Can child stars actually do well and transition into successful adult life ?  

There have been a few child actors who have grown up to be successful. I don't know if you remember the Camerons, Kirk and Candance they were brother and sister he was on a show that escapes me and she was on Full House as DJ. They both are well off, have families, no drug problems. Very religious, too. I think they grew up well because they had God in their lives and good adults (parents and things).

I do think it is possible, but very rare in this day in age. Parents have to let the children be kids and let them know fame and things are not important. They must set a good example. Some celebrity kids are too spoiled and out of touch with reality. It's possible, though.

There have been a couple who come to mind right now.

Ron Howard, who played Opie Taylor on the old Andy Griffith Show stayed out of trouble and is a successful director. Drew Barrymore transitions from child star to adult star but I recall that she had some problems along the way. Hillary Duff went from playing Lizzie McGuire as a child to singing and continues to act. Raven Symone who played Olivia on "The Cosby Show" and starred in "That's So Raven" is supposed to be in the Transformers movie and I believe she also sings.

It's got to be very difficult emotionally on children who find themselves washed up at 12 or 14 years old, especially after spending years being adored by fans and told how great they are.

sadly it seems the majority of the child stars have a hard or impoosible time changing over, i don't think they are ever as big a star after they get grown & that's got to be hard on them & cause problems.

Yes some can do very well here is a list and I am sure there are more. Elizabeth Taylor is my number one.

Here is a list of childhood stars who also became adult stars

1. Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster heads the list, she is a spectacularly talented actress. I was amazed by her performance as a teenager in 'Taxi Driver' and in so many movies as an adult.


2. Kirsten Dunst
Stunning in 'Interview with a Vampire' and 'The Virgin Suicides', she's had a very successful adult career. Her first 'proper' adult role was probably 'Spider-Man' where she wasn't playing a high-schooler for the complete length of the movie.


3. Winona Ryder
Another actress who has been a critical favourite for many many years. I really liked her as a teenager in 'Lucas' and 'Edward Scissorhands'. As an adult, like Jodie Foster, her list of great performances is very long.


4. Anna Paquin
She was wonderful in 'The Piano' and was recently the star of the HBO series 'True Blood'. She's had an interesting career as an adult.


5. Natalie Portman
Completely charming in 'Leon', she has set the screen alight with her adult performances as well. Her breakthrough adult role was 'Closer'.


6. Christina Ricci
Loved her in 'Now and Then' and 'The Ice Storm' as a kid. Her adult career hasn't been as great as her talent deserves but she was great in her role on the TV series 'Ally McBeal' and in 'Monster'.


7. Scarlett Johansson
She was a introverted traumatized teen in 'The Horse Whisperer' and is a very sought after actress today. Her breakthrough adult roles came while she was still a teenager in 'Lost in Translation' and 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'.

You can see the then and now photos on this link:
http://www.listal.com/lis...

I think child stars are a little gimmicky to begin with. They're like those child prodigies who can play a Transcendental Etude on the piano when they're still learning to tie their shoelaces. In both cases, it is not necessarily their talent alone that attracts so much attention and admiration, but because they can do what they can at such a young age. So little Johnny's rendition of La Campanella might pale in comparison to the great masters', lacking interpretive originality and technical flair, but the fact that he can hit all the right keys alone will impress a lot of people because he's young and he looks cute doing it. By no means am I saying that child stars and child prodigies lack talent, but what seems to be their main appeal is their age. Do you notice how there seem to be so many child prodigies, yet hardly any of them become famous concert pianists? For a lot of them, I think it's because they become like everyone else when they grow up. Nobody cares if an adult can hit all the right keys, and he'll need something more in order to succeed. I think it's the same way with child actors. While they may be talented, maybe they're only successful because they're so darn cute. Also a for a lot of them, they lack direction in their life because acting is the only thing they know of. Being an actor is so central to their identity that they don't know what to do with themselves when they cannot act anymore. What is crucial for a child actor to succeed later on, I think, is flexibility and the willingness to adapt to the circumstances. And they need to realize that what may have worked when they were a child might not appeal to the audience anymore, and rework their acting persona.

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I think Drew Berrymore is okay and she was a child star. I also think that John Cussiak and his sister did alright in their transitions as well. I guess it all depends on the person.

Hi ronnyb! Yes, I have heard about what happened to Gary Coleman, actually I have loved watching his sitcom before. And it is sad with what happened to them now. One Hollywood child star that is my favorite now is Dakota Fanning and now that she is fourteen, I hope that she will continue to be successful. There are a lot of child stars here in our country who have been successful now that they are adults. Other child stars have chosen to continue heir education in regular schools and have pursued another career paths and others have stayed as actors. However, there are a few who have not been successful. I guess, the people or the adults around them played an important role or part in helping them in the transition because most of what I have read in the news, most child actors' guardians and mentors only have one interest and that is to make more money out of their ward. Sad, isn't it?
take care and have a great day!
lovelots..faith

I think it's possible depending on the attitude of the child star. I mean, there were child stars in the past who thought that just because they're earning their own money, they need parental supervision and guidance. Take Macaulay Culkin and Drew Barrymore as examples. Macaulay Culkin had tiffs with his parents over money. I guess he thought he can live his life the way he wants to because he had the money. But look where he is now. Drew Barrymore after E.T. and Firestarter, her life went awry and she resorted to vices. Some people even called described as a juvenile delinquent. But she was able to redeem herself and now, she's back on track and even producing movies. So I guess, it all boils down to the person's attitude. Both allowed the pressures of superstardom take its toll on them but then one allowed himself to be swallowed by the pressure while the other learned her lesson and used her previous fall as her stepping stone towards making a brand new start. A child star can have parental or adult supervision but it depends on the star if he or she will welcome that guidance and heed much-needed advice or throw caution to the wind and try to live their lives the way they want to.

The thing is that children grow and become adults. And life gets more difficult and people expect more from them. People expect them to still be sweet and cute and do only nice things. But anyone can do mistakes, even a superstar. And people learn from their mistakes. Society doesn´t treat good their artists, this makes everything difficult. The art should be the most important thing, because the artists are people like you and me, that can make mistakes, can get sick, can feel sad... and so on.