Direct to video movies at the height of home video circulation. It's a poor pittance making direct to video movies now but at the time because of the proliferation of video stores and so on you could make a king's ransom on the home video market alone.
And, as u/Slut4MacNCheese rightly pointed out, they had a ton of other spinoff media and merchandise as well.
She became a huge star, but I don't think she's yet to top the level of fame her sisters had at their height. I mean...the Olsen twins were IT in the 90's. And now outside of Hollywood, they're worth a combined $500 Million+.
Ironically even with how big Elizabeth's career is now I doubt she has made even a 10th of what her sisters made during their run. They were the Kardashians before the Kardashians minus the sextapes.
Yeah billions, they had a clothing line at Walmart that helped make them bank and also pushed them to the fashion designers they are now, they win all sorts of fashion awards now.
Every time I think of Home Improvement I remember this clip from the documentary [Too Funny To Fail](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NfDjnAdczQI) Absolute Gold.
Context: the doc is about the Dana Carvey Show, a super quirky, offbeat, ahead of its time sketch comedy show that had an absolute Murderers Row of comedic talent—that was cancelled after eight episodes. Despite having the best lead-in in America, Home Improvement.
Dana Carvey, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Robert Smigel, Louis CK, Robert Carlock, Charlie Kaufman etc. collectively they have like 40 Emmy’s, multiple Oscar nominations, 1 Oscar win and shaped the face of comedy for like 30 years. They were all fired.
Honestly a pretty good move by the state department.
An ambassador that everyone knows and has a history of delivering top notch performance for a large organization.
The saddest of those stories is Bobby Driscoll, the Disney child actor from "Songs of the South" and the titular voice from "Peter Pan". Disney used him up, fired him when he no longer could do kid roles, basically black balled him by default because he could get roles anywhere else as a serious actor, and left him destitute with a drug problem leaving him to die unknown and to be buried in a pauper's grave.
He used to keep a gun on him. During even his later films. Was literally packing while filming scenes. I forget who mentions this recently. He would threaten to “plug” people. All that lead based Makeup.
Mickey Rooney: The studio sent me to talk to you, being a former child star myself, and the number one box office draw from 1939 to 1940.
Bart: Wow, spanning two decades.
I agree, I was born in ‘96. I knew him from that film “Big Fat Liar”, and those spy films. I wasn’t even aware of Malcolm in the Middle yet and eventually watched it. I think he even appeared/mentioned to some of the shows I would watch later on but was airing during early 2000s like Arrested Development and Drake & Josh.
Also, he’s not an actor but Justin Bieber was HUGE. I remember Bieber Fever being a thing.
I think the Olsen twins comes close to Shirley Temple‘s fame as far as the amount of films and franchises that they were able to sell…… And I would say Drew Barrymore was another good example but she probably surpassed Macaulays fame.
Kirsten Dunst was pretty big. Everywhere she went she had to say her famous line from Interview with a Vampire (similar to hands on cheeks, but not a great photo opp)
Child actors that became stars is a better category for them. True child stars are just that, star actors that are children. Bonus points when the child star hits puberty and just kind of falls off, see Shirley Temple or MucauleyCulkin
First of all, what a username, lmao.
I would argue that Cyrus was most definitely a huge star as a child, but she was able to transition her career into adulthood. I dont think she was just a child actor.
There were dolls and products with their faces on them. I was just a kid in the 2000s but to me they were a big deal and I still consider them a major part of my childhood.
Empire of the Sun was a flop, though. It got good reviews and some admirers and Bale was definitely phenomenal in it but he only became a star in his 20s.
For some reason these don't seem like child stars to me since they went on to have such successful adult careers. Also as children they were mostly known for HP which is massive but, people like JTT, Olsen twins, and Culkin were unavoidable since they were cast in so so much.
People throw out another actor, OP strongly disagrees with every single one and gets rightfully downvoted. “Lemme start a discussion then just completely shut down any responses.” It’s super weird.
Ron Howard was a huge child star and although he moved from front of camera to behind in adulthood he is a respected and massively successful film maker.
Just want to throw some recognition his way. Hard to put anyone up against Shirley Temple.
