20 child stars who had a career resurgence as adults

Drew Barrymore was one of the biggest stars on the planet as a child. She starred in E.T. and became the youngest person to ever host Saturday Night Live. Due to issues in her personal life, Barrymore’s career took a hit, but as an adult, she made a major comeback as a rom-com queen, and she’s been working steadily ever since. 

Natasha Lyonne’s claim to childhood fame was her work in Pee-wee’s Playhouse. She suffered some setbacks in her career due to some personal issues, too, but she’s become more famous than ever as an adult thanks to her work in projects like Orange is the New Black, Russian Doll, and Poker Face. 

Disney Channel fans will remember Brenda Song from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, as well as films like Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior. While Song continued working after her Disney days ended, she lost a bit of her popularity as she tried to find a new audience. Her stock is back up, though, and she’s got more recognition than ever. 

Tyler James Williams’ career has been defined by iconic sitcoms. As a kid, he was best known for his work in Everybody Hates Chris. As an adult, his career has blossomed all over again, thanks to his work in Abbott Elementary. 

Anna Chlumsky played the adorable little girl in the hit ‘90s film My Girl. Her career wasn’t quite as poppin’ afterward, but she made a major comeback as an adult when she was cast in the HBO hit series Veep. 

Freddie Highmore was one of those child stars who you definitely recognized from something even if you didn’t know his name. He was in films like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Finding Neverland as a child, and his career picked back up in a major way as an adult when he was cast in Bates Motel and then The Good Doctor. 

You might remember Christian Bale acting in Empire of the Sun or Newsies as a young man. As an adult, you’re probably more familiar with his work in American Psycho or The Dark Knight. 

As a teenager, Felicity Jones appeared in multiple television series and films. Her career has been even better as an adult. Jones has multiple Oscar nominations to her name, and she was the star of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. 

Aisha Dee was in the popular children’s series The Saddle Club as a kid. While she has been steadily acting ever since, some of her projects as an adult have given her even more popularity. Dee has had roles in projects like The Bold Type and Apple Cider Vinegar. 

Cole Sprouse was one half of the twin duo that brought to life characters in Big Daddy, Friends, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and more. He took a break from acting to go to college, but he returned to the industry with several roles, most notably Riverdale. 

Dylan Sprouse was the other half of that twin duo that everyone in the late ‘90s and ‘00s came to know. While Sprouse hasn’t had quite as much success as his brother, he’s still enjoyed his own career resurgence in adulthood. 

Alfred Enoch first gained recognition as Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter series. As an adult, he found new fame thanks to his part in How to Get Away with Murder, as well as a variety of smaller arcs on other TV series. 

Jodie Foster’s career as an adult has been so successful that you might not even know she was a child actress. The Oscar winner started her career when she was very young, finding work on dozens of TV series, including Gunsmoke and Bonanza. Things really took off when she was nominated for her first Academy Award in 1977 for Taxi Driver, and she’s been a huge star ever since. 

Thomas Brodie-Sangster was the little boy in Love Actually. As an adolescent, he never quite shook that role, but he’s become famous again as an adult after working on projects like The Queen’s Gambit and The Artful Dodger. 

Hilary Duff was a sensation as an adolescent, starting with Casper Meets Wendy and continuing through Lizzie McGuire and a handful of successful movies in the early 2000s. She continued popping up here and there for about 10 years, but she surged again in her career with Younger and How I Met Your Father. 

Ke Huy Quan might be the best example of a child star having a career resurgence as an adult. He first found fame in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies, then he struggled for years before quitting acting for about two decades. He returned in the early 2020s and earned an Oscar for his work in Everything Everywhere All at Once.  

Molly Ringwald was an ‘80s icon. Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink — she couldn’t miss. Though she kept acting as an adult, she wasn’t quite as successful as she was during her teen years. Her resurgence came about when she signed on to be in The Secret Life of the American Teenager. 

Neil Patrick Harris rose to fame thanks to his titular role in Doogie Howser, M.D. He worked into adulthood, but he didn’t find another career-defining role until How I Met Your Mother came along.

Mayim Bialik was very popular as a child star, finding roles in multiple films and TV series and starring in Blossom for five years. She kept acting after Blossom ended, but it wasn’t until she was cast in The Big Bang Theory that Bialik returned to the spotlight. 

Jason Bateman was a huge child actor. He had roles in Little House on the Prairie, Valerie, and, of course, Teen Wolf Too. His career picked back up with Arrested Development, and it’s been steady ever since.