Cover Before he was Batman, child star Christian Bale headed the cast of Steven Spielberg’s underrated ‘Empire of the Sun’ (1987) (photo: Murray Close/Getty)
Before he was Batman, child star Christian Bale headed the cast of Steven Spielberg’s underrated ‘Empire of the Sun’ (1987) (photo: Murray Close/Getty)
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Dive into the surprising beginnings of some of Hollywood’s most enduring stars and uncover the childhood performances that set them on the path to stardom
Many child stars leave an indelible mark on pop culture history. Icons like Shirley Temple, Macaulay Culkin and Haley Joel Osment remain forever tied to their standout childhood performances. While some, like Drew Barrymore, Daniel Radcliffe, and Jodi Foster, managed to transition seamlessly into adult stardom, others navigate a more complex path, staying in the spotlight yet often overlooked as lifelong performers. Here, a look at a third category: actors who found success in adulthood, but whose careers began before most fans might remember.
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1. Ron Howard
Indeed, even contemporary film buffs are surprised to learn that this Academy Award-winning director isn’t just behind-the-scenes talent. Ron Howard was, in fact, a prolific child actor. He was already playing bit roles before he turned five, including as an extra in the Western Frontier Woman when he was two! At age six, he played Opie, the son of Andy Taylor, in the classic sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. He also played Winthrop Paroo in the 1962 film adaptation of The Music Man.
Howard became a household name as Richie Cunningham in Happy Days, filming seven seasons before leaving to focus on producing and directing.
2. Christian Bale
Many cinemagoers believe Christian Bale’s career originated in Little Women (1994) or perhaps the Disney musical Newsies (1992). However, the Batman actor’s filmography can be traced back further, playing a minor role as Tsarevich Alexei in the 1986 TV film Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna, starring Amy Irving. Irving, who was then married to Steven Spielberg, recommended Bale for the WWII film Empire of the Sun, which was based on the novel by J.G. Ballard.
And so by age 13, Bale was headlining a massive Spielberg blockbuster, playing a wealthy British boy who finds himself a prisoner of war in a Japanese-held internment camp. The 1987 film—and Bale’s performance in particular—was widely praised, and was nominated for six Oscar awards. It remains what many consider to be an underrated gem in Spielberg’s filmography.
Sadly, Bale was bullied in school after the release of Empire of the Sun, causing him to halt his acting career. He returned briefly to work with Kenneth Branagh for Henry V, and returned for good in 1992’s Newsies.
3. Jason Bateman
You can blame grainy ’80s television for why not many people remember that Jason Bateman was a child star. At 12 years old, he was a regular on the drama Little House on the Prairie and the sitcom Silver Spoons. His biggest break at that time came when he played David Hogan in The Hogan Family when he was 17, playing the character for five years. In between, he took the lead role in Teen Wolf Too. Bateman began to be noticed as an adult in his supporting roles in the 2004 comedy classic Dodgeball and in 2006’s The Breakup.
4. Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor’s performances in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Butterfield 8 cemented her as one of the best actresses of her generation. Her command of her emotions as well as her charm is something she’s been polishing up since she was 10—when she first appeared in a small role in There’s One Born Every Minute. She would settle for minor parts in the next couple of years, earning her big break as a jockey in 1944’s National Velvet. It would snowball into bigger and bigger opportunities, and she was later called "Hollywood's most accomplished junior actress."
5. Laurence Fishburne
Laurence Fishburne has played many memorable characters, so viewers will likely remember him from What's Love Got to Do With It, The Matrix, Boyz n the Hood, John Wick, or even CSI. If you remember him from Apocalypse Now, then you should know that’s hardly his first acting credit. At age 11, Fishburne received positive reviews for his role as ghetto kid Fish in the TV movie If You Give a Dance You Gotta Pay the Band. This helped him get cast in the soap opera One Life to Live, where he stayed for four years.
His acting chops were on full display in his debut film, Cornbread, Earl and Me, in 1975. Fishburne played Wilford Robinson, a young boy who sees his friend killed by police officers in a case of mistaken identity.
6. Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell’s career is nothing if not enduring. He started acting at 11, taking guest roles in Dennis the Menace, The Dick Powell Show, and more. He was also in It Happened at the World's Fair as an extra who kicked Elvis Presley.
His big break came in the 1963 Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, where he played the eponymous lead for 26 episodes. Interestingly, Russell broke out into more adult roles playing Presley in a TV film. (He would also voice Presley in Forrest Gump.)
Now, over six decades later, he remains active in Hollywood, alongside his longtime partner, Goldie Hawn.
