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TODD BRIDGES VINTAGE AUTOGRAPH FROM Diff'rent Strokes FROM 1987 AUTOGRAPH ON 3X5 CARD

Todd Anthony Bridges (born May 27, 1965) is an American actor. He portrayed Willis Jackson on the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, and had a recurring role as Monk on the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris. Bridges worked as a commentator on the television series TruTV Presents: World's Dumbest... from 2008 to 2013.

Contents

1 Early life

2 Career

2.1 Television

2.2 Music videos

3 Personal life

3.1 Legal issues

4 Memoir

5 Filmography

5.1 Film

5.2 Television

5.3 Video games

6 References

7 External links

Early life

Bridges was born on May 27, 1965 in San Francisco, California, the son of Betty Alice Pryor, an actress, director, and manager, and James Bridges Sr., a talent agent.[1] Bridges' brother Jimmy Bridges, nieces Penny Bridges, Brooke Bridges and Rachel Bridges, and sister Verda Bridges are all actors.[citation needed]

Career

Television

Bridges (at top right) with the cast of Fish, 1977

Bridges appeared on The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, and the landmark miniseries Roots, and was a regular on the Barney Miller spinoff Fish. But it was playing Willis Jackson, on the long-running sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, that made him a household name, along with those of fellow co-stars Conrad Bain, Charlotte Rae, Dana Plato, and Gary Coleman. With Rae's death in 2018, Bridges became the last surviving original cast member.[2]

Bridges defeated Vanilla Ice on a 2002 episode of Celebrity Boxing. In 2006, Bridges appeared as a contestant on a celebrity episode of Fear Factor, but was eliminated after the first stunt. Also in 2006, he appeared as a contestant on the Fox reality show Skating with Celebrities but was eliminated on the second episode of the show because he was using roller skates instead of ice skates. In January 2007, he appeared as a member of the "mob" on the US version of the game show 1 vs. 100. He and his wife Dori Bridges appeared in the November 14, 2007 episode of the MyNetworkTV show Decision House titled "Burned Bridges". He also had a recurring role on the UPN/The CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris.

In March 2008, Bridges appeared on TruTV Presents: World's Dumbest...; he continues to appear as a frequent commentator. That same year in October, he debuted as one of the contestants on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling, on the CMT Network. He was a member of Team Beefcake (coached by former wrestler Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake). On the show, Bridges' wrestling persona was the character "Mr. Not So Perfect." In one episode, he put the smackdown on Tonya Harding with a lead pipe. The judges praised him for his athleticism and his cunning at defeating Harding. After reaching the finals along with Butterbean and Dustin Diamond, Bridges was defeated by Dennis Rodman. In 2015, Bridges was the host of a live game show, Lovers or Losers: The Game Show, at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Music videos

Bridges has appeared in a few music videos. His first music video appearance was in Penny Ford's single "Change Your Wicked Ways" (1984).[3] Almost 15 years later, he made a cameo in Moby's 2002 music video for "We Are All Made of Stars". In 2011, he appeared in the video for The Black Keys single "Howlin' for You".

Personal life

Bridges' son, Spencir Bridges (born July 15, 1998), with his now ex-wife Dori Bridges (née Smith), is also a former child actor who appeared in the film Daddy Day Camp and an episode of iCarly. Bridges also has a daughter from a previous relationship.[4] In 1998, Bridges and his brother James were credited with saving the life of Stella Kline, a 51-year-old paraplegic woman. The woman nearly drowned when her wheelchair rolled into a lake while she was fishing. Kline said "I was thanking God that he was there, and you know, everybody's been saying nothing but bad stuff about Todd Bridges on the news and in the papers... He has a heart of gold." Bridges remarked on the rescue, "We felt God put us there at the right time to save this lady's life, because there was no one else around."[5] In a 2010 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Bridges said that he was sexually abused at age 11 by a publicist who was also a family friend.[6]

Legal issues

Bridges started smoking marijuana as a 15-year-old star of Diff'rent Strokes.[7] During his 20s, Bridges battled a crack cocaine and methamphetamine addiction. He started dealing drugs to support his addiction. Bridges was arrested for felony assault and cocaine possession.[8]

In 1983, Bridges was fined $240 for carrying a concealed firearm.[9] In 1987, he received a suspended sentence after pleading no contest to charges of making a bomb threat.[9]