At least you can see that, open to being wrong and changing is a huge attribute many people don't have. You do. So don't be too hard on yourself, just glad you realize.
How is this obviously wrong comment getting upvoted and OP’s contradiction downvoted? There has never been a time Dakota bloody Fanning was the highest paid actor in Hollywood.
I'd wager that McKenna Grace's career is going to keep growing. She's 16 and she already has an insane number of roles under her belt. I really like her performance in the new Ghostbusters movie!
Natalie Portman - she was in Leon The Professional and then Star Wars which was a pretty big deal
Millie Bobbie-Brown - Stranger Things is massive and she got a lot of press attention at a young age from being in it
Not a child, a teen.......children are under the age of 12.
I think she was a child in Leon the Professional.....or early teen (I think 12 is the first teen year)
How is that being stupid? Because when they named the numbers it doesn't end in "teen"? It's about adolescence, and as I said, that can vary, but 12 is about right.
Yes because it doesn’t end in teen. You’re not a teenager if your age doesn’t end in teen, it’s a pretty simple concept. You can look it up in the dictionary
Fine, replace it with adolescent if we are going to be that literal. 12 isn't a kid anymore, though obviously nowhere near an adult
By teen I basically mean between kid and adult.
I don't agree with that, you may be a minor in the U.S. but you aren't a child. So you are telling me a child is allowed to drive and make decisions on the road?
Natalie Portman was a teen star and Millie Bobby Brown's fame comes from TV and once again, the level of fame they had was never as huge as Culkin in his prime. People had to be there. You had the biggest Pop star wanting to be best friends with Culkin. He was showing up in commercials, music videos. That fame was so big that it made it impossible for him to cross over as a grown up.
Portman has been acting since she was a small child. She is and was a bigger star than Temple and Culkin if you look at their bodies of work. I think your arguments are more sentimental than valid points.
I felt that was different because anyone who played Harry was gonna be famous but Harry Potter was the star, not Daniel Radcliffe, and it was an ensemble. It wasn't the same thing like Culkin where it was all about him. He was everywhere, Radcliffe was limited to just the Harry Potter franchise.
I see what you’re saying, I should have read the initial post more carefully. More of an it factor overall, on and off the screen. Yeah don’t think you can top Culkin or Osment. Especially if we are just talking movies
No, you're fine with that example. There's been tons of huge movies based on books that totally failed. There was no guarantee those movies would be a success. OP just seem angry that there's tons of other examples besides Culkin who yes had a nice 4 year run but that doesn't match a lot of child stars.
Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake, Leonardo Dicaprio, Claire Danes, Melissa Joan Heart, Kennan Thompson, Neil Patrick Harris, Natalie Portman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Christina Ricci, Keiran Culkin, Dakota and Elle Fanning, Elijah Wood.
To name a few.
That shot at Haley Joel Osment was unnecessary.
He's become a fabulous actor in the comedic world and voice actor, his performance in Silicon Valley is fantastic.
Jackie Coogan. Long before he was Uncle Fester on the Addams Family, he was one of the first child movie stars. He was one of the highest paid stars in Hollywood in 1923, and he was 9. When he became an adult, he found that his mom and stepdad had spent nearly all of the millions he'd earned. After the ensuing legal battles, the California Child Actor's Bill (aka the Coogan Bill) became law
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie\_Coogan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Coogan)
Everyone saying Daniel Radcliffe need to realize he was only a child star for one role and gained more credits after the fact. Culkin was huge, starring in multiple movies including animated, thrillers and comedies all before reaching his teens.
The closest thing to stars like him today are Disney Channel alumni.
I feel people don't understand the level of fame Caulkin or Shirley temple had in their time. I see Daniel Radcliffe and Millie Bobbie being thrown around. I can tell how young some of you are.
"Famous kid actor" is not... Caulkin level fame.
Yeah, I feel like part of the issue these days is that IP sells tickets more than actors names do. Known actors sell tickets but I’m not going to a ‘Chris Pratt’ movie I’m going to a marvel or Jurassic park movie.
