Heroes from the past 13 child stars from the movies - and what became of them
Child stars often face an uncertain professional future - not so the "Harry Potter" actors Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Daniel Redcliffe, who became world-famous almost overnight in 2001.
Image: Warner Bros
In the mid-1980s, Radost Bokel became known worldwide through the movie "Momo". Today, the 49-year-old continues to work as an actress.
Image: IMAGO/APress
The movie "Kevin - Home Alone" made Macaulay Culkin an internationally renowned child star in 1990. Today, the 43-year-old is only rarely seen in front of the camera.
Image: IMAGO/Hutchins Photo
Miley Cyrus achieved international fame in 2006 with the TV series "Hannah Montana". Today, the 31-year-old is a successful singer.
Image: IMAGO/Cover-Images
At the age of 12, Teo Gheorghiu played a piano prodigy in the Swiss movie "Vitus". Today, the 31-year-old is a world-class pianist.
Image: SRF
Daniel Radcliffe was also just 12 years old when 'Harry Potter' was launched. Today, the 34-year-old actor is a father and still appears in films from time to time.
Image: IMAGO/Sipa USA
Christina Ricci was recently replaced as the legendary Wednesday Adams. Today, the 44-year-old is active as an actress or voice actress in various television series.
Image: IMAGO/FAMOUS
Ariana Richards hid from raptors in "Jurassic Park". Today, the 44-year-old is no longer active as an actress - she completed her last project in front of the camera in 2013.
Image: Getty
At the age of ten, Inger Nilsson became the face of a generation in the role of Pippi Longstocking - and beyond. Today, she is 65 years old and still works as an actress from time to time.
Image: IMAGO/TT
The phrase "I see dead people" made him world-famous. The "Sixth Sense" actor Haley Joel Osment is now 36 years old and can be seen in the series "The Boys" on Amazon Prime, among others.
Image: IMAGO/Everett Collection
Emma Watson has shot several more blockbusters after "Harry Potter". Today, however, the 34-year-old prefers to focus on her activism. Among other things, she is a UN Special Envoy.
Image: IMAGO
Jaleel White was 12 years old in the US sitcom "All Under One Roof". Today he is 47 and still works as an actor - for example in TV series such as "Hawaii Five-0", "Castle" and "Atlanta".
Image: IMAGO/Newscom World
Child stars often face an uncertain professional future - not so the "Harry Potter" actors Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Daniel Redcliffe, who became world-famous almost overnight in 2001.
Image: Warner Bros
In the mid-1980s, Radost Bokel became known worldwide through the movie "Momo". Today, the 49-year-old continues to work as an actress.
Image: IMAGO/APress
The movie "Kevin - Home Alone" made Macaulay Culkin an internationally renowned child star in 1990. Today, the 43-year-old is only rarely seen in front of the camera.
Image: IMAGO/Hutchins Photo
Miley Cyrus achieved international fame in 2006 with the TV series "Hannah Montana". Today, the 31-year-old is a successful singer.
Image: IMAGO/Cover-Images
At the age of 12, Teo Gheorghiu played a piano prodigy in the Swiss movie "Vitus". Today, the 31-year-old is a world-class pianist.
Image: SRF
Daniel Radcliffe was also just 12 years old when 'Harry Potter' was launched. Today, the 34-year-old actor is a father and still appears in films from time to time.
Image: IMAGO/Sipa USA
Christina Ricci was recently replaced as the legendary Wednesday Adams. Today, the 44-year-old is active as an actress or voice actress in various television series.
Image: IMAGO/FAMOUS
Ariana Richards hid from raptors in "Jurassic Park". Today, the 44-year-old is no longer active as an actress - she completed her last project in front of the camera in 2013.
Image: Getty
At the age of ten, Inger Nilsson became the face of a generation in the role of Pippi Longstocking - and beyond. Today, she is 65 years old and still works as an actress from time to time.
Image: IMAGO/TT
The phrase "I see dead people" made him world-famous. The "Sixth Sense" actor Haley Joel Osment is now 36 years old and can be seen in the series "The Boys" on Amazon Prime, among others.
Image: IMAGO/Everett Collection
Emma Watson has shot several more blockbusters after "Harry Potter". Today, however, the 34-year-old prefers to focus on her activism. Among other things, she is a UN Special Envoy.
Image: IMAGO
Jaleel White was 12 years old in the US sitcom "All Under One Roof". Today he is 47 and still works as an actor - for example in TV series such as "Hawaii Five-0", "Castle" and "Atlanta".
Image: IMAGO/Newscom World
They were world-famous actors in their youth - but what are the celebrities of yesteryear doing today? blue News takes a look at the careers of 13 particularly successful child stars.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- These people were already in front of the camera as children and some of them became world-famous overnight.
- But even child stars grow up at some point - and what do they do then?
- blue News profiles 13 people who enchanted international cinema and TV audiences at a young age.
He was Alf the extraterrestrial's favorite person: In the 1980s, millions of international viewers got to know Benji Gregory.
