Child actors who grew up to be successful entertainers

One of the more prominent members of "The All New Mickey Mouse Club," Aguilera also appeared on "Star Search" at age 9, first showcasing her mesmerizing soprano voice to the world. It's been music, obviously, that turned Aguilera into a household name as she grew up. The multiple Grammy winner has been a regular presence on "The Voice" and is set for a Las Vegas residency this year.

She comes from one of Hollywood's most famous families and enjoyed a rather infamous childhood after earning fame at age 7 for her role as the precocious little sister "Gertie" in the 1980s blockbuster "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial." Grown up and sober, Barrymore has blossomed into a Hollywood mogul juggling actor, producing and directing gigs. She's still not afraid to have fun, though it's more controlled these days.

Bateman has gone from child orphan ("Little House on the Prairie") to conniving friend ("Silver Spoons") to teen idol ("The Hogan Family"). However, he's become an even bigger star as an adult thanks to his role as Michael Bluth, "Arrested Development's" voice of reason within the famed dysfunctional family. He's also enjoyed film success for such pictures as "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" and "Horrible Bosses."

Billingsley will forever be known as "Ralphie" from the timeless 1983 classic "A Christmas Story," but even before that TV viewers got a glimpse of him chugging chocolate milk in commercials for Hershey's chocolate syrup. Though he's never been able to replicate the acting success he enjoyed as a child, Billingsley pops up often in films with buddy Vince Vaughn and also as a producer and director. 

Not only is Bonaduce still breathing, but he also continues to work, currently in radio. The journey has been quite adventurous for the 59-year-old, who is best known as wise-cracking Danny Partridge from the 1970s hit "The Partridge Family." Since then Bonaduce has tried his hand at everything from talk show host to professional wrestler. He's battled substance abuse, but he is still grinding out a living in the media world.

D.J. Tanner from "Full House" has grown up to run a "Fuller House" and become the face of those Hallmark Christmas movies that are staples of guilty pleasure television. Cameron Bure, who made her big screen debut in the 1980s John Hughes classic "Some Kind of Wonderful" as Eric Stolz's knowledge spewing little sister, has also written several inspirational books and is an active producer.

It's been a bumpy ride for Culkin since his days as the cute little boy from "Uncle Buck" and the "Home Alone" franchise fame. Yet Culkin is still standing. He's survived problems with family and drugs, and some questionable relationships, to once again find relevancy as an entertainer. Whether it's on television, the big screen, rock stage or the internet, Culkin is still a presence and not afraid to take shots at himself. 

The child star of the Disney hit series "Hannah Montana," Cyrus has grown up to become one of the most popular, and somewhat controversial, pop stars around. She's tried her hand at film, is still an MTV staple and has appeared on "The Voice." There are those who don't take Cyrus seriously as an adult, but not many young stars appreciate the history of music as much as she does.

While Dunst earned acclaim for her child roles in "The Bonfire of the Vanities" and "Interview with the Vampire," her first film role was in Woody Allen's "New York Stories" at 6 years old. Dunst was one of the biggest stars in the late 1990s and well into the 2000s and continues to pop up on both film and television. She's even taken her turn at writing and directing.

Fanning was 7 years old when she wowed film-goers in "I Am Sam." At 25, Fanning is one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood after receiving critical praise for her roles in such films as "The Secret Life of Bees" and "The Runaways" as a blossoming young performer. Fanning has also modeled over the last decade.

There's probably no better example of a child actor maintaining celebrity status as an adult than Foster. She started acting at 3 and shined in films like "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" and "Taxi Driver," for which she earned an Oscar nomination at 14. As an adult, Foster's won Academy Awards for "The Accused" and "The Silence of the Lambs" and was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award.

Half-sisters, Melissa and Sara Gilbert remain vital Hollywood figures after enjoying success as young actresses. Melissa earned fame as a child through Alpo dog chow commercials and as Laura Ingalls on the popular series "Little House on the Prairie." She's continued to act as well AS direct and was president of the Screen Actors Guild. Sara starred in the first run of "Roseanne" as snarky daughter Darlene aT age 13 and reprised the role on "The Conners." She is also co-host and executive producer of "The Talk."

Harris was one of the most popular actors around in his early teens on "Doogie Howser, M.D.," but his professional success was significantly elevated as an adult. In addition to his role as babe-hound Barney Stinson on "How I Met Your Mother," Harris has won multiple prime-time Emmy awards and a Tony award. He's also hosted both award shows and the 2015 Academy Awards.  