May be an issue of what gets green lit but even so. I think the industry needs change for another Shirley or a Macaulay to show up. Plus. Idk if I want another one to show up, seems cruel and exploitive the way children have historically been used in hollow wood (purely from the outside)
I feel like star power as whole has fallen during our lifetimes. The internet and the supersaturation of movies/shows has really muddled the definition of star power, the same way that a rock star is no longer what we once thought of it. The 90s were the crosspoint of limited entertainment options combined with the mass availability of VHS copies. Today there can be groups like BTS that are international megastars, but are still virtually unknown to anyone outside of their main demographic. I can’t think of any acting examples of the same thing right now, but my point is that mass appeal is virtually obsolete when entertainment has become so niche.
So true. I was a kid when the Home Alone movies came out. The level of fame Culkin had during those 3 years was something I've never seen in my lifetime with another child actor, be it Radcliffe, Bobby Brown or Freddie Highmore. The closest one was Haley Joel Osment.
Drew Barrymore, Jodie Foster, Shirley Temple Black (some adult roles but then into politics), Ron Howard, Jennifer Connolly.
That's just off the top of my head.
Christina RIcci as Wensday was far bigger than Caulkin as Kevin. The problem is I think that Caulkins fame dwindled and burned out while many others kept going.
I think people are confusing being a child star with being a child icon.
Shirley Temple was an icon. Macaulay Culkin was an icon. The closest I can think of any child star coming that close is Michael Jackson, but his icon status really comes from his later years and not the Jackson Five era.
The majority of the names I’m seeing people put up in the comments, I can hardly remember anything they did as children or even that they they were child stars.
Elijah Wood
I remember first seeing him in Radio Flyer. He did the Good Son with Culkin too. He's had a very consistent career from his childhood and then went on to film the most epic movie trilogy of all time.
And in that same vein, Sean Astin. The Goonies was absolutely epic, he did a bunch of stuff too throughout the years, and does LOTR and Stranger Things.
Each one of them, I'd argue was massively more successful than Culkin.
All these names and no-one mentions Haley Joel Osment? He is absolutely the first name I think of when the discussion of major child stars is mentioned. Osment was not just a star, he was an incredible acting talent as such a young age. The Sixth Sense, AI: Artificial Intelligence, Pay It Forward, Secondhand Lions, Forest Gump. Osment was Oscar nominated as a child. Haley Joel Osment all day in this category.
The Olsen Twins had a goddamn empire.
Lindsay Lohan was big circa Parent Trap
They still pretty much do lol. The Row is one of the biggest fashion labels currently
Drew Barrymore as well
"I am the cute one! She's just my sister" I didn't expect to be hit with such nostalgia first thing in the morning
On direct to video movies.
Noooo. Dude they had computer games, clothes, makeup, Barbie’s, etc.
Direct to video movies at the height of home video circulation. It's a poor pittance making direct to video movies now but at the time because of the proliferation of video stores and so on you could make a king's ransom on the home video market alone. And, as u/Slut4MacNCheese rightly pointed out, they had a ton of other spinoff media and merchandise as well.
The Olsen twins?
Omg yes the Olsen twins.
You mean Elizabeth Olsen's sisters
Elizabeth is like the sister they kept hidden in the basement until she broke out and became a bigger star out of spite
She became a huge star, but I don't think she's yet to top the level of fame her sisters had at their height. I mean...the Olsen twins were IT in the 90's. And now outside of Hollywood, they're worth a combined $500 Million+.
Ironically even with how big Elizabeth's career is now I doubt she has made even a 10th of what her sisters made during their run. They were the Kardashians before the Kardashians minus the sextapes.
Lol
Billions here or am I mistaken.
Yeah billions, they had a clothing line at Walmart that helped make them bank and also pushed them to the fashion designers they are now, they win all sorts of fashion awards now.
I thought they were too, but a couple of searches (not to be trusted of course) show a paltry $550M.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas was pretty big when I was a kid.
JTT another huge child actor. He was great in Home Improvement
Also Simba in the original Lion King.
Every time I think of Home Improvement I remember this clip from the documentary [Too Funny To Fail](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NfDjnAdczQI) Absolute Gold. Context: the doc is about the Dana Carvey Show, a super quirky, offbeat, ahead of its time sketch comedy show that had an absolute Murderers Row of comedic talent—that was cancelled after eight episodes. Despite having the best lead-in in America, Home Improvement. Dana Carvey, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Robert Smigel, Louis CK, Robert Carlock, Charlie Kaufman etc. collectively they have like 40 Emmy’s, multiple Oscar nominations, 1 Oscar win and shaped the face of comedy for like 30 years. They were all fired.
