Biggest Child Movie Stars of All Time

Biggest Child Movie Stars of All Time

From Hollywood's earliest days, child stars have proven that you don't have to be grown to rake in grown-up box office grosses -- or give performances that wring laughter and tears out of audiences. Moviefone counts down the top 25 child stars of all time. -- By Marilyn Beck, Stacy Jenel Smith, Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster

25. Kirsten Dunst

She started her career as a model at the age of 3 and made her feature film breakthrough at 12, starring alongside Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in 'Interview With a Vampire.' These days she's famous for playing Spidey's main squeeze, Mary Jane, in the 'Spider-Man' films and for attending the same rehab facility as Lindsay Lohan.

Warner Bros. / Everett Collection

24. Lindsay Lohan

Before the sex scandals, arrests, cat fights, car crashes, hospitalizations and pantyless pics, LiLo was a brilliant child actress. She convincingly played twins (one of them British) in 1998's 'The Parent Trap' remake and channeled a mother's personality in 'Freaky Friday.' The hit 'Mean Girls' seemed to assure her huge future, but ...

Everett Collection

23. Sean Astin

Who didn't want to be a Goonie? When Chunk, Mouth, Data and Mikey (played by Astin) went in search of buried treasure, they launched one of the greatest adventure movies of all time. The son of child star Patty Duke and actor John Astin, Sean played Sam in 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy two decades later, making him a kid favorite all over again.

Everett Collection

22. Keisha Castle-Hughes

Playing Paikea in 'Whale Rider' at age 11, the talented New Zealander became the youngest female ever nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. She went on to play the Virgin Mary in 'The Nativity Story' and, ironically, got pregnant in real life at 17.

Newmarket Films

21. Natalie Wood

A three-time Oscar nominee by 25, Wood first stole the nation's heart at age 9 in 'Miracle on 34th Street.' She repped teen angst beautifully with James Dean in 'Rebel Without a Cause' and made audiences cry as Maria in 'West Side Story.' Remarried to Robert Wagner, she drowned under mysterious circumstances off Catalina Island at 43 in 1981.

20th Century Fox / Getty Images

20. Christian Bale

Sure, a 12-year-old can play cute, but when Christian Bale starred as a young internment camp prisoner in Steven Spielberg's 'Empire of the Sun,' he proved pre-teens can handle drama, too. Bale has since dropped 63 pounds for a film ('The Machinist'), gone Western ('3:10 to Yuma') and war hero ('Rescue Dawn'), and played Batman, a role he'll reprise in this summer's 'The Dark Knight.'

Everett Collection

19. Abigail Breslin

At just 11, the Oscar-nominated 'Little Miss Sunshine' breakout is in hot demand in Hollywood. Though her recent 'Definitely, Maybe' with Ryan Reynolds disappointed at the box office, she's everywhere in '08, with this month's 'Nim's Island' (co-starring Jodie Foster), the big-screen version of 'Kit Kittredge' and 'My Sister's Keeper' (with Cameron Diaz).

Fox Searchlight

18. Elijah Wood

Now this is one child star who's kept it together. Wood began acting at age 8 and was soon winning critical acclaim for films like 'Avalon,' 'Radio Flyer' and 'Forever Young.' Roger Ebert said then, "Elijah Wood has emerged, I believe, as the most talented actor in his age group, in Hollywood history." He's since become our favorite hobbit in the 'Lord of the Rings' films.

Warner Bros. / Everett Collection

17. Jodie Foster

The Oscar-winning actress had a booming career as a kid star -- 'Freaky Friday,' 'Candleshoe,' the 'Paper Moon' TV series -- before her indelible performance, at 14, as an underage hooker in 'Taxi Driver.' That netted her an Academy Award nomination and a deranged fan named John Hinkley Jr., who shot President Ronald Reagan trying to impress her.

Everett Collection

Reader Comments (page 1)

Shirley Temple is without doubt truly the best child actor ever !!!

Tatum O Neal, Jodie Foster, and Haley Mills were great also.

I thought the little boy on "The Shining" was great too!