In 1989, Bridges was arrested and tried for the attempted murder of Kenneth "Tex" Clay, a Los Angeles-area drug dealer who, prosecutors argued, had been shot by Bridges. Bridges pleaded not guilty to the charges and was represented by the high-profile defense attorney Johnnie Cochran. Cochran argued that Bridges was an abused minor who had been driven to drugs by an exploitative entertainment industry and was now being unfairly framed. A witness finally testified that Bridges was not present at the time of the shooting. Bridges was acquitted of all charges by a jury.[10][11]

Bridges was arrested on December 29, 1992 after Burbank police officers discovered methamphetamines and a loaded gun in his car. The arrest was for suspicion of transporting narcotics for sale and possession of a loaded firearm. He was released on $10,000 bail.[9][8] Bridges gave up drugs on February 24, 1993 after years of abuse.[7][12]

Memoir

Bridges wrote a book titled Killing Willis: From Diff'rent Strokes to the Mean Streets to the Life I Always Wanted (2008), discussing his childhood sexual abuse, drug addiction, criminal charges, and efforts to establish a public identity independent of the character, "Willis," he portrayed.[13] He appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on April 28, 2010 to discuss the troubled past he chronicles in his memoir.[8]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes

1989 She's Out of Control Water Man

1992 The Sounds of Silence Joe Goodman Independent film, co-starring Dana Plato

1992 Homeboy Johnny Davis

1996 Gangstaz Tyrone

1997 The Girl Gets Moe Dr. Glick

1998 The Waterfront Gary Franklin

1999 Flat Out Dr. Acosta

2000 The Thief & the Stripper Burn

2002 The Beach House Todd

2002 The Climb Eddie

2002 Welcome to America Easy T

2002 Scream at the Sound of the Beep Lamar

2002 Pacino is Missing Harrison Dodge Ind. film, co-starring Dana Plato

2002 Baby of the Family Ted

2003 Pauly Shore Is Dead Himself Cameo

2003 Dumb Luck Lincoln

2004 Land of the Free? Alex

2004 Curse of the Maya Ruben Herardo

2005 Treasure N'Tha Hood Henry Nails

2005 Issues Carson

2005 I Got Five on It Jimmy Direct-to-video

2007 Frankie D Frankie D

2008 Darkroom Charles the Barkeep

2009 See Dick Run ATM

2009 I Got Five on It Too Jimmy

2009 The Jerk Theory Waiter Uncredited[citation needed]

2010 Big Money Rustlas Scruffy Scrub #3

2010 The Apparition of Roxanne Officer Johnston

2010 Do Me a Solid Maurice Short film

2011 King of the Underground Todd

2012 That's My Boy Himself Cameo

2012 Turning Point Marvin

2014 Monsters on Main Street Larry Goleman

2016 Dependent's Day Hank Wright

2016 Precious Mettle Sam

2016 The White Sistas Bishop Wilkins

2016 Dead Ringer Detective Billington

2016 Bar Chronicles The Customer Ind. film

2016 Nightblade Detective Francesco

2016 Renaissance Man Todd

2016 Hospital Arrest Prosecutor Denuyl

2017 The White Sistas Bishop Wilkins

2019 A Psycho's Path Haywood

Television

Year Title Role Notes

1975 Barney Miller Truman Jackson Episode: "The Hero"

1975 The Orphan and the Dude Leonard Brown TV movie

1975 Katherine Robert TV movie

1976 Police Story Little Walter Episode: "Oxford Gray"

1977 Little House on the Prairie Solomon Henry Episode: "The Wisdom of Solomon"

1977 A Circle of Children Todd TV movie

1977 Roots Bud Harvey TV Mini-Series

1977 A Killing Affair Todd York TV movie

1977–78 Fish Loomis Main role (35 episodes)

1977/78 The Waltons Josh Foster 2 episodes

1978 The Love Boat Michael Jr. Episode: "Mike and Ike"

1978–86 Diff'rent Strokes Willis Jackson Main role (169 episodes)

1979 The Return of Mod Squad Jason Hayes TV movie

1979/80 CHiPs Todd Bridges 2 episodes (uncredited)[citation needed]

