2013. She has also dabbled in music, releasing an album called Kiss the Sky in 1998.

Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe will always be associated with his role as Harry Potter in the 8-part film franchise. He first began acting at age 10, when he appeared in BBC One’s production of David Copperfield. He later appeared in films like The Woman in Black, Kill Your Darlings, Victor Frankenstein, and Now You See Me 2. He’s also appeared on stage productions including Equus, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, The Cripple of Inishmaan, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and The Lifespan of a Fact.

Lacey Chabert

Lacey Chabert first appeared on All My Children in 1992. She went on to star in Party of Five as Claudia Salinger. In 1998, she lent her voice to The Wild Thornberrys, providing the voice of Eliza Thornberry. She also provided the voice of Meg on Family Guy‘s first season. She went on to star in Not Another Teen Movie, Daddy Day Care, and became a household name in 2004 when she appeared in Mean Girls. She has also starred in 27 Hallmark Channel films.

Alyson Stoner

Alyson Stoner first became known when she was 10 years old and appeared in Cheaper By the Dozen and later its sequel, Cheaper By the Dozen 2, as well as the Step Up film franchise. She was the host of Mike’s Super Short Show on Disney Channel and also appeared in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. She voiced Isabella Garcia-Shapiro in Phineas and Ferb and also was a backup dancer for Missy Elliot, Eminem, Kumbia Kings, Outkast, and Will Smith.

Matthew Lewis

Matthew Lewis is best known for playing the role of Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter film franchise. His first acting role was in 1995’s Some Kind of Love. Following his Harry Potter success, Lewis starred in The Rise, Me Before You, and Channel 5’s show All Creatures Great and Small.

Anna Chlumsky

Anna Chlumsky started out her acting career by starring in My Girl in 1991, in which she played the role of Vada Sultenfuss. She also appeared in the film’s 1994 sequel. From 1999 until 2005, she took time off to attend the University of Chicago, but returned to acting, appearing on HBO show Veep from 2012 until 2019. The role earned her six Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Jaleel White

Whether he likes it or not, Jaleel White will always be associated with his role on Family Matters as Steve Urkel, known for his nerdy outfits and nasal-y voice. Though the character was supposed to be a one-time guest appearances, audiences loved him so much that he was promoted to regular cast member. In 2019, he reprised the role for Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? He has appeared in many TV shows and movies including Dream Girls, Castle, Psych, Bones, and The Big Show Show.

Claire Danes

Claire Danes first became known for appearing on My So-Called Life when she was a young teenager. She earned a Golden Globe for Best Actress as well as a nomination for a Primetime Emmy nomination for the role. She later appeared in films like Romeo + Juliet, Les Miserables, The Hours, and Stardust. She also played Carrie Mathison on hit series Homeland, which earned her two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

Nicola Peltz

Nicola Peltz first became known for playing Bradley Martin in Bates Motel. She later appeared in Transformers: Age of Extinction as Tessa Yeager. Her first role was in Christmas comedy Deck the Halls, when she was just 9 years old. In 2019 she appeared in The Obituary of Tunde Johnson and in 2020 she starred in Holidate. In April 2022, she married Brooklyn Beckham, the son of David and Victoria Beckham.

Jerry O’Connell

Jerry O’COnnell started acting early on and his first big break came when he starred in Rob Reiner’s film Stand by Me. He later appeared in Jerry Maguire, Body Shots, Mission to Mars, Tomcats, Scream 2, and Kangaroo Jack. He wrote the screenplay for First Daughter, of which he also was the executive producer. In July 2021, it was announced that he would be replacing Sharon Osbourne as a co-host on The Talk.

Abigail Breslin

Abigail Breslin made her film debut in 2002 when she appeared in M. Night Shyamalan’s film Signs. She also appeared in Raising Helen and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. She became a household name when she starred in Little Miss Sunshine, which earned her a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress when she was just 10 years old. She’s since starred in films like No Reservations, My Sister’s Keeper, Zombieland, Rango, and Stillwater.