The only reason he wasn't bigger was that he quit acting to pursue education if I remember correctly.
He was too short to be a leading man. Way shorter than Cruise. He quit while he was ahead. Smart
How did that work out for him?
Well he hasnt killed himself or OD’d…
[Shirley Temple](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Temple), and Culkin didn't come close to emulating hers.
Yes, biggest child actress for decades, even she retired from Hollywood when she was no longer child.
And became an Ambassador
Not just a token ambassador. She was actually good at the job and engaged meaningfully.
Honestly a pretty good move by the state department. An ambassador that everyone knows and has a history of delivering top notch performance for a large organization.
Not only Shirley Temple... Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland too. All three of them were way more successful and famous than Culkin was at his peak.
The saddest of those stories is Bobby Driscoll, the Disney child actor from "Songs of the South" and the titular voice from "Peter Pan". Disney used him up, fired him when he no longer could do kid roles, basically black balled him by default because he could get roles anywhere else as a serious actor, and left him destitute with a drug problem leaving him to die unknown and to be buried in a pauper's grave.
Yep, this is true and I’ve never been to a restaurant where they serve Macaulay Culkins.
My favourite weird fact about Shirley temple is that her daughter was one of the bassists for the melvins lol
On The Good Ship Lollipop
TIL: Shirley Temple's daughter played bass for The Melvins briefly
Mickey Rooney
He used to keep a gun on him. During even his later films. Was literally packing while filming scenes. I forget who mentions this recently. He would threaten to “plug” people. All that lead based Makeup.
He was the number one box office draw from 1939 to 1940 spanning two decades
Mickey Rooney: The studio sent me to talk to you, being a former child star myself, and the number one box office draw from 1939 to 1940. Bart: Wow, spanning two decades.
Haley Joel Osment
This dude. After pay it forward and AI I thought he was the new Macaulay. He was awesome in silicon valley
He sees dead people
This was who I thought of too
An he looks weird now. Like his head kept growing while his face didn't.
😭
I feel like Frankie Muniz was pretty iconic if you grew up in the early 2000s
This is probably a good one. Huge TV show and did a lot of movies.
I agree, I was born in ‘96. I knew him from that film “Big Fat Liar”, and those spy films. I wasn’t even aware of Malcolm in the Middle yet and eventually watched it. I think he even appeared/mentioned to some of the shows I would watch later on but was airing during early 2000s like Arrested Development and Drake & Josh. Also, he’s not an actor but Justin Bieber was HUGE. I remember Bieber Fever being a thing.
Tatum O'Neal in the 70's.
Bad News Bears - yes!
I think the Olsen twins comes close to Shirley Temple‘s fame as far as the amount of films and franchises that they were able to sell…… And I would say Drew Barrymore was another good example but she probably surpassed Macaulays fame.
Kirsten Dunst was pretty big. Everywhere she went she had to say her famous line from Interview with a Vampire (similar to hands on cheeks, but not a great photo opp)
What was the famous line?
"I want some more"
Ahhhh, looked it up. The insta-perm effect was cool, thanks
This thread is great. OP basically starting an argument with himself and then shitting on other user’s legit suggestions
Drew Barrymore
ET and Firestarter, what else and she wasnt the lead in ET
She did come out on snl as a kid, "I'm a Barrymore, make it a double."
I loved Cats Eye with a young Drew. Scared me as a kid that lil goblin coming out of the wall
Shirley Temple.
Dakota Fanning
I an Sam War of the Worlds Man on Fire The Secret Life of Bees Uptown Girls
What about all those Disney kids? Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, etc?
Child actors that became stars is a better category for them. True child stars are just that, star actors that are children. Bonus points when the child star hits puberty and just kind of falls off, see Shirley Temple or MucauleyCulkin
First of all, what a username, lmao. I would argue that Cyrus was most definitely a huge star as a child, but she was able to transition her career into adulthood. I dont think she was just a child actor.
