Amazing Child Actor Performances of the Past 100 Years

Jackie Coogan became the first movie child star in his eponymous role in “The Kid.” In the film, Charlie Chaplin reprised his Tramp character, to raise a street waif played by the 7-year-old Coogan. Later, Coogan would gain television fame as the lovably cranky Uncle Fester in the series “The Addams Family.”

Edmund Moeschke, a non-professional actor, played a boy facing the challenges of post-World War II Germany. Critics and film fans lauded his performance. It would be Moeschke’s only film.

In postwar Italy, a boy (9-year-old Enzo Staiola) and his father try to recover his dad’s stolen bicycle. “Bicycle Thieves,” directed by Vittoria De Sica, is one of the classic neorealism films made by Italian filmmakers after World War II. Staiola had few roles afterward, including an appearance in the 1954 film “The Barefoot Contessa,” starring Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner.

John Howard Davies’ film debut at 9 years old was as Oliver Twist in the film of the same name, directed by the renowned David Lean. Davies appeared in three more films and became an accomplished producer and director, whose credits included the comedies “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” “Fawlty Towers,” “Mr. Bean,” and “Blackadder.”

Brigitte Fossey was 6 years old when she played a French girl orphaned during a German air raid who befriends a farm boy played by 12-year-old Georges Poujouly. Fossey left acting to return to school and then resumed her career, with an appearance in Francois Truffaut’s “The Man Who Loved Women.” Poujouly would appear in the well-received suspense film “Diabolique.”

Subir Banerjee was 8 years old when he played the boy Apu in Satyajit Ray’s critically acclaimed film “Pather Panchali” (“Song of the Little Road”) about rural life in a Bengal village. Banerjee would spend virtually his entire adult life outside of films before returning in the movie “Achal: The Stagnant” in 2012.

Jean-Pierre Léaud, the son of an actress and scriptwriter, had already made a film when François Truffaut sought young actors to appear in the “The 400 Blows.” Léaud‘s ability to improvise landed the 14-year-old the part in the French classic, “The 400 Blows.” He would go on to appear in four other Truffaut movies.

Rony Clanton’s screen debut came at age 17 when he played Duke in “The Cool World,” about the difficulties of life in a Harlem ghetto. His other film appearances included “The Cotton Club,” “The Devil’s Advocate,” and “The Royal Tenenbaums.” Clanton has also appeared in the long-running period television series “Boardwalk Empire,” “HIll Street Blues,” and “Law and Order.”

Tatum O’Neal became the youngest person to win a competitive Academy Award at 10 years old for her portrayal of a child swindler in the film “Paper Moon,” which also starred her father, Ryan O’Neal. Her subsequent film career included star turns in “Little Darlings” and “The Bad News Bears.”

Linda Blair’s part as the young girl possessed by a demon in “The Exorcist” was not her first role, but it was her most famous one. The 14-year-old won a Golden Globe for her performance. She later appeared in the very successful television films “Born Innocent” and “Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic,” and spoofed her Exorcist role in the send-up “Repossessed.”

Jodie Foster had a few screen credits before she took on the role of a child prostitute in the searing Martin Scorsese film “Taxi Driver.” The 13-year-old was nominated for an Academy Award and she would go on to win two Best Actress Oscars for “The Accused” and “The Silence of the Lambs.”

Justin Henry got his start in films at age 7 as the child of divorced parents fighting over the custody of him in “Kramer vs. Kramer.” He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, the youngest actor ever nominated. Henry would go on to appear in television series such as “ER.”

Danny Lloyd was 6 years old when Stanley Kubrick chose him to play the psychic son of a father slowly losing his mind and turning into a homicidal maniac in the horror flick “The Shining.” Lloyd’s character is famous for his line “Redrum! Redrum!” Lloyd only has three acting credits in his career.

Ten-year-old Mara Hobel played Christina Crawford, the tormented daughter of actress Joan Crawford in the camp classic “Mommie Dearest.” Critics trashed the film, but not Hobel, who was hailed as the best part of the movie. She has mostly done television work since then, such as “Blue Bloods,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Roseanne,” and “ABC Afterschool Specials.”

Henry Thomas, 11, played a suburban kid who befriends a marooned alien who wants to return home in “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.” Thomas later appeared in the films “Legends of the Fall,” “Gangs of New York,” and various television series.

Six-year-old Heather O’Rourke played the child harassed by demons in “Poltergeist,” and would utter the famous line, “They’re back,” in the sequel. She appeared on the television series “Happy Days” and “Webster” before her untimely death at 12 years old in 1988.

Drew Barrymore, scion of one of America’s greatest acting families, became the big screen’s youngest scream queen at 6 years old upon seeing the alien in “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.” Barrymore has had a full career as an actress (78 credits) and producer (26 credits). Her acting credits include “Fever Pitch,” “Never Been Kissed,” and “Donnie Darko.”

Aleksey Kravchenko appeared as a teenaged resistance fighter battling the Nazis in the harrowing film “Come and See.” He also appeared in the anti-war motion picture “The 9th Company,” about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Canadian-born Corey Haim appeared in the early 1980s Canadian series “The Edison Twins” before he hit the big screen in the title role “Lucas” about teenage love. His performance was lauded by critics such as Roger Ebert. Among his other film credits are “The Lost Boys” and the horror flick “Watchers.”

