Most people think two things when they hear the words “child actor”: washed up has-beens who are desperate for and/or without a job or people who are still working to perfect their craft. I think the latter is more interesting of the two, so I decided to create a little list of child actors who are still in the biz and doing well, in honor of the movie 17 Again coming out this week. Out of the rather large amount, here are my favorites:


10. Christina Ricci

Then: She was one of those kids who you always wanted to be when you were a kid. She was in tons of popular movies in the ‘90s, including Mermaids, The Addams Family series and Casper.

Now: After having a steady string of movies, Ricci jumped into the spotlight again in 2003 when she played the lover of Charlize Theron’s character in Monster. A few years later, she got more indie praise when she starred alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Justin Timberlake in Black Snake Moan.


9. Jerry O’Connell

Then: He’s known for playing the adorable, chubby-cheeked Vern in 1986’s Stand by Me and Andrew Clements on “My Secret Identity”. He made you laugh and he made you cry, proving that he was one great kid actor.

Now: O’Connell’s all grown up now and usually plays the hunky jock type in movies like Can’t Hardly Wait, Tomcats and Jerry Maguire. He is most recognized as Detective Woody Hoyt on hit TV series “Las Vegas” and “Crossing Jordan”.


8. Jason Bateman

Then: After starring in various guest spots on some of TV’s biggest shows (i.e. "Silver Spoons", he got his big break taking over for Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf Too. This movie showed us what instantly became what he is now known for: his comedy.

Now: After the success of “Arrested Development”, which won him a Golden Globe, he has since starred as the leading funny man in movies such as Dodgeball, The Break-Up, Smokin’ Aces, Juno and Hancock.


7. Drew Barrymore

Then: Along with Heather O’Rourke and Linda Blair, Drew Barrymore was a child actor who was guaranteed to send chills up your spine. Starring in movies like Cat’s Eye, Altered States, E.T. and Firestarter, she earned quite the name for herself in Hollywood.

Now: Having just finished her directorial debut under her production company banner Flower Films, Barrymore has Hollywood down to a science. She still stars in several movies a year, the most recent being He’s Just Not That Into You and Grey Gardens.


6. Kieran Culkin

Then: In the early ‘90s, Kieran played the token annoying little brother to his real brother, Macaulay Culkin in the Home Alone series as well as to Kimberly Williams (now Kimberly Williams-Paisley) in the Father of the Bride series.

Now: He went from playing small roles in blockbusters to being the leading man in indie films such as The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys and Igby Goes Down. He recently played the tough older brother to his real brother Rory Culkin in Lymelife.


5. Jackie Earle Haley

Then: In the late ‘70s, Haley played the cigarette-smoking, havoc-wreaking Kelly Leak in The Bad News Bears series. Despite playing the token bad kid, he proved that he had skill back in the day.

Now: Most notably starring as Rorschach in Watchmen, Haley is better than ever. In 2007 he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Little Children.


4. Natalie Portman

Then: Co-starring alongside Jean Reno is no easy task for actors in general, let alone a 13-year-old child actor, but Portman proved she was talent back in 1994 as Reno’s sidekick in Leon. She was also featured in the movies Heat and Beautiful Girls.

Now: In addition to playing Padme in the Star Wars prequels, she raised attention when she earned an Oscar nod in 2004 for her role in Closer. Since then she cemented her place in Hollywood with her roles in Garden State, V for Vendetta and The Other Boleyn Girl.


3. Elijah Wood

Then: His first movie role was in 1989’s Back to the Future Part II as the video game boy. Despite being a small part, Hollywood saw something in him and cast him in movies like The Good Son, Radio Flyer, Forever Young and The Adventures of Huck Finn.

Now: His name is synonymous with Frodo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings. He’s also been in high profile movies like Sin City, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Everything is Illuminated, Bobby, Green Street Hooligans and Happy Feet.


2. Ron Howard

Then: He was in two of the biggest TV shows in history: “Happy Days” as Richie Cunningham and “The Andy Griffith Show” as Opie Taylor. He broke all barriers for the typical child actor.

Now: These days, you can find Howard behind the camera versus in front of it. He’s won two Oscars for his films Frost/Nixon and A Beautiful Mind and gained a ridiculous amount of attention for his other films, such as Apollo 13, Cinderella Man and The Da Vinci Code.


1. Christian Bale

Then: One of his first roles was in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun when he was just 12-years-old. He went on to star in a made-for-TV version of Treasure Island, Newsies and Swing Kids a few years later.

Now: He’s the star in the world’s fourth biggest grossing movie, The Dark Knight. He’s proven that he’s as good as they come with films like American Psycho, The Machinist, Rescue Dawn, The Prestige, I’m Not There and the upcoming Terminator Salvation.