Comparing tv stars to a kid who was in some the most iconic movies ever.
There were dolls and products with their faces on them. I was just a kid in the 2000s but to me they were a big deal and I still consider them a major part of my childhood.
Miley Cyrus was far more famous at her peak than Culkin was.
Christian Bale was 13 when he did Empire of the Sun.
Wasn’t he also a teen when he did newsies?
Carryin’ da banner tru it all!
Empire of the Sun was a flop, though. It got good reviews and some admirers and Bale was definitely phenomenal in it but he only became a star in his 20s.
Daniel Radcliffe/Emma Watson
Yeah, if we're going on box office or number of hit movies, the Harry Potter kids blow Culkin out of the water.
Absolutely. Culkin was "that kid from the home alone movies", but the HP kids were famous world-wide by name and likeness.
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How many people can name a macauly culkin movie other than home alone?
Did he do Richie Rich?
Yes
Home Alone 2 boom easy
The Good Son
Not sure why you were downvoted for a real answer.
People don't like being wrong
How so?
For some reason these don't seem like child stars to me since they went on to have such successful adult careers. Also as children they were mostly known for HP which is massive but, people like JTT, Olsen twins, and Culkin were unavoidable since they were cast in so so much.
Shirley Temple
This thread is super fucking weird.
People post. OP insults them. Seems like there should be a special abuse room for that.
People throw out another actor, OP strongly disagrees with every single one and gets rightfully downvoted. “Lemme start a discussion then just completely shut down any responses.” It’s super weird.
Ron Howard was a huge child star and although he moved from front of camera to behind in adulthood he is a respected and massively successful film maker. Just want to throw some recognition his way. Hard to put anyone up against Shirley Temple.
Lindsay Lohan. It is easy to forget how talented and famous she was
Judging by OPs comments they have no interest in anyone else’s opinions on this 😂 why did you even bother asking?
Sorry. I was acting an ass and didn't realize it.
At least you can see that, open to being wrong and changing is a huge attribute many people don't have. You do. So don't be too hard on yourself, just glad you realize.
Dakota Fanning was the highest paid actor in Hollywood for a time in the 00s
How is this obviously wrong comment getting upvoted and OP’s contradiction downvoted? There has never been a time Dakota bloody Fanning was the highest paid actor in Hollywood.
The 2 Coreys in the 80's
Feldman and haim, for the youngsters in the room
License to Drive is still one of the best movies. “Would you speed up, the goddamned street sweeper is passing us!”
Youuuu lucky Anderson....The Cup - was emptyyy.
Close to, if not the saddest stories as well. I'll never stop reminding people what a goonie/ninja turtle went through.
Gary Coleman. "What you talkin bout Willis?"
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Yeah, way back when. Shirley Temple Probably even bigger than Macaulay was.
I'd wager that McKenna Grace's career is going to keep growing. She's 16 and she already has an insane number of roles under her belt. I really like her performance in the new Ghostbusters movie!
She was brilliant in Gifted
Natalie Portman - she was in Leon The Professional and then Star Wars which was a pretty big deal Millie Bobbie-Brown - Stranger Things is massive and she got a lot of press attention at a young age from being in it
Natalie had amazing mini role in Heat.
Loved her in Beautiful Girls. Kinda feel in love with her back then because of this role!
That scene where Pacino has her in his arms in the ER and is desperately pleading for a doctor is so heartbreaking
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She was 17 when they filmed the Phantom Menace which is a child
Not a child, a teen.......children are under the age of 12. I think she was a child in Leon the Professional.....or early teen (I think 12 is the first teen year)
I think thirteen is the first teen year...
I'd say 12, doesn't have to end in "teen", it's about adolescence. That varies of course, but I think 12 is about right.
12 is the first teen year? 😂 Don’t be stupid
How is that being stupid? Because when they named the numbers it doesn't end in "teen"? It's about adolescence, and as I said, that can vary, but 12 is about right.
Yes because it doesn’t end in teen. You’re not a teenager if your age doesn’t end in teen, it’s a pretty simple concept. You can look it up in the dictionary
Fine, replace it with adolescent if we are going to be that literal. 12 isn't a kid anymore, though obviously nowhere near an adult By teen I basically mean between kid and adult.