Afshan Azad

Afshan Azad is best known for her role as Padma Patil in five of the Harry Potter films, the first of which she appeared in being Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. She married Nabil Kazi in 2018 and in July 2021, she gave birth to their daughter.

Nicholas Hoult

Nicholas Hoult first appeared in the 1996 film Intimate Relations when he was just 7 years old. His breakthrough role came in 2002 when he starred in About A Boy, which earned him a Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer. He then had a lead role in Skins, appeared in the X-Men film franchise, Jack the Giant Slayer, Warm Bodies, The Favourite, and Those Who Wish Me Dead.

Amber Scott

Amber Scott had a notable appearance in the live action adaptation of Hook, which also starred Robin Williams as Peter Pan and Dustin Hoffman in the title role of Captain Hook. Scott played Maggie Banning, daughter of Peter and Moira Banning, when she was just 7 years old. She has not been active as an actress in the industry since then.

Danielle Fishel

Danielle Fishel first appeared in TV shows Full House and Harry and the Hendersons before landing her breakthrough role as Topanga Lawrence-Matthews on Boy Meets World in 1993, when she was 12 years old. She later reprised this role on the reboot of the show, Girl Meets World, which ran from 2014 until 2017. She is a resident reporter for PopSugar.

Zac Efron

Zac Efron started acting in the early 2000s and made it big when he starred as Troy Bolton in the High School Musical film trilogy from 2006 until 2008. He later starred in Hairspray, 17 Again, New Year’s Eve, Neighbors, Dirty Grandpa, Baywatch, Extremely Wicked Shockingly Evil and Vile. He also appears in Down to Earth with Zac Efron, a Netflix web documentary series.

Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris was just 16 years old when he first starred in Dougie Howser, M.D. which ran from 1989 until 1993 and earned him a nomination for a Golden Globe for Best Actor. He later starred as Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother from 2005 until 2014, earning him for Emmy Award nominations. He later appeared in A Series of Unfortunate Events, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Harold & Kumar, The Smurfs, and Gone Girl. He also played the lead role in Hedwig and the Angry Itch on Broadway, for which he won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.

Soleil Moon Frye

Soleil Moon Frye started acting when she was just two years old but she became well known for her title role on Punky Brewster, playing Penelope “Punky” Brewster from 1984 until 1988. She reprised the role in the reboot in 2021. She later appeared in Sabrina, The Teenage Witch as Roxie King from 2000 until 2003. She married producer Jason Goldberg in 1998, but the two announced their divorce in 2022.

Eric Lloyd

Eric Lloyd is best known for his role in The Santa Clause film series, in which he played Charlie Calvin. He also appeared in the NBC show Jesse and Dunston Checks In. In 2015, he opened up. a production and post-production music and film studio called LP Studios in Glendale, California.

Emma Watson

Emma Watson is best known for her role in the Harry Potter film franchise in which she played Hermione Granger for all eight films. Following her role in the series, she also appeared in My Week With Marilyn, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Bling Ring, Noah, Beauty and the Beast, and Little Women. She also attended Brown University, graduating with a degree in English Literature in 2014.

Shia LaBeouf

Shia LaBeouf is best known for playing Louis Stevens on the Disney Channel show Evens Steven from 2000 until 2003. He appeared in films Disturbia and Surf’s Up before his breakthrough film role came in the Transformers film series from 2007 until 2011. He is also known for films like Holes, Lawless, American Honey, The Peanut Butter Falcon, and Pieces of a Woman.

Michelle Trachtenberg

Michelle Trachtenberg’s first film was Harriet the Spy in 1996, followed by Inspector Gadget in 1999. She then appeared on Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 2000 until 2003. She went on to appear in TV shows and films like Eurotrip, Ice Princess, and Gossip Girl.

