OK—it's not that far out to think of a list of child celebrities who are no longer famous, but some just seem to stand out more than others. Whether they were your childhood crush or acted in your favorite movie, it seems that the only time we see these people anymore is in a re-run on television. We get it—Hollywood is an extremely tough place to stay active and even relevant in, but some child actors seem to have left the scene a little too soon. Take a trip down memory lane by checking out this list of child celebrities who are no longer famous.
1 Kirk Cameron
Starting off this list of child celebrities who are no longer famous is Kirk Cameron. Brother of Candace Cameron (DJ on Full House), this guy was a total teen heartthrob. If you didn't watch Growing Pains, you were totally missing out on his curly hair and adorable smile. After Growing Pains, Cameron went on to make many films, including Growing Pains reunions that didn't do so well in the box office. Today he has 6, count 'em, 6 kids, so we can bet he's been pretty busy in other areas.
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2 Haley Joel Osment
Most famous for his role in The Sixth Sense (which he received an Academy nomination for!), Haley seemed to have a very bright career ahead of him. He had a few roles in other films such as Pay It Forward and Secondhand Lions, as well as many voice overs for animated films, but hasn't done much since.
3 Macaulay Culkin
Who could forget this child actor who totally came into our hearts in Home Alone 1 and 2. Macaulay also starred in the popular movies Uncle Buck, My Girl, and Richie Rich, but essentially "retired" from acting at 14. Macaulay became relevant in Hollywood gossip magazines later on, but for negative reasons. In 2004 he was arrested for drug possession and was briefly jailed. Now he performs with a band called the Pizza Underground and we keep seeing images of him with, well, pizza. As confusing as this may sound, we hope that Macaulay has his life back in order and is doing well.
4 Mara Wilson
Mara played the adorable little girl in Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire with the unforgettable mature speech and slight lisp. She also starred in the re-make of Miracle on 34th Street—things seemed to be going great! Nowadays, Mara acts as a hobby and also enjoys creative writing and young adult fiction. To each her own!
5 Jonathan Lipnicki
Remember him from Jerry Maguire, Stewart Little, and Like Mike? Who could forget the spikey-haired kid with Coke bottle glasses who was too cute for words? Jonathan hasn't appeared in any major films since, but he's now apparently some big body builder with killer washboard abs. Go ahead and Google him, you won't believe it,
6 Jaleel White
Heidi-ho Winslows. Steve Urkel is now a very attractive grown up (and he was at the time of Family Matters which is why the "machine" that turned him into his attractive alter ego wasn't so hard to do). Since Family Matters, Whilte has appeared on Dancing with The Stars and now hosts a game show on the Syfy channel, but not much aside from that.
7 Rider Strong
Rider played the hunk, Shawn Hunter, on Boy Meets World. The only time we've really seen him since then was in that horrific (in terms of quality, not scariness) film Cabin Fever. Rider has been confirmed to appear in a few episodes of the spinoff of Boy Meets World, Girls Meets World, but it's hard to say whether this show will do well or not—you can't mess with a classic!
Making it big in Hollywood is one thing, but continuing to make it big is a whole 'nother ball game. These child actors had great early careers, but for one reason or another later took a different route. What child actors do you miss from the silver screen?