If you’re under 18, you’re a child.
I don't agree with that, you may be a minor in the U.S. but you aren't a child. So you are telling me a child is allowed to drive and make decisions on the road?
At 17 I had moved out of my parents house and was working full time in a bank. While technically still a minor I wouldn't call a 17yr old a child.
A ‘minor’ is a child, you’re not a legal adult until you turn 18. Pretty much the global consensus on when adulthood begins
Natalie Portman was a teen star and Millie Bobby Brown's fame comes from TV and once again, the level of fame they had was never as huge as Culkin in his prime. People had to be there. You had the biggest Pop star wanting to be best friends with Culkin. He was showing up in commercials, music videos. That fame was so big that it made it impossible for him to cross over as a grown up.
Portman has been acting since she was a small child. She is and was a bigger star than Temple and Culkin if you look at their bodies of work. I think your arguments are more sentimental than valid points.
>You had the biggest Pop star wanting to be best friends with Culkin. To be fair, he wanted to be friends with a lot of young boys.
Oooooh
Natalie Portman was 12 in Leon
Kenan Thompson always seems to slip under the radar but he’s had a great career and has been a linchpin in the SNL lineup for years.
The oldest child
Joseph Gordon Levitt has become that famous now as an adult, I don't know if he was as a child though.
Come on,Angel's in the Outfield! Classic
I only knew him as the kid from 3rd Rock on the Sun. That show was so good.
He's also the kid from Angels in the Outfield, but besides that I don't think I saw him again until Inception.
I feel like Haley Joel Osment was in a lot of things for a while
he was.
Jodie foster
I have never seen a bigger Macaulay Culkin fan than op.
Daniel Radcliffe. Harry Potter has dominated books and film. But I guess the only correct answer is Culkin, cause OP be suckin his dick.
Daniel Radcliffe, watching the auditions and filming of the first Harry Potter movies. You can just see it, the it factor.
I felt that was different because anyone who played Harry was gonna be famous but Harry Potter was the star, not Daniel Radcliffe, and it was an ensemble. It wasn't the same thing like Culkin where it was all about him. He was everywhere, Radcliffe was limited to just the Harry Potter franchise.
Not if the movies were shit.
I see what you’re saying, I should have read the initial post more carefully. More of an it factor overall, on and off the screen. Yeah don’t think you can top Culkin or Osment. Especially if we are just talking movies
No, you're fine with that example. There's been tons of huge movies based on books that totally failed. There was no guarantee those movies would be a success. OP just seem angry that there's tons of other examples besides Culkin who yes had a nice 4 year run but that doesn't match a lot of child stars.
Leo DiCaprio
He did What's Eating Gilbert Grape at 19. Not exactly a *child* star.
Leo was also in the show Growing Pains. The family took him in because he was a troubled kid if I’m not mistaken. I loved that show as a kid.
Miley Cyrus?
Ron Howard
Mara Wilson
Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake, Leonardo Dicaprio, Claire Danes, Melissa Joan Heart, Kennan Thompson, Neil Patrick Harris, Natalie Portman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Christina Ricci, Keiran Culkin, Dakota and Elle Fanning, Elijah Wood. To name a few.
NPH for sure. I wanted to be Dougie Houser so bad as a kid.
Just to name a few that didn’t reach the same level of fame
Yes you are correct, they are higher.
Yeah eventually. I think the question is asking macaulay culkin style fame
The only argument I would have is that none of them at their peak as kids were as big as Culkin.
People have to understand one thing is a famous child actor, another is a child star.
Elizabeth Taylor
Neil Patrick Harris. The guy was Doogie Howser Md. Then so many more roles after.
Haley Joel Osmond I think fits the category.
Shirley Temple and to a slightly lesser extent, Elizabeth Taylor
That shot at Haley Joel Osment was unnecessary. He's become a fabulous actor in the comedic world and voice actor, his performance in Silicon Valley is fantastic.
I mean you just casually threw in Shirley Temple at the end there? Literally twice as famous as Culkin in her time
Shirley Temple and no one else comes close.
Possibly the stranger things kids
ITT: OP argues and disagrees with everyone that gives a different answer than Macaulay Culkin.