1979 Hello, Larry Willis Jackson 3 episodes

1979/81 The Facts of Life Willis Jackson 2 episodes

1980/81 Here's Boomer Turk/Benny 2 episodes

1983 High School U.S.A. Otto Lipton TV movie

1988 Twice Dead Petie TV movie

1991 The New Lassie Deputy Kirby Episode: "Twin Pekes (Aka Justice)"

1992 The Ben Stiller Show Todd Bridges 2 episodes

1997 L.A. Heat Trevor Episode: "Cop Star"

2000 The Darkling Baron TV movie

2001 Son of the Beach Todd Bridges Episode: "It's a Nude, Nude, Nude, Nude World"

2002 The Rerun Show T.J. Davis 1 episode

2002 The Young and the Restless Juice 8 episodes

2003 Ghost Dog: A Detective Tail Power Plant Guard TV movie

2004 Jane Doe: Now You See It, Now You Don't The Man TV movie

2005 Alien Express Peter TV movie

2007–09 Everybody Hates Chris Monk 17 episodes

2008–12 World's Dumbest Himself 112 episodes

2014 Hotel P Bryce Pilot

2016–18 Sangre Negra Dante Lewis 3 episodes

Video games

Year Title Voice role

2014 Tesla Effect Mantus

2016 2064: Read Only Memories Hayden Webber

2019 Take a Seat Narrator

Contents

1 Early life

2 Career

2.1 Television

2.2 Music videos

3 Personal life

3.1 Legal issues

4 Memoir

5 Filmography

5.1 Film

5.2 Television

5.3 Video games

6 References

7 External links

Early life

Career

Television

Bridges (at top right) with the cast of Fish, 1977

Music videos

Personal life

Legal issues

In 1983, Bridges was fined $240 for carrying a concealed firearm.[9] In 1987, he received a suspended sentence after pleading no contest to charges of making a bomb threat.[9]

Memoir

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes

1989 She's Out of Control Water Man

1992 The Sounds of Silence Joe Goodman Independent film, co-starring Dana Plato

1992 Homeboy Johnny Davis

1996 Gangstaz Tyrone

1997 The Girl Gets Moe Dr. Glick

1998 The Waterfront Gary Franklin

1999 Flat Out Dr. Acosta

2000 The Thief & the Stripper Burn

2002 The Beach House Todd

2002 The Climb Eddie

2002 Welcome to America Easy T

2002 Scream at the Sound of the Beep Lamar

2002 Pacino is Missing Harrison Dodge Ind. film, co-starring Dana Plato

2002 Baby of the Family Ted

2003 Pauly Shore Is Dead Himself Cameo

2003 Dumb Luck Lincoln

2004 Land of the Free? Alex

2004 Curse of the Maya Ruben Herardo

2005 Treasure N'Tha Hood Henry Nails

2005 Issues Carson

2005 I Got Five on It Jimmy Direct-to-video

2007 Frankie D Frankie D

2008 Darkroom Charles the Barkeep

2009 See Dick Run ATM

2009 I Got Five on It Too Jimmy

2009 The Jerk Theory Waiter Uncredited[citation needed]

2010 Big Money Rustlas Scruffy Scrub #3

2010 The Apparition of Roxanne Officer Johnston

2010 Do Me a Solid Maurice Short film

2011 King of the Underground Todd

2012 That's My Boy Himself Cameo

2012 Turning Point Marvin

2014 Monsters on Main Street Larry Goleman

2016 Dependent's Day Hank Wright

2016 Precious Mettle Sam

2016 The White Sistas Bishop Wilkins

2016 Dead Ringer Detective Billington

2016 Bar Chronicles The Customer Ind. film

2016 Nightblade Detective Francesco

2016 Renaissance Man Todd

2016 Hospital Arrest Prosecutor Denuyl

2017 The White Sistas Bishop Wilkins

2019 A Psycho's Path Haywood

Television

Year Title Role Notes

1975 Barney Miller Truman Jackson Episode: "The Hero"

1975 The Orphan and the Dude Leonard Brown TV movie

1975 Katherine Robert TV movie

1976 Police Story Little Walter Episode: "Oxford Gray"

1977 Little House on the Prairie Solomon Henry Episode: "The Wisdom of Solomon"

1977 A Circle of Children Todd TV movie

1977 Roots Bud Harvey TV Mini-Series

1977 A Killing Affair Todd York TV movie

1977–78 Fish Loomis Main role (35 episodes)

1977/78 The Waltons Josh Foster 2 episodes

1978 The Love Boat Michael Jr. Episode: "Mike and Ike"

1978–86 Diff'rent Strokes Willis Jackson Main role (169 episodes)