The successful US TV sitcom "Alf" ran from 1986 to 1990, after which the teenager disappeared from the limelight again. Until now, when it was announced that Gregory, whose real name was Benjamin Hertzberg, had died at the age of 46.
Child stars don't always have it easy. What sounds like a run-of-the-mill cliché is unfortunately all too often the case: parents put pressure on them, as do the filmmakers - and at the latest when success sets in, the fans also raise the alarm.
blue News has selected 13 child stars from Germany and abroad who once starred in successful cinema and television films and TV series - but what are they doing today?
If you want to know what they look like today: Click through the picture gallery above.
1. Radost Bokel
Radost Bokel achieved international fame in 1986 with the leading role in the movie "Momo". The film adaptation of Michael Ende's novel tells the story of a girl who fights against the gray masters who steal time from people.
After her performance as "Momo", the now 49-year-old continued to focus on her career as an actress. She took on roles in film, TV and theater, but was unable to build on her early success.
In recent years, Bokel has made forays into reality TV. She was a contestant in the sixth season of the RTL show "Ich bin ein Star - Holt mich hier raus!". After a longer break from acting, she appeared two years ago in the semi-documentary film "Hanau", in which she played one of the victims of the attack.
2 Macaulay Culkin
"Kevin - Home Alone" with Macaulay Culkin has been one of the world's most popular Christmas films for more than 40 years. The teenager later also made a guest appearance in Michael Jackson's music video "Black or White" (1991).
However, the success for the 43-year-old has been increasingly elusive. For his film "Richie Rich" (1994), Culkin was even nominated for the Golden Raspberry for worst acting performance.
Three years ago, he had his first acting success in a long time: Culkin appeared in five episodes of "American Horror Story: Double Feature". He was also hired as a model by Italian luxury label Gucci.
3. miley cyrus
As a teenager, Miley Cyrus landed the title role in the children's series "Hannah Montana" and became an international teen star in 2006. It is said that her famous father, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, strongly encouraged her career.
Other feature films followed later and she made a name for herself as a singer: in March 2006, Cyrus released her first song, which appeared under her series name Hannah Montana and was the theme song for the TV series. The first release under her real name appeared just a few weeks later.
The US-American is now 31 years old and almost even more successful than in her childhood. Last February, Cyrus won the coveted Grammy for Recording of the Year. The singer received the award for her song "Flowers".
4 Teo Gheorghiu
Teo Gheorghiu sat at a piano for the first time at the age of five. At twelve, he played the mathematical and musical genius Vitus in the film "Vitus" (2005) by Fredi M. Murer.
At the time, the Swiss filmmaker was looking for a boy who could play the piano. He made enquiries at the conservatory in Zurich, among other places. There he was given the name of Gheorghiu, who was studying in London at the time. He was subsequently invited to Zurich for an audition.
"Film is part of my life," says Gheorghiu. However, the now 31-year-old never wanted to become an actor, but a musician.
Teo Gheorghiu is a well-traveled pianist: of Romanian origin, with a Canadian and Swiss passport, he grew up in the Zurich Oberland and London and made his debut at the Zurich Tonhalle at the age of ten.
Today, the master pianist, who loves Brahms more than anything, lives in French-speaking Switzerland when he is not developing concept albums on bicycle tours across Europe.
5 Daniel Radcliffe
Some say he is the biggest child star ever: Daniel Radcliffe became world-famous in 2001 thanks to the "Harry Potter" films. When the first film entitled "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was made, Radcliffe was twelve years old.
Although the Briton remained active as an actor in the Potter films, he increasingly moved away from big-budget productions and turned to independent films.
Four years ago, Radcliffe appeared in the film "Escape from Pretoria" and was on stage at the Old Vic Theatre in London in the play "Endgame". His last film appearance to date was in the movie "David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived".
This documentary is about the friendship between Radcliffe and his stunt double David Holmes, who has been paraplegic since an accident during the filming of one of the "Harry Potter" films.
6 Christina Ricci
At the age of ten, Christina Ricci played the daughter of a sexually permissive mother (played by singer Cher) in the movie "Mermaids Kiss Better", who moves from one place to another with her two daughters (Winona Ryder) and bag and baggage.
One year later, the then eleven-year-old teenager made her international breakthrough: Ricci took on the role of the mysterious Wednesday Addams in "The Addams Family" (1991) and its sequel "The Addams Family in Mad Tradition" (1993).
As a result, the now 44-year-old achieved what many child stars do not: she established herself as an actress.
Today, Ricci can be seen in independent films as well as Hollywood blockbusters and TV series. Since the film "Prozac Nation - My Life with the Psycho Pill" (2001), she has also worked as a producer.
7 Ariana Richards
Ariana Richards became internationally known through her role in the Hollywood film "Jurassic Park" in 1993. Her portrayal of the granddaughter of John Hammond, the founder of the dinosaur park, brought her international recognition.
After the success of "Jurassic Park" and its sequel "Lost World: Jurassic Park", Richards increasingly retired from acting. She completed a degree in art and drama.
In recent years, the 44-year-old has made a name for herself as a painter. Richards' paintings are exhibited in galleries in the USA and internationally.
