Hollywood has a bit of a Peter Pan complex sometimes never wanting its child actors to grow up. But grow up they must as people do. Occasionally, the actors and actresses we love as children make the transition to adult stars … sometimes making a pit stop as amateur porn stars … before going on to transition successfully into adult actors known for more than just their childhood roles. Sometimes those transitions are less successful and we spend their infamous adulthoods wondering what happened? (Drugs and alcohol happened, that’s what. Looking at you, Lindsay Lohan .) Others, like second-time mama Drew Barrymore , go through seriously rough growing pains and emerge on the other side bigger and better than anyone could have imagined. Maybe there’s hope for LiLo yet. And then there’s Leonardo DiCaprio who just gets better and better with age. Seriously. He’s a fine wine. Take a look at these 21 child actors who grew up and stayed famous. Or infamous. 21 Child Celebrities Then and Now Open Slideshow 1. Anna Paquin Anna Paquin won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in The Piano. She went on to play Rogue and Sookie Stackhouse. Not too bad. View As List 1. Anna Paquin Anna Paquin won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in The Piano. She went on to play Rogue and Sookie Stackhouse. Not too bad. 2. Amanda Bynes Okay, so we didn’t say they were ALL success stories. Amanda Bynes was a delightful child star whose hard-partying ways caught up to her. Kind of like another star we know… 3. Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Lohan had a bright, bright future when she hit the scene. And then her star went completely out and now she can’t even keep a reality show afloat. 4. Britney Spears Britney Spears got her start as a Mousketeer (like a few more faces we’ll see in this gallery). Now she’s a headliner in Las Vegas. 5. Christina Aguilera Teen singing rival to Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera was also a Mouseketeer. She managed to keep her nose clean while growing up and landed a job on The Voice. 6. Christina Ricci Famous for playing Wednesday Addams, Christina Ricci was a rising star in the 90s. She’s kept an air of mystery through the years. 7. Dakota Fanning Dakota Fanning started making films when she was in kindergarten. She eventually landed herself a role on Twilight. Not sure if that’s good or bad. 8. Daniel Radcliffe Daniel Radcliffe was only part of the way through filming the Harry Potter franchise when he decided to shed his child-star image by performing in the nude in Equus. Yep. That’ll do it. 9. Drew Barrymore Perhaps one of the most successful child stars to make it as an adult is Drew Barrymore. She’s still setting trends with that hair of hers. 10. Elijah Wood Elijah Wood will forever and always be Frodo Baggins no matter what. Unless he pulls a Daniel Radcliffe and gets naked on Broadway. Maybe. 11. Justin Timberlake Before he was a sex symbol, Justin Timberlake was a Mouseketeer and boyfriend to one Britney Jean Spears. 12. Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Dunst is still making headlines these days, though it’s for the controversial things she says and not so much the movies she’s in. 13. Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardi DiCaprio is like a fine wine. He just keeps getting better and better with age. 14. Macaulay Culkin Once upon a time, Macaulay Culkin ordered pizza while he was home alone. Now Macaulay Culkin eats pizza and sings about it. 15. Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen are probably among the absolute most famous child stars ever. EVER. 16. Neil Patrick Harris From Doogie Howser to Hedwig to Barney Stinson, Neil Patrick Harris is still amazing. 17. Rupert Grint Rupert Grint might be Ron Weasley, but as an adult Rupert Grint is just sort of hot. While he’s not making too many films right now, we certainly have hopes that will change. 18. Ryan Gosling Hey, girl. Check out Ryan Gosling as a child star and check out Ryan Gosling’s pecs now. 19. Shia LeBeouf So maybe Shia LeBeouf’s success is on the decline, but he sure did have a good run between the time he was a kid and the time he went crazy. 20. Emma Watson Emma Watson is working her way up the Hollywood ladder by making smart choices and staying out of trouble. Good girl, Emma!
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21 Child Stars Who Grew Up and Stayed Famous … or Infamous