1979 The Return of Mod Squad Jason Hayes TV movie

1979/80 CHiPs Todd Bridges 2 episodes (uncredited)[citation needed]

1979 Hello, Larry Willis Jackson 3 episodes

1979/81 The Facts of Life Willis Jackson 2 episodes

1980/81 Here's Boomer Turk/Benny 2 episodes

1983 High School U.S.A. Otto Lipton TV movie

1988 Twice Dead Petie TV movie

1991 The New Lassie Deputy Kirby Episode: "Twin Pekes (Aka Justice)"

1992 The Ben Stiller Show Todd Bridges 2 episodes

1997 L.A. Heat Trevor Episode: "Cop Star"

2000 The Darkling Baron TV movie

2001 Son of the Beach Todd Bridges Episode: "It's a Nude, Nude, Nude, Nude World"

2002 The Rerun Show T.J. Davis 1 episode

2002 The Young and the Restless Juice 8 episodes

2003 Ghost Dog: A Detective Tail Power Plant Guard TV movie

2004 Jane Doe: Now You See It, Now You Don't The Man TV movie

2005 Alien Express Peter TV movie

2007–09 Everybody Hates Chris Monk 17 episodes

2008–12 World's Dumbest Himself 112 episodes

2014 Hotel P Bryce Pilot

2016–18 Sangre Negra Dante Lewis 3 episodes

Video games

Year Title Voice role

2014 Tesla Effect Mantus

2016 2064: Read Only Memories Hayden Webber

2019 Take a Seat Narrator

Ex-“Diff’rent Strokes” star Todd Bridges, 35, has been credited on with saving the life of a paraplegic woman whose wheelchair rolled into a lake while she was fishing, reports the Associated Press. The incident involving Bridges, who played Willis on the popular sitcom, occurred on Thursday in a San Fernando Valley, Calif., park and was made public on Friday. Stella Kline, 50, said that her electric wheelchair lurched into the water after her fishing line caught on the chair’s controls. Bridges happened to be fishing nearby with his brother, James. The former TV actor freed Kline, who was trapped in three feet of water. “I was thanking God that he was there,” said Kline. “And you know, everybody’s been saying nothing but bad stuff about Todd Bridges on the news and in the papers . . . He has a heart of gold.” Bridges had made headlines in the ’80s and ’90s thanks to some brushes with the law. Said Bridges of his rescue efforts: “We felt God put us there at the right time to save this lady’s life, because there was no one else around.”

After leading a life that could have been spun from the pen of a daytime-TV scribe, somehow it makes sense that Todd Bridges, the former child star who charmed audiences on the sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes," won a role on the soap opera "The Young and the Restless."

Getting the recurring part of Juice (whom he describes as a "bad guy who's out for revenge") was a coup for the actor, who in recent years has fought to work in show business at all. "I didn't think they were even gonna see me," he says of the "Y&R" casting team. "I've been sober over 10 years, but you still buy into the lie that they're not gonna hire you."

Bridges's fears were earned, however. His post-"Strokes" years were full of run-ins with the law; the most devastating came in 1989, when he was accused of shooting an alleged drug dealer at a South Central L.A. crack den. He was eventually cleared of the charges, though he admitted to having a 14-gram-a-day cocaine habit, Entertainment Weekly reported in 2000.

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Bridges gave up drugs on February 24, 1993, after years of abuse (he started smoking pot as a 15-year-old star of "Diff'rent Strokes"). "I just decided that I could no longer live this way -- I didn't like the person I had become," he says.

The troubles for Bridges began at home. Though he enjoyed success early on -- he scored roles on series such as "Little House on the Prairie" after making his acting debut in a Jell-O commercial at age 6 -- his home life was not a mirror for the happy family Bridges experienced on "Strokes." At 12, he was sexually molested by a family friend, and he also withstood years of alcohol-fueled abuse from his father, James, who died in 1996. "He didn't know how to love," Bridges says.

Still, it helped that he was born into a theatrical family: Mom Betty is an actress and acting coach; his dad was an agent; and Bridges's siblings, Verda, now 40, and James junior, now 41, are also actors. And he had "Strokes," which ran from 1978-86 and was "one of the greatest experiences of all time," he says.

These days, Bridges is working to break the "spiritual curse" of abuse with his own son, Spencir, 4, with his actress wife, Dori, 27. And with his dark days behind him, the Venice Beach, California-based Bridges spends time lecturing youngsters about the dangers of drugs.