8 Alex Niederhäuser
In the 1960s, the rascals Eugen, Wrigley, Bäschteli and Eduard live in Berne and play one prank after another.
"My Name is Eugen" is a Swiss film from 2005 by director Michael Steiner, based on the novel of the same name by Klaus Schädelin. With over 500,000 admissions, the turbulent comedy remains one of the most successful Swiss cinema films to date.
Alex Niederhäuser played Eduard in the film, a role that was tailor-made for him. "Yes, I was also a rascal in real life", he admits, namely in the area of "Füüre, Zeusle, Zündle", as the now 34-year-old told the "Berner Oberländer" in an interview last February. "I almost set fire to our home several times."
Niederhäuser later completed an apprenticeship as a butcher before taking over the Stedtli-Metzg in Nidau BE in 2022 after years of traveling. His luck was short-lived: the butcher's shop closed at the beginning of March. In addition to disagreements with the landlady, the increased price of meat was to blame, according to the local media.
9th Inger Nilsson
Even today, anyone who was allowed to watch TV as a child can hardly avoid Inger Nilsson: from 1969, she played the leading role in the Swedish TV series "Pippi Longstocking", which was based on the popular children's books by Astrid Lindgren.
Although the now 65-year-old actress went on to play other leading roles, many TV viewers will always associate her with the iconic role as the adventurous and unconventional girl.
15 years ago, Nilsson also ventured into the lowlands of reality TV. She took part in "Kändisdjungeln", the Swedish version of jungle camp. In 2021, she also starred in the second season of the crime series "Jäger - Tödliche Gier".
10. Haley Joel Osment
Haley Joel Osment's career as an actor began at the age of four with a few appearances in TV commercials. The eleven-year-old became known to an international audience in the role of Cole Sear in the thriller "The Sixth Sense" (1999).
His performance as a boy who has the ability to see ghosts earned him much praise and subsequently made him one of the most sought-after young actors of his time.
His next cinematic successes were the drama "The Happiness Principle" (2000) alongside Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey and the science fiction drama "A.I. - Artificial Intelligence" (2001), directed by Steven Spielberg.
In 2003, he lent his voice to Mowgli in the remake of "The Jungle Book". After a longer break from filming, Osment appeared in the sports drama "Home of the Giants" in 2006. He is also the English-language voice actor for the characters Sora and Vanitas in the console series "Kingdom Hearts".
More recent films in which Haley Joel Osment has appeared include "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile", "The Boys" and "The Kominsky Method".
11th Katia Schneider-Polletin
Millions of TV viewers loved her laughing head of curls: Viennese-born Katia Polletin became a child star in Europe in the late 1970s with the 26-part SRF series "Heidi".
For four decades, the TV Heidi wanted nothing more to do with acting, as she once revealed to Blick. "On the one hand, everyone was nice to me. But there was also a lot of hype about me. I was constantly being interviewed and had to pose for photos. That got on my nerves over time."
To get some distance, Polletin studied architecture in Paris in the years that followed. Today, she runs the Hotel Almhof Schneider in Lech am Arlberg (A) together with her husband Gerold Schneider.
12th Emma Watson
She was not yet eleven years old when she made her international breakthrough as an actress: Emma Watson became a global star overnight, so to speak, with the role of Hermione Granger in the "Harry Potter" film series.
As soon as the success of this film series became apparent, she was overcome with fear, Watson later revealed in an interview.
"I don't know if you've ever had that feeling that you've reached a tipping point where you've said to yourself: this is going to go on forever. I was afraid of being labeled by this role," says the now 34-year-old.
It's not unusual for child stars to struggle with fame. Emma Watson says she was able to overcome these fears by sharing experiences with her two co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint.
Today, almost a quarter of a century after the first Potter adventure, Watson is still a successful actress. And that's not all: from 2009 to 2011, she studied English literature at the renowned Brown University in Rhode Island, USA, before continuing her studies at Oxford. She has also been a UN Special Envoy for Women's and Girls' Rights since June 2014.
13 Jaleel White
In the US sitcom "All Under One Roof", Jaleel White played the neighbor's son Steve Urkel from 1989 to 1998. The character of the clumsy and lovable outsider proved so popular that he soon became the focus of the TV series.
For the now 47-year-old, the role proved to be both a curse and a blessing. Even before the sitcom was canceled, White had apparently had enough of the role.
Shortly after it ended, he said in the "New York Times": "If you ever see me play this character again: Stun me, put a bullet in my head and put me out of my misery."
White wanted to emancipate himself with his first projects after "All Under One Roof": He played a college graduate in the sitcom "Grown Ups" and he also began studying film and television.
But he never made more than minor guest appearances, for example in the musical film "Dreamgirls" (2006), in the Clint Eastwood drama "15:17 to Paris" or in "Dr. House" (2011). Most recently, he appeared in several episodes of the Netflix comedy "The Big Show Show".
In recent years, White has made various forays into reality TV: in 2012, he took part in the celebrity dance show "Dancing with the Stars". In the same year, he celebrated his premiere as host of the game show "Total Blackout", of which only two seasons were produced.