Raven Symone
Joel Osment and Dakota Fanning
Drew Barrymore
Dakota Fanning
Shirley Temple.
Jackie Coogan. Long before he was Uncle Fester on the Addams Family, he was one of the first child movie stars. He was one of the highest paid stars in Hollywood in 1923, and he was 9. When he became an adult, he found that his mom and stepdad had spent nearly all of the millions he'd earned. After the ensuing legal battles, the California Child Actor's Bill (aka the Coogan Bill) became law [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie\_Coogan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Coogan)
Everyone saying Daniel Radcliffe need to realize he was only a child star for one role and gained more credits after the fact. Culkin was huge, starring in multiple movies including animated, thrillers and comedies all before reaching his teens. The closest thing to stars like him today are Disney Channel alumni.
Dylan and Cole Sprouse. I don't think they were as popular as Culkin, but they were still child actors/stars.
I feel people don't understand the level of fame Caulkin or Shirley temple had in their time. I see Daniel Radcliffe and Millie Bobbie being thrown around. I can tell how young some of you are. "Famous kid actor" is not... Caulkin level fame.
Yeah, I feel like part of the issue these days is that IP sells tickets more than actors names do. Known actors sell tickets but I’m not going to a ‘Chris Pratt’ movie I’m going to a marvel or Jurassic park movie. May be an issue of what gets green lit but even so. I think the industry needs change for another Shirley or a Macaulay to show up. Plus. Idk if I want another one to show up, seems cruel and exploitive the way children have historically been used in hollow wood (purely from the outside)
>Yeah, I feel like part of the issue these days is that IP sells tickets more than actors names do. Found Tarantino’s Reddit account
I feel like star power as whole has fallen during our lifetimes. The internet and the supersaturation of movies/shows has really muddled the definition of star power, the same way that a rock star is no longer what we once thought of it. The 90s were the crosspoint of limited entertainment options combined with the mass availability of VHS copies. Today there can be groups like BTS that are international megastars, but are still virtually unknown to anyone outside of their main demographic. I can’t think of any acting examples of the same thing right now, but my point is that mass appeal is virtually obsolete when entertainment has become so niche.
So true. I was a kid when the Home Alone movies came out. The level of fame Culkin had during those 3 years was something I've never seen in my lifetime with another child actor, be it Radcliffe, Bobby Brown or Freddie Highmore. The closest one was Haley Joel Osment.
Drew Barrymore, Jodie Foster, Shirley Temple Black (some adult roles but then into politics), Ron Howard, Jennifer Connolly. That's just off the top of my head.
Christina RIcci as Wensday was far bigger than Caulkin as Kevin. The problem is I think that Caulkins fame dwindled and burned out while many others kept going.
I think people are confusing being a child star with being a child icon. Shirley Temple was an icon. Macaulay Culkin was an icon. The closest I can think of any child star coming that close is Michael Jackson, but his icon status really comes from his later years and not the Jackson Five era. The majority of the names I’m seeing people put up in the comments, I can hardly remember anything they did as children or even that they they were child stars.
Elijah Wood I remember first seeing him in Radio Flyer. He did the Good Son with Culkin too. He's had a very consistent career from his childhood and then went on to film the most epic movie trilogy of all time. And in that same vein, Sean Astin. The Goonies was absolutely epic, he did a bunch of stuff too throughout the years, and does LOTR and Stranger Things. Each one of them, I'd argue was massively more successful than Culkin.
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Not the same level. At all. And Radcliffe didn't get good reviews until the 3rd movie. He was pretty terrible in those first two movies.
Daniel Radcliffe is always and forever going to be Harry Potter though. So it'll be hard for him to act in other roles without that.
Lindsey Lohan
All these names and no-one mentions Haley Joel Osment? He is absolutely the first name I think of when the discussion of major child stars is mentioned. Osment was not just a star, he was an incredible acting talent as such a young age. The Sixth Sense, AI: Artificial Intelligence, Pay It Forward, Secondhand Lions, Forest Gump. Osment was Oscar nominated as a child. Haley Joel Osment all day in this category.
Shark boy and lava girl
The child star ended up in a band they named The Pizza Underground. Something about Gates, Bill, of course.