He also runs a production company, Little Bridge Productions, with his brother. Among his in-the-works projects is his autobiography, which he'd like to bring to the big screen. And he hopes that his stint on "Y&R" (he filmed eight episodes) is the beginning of a renaissance. "I know I'm a good actor," he says. "So hopefully I'll get the opportunity to prove it."

The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began their acting career as a child. To avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor. Closely associated is teenage actor or teen actor, an actor who reached popularity as a teenager.

Many child actors find themselves struggling to adapt as they become adults, mainly due to typecasting. Lindsay Lohan and Macaulay Culkin are two particular famous child actors who eventually experienced much difficulty with the fame they acquired at a young age. Many child actors also become successful adult actors as well, a prime example of this being Jodie Foster, who was 14 years old in the film Taxi Driver in 1976 and went on to become an adult star in the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs.

Contents

1 Regulation

1.1 California

1.2 United Kingdom

2 Issues

2.1 Ownership of earnings

2.2 Competitive pressure

3 Post-success troubles

4 Post-childhood success

4.1 Other careers

5 See also

6 References

7 External links

Regulation

In the United States, the activities of child actors are regulated by the governing labor union, if any, and state laws. Some projects film in remote locations specifically to evade regulations intended to protect the child. Longer work hours or risky stunts prohibited by California, for example, might be permitted to a project filming in British Columbia. US federal law "specifically exempted minors working in the Entertainment Business from all provisions of the Child Labor Laws." Any regulation of child actors is governed by disparate state laws.

California

Due to the large presence of the entertainment industry in California, it has some of the most explicit laws protecting child actors. Being a minor, a child actor must secure an entertainment work permit before accepting any paid performing work. Compulsory education laws mandate that the education of the child actor not be disrupted while the child is working, whether the child actor is enrolled in public school, private school or even home school. The child does his/her schoolwork under the supervision of a studio teacher while on the set.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, a child actor is defined as someone under school leaving age.[1] Before a child can work, they require a performance license from their Local Education Authority as well as a licensed chaperone; a parent can only chaperone their own child, unless they are a licensed chaperone, and a chaperone's duties include acting in loco parentis and record arrival and departure time from the work place, the time a child is working, their breaks and the amount of tutoring.[1][2] A child requires three hours minimum of tutoring daily and a lesson must be a minimum of 30 minutes to count towards the total and with regards to 16 and 17-year-olds in further education, considerations are made in regards to their studies.[3]

There are regulations and guidance to safeguard all actors under the age of 18; OFCOM guidance states a child's health and safety, wellbeing and welfare is paramount in television production and factors such as their age, maturity and life experiences can affect their performance.[4] OFCOM also advises that broadcasters undertake risk assesmsents, consider seeking expert advice and follow best practise.[4]

Issues

Ownership of earnings

Before the 1930s, many child actors never got to see the money they earned because they were not in charge of this money. Jackie Coogan earned millions of dollars from working as a child actor only to see most of it squandered by his parents. In 1939, California weighed in on this controversy and enacted the Coogan Bill which requires a portion of the earnings of a child to be preserved in a special savings account called a blocked trust.[5] A trust that is not actively monitored can also be problematic however as in the case of Gary Coleman who after working from 1974, later sued his adoptive parents and former business advisor for $3.8 million over misappropriation of his trust fund.[6][7]

Competitive pressure

Some people[who?] also criticize the parents of child actors for allowing their children to work, believing that more "normal" activities should be the staple during the childhood years. Others[who?] observe that competition is present in all areas of a child's life—from sports to student newspaper to orchestra and band—and believe that the work ethic instilled or the talent developed accrues to the child's benefit.[citation needed]

The child actor may experience unique and negative pressures when working under tight production schedules. Large projects which depend for their success on the ability of the child to deliver an effective performance add to the pressure.[citation needed]

Ethel Merman, who several times worked in long-running stage productions with child actors, disliked what she eventually saw as their overprofessionalization - "acting more like midgets than children" - and disapproved of parents pushing adulthood on them.[8]

Post-success troubles

The failure to retain stardom and success and the exposure at a young age to fame has caused many child actors to lead adult lives plagued by legal troubles, bankruptcy and drug abuse.