Sixteen-year-old River Phoenix received critical acclaim for his performance in the coming-of-age film “Stand By Me.” Phoenix had other successes such as “The Mosquito Coast,” “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (as the young Jones), “My Own Private Idaho,” and his Oscar-nominated role in “Running on Empty.” His promising career was cut short by a fatal drug overdose in 1993.

Before English actor Christian Bale won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for “The Fighter” and reimagined Batman in “The Dark Knight,” he wowed critics with his performance as a teenage prisoner of war of the Japanese in “Empire of the Sun.”

Macaulay Culkin had appeared in Off-Broadway shows and films such as “Rocket Gibraltar” and “Uncle Buck” before director Chris Columbus tapped the 10-year-old for the lead in the slapstick comedy “Home Alone.” It was a monster hit, leading to a sequel that was also a blockbuster.

Christina Ricci, 11, played the goth daughter Wednesday in the reboot of the ghoul franchise “The Addams Family.” Ricci appeared in family and tween-targeted films such as “Casper” and “Now and Then,” then switched to more adult fare such as “The Ice Storm,” directed by Ang Lee.

Eleven-year-old Anna Paquin became the second-youngest actress to win a competitive Academy Award when she took home the Best Supporting Actress for her role as Flora in “The Piano.” Paquin has had a busy career since then, with 54 acting credits. She appeared in Martin Scorsese’s film “The Irishman” and was in the football-themed movie “American Underdog,” released last year.

Before he became known for portraying Frodo Baggins in the blockbuster Lord of the Rings film trilogy, 12-year-old Elijah Wood co-starred with Macaulay Culkin as cousins in “The Good Son.” His previous film credits included “Avalon,” “Paradise,” and “Radio Flyer.”

At 12 years old, Kirsten Dunst made her breakthrough performance in Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, earning a Golden Globe nomination. In 2022, Dunst received her first Oscar nomination for “The Power of the Dog.”

Natalie Portman’s screen debut at 12 years old was as the protégée of an assassin in “Léon: The Professional.” Her career has continued on an upward trajectory. She gained worldwide acclaim as Queen Amidala in three Star Wars films and has received three Oscar nominations, winning a Best Actress statue for “The Black Swan” in 2011.

Discovered by director Jacques Doillon at age 3, Victoire Thivisol, at age 5, was given the title role of Ponette, the story about a girl dealing with the tragic death of her mother. Thivisol also is known for appearances in the films “Chocolat” and “Children of the Century.”

Mara Wilson overcame the death of her mother during the filming of “Matilda,” an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book. She appeared in three more films in the late 1990s, then she left the industry for private life.

At 10 years old, Jenna Malone got the filmgoing public’s attention for the title role “Bаstard Out of Carolina,” a film about child abuse. Malone has been compared to Jodie Foster and she has appeared in two films with her – the sci-fi “Contact” and “The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys.”

Mina Mohammad Khani played a young girl in this Iranian film about the confluence of imagination and reality in the life of a first-grader who tries to find her way home from school after her mother has failed to pick her up.

After making her acting debut on the soap opera “Another World,” 12-year-old Lindsay Lohan starred in her first feature-length film “The Parent Trap.” the reboot about estranged twins. She earned critical acclaim and several young artist awards. Lohan has churned out hits such as “Freaky Friday” and “Mean Girls,” and has appeared on television series “Glee” and “Anger Management.”

Haley Joel Osment is famous for delivering the line “I see dead people” in the thriller “The Sixth Sense” when he was 11. Before that film, Osment played the son of Forrest Gump in the movie of the same name. Osment also has appeared in television series “Thunder Alley,” “The Jeff Foxworthy Show,” and “Murphy Brown.”

Rory Culkin, from the acting Culkin family, played younger versions of his siblings in films before he broke through in the role of single-mom Laura Linney’s son in “You Can Count on Me.” Culkin also appeared in M. Night Shyamalan’s film “Signs” and on the TV shows “The Twilight Zone” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”

Jamie Bell’s star turn as a boy who keeps his passion for dancing secret in “Billy Elliott” parallels his actual story. Bell won the role over 2,000 other boys in England and went on to win Best Male Performance at the BAFTA awards. Known for his versatility, Bell has appeared in the Elton John biopic “Rocketman,” “Flags of Our Fathers,” and “King Kong.”

Nine-year-old Jonathan Chang appeared in “Yi Yi: A One and a Two…” The film is about Taiwanese family members seeking reconciliation in their relationships. The motion picture won a Best Director award for Edward Yang at the Cannes Film Festival. Chang also has appeared in “Da-Yu: The Touch of Fate” and “God Man Dog.”

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” was not Daniel Radcliffe’s first big-screen appearance. That was in “The Tailor of Panama,” in which he portrayed the son of parents played by Geoffrey Rush and Jamie Lee Curtis. Once the Harry Potter series premiered, Radcliffe became one of the most famous people in the world. He’s experienced success in the theater as well. Radcliffe appeared in the Broadway revival of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” and was well-received by critics.