Vannicola at 10:08PM on Jun 12th 2008

25. KIRSTEN DUNST:Great actress, works as a redhead. And what beautiful features.
24. LINDSAY LOHAN: Ah, those were the good old days.
23. SEAN ASTIN: Obviously worthy of an Oscar for "Best Supporting Actor".
22. KEISHA CASTLE-HUGHES: Irony is quite cruel.
21. NATALIE WOOD: What a beautiful girl. And absolutely cute!
20. CHRISTIAN BALE: Great Batman.
19. ABIGAIL BRESLIN: I'd hire her for a movie, too. Just look at those eyes.
18. ELIJAH WOOD: He had (and still has) such huge eyes, which is an advantage.
17. JODIE FOSTER: She is quite a convincing actress, especially in "Flightplan".
16. HAYLEY MILLS: She's too adorable to play Dolores Haze.
15. FREDDIE HIGHMORE: One of the best Charlies since Peter Ostrum.
14. FREDDIE BARTHOLOMEW: Why does mommy want his earnings after she left him?
13. ANNA PAQUIN: What a powerful actress.
12. CHRISTINA RICCI: I loved Casper. Flat-out awesome actress. What a beauty and cutie!
11. TATUMM O'NEIL: You have guts to play opposite your father.
10. HALEY JOEL OSMET: What is he doing these days?
09. ELIZABETH TAYLOR: No wonder I heard her name before! She's legendary!
08. PATTY DUKE: It must've been hard to play Helen Keller.
07. JACKIE COOPER: How adorable.
06. DAKOTA FANNING: She ages very well.
05. DREW BARRYMORE: I loved E.T. as a kid. And she went through so much before 18.
04. MICKEY ROONEY: 9 films beside Ms. Garland herself?
03. JUDY GARLAND: Classic actress.
02. MACAULAY CULKIN: No wonder he's a household name.
01. SHIRLEY TEMPLE: Obviously.

Daniel Martinez at 11:50PM on Jun 13th 2008

Jackie Coogan, the little boy in Charlie Chaplin's silent classic, The Kid, should rank in the top five.

regina at 9:07PM on Jun 19th 2008

Is Disney ever going to show the Scarecrow movie(s)? Patrick McGoohan was a 'scarecrow' hooded horseman that came out at night and did helpful things for poor English farmers. The Scarecrow was a wealthy/noble sort and didn't want to be known for his benificent behavior hence his goodwill was done in the dark. Who remembers? I sure would love to see them again. I remember well lying on my stomach on Sunday nights at 7:30 to watch the Wonderful World of Color by Walt Disney and Walt himself would introduce the program. What a fond memory! Once he introduced the Disney studio artists and what they did; it was AMAZING and captivated our minds to see the how they had to draw countless frames for one film. There was no computer graphics at the time and our kids now can't appreciate this. That episode should be on DVD or rerun! thank U!

Lucy at 10:31PM on Jun 23rd 2008

What about Kurt Russell's brother Emil? He had dark hair and was in Disney movies too. What ever happened to him?

Lucy at 10:32PM on Jun 23rd 2008

Macaulay Culkin????!!!!! WHAT??? How did HE get on the list??? Let alone even CLOSE to Shirley Temple.... If you've made less than 5 good movies you shouldn't be on this list. ( Dont misunderstand me. There are plenty of fine actors that haven't made any movies.....Don't Give Up !!)

MARY at 9:46PM on Jun 26th 2008

MACAULAY CULKIN WAS NUMBER TWO?????? I guarantee you more people are familiar with The Wizard of Oz, than Home Alone.

KARIN at 10:14PM on Jun 26th 2008

Shouldn't Ron Howard be in there somewhere? What about his roles in Andy Griffith and in Courtship of Eddie's father? I guess they're only including movie roles as a child.

thepuma at 10:59PM on Jun 26th 2008

What about Ron Howard? His roles in the Andy Griffith show and in The Courtship of Eddie's Father are classics! I guess they only consider movie roles and not TV as much.

thepuma at 11:01PM on Jun 26th 2008

no one was ever as adorable as drew barrymore in et! she was sooo cute!

DENISE at 11:05PM on Jun 26th 2008

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