Examples include child cast members of the American sitcom Diff'rent Strokes Todd Bridges, Gary Coleman, and Dana Plato. Plato went on to pose for Playboy magazine and was featured in several softcore pornography films. She was arrested twice for armed robbery and forging prescriptions, and died in May 1999 from an overdose of prescription medication, deemed suicide. Coleman famously sued his parents for misuse of his trust fund and, although awarded over $1,000,000, filed for bankruptcy in 1999. After many charges of assault throughout the next years, Coleman died in May 2010. Bridges was plagued with many legal troubles as well as an addiction to cocaine. After breaking this habit, he became an anti-drug activist and traveled across the U.S., touring schools and warning about the dangers of drug abuse. He has since made several cameo appearances on multiple television programs.

The popular television sitcom Full House made child stars out of Jodie Sweetin and the Olsen twins. After the show, Sweetin went on to develop an addiction to methamphetamine, as well as alcoholism. She later overcame this and wrote a memoir describing her experiences. Mary-Kate Olsen, as well as Tracey Gold from the serial Growing Pains, both developed eating disorders, for which they were treated with intensive rehab. Anissa Jones, best known for appearing in the sitcom Family Affair, overdosed on August 28, 1976 at age 18.

Jonathan Brandis, who appeared in a number of films as a child and teenager, committed suicide by hanging in November 2003 at the age of 27 due to reasons possibly related to his lack of continued success into adulthood. Likewise, Sawyer Sweeten, a child actor who portrayed Geoffrey Barone on the American sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, took his life in April 2015 at the age of 19, after a period of depression.

Drew Barrymore was notorious for her illegal and public antics beginning shortly after her first role in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Barrymore admits to smoking cigarettes at age nine, drinking alcohol by the time she was 11, smoking marijuana at the age of 12, and snorting cocaine at the age of 13. At the age of 14, she attempted suicide.

Another popular example today of child actors with post-success troubles would be Lindsay Lohan. Famous for her starring roles in The Parent Trap (1998), Freaky Friday (2003), Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004), Mean Girls (2004), Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005), Just My Luck (2006) and Georgia Rule (2007), Lohan has since run into much trouble with the law. In May 2007, Lohan was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI.) Lohan entered the Promises Treatment Center rehabilitation facility where she stayed for 45 days. In July of that year, less than two weeks out of rehab, Lohan was arrested a second time on charges of possession of cocaine, driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license. In August, Lohan pleaded guilty to misdemeanor cocaine use and driving under the influence and was sentenced to an alcohol education program, community service, one day in jail, and was given three years probation. The same month Lohan entered the Cirque Lodge Treatment Center in Sundance, Utah for a third stint at rehabilitation, staying for three months until her discharge in October. In November, Lohan served 84 minutes in jail. A sheriff spokesman cited overcrowding and the nonviolent nature of the crime as reasons for the reduced sentence.

In 1990, actor and writer Paul Petersen founded a support group for child actors, "A Minor Consideration", following the suicide of another former child star, Rusty Hamer. The group seeks to improve working conditions for child actors and to assist in the transition to adult life, whether in acting or other professions.[9]

Post-childhood success

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Jodie Foster in 1974

There are many instances of troubled adult lives due to the stressful environment to which child actors are subjected. It is common to see a child actor grow up in front of the camera, whether in films, television shows or both. However, it is not uncommon to see child actors continue their careers throughout as actors or in a different professional field.

Jodie Foster started acting at age three, becoming the quintessential child actor during the 1970s with roles in films such as Tom Sawyer (1973) Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), Bugsy Malone (1976), The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976), and Freaky Friday (1976). A child prodigy, Foster received at age 13 her first Academy Award nomination, and later took a sabbatical from films to attend Yale University. She made a successful transition to adult roles, winning two Academy Awards for Best Actress before the age of 30, and starring in several successful and acclaimed films such as The Accused (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Nell (1994), Maverick (1994), Contact (1997), and The Brave One (2007), thus establishing herself as one of the most accomplished and sought-after actresses of all-time. She has also ventured into directing, and her directing credits include films such as Little Man Tate (1991) and Money Monster (2016) and television shows such as House of Cards, Orange Is the New Black and Black Mirror.

Now adults, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, the three leads of the acclaimed Harry Potter film series (2001–11), starred in all the installments in the series, and have since then continued to act in film, television, and theater in their late twenties and early thirties.