Seven-year-old Dakota Fanning’s movie debut was in “Tomcats” in 2001. Later that year, she appeared as the daughter of a mentally challenged man played by Sean Penn in “I Am Sam,” which was a breakthrough performance. Fanning has never looked back. She’s appeared in hits such as “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Man on Fire,” and the remake of the “War of the Worlds.”

Keisha Castle-Hughes made her film debut at 12 years old in “Whale Rider,” about a young Maori girl fighting to claim her destiny as a leader. Her performance earned critical acclaim and a Best Actress Academy Award nomination, making her the second-youngest actress ever nominated. Castle-Hughes appeared in “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith,” and has been in the television series “Game of Thrones” and “FBI: Most Wanted.”

Freddie Highmore’s breakout role was in “Finding Neverland” as a boy in the family that inspired Peter Pan creator J.M. Barrie. Highmore also starred as the homicidal maniac Norman Bates in the TV thriller series “Bates Motel” and has played an autistic surgeon in the series “The Good Doctor.”

Ten-year-old Nikolay Spiridonov starred in “The Italian,” about a boy living in an abandoned orphanage in Russia who is adopted by an Italian family. Spiridonov’s other credits include “Twilight,” “Krasota Trebuyet,” and “Liquidation.”

Abigail Breslin had mostly television series on her resume (“What I Like About You,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”) before the 10-year-old captivated audiences as the ambitious and insistent beauty pageant contestant in the farce “Little Miss Sunshine.” The role earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The now-25-year-old actress already has 52 acting credits, among them: “Ender’s Game,” “Zombieland,” “My Sister’s Keeper,” and “Signs.”

Ivana Baquero was chosen by director Guillermo del Toro from among 1,000 girls to play the role of Ofelia in the fantasy thriller “Pan’s Labyrinth,” It proved to be a big break and she received various awards from Spanish film organizations for her performance. Baquero’s first American role was in the creepfest “The New Daughter ” that starred Kevin Costner.

At 27 years old, Saoirse Ronan has already been nominated for four Academy Awards. Her first nomination was for Best Supporting Actress for the movie “Atonement” when she was 13. She played an aspiring writer who accuses her sister’s lover of a crime he did not commit, altering the lives of those around her. The Irish actress was also Oscar nominated for roles in “Brooklyn,” “Lady Bird,” and “Little Women.”

Australian-born Kodi Smit-McPhee received critical acclaim for “The Road,” about a father and son trying to survive after the apocalypse. He’s added film credits such as “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and “X-Men: Apocalypse” and “X-Men: Dark Phoenix.” Smit-McPhee received his first Best Supporting Oscar nomination in 2022 for his role in “The Power of the Dog.”

Isabelle Fuhrman was so convincing as the sociopathic girl in “Orphan” that at least one critic feared she might not find work in the motion-picture industry again. Some critics compared the 9-year-old’s performance to that of Linda Blair in “The Exorcist.” Fuhrman went on to roles in the box-office smash “The Hunger Games,” “Tape,” and “The Novice.” She also started a production company WHAT IF ? Productions in 2019.

Hailee Steinfeld played Mattie Ross, the young girl who hires an aging lawman in the American West to find her father’s murderer. The 14-year-old Steinfeld received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role. Following that effort, she was Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet,” and appeared in “Ender’s Game,” “3 Days to Kill,” “Pitch Perfect 2,” and “Barely Lethal.”

Asa Butterfield got the industry’s attention at age 10 as Bruno in the concentration camp-themed story “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.” He followed that up with his acclaimed performance in the titular role in “Hugo,” which won five Oscars. Butterfield’s also been in “Ender’s Game,” “A Brilliant Young Mind,” and “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.”

At age 9 years and 135 days, Quvenzhané Wallis became the youngest person ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the fantasy “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” She was chosen out of about 4,000 children to play Hushpuppy, who lives with her dying father in a Louisiana bayou that is succumbing to climate change.

In the Australian thriller “The Babadook,” 5-year-old Noah Wiseman played a boy who, along with his widowed mom, becomes disturbed when the pages of an eerie children’s book become reality in their house. Or at least they think so. Wiseman also appeared in the films “Funny or Die Presents…” and “Spaghetti.”

Jacob Tremblay’s breakout role was in “The Room,” about a mother and her son who experience freedom after being held captive for seven years. Tremblay won a slew of breakthrough and newcomer awards. The 15-year-old Canadian actor has already built a career on playing on kids in danger, in films such as “Before I Wake,” “Shut In,” and “The Predator.”

Alex Hibbert is an actor, known for playing Little in the Oscar-winning film “Moonlight,” which dealt with issues of sexuality and identity in African-American culture. Hibbert also has appeared in the action blockbuster “Black Panther” and in “The Chi.”

Thirteen-year-old South Korean actress Seo-hyun Ahn starred in “Okja,” about a girl who will do anything to stop a corporation from abducting her best friend, a large beast. The film was directed by Oscar-winning director Bong Joon Ho and starred Oscar winner Tilda Swinton. Ahn also appeared in the movies “The Housemaid” and “The Yellow Sea.”