19 Child Stars Who Made A Comeback As Adults

UPN, ABC

Tyler James Williams had the lead role in Everybody Hates Chris as a young teen, and as an adult his breakout role has been in Abbott Elementary.

Columbia Pictures, David Giesbrecht / DAVID GIESBRECHT/NETFLIX

Anna Chlumsky is recognizable to every '90s kid as Vada in My Girl (delivering one of the most traumatic lines in our cultural memory: "he can't see without his glasses!" And as an adult, she's had notable roles in Veep and Inventing Anna.

Amblin Entertainment, A24

Perhaps one of the most famous comeback stories in recent history, Ke Huy Quan starred in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies as a child, but struggled to find acting work as he got older. His comeback role in Everything Everywhere All At Once got him an Oscar.

Nine Network, Courtesy of Netflix

Aisha Dee got her start in the Australian series The Saddle Club as a kid, but her role in The Bold Type as an adult allowed her to make her mark internationally. More recently, she's starred in the Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar.

Disney, The CW

Cole Sprouse and his brother Dylan got a lot of work as twin child stars growing up, from Friends to The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, but they've carved their own paths as adult actors — Cole has most notably starred as Jughead in Riverdale.

Disney, Hulu

Dylan Sprouse hasn't had quite as high a profile as his brother Cole as an adult, although he's recently played the lead in the Beautiful Disaster film series.

Warner Bros, BBC

Alfred played Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter film series, then surprised everyone when he popped up again as an adult in How To Get Away With Murder. His latest role is in the BBC series Miss Austen.

Paramount Pictures, HBO

Jodie Foster had steady work as a child actor, including in Bugsy Malone, Taxi Driver, and Freaky Friday. She paused acting to go to college before going on to becoming a prolific and successful adult actor, with some of her most memorable roles being in Silence of the Lambs, Panic Room, and True Detective.

Working Title Films, Disney+

Thomas Brodie Sangster was the adorable kid in Love, Actually and Nanny McPhee, and while he's remained baby-faced, he's forged quite a career as an adult, including roles in Game of Thrones and The Artful Dodger.

New Line Cinema, Ludovic Robert / Netflix

Gaby Hoffman was in several movies as a kid, including Uncle Buck, Sleepless in Seattle, and Now and Then. She disappeared from the mainstream radar for awhile, but made a comeback in Transparent and more recently starred in Eric.

Network 10, Courtesy of Netflix

Phoebe Tonkin is THE "Cleaur" from Australia's H20: Just Add Water, and has made a career as an adult in both American and Australian productions such as The Originals and Boy Swallows Universe.

Disney, TV Land

Hilary Duff will perhaps forever be most associated with Lizzie Maguire, but she has had great success acting as an adult, most notably in Younger.

Universal Pictures, Searchlight Pictures

Jamie Bell was memorable as the lead in Billy Elliot as a kid, and has had some significant roles more recently, including in Shining Girls and All of Us Are Strangers.

Miramax, ABC

Freddie Highmore was in a bunch of movies as a child actor in the '00s, including Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. As an adult he's most known for Bates Motel and The Good Doctor.

Universal Pictures, The Cw

Molly Ringwald was the queen of teen movies in the 1980s but it took awhile for her to gain steady success as an adult, with roles in The Secret Life of an American Teenager, Riverdale, and Feud.

ABC, CBS

For years, no matter what roles he took on, Neil Patrick Harris was known primarily as Doogie Howser from Doogie Howser M.D. — until a little show called How I Met Your Mother totally changed his public image and trajectory. Now, he's forever Barney Stinson.

CBBC, A24

Before she was a Hollywood darling in movies like The Brutalist, The Theory of Everything, and Rogue One, Felicity Jones was a child actor in The Worst Witch.

20th Century studios, FX

Macauley Culkin is one of the most famous child actors of all time, thanks to roles in movies like Home Alone, My Girl, and Richie Rich. He took time off acting but has since returned in shows like American Horror Story and The Righteous Gemstones.

Columbia Pictures, CTV

Jerry O'Connell was iconic as a kid in Stand by Me, and he's now had a long career acting as an adult, starring in Sliders, Scream 2, and Carter amongst other things.