Dakota Fanning rose to prominence after her breakthrough performance at age seven in the film I Am Sam (2001). Her performance earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination at age eight in 2002, making her the youngest nominee in SAG history. She later appeared in major Hollywood productions, in such acclaimed blockbuster films as Man on Fire (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), Charlotte's Web (2006), Hounddog (2007), The Secret Life of Bees (2008), Coraline (2009), The Twilight Saga film series (2009–12), The Runaways (2010), and The Motel Life (2012). Fanning's younger sister, Elle Fanning also rose to prominence as a child actress, having appeared in many films since before she turned three.

Miranda Cosgrove, known mainly for her role on Drake & Josh as a child, gained more attention for her role as a teenager in the show iCarly. Since the end of the show she has been featured in other roles, including as the voice of Margo in the Despicable Me franchise. Once she was of age, she decided to pursue a college degree in film at the University of Southern California.[10]

Shirley Temple became a public figure and diplomat, beginning in the 1960s. Some of her duties included representing the United Nations, and becoming a U.S. ambassador in countries such as Ghana and Czechoslovakia.[11]

Mary-Kate Olsen was treated for an eating disorder, deemed anorexia, but her twin sister remained less troubled. In an article with the magazine Marie Claire, Mary-Kate expressed the bittersweet nature of the twins' childhood. "I look at old photos of me, and I don't feel connected to them at all," she said. "I would never wish my upbringing on anyone... but I wouldn't take it back for the world." The twins now have continued success in the fashion industry with an estimated net worth of approximately $100 million.

Drew Barrymore started acting at age three. During her childhood she battled with drugs, but today she continues to act in films. Natalie Portman took a small break in acting to get a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Harvard University before continuing her career as an actress. Rider Strong, known as "Shawn Hunter" in Boy Meets World, was educated at Columbia University and now runs a successful blog and published a graphic novel.[12] Neil Patrick Harris got his acting start in Doogie Howser, M.D. He continues to act in television, films and theater.

Jonathan Lipnicki, known mostly for the Stuart Little films, now successfully competes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.[12] Sara Gilbert is known for her role on Roseanne and is now successful as a talk show host on The Talk. Also from Rosanne, Michael Fishman continued to work in film, but behind the scenes and has since been nominated for an Emmy for the work he did in Sports Science. [12] Kirsten Dunst and Lacey Chabert both made the transition from a child actress to an adult actress with a rough patch including depression. After a stay in a rehabilitation center, Dunst was able to recover and continue her career. She proves that the pressures of growing up under the spotlight may not come without repercussions.[13]

Roddy McDowall, who had a long and distinguished career including as the regular star of the Planet of the Apes series; Micky Dolenz, who started his career as a child star in the 1950s, grew up to be a musician of the successful 1960s pop group The Monkees, which had its own successful television show; Ron Howard, who, in addition to being the star of both of the long running The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days television series, became an Academy Award-winning director in adulthood; Elijah Wood, who continued his career successfully into adulthood starring as Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings film series and starring as Ryan Newman in the television series Wilfred. Other child actors who have continued their careers into adulthood include Rose Marie, Hayley Mills, Ann Jillian, Johnny Whitaker, Kathy Garver, Tim Matheson, Bonnie Franklin, Melissa Gilbert, Danielle Brisebois, Erika Eleniak, Max Pomeranc, Christina Ricci, Shelley Fabares, Candace Cameron Bure, Karron Graves, Gaby Hoffmann, Hilary Duff, Molly Ringwald, Stacy Ferguson, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lisa Whelchel, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Soleil Moon Frye, Melissa Joan Hart, Dean Stockwell, Fred Savage, Neil Patrick Harris, Michelle Chia, Shawn Lee, Joshua Ang, Aloysius Pang, Scarlett Johansson, Raven-Symoné and other Academy Award winners and nominees include; Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joaquin Phoenix, Helen Hunt, Irene Cara, Reese Witherspoon, Hilary Swank, Christian Bale, Saoirse Ronan, Brie Larson, Lacey Chabert, Elizabeth Taylor, and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Other careers

Many actors' careers are short-lived and this is also true of child actors. Many actors out of personal choice that start their careers as child actors decide not to pursue the same careers as adults, Shirley Temple became a public figure and diplomat. Peter Ostrum, appearing in his only role, the title character of Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory became a large-scale veterinarian surgeon. Whilst Jenny Lewis, formerly of film Troop Beverly Hills in 1989, is a well-known singer-songwriter indie rock musician.

In Poland, child actor identical twin brothers Lech and Jarosław Kaczyński became very successful politicians, at one time Lech being President and Jarosław the Prime Minister.