Daniel Curtis Lee

Daniel Curtis Lee is best known for his role in Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide on which he played Simon “Cookie” Nelson-Cook from 2004 until 2007. He later appeared on Zeke and Luther and had small roles in shows like Good Luck Charlie, Glee, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, 9-1-1, and Game On: A Comedy Crossover Event.

Alyssa Milano

Alyssa Milano first became well known when she played Tony Danza’s daughter on Who’s The Boss? in 1984. When she was just 12, she starred in Commando alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. She later tried to have roles that were very different from her Who’s The Boss? character and appeared in films like Deadly Sins, Candles in the Dark, Confessions of a Sorority Girl, The Surrogate, and To Brave Alaska.

Freddie Highmore

Freddie Highmore started out his acting career when he was just a child, first appearing in Finding Neverland when he was 12 years old in 2004. He then starred as the title character in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and later August Rush and The Spiderwick Chronicles. He then starred as Norman Bates in Bates Motel from 2013 until 2017. In 2017, he started to play the role of Dr. Shaun Murphy in The Good Doctor, which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor nomination.

Kristen Stewart

Kristen Stewart first became well known for her role as Jodie Foster’s daughter in the 2002 film Panic Room, which was when she was 12 years old. She later appeared in Speak, Catch That Kid, and Into the Wild. Her breakthrough mainstream role came in 2008 when she starred as Bella Swan in the The Twilight Saga film series. She earned an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination for her role as Diana, Princess of Wales in 2021’s Spencer.

Christina Ricci

Christina Ricci first appeared in a film in 1990 when she was 9 years old when she starred in Mermaids. Her breakthrough role came just a year later when she played Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family and its sequel. She continued acting ever since and appeared in films like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Sleepy Hollow, Black Snake Moan, and The Matrix Resurrections.

Elijah Wood

Elijah Wood’s first film role was in 1989, when at 8 years old he appeared in Back to the Future Part II. He then starred in many films as a child star and into adulthood. He’s appeared in movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Everything Is Illuminated, and Bobby. The role he will always be associated with is of Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. He reprised the role for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato first began acting in 2002 in the Barney & Friends children’s show. Lovato later appeared in Camp Rock, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, which helped streer Lovato’s career into music. In 2008, Lovato released album Don’t Forget, which helped launch Demi’s career as a pop star.

Candace Cameron Bure

Candace Cameron Bure first became known for her role as D.J. Tanner on the hit show Full House. She reprised the role for the spinoff, Fuller House, and also became known for her extensive work on the Hallmark Channel, starring in the channel’s adaptation of the Aurora Teagarden book series. She also served as a co-host on The View from 2015 until 2016.

Alex D. Linz

Alex D. Linz is a former child star who starred in films in the late 90’s and early 2000s. He first appeared in the TV show Cybill and later on The Young and the Restless. He later played Michelle Pfieffer’s son in the film One Fine Day in 1996. His big break came in 1997 when he starred in Home Alone 3. Since 2007, he has not worked in the industry as an actor.

Alisan Porter

Alisan Porter first appeared in the 1989 film Parenthood and also Stella and I Love You to Death. Her big break came in 1991 when she starred in Curly Sue alongside Jim Belushi. As an adult, she has spent a lot of time in musical theater, with roles in The Ten Commandments: The Musical and A Chorus Line. In 2016, she starred in and won season 10 of The Voice.

Evanna Lynch

Evanna Lynch is best known for her role as Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter film franchise, first appearing in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. She later appeared in the parody series called A Very Potter Senior Year in 2012. She later went on to appear in G.B.F., Houdini, and My Name Is Emily. She is also a vegan lifestyle advocate and has a vegan themed podcast and a cruelty free cosmetics brand.

Bonnie Wright

Bonnie Wright is best known for her role as Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter film franchise, having first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 2001. She alter appeared in independent films like Before I Sleep, The Sea, and After the Dark. She graduated from the University of the Arts London with a degree in filmmaking in 2012.