As a child Hoffmann starred in such classics as "Field of Dreams," "Uncle Buck" and "Sleepless in Seattle." That alone is a resume most actors would envy. As she got older, Hoffmann's career shifted to the stage, but she's returned to the screen and TV. In recent years, Hoffman had received Emmy nominations for her work on "Girls" and "Transparent."

It should not be a surprise that little Opie Taylor became a famous adult actor and filmmaker. He was around legends Andy Griffith and Don Knotts all that time on the "The Andy Griffith Show." The roll call of blockbuster Howard-directed films is still remarkable: "Cocoon," "Apollo 13," "A Beautiful Mind" and many more. For the money, his 1976 television directorial debut "Cotton Candy" is worthy of cult classic status.  

The child star of films like "Troop Beverly Hills" and the "The Wizard," Lewis shifted her career focus toward music. She first enjoyed success as the lead singer of indie band Rilo Kiley and even more as a solo artist . On Lewis' upcoming release "On the Line," she received contributions from music giants like Beck, Ringo Starr, Don Was and Benmont Tench.

Whether playing the preteen daughter of Tony Danza ("Who's the Boss?") or of Arnold Schwarzenegger ("Commando"), Milano enjoyed plenty of sustained success Hollywood success as a youngster. Things have not been too bad for her as an adult, either, with roles on "Melrose Place" and "Charmed." We'll forgive her for portraying Amy Fisher, but Milano has kept busy and recently has been part of the Netflix universe.

O'Neal is still the youngest actor to win an Academy Award, at age 10 for her part as Addie Loggins in "Paper Moon" (1974), opposite her father, Ryan O'Neil. Success followed with "The Bad News Bears" and "Little Darlings," but so did O'Neal's off-screen trouble. She has lived though alleged sexual abuse, drugs issues and problematic relationships. Yet, she still remains an intriguing figure who has stayed active in film, television and recently via podcasting.

As a kid, Ribeiro tap-danced on Broadway, drank Pepsi with Michael Jackson and was one of Ricky Schroder's best friends on "Silver Spoons." As an adult, Ribeiro lived with the Fresh Prince and gave us one of the most iconic dances of all time. He's won "Dancing with the Stars" and hosted "America's Funniest Home Videos." Ribeiro's not even afraid to go after the creators of the most popular video game on the planet.

At age 9, Ricci burst onto the scene as the quirky, swimming-obsessed "Kate" in "Mermaids" (1990) alongside Cher and Winona Ryder. She earned more praise as Wednesday Adams in "The Addams Family" films. But as Ricci got older, her roles got darker ("Buffalo '66," "The Opposite Sex"), and those performances earned her even more acclaim. She's been nominated for a Golden Globe, an Emmy and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

We loved him as the little kid in bed from "The Princess Bride" and the relatable Kevin Arnold on "The Wonder Years." Savage's success as adult, however, has come behind the camera. He's found a home calling the shots while directing episodes on some of TV's biggest hits like "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "Modern Family" and "The Goldbergs." Wonder if he still has that New York Jets jacket? 

Another member of "The All New Mickey Mouse Club ," Spears did theater at an early age and then followed a common path of child stars to "Star Search" and Disney. In the late 1990s and into the 2000s, Spears was on top of the teen-pop world, but like many young stars she found herself amid personal troubles. But Spears has bounced back. She's still making music, received a lifetime achievement award from Disney and opened the door for pop queens like Katy Perry and Selena Gomez to shine.  

The multitalented television and film personality captured hearts as little Olivia, step-daughter of Lisa Bonet's character on "The Cosby Show." Success on "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper" and as the star of "That's So Raven" shows that Raven-Symone was around to stay. She's co-hosted "The View," released albums and now is back with Disney reprising one of her most famous roles, on "Raven's Home." 

It can be argued that JT is the biggest all-around star. He shines on stage as one of the world's most entertaining pop stars, continues to prove he is worthy of time on the silver screen ("The Social Network") and is quite funny as a somewhat regular on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." To think, all this really started on " The All New Mickey Mouse Club."

It was at age 9 that Wood drew praise for his role as the young "Michael" in Barry Levinson's 1990 drama "Avalon." That really got the ball rolling for Wood, who has not stopped since. As he's matured, his work has continued to excel, most notably with "The Lord of the Rings" franchise. Wood also produces and started his own record label while a major presence in